Penguin Portfolio has sold the rights to mainland China publisher, Publishing House of Electronics Industry. The Mandarin Chinese edition comes out in 2007 (tentative date: May or June August or September 2007).
Download Chapter 1 in Chinese.
A big thanks to Raven Lu Li, who works for Accenture China, for translating Chapter 1 the book into Chinese.
Well that counts for something, doesn’t it? Maybe a lot. I’m one of those bookaholics who judges books by their covers and their heft and their layout and type. And TCBB, designed by the clever folks at Penguin Portfolio, has a nice look and feel to it. (I’d give credit to the art director but I don’t even know who it is. Portfolio keeps a lot of this stuff under wraps. Not sure why.) A few comments from early readers:
The Corporate Blogging Book is a very nice book — every page has something essential in it — just open it up and you’re good to go!
and
“Congratulations on a beautiful product! I’m honored to have been a small part of it and appreciate your mentioning me [in the acknowledgments]. I love the size and weight of the book — it’s perfect.”
- email from Meryl K. Evans (researcher for the book)
I just updated the About the book page with a little Q & A that explains it. I’ve written a book for the non-cool, the non plugged-in, the possibly skeptical and perhaps even fearful executive. In addition, I’ve written it in a slightly bloggy style. I’m hoping it’s an engaging, fun read. And not a dry business book.
So waddya think? I kind of like it. There’s been some discussion about whether "Hello" is the right word for the thought bubble. I think it’s open-ended and neutral enough that it’s fine. Kudos to Penguin Portfolio’s designer!
Click image to see it full-size.
This is cool. I’m thrilled to announce that Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman of global product development, is writing the Foreword to my book.
Bob is GM’s most high-profile blogger, as you probably know. I guess you could call him one of the first A-list bloggers for the Fortune 500.
I asked him… and he said Yes. He just emailed me a draft of the foreword. More than a draft really. It’s terrific. He’s an awfully good writer and yes, I think he wrote it himself. Thanks Bob, for a wonderful contribution to the book.
The Penguin folks and I have gone round and round on this one. Not disagreeing, mind you. Just trying to nail something that, er, felt right. Interestingly, the final choice is surprisingly close to many of the suggestions offered by over 100 loyal WordBiz Report readers in a book title survey.
And the sub-title is…
Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right
Your comments? Feel free to weigh in. The "get it right" part is key, I think. It’s what I hear over and over from clients and other corporate types I talk to. In addition to worrying about the time suck.
Not a subscriber to WordBiz Report? Hey, it’s never too late. Sign up here and you can download your free copy of "Top 7 Tips To Write an Effective Business Blog."
Dana VanDen Heuvel of Pheedo recently asked me what’s different about The Corporate Blogging Book. (He and I are appearing on a DMA panel in Atlanta on Oct. 18th.) Hmmm… a couple of things.
First, it’s a practical, clear-eyed look at what companies can do with blogs. My audience is larger companies with a corporate mind-set. They move a bit slower and more cautiously than many technology companies. And there are millions of ‘em out there.
Second, I’m writing it with one foot in and the other foot out of the blogosphere. While I consider myself pretty much an “insider” when it comes to the blogosphere, I’m writing for those who aren’t insiders and who may be skeptical. [Cf: Blogs? Most people don’t have a bloody clue]
The goal of the book is to de-mystify this blogging thing for corporate-minded folks who aren’t already on the bandwagon. That includes managers and executives with small/medium-sized (SMEs) up to Fortune 500s - not solo entrepreneurs trying to make a quick buck with a blog.
I’m trying to answer their unanswered - and perhaps even unstated - questions about blogging. From… “Fear of blogging” to “So really, what’s the point?” to “Unravel this for me and show me how to get started.”
Of course I’m obsessively keeping a list in my head of every book about business blogging currently being written, in galleys, or to be published soon. At the same time, I’m not reading them. [Update: happy to report that I’m beyond that weird obsession.]
I’m already half crazy just a tad crazy right now (yeah, well there are good days and bad days when you’re writing a book… right?!). I’m trying to make The Corporate Blogging Book distinctive and different and really useful. I’ll leave it up to my editors to find out what the competition is up to.
Here’s the list of other blogging books If I’ve missed one, let me know in the Comments below. Or feel free to send me an email at wordbiz @ gmail DOT com.
Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution Is Changing Politics, Business and Culture by David Kline and Dan Burstein (October 2005)
Blog Marketing by Jeremy Wright (November 2005)
Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing The Way Businesses Talk With Customers by Robert Scoble and Shel Holtz (January 2006)
Blogwild! by Andy Wibbels (a fellow Penguin author; aimed at small biz; spring 2006, I think)
Just read about a business blogging book that Shel Holtz is co-authoring with IT consultant Ted Demopoulos
Oh, and The Coporate Blogging Book by… never mind.
And, compiled by blog book author David Kline, an even longer list of blogging books recently signed by blog-obsessed publishers. David, your book sounds great!
Had the pleasure of meeting this week with Adrian Zackheim, publisher of Penguin Portfolio, at the Penguin Group offices on Hudson Street in lower Manhattan. Silly me. The Greenwich Village address made me think I was headed to some cool office. Turns out 375 Hudson Street is a sleek, corporate tower.
Adrian is wonderful. He sighed as he settled back on the couch in his small cluttered office. "This next hour and a half is a bad time of day for me," he said (we had a 3 PM meeting). "I can’t think particularly well or clearly." Well I usually feel like that about half of every day. So this was a relief.
Of course he was lying.
He’s not directly involved with my book so he didn’t know much about it. (No surprise. This is how it works in a publishing house.) But he asked all the right questions. And agreed that I’m writing the book for someone like him. As he put it: "This blogging thing seems like more than I want to get into right now… demystify it for me."
Adrian’s questions:
Why do businesses need blogs?
What’s their purpose?
What are they used for?
What’s the point?
How do you do it?
Great guideposts as I burrow into the writing… I’ve had a hard time thus far churning out a draft. Did I mention that I’m a world-class procrastinator?
Keep those helpful tips coming…
Oh, and Adrian recommended Anne Lamott’s classic Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
I’m fighting a summer cold/flu, the book is progressing slowly and it’s hot hot hot hot here in Washington D.C… argh. On the bright side, here’s a nice mention from the July 12, 2005 Publisher’s Lunch:
"Corporate blog coach, Fortune 500 speaker, and consultant Debbie Weil’s B L O G, making a case for corporate blogging by revealing how your business can benefit - and profit - from this cultural and technological phenomenon, to Megan Casey at Portfolio, by Wales Literary Agency."
Here’s a useful Q & A with my agent Elizabeth Wales on what to expect if you submit a manuscript to an agent (and why you should consider a West Coast agent with strong East Coast ties).
Oh… and the topic of the book? Basically, it’s a
beginner’s guide for the non-techie corporate manager or entrepreneur.
I’m writing for those not in the know who want to learn how and why blogging can be a business tool. There are a lot of smart folks in this category. If you recall your blog stats, only 7% of Americans were reading blogs as of March 2005 (according to a CNN, USA Today and Gallup study).
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