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Wednesday 25 July 2012

How to Achieve Career Success, Be Happier and Earn More by Not Planning Your Career or Having Just One

Book Jacket Cover
“What do you do for a living?” used to be an easy question to answer. At school you were asked to make a black and white choice to the question of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and for the rest of your life you were One Thing or Another. You were a designer, or an accountant, or a doctor, or an artist. But now a new book reveals how a generation of ‘mashers’ are leading a work and careers revolution where you can be both a designer and an accountant, a doctor and an artist, and be happier, more fulfilled and better paid at the same time.

In their new book, Mash-Up: How to Use Your Multiple Skills to Give You an Edge, Earn More Money and Be Happier published by Kogan Page in September 2012, authors (amongst other things) Ian Sanders and David Sloly show readers how to get in on the act and ‘mash-up’ their full skill set to carve out a more fulfilling work life and be more than just their job titles.

Along the way Ian and David introduce readers to an army of ‘mashers’ who are already making the most of all their multiple interests and skills to live more authentic lives. Interviewees include Dave Stewart, Phill Jupitus, Sarah Beeny and a platoon of mashers whose plural careers include making an award-winning film series, running a spice trading company, writing a bio of Florence and the Machine, founding a famous series of ‘ideas’ lectures, setting up a DJ agency, and blogging for the London 2012 Olympics.

**‘Personal Unifiers’ replace job titles (and help when writing a Twitter bio)**
Practical advice on how to make the jump from a restrictive single job title existence to the unlimited possibilities of a plural career includes how to answer the dreaded dinner-party question all mashers hate: “What do you do?” and how to use social media platforms such as Twitter where mashers have to condense their plural identities into 140 characters, whilst still standing out from the crowd. As mashers are more than their job titles, David and Ian coin the brand new concept of the ‘personal unifier’. For Ian it’s ‘communicating ideas’; David is a ‘change agent’; Sarah Beeny ‘makes things simple’; and for Jose Castillo whose varied work life has included writing about new media, speaking at conferences, and consulting with Fortune 500 companies and start-ups it’s ‘adding spice’.

**Goodbye to the ‘Five-Year Plan’**
Calling time on the concept of the ‘five year plan’, David and Ian also show how it’s mashers who ‘unplan’ that are most successful. The ‘unplan’ is at the heart of the Mash-Up philosophy and is about being agile enough to adapt to unexpected opportunities. The happier more fulfilled masher realises that in a world that’s more connected than ever, but increasingly unstable and uncertain, it’s those who adopt an agile mindset, who can do more than one thing and be adaptable and enterprising, that stand the best chance of success.

To further help readers unleash themselves from the black and white single career mindset Ian and David also offer advice on:

• How to use the concept of ‘mash’ to give you a competitive edge in the job market
• How you can get satisfaction and stimulation by getting close to the work-life that reflects you
• How to go plural when you already feel time poor by making the most out of hobbies
• How the native masher is more productive when portable rather than chained to a desk

...and even more tools and tips to manage a mashed-up life.

About the authors
Ian Sanders is passionate about capturing and communicating ideas. He works with businesses turning their thinking into marketing content that tells a story across multiple platforms. His career has seen an obsession about 'doing', driven by curiosity and insight rather than a big plan. Ian applies a rapid mindset to all projects, recognising that the value lies in execution. Through his own ideas and writing he's on a mission to disrupt the business status quo. His books have inspired readers to change their lives; Tom Watson the British MP who famously challenged Rupert Murdoch, said "thanks Ian. You helped me rediscover the inner rebel". Watch Ian interview Dave Stweart, Guy Vaynerchuck and more.

David Sloly trained as a journalist with the BBC. Fired for humiliating a politician, he became highly sought after and was soon snapped up to create award-winning content for the UK's first independent radio production company. David is also a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist, so if an employer tries to fire him now, he hypnotizes them into drastically increasing his salary.

Notes to the editor: Mash-Up!: How to Use Your Multiple Skills to Give You an Edge, Earn More Money and Be Happier by Ian Sanders and David Sloly. To be published September, 2012. ISBN: 978-0749465902, Paperback, 256 pages, £14.99.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Child Prodigy Writes New Novel of Heroic Adventure in the Wild


Twelve-year-old Reena Bakir gives us the story of “HOPE,” a hybrid wolf leader who would become a legend of a hundred generations.
 
Born on a mountain from a wolf mother and a husky father, Hope is an orphan of a month and a half when he is found nearly frozen to death by a human. HOPE by Reena Bakir is the fascinating tale of how this hybrid orphan grows up under human care, leaves their domain to become a hero among his kind in the wild, in a fabulary place ruled by the intelligence of “beasts” (bears, wolves, leopards and such) called The Snowy Forest. It is a unique spin on many animal tales – a fascinating study of animal psychology and the virtues of the animal world that are otherwise not given too much mileage in other works. 

Dan, the human who saved Hope (and gave him his name) gives a foreshadowing of what Hope would become when, from experience working on the dogfarm, he touts the young pup as somebody who would grow up to be a leader. On the farm (the pup sanctuary) where Dan has taken him to, Hope displays his leadership qualities early on - his strength, intelligence and reflexes are better than all of his friends in his age group. Perhaps it is the influence of human care in the farm for working dogs (raised and trained to carry loads and pull sleds).One more thing that distinguishes him from the rest is a thinking, practical conscience affirmed by a strange episode with a snow leopardess who tells him how kind and trustworthy he is. The wild wolves, bears, and other denizens of The Snowy Forest have seen and observed these amazing qualities of Hope’s.

The spark in the pup’s ocean-blue eyes has turned brighter and brighter with the passing months. As the bonds with his human and sanctuary friends grew stronger, he had never imagined the day he’d have to leave it all behind. But the leopardess finds him again after that first strange meeting and by following her, he heard the most magnificent howls of the wolves of a hunting pack. It spoke to him of freedom and choosing to live how he saw fit. When Hope is faced with a choice of survival or comfort, what would he choose? What, among the many virtues and bonds that have been given to him, would he have to give up to fulfill his dreams?

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to www.Xlibris.com.  

Reena Bakir is a twelve year old student who is passionate about animals, especially wolves. She has great respect for nature and living creatures which is manifested clearly throughout her stories. Her stories spread great joy and morals to readers of her age and older. 

Visit her online at www.myanimaldoorway.com
HOPE * by Reena Bakir
Publication Date: December 23, 2011
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 121 pages; 978-1-4653-1028-6
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 121 pages; 978-1-4653-1029-3
eBook; $4.99; 978-1-4653-1030-9

Remarkable Life of a Cockney Kid Revealed in New Book

Author Veronica Pinckard recounts the story of her life through cheerful writing

As a promise to her inquisitive children and friends, Veronica Pinckard relives the earlier years of her life and writes it in a way with the richness of the ever-cheery Cockney. Her book, A Damn Fine Growth: Autobiography of a Cockney Kid, makes readers reflect that “Life is never as bad as we think.”

Born in London opposite the Houses of Parliament, Pinckard was the last of 16 children. She was educated at a prestigious school founded in 1666, and became an evacuee in WWII while in High School. While her seven brothers and her father served their King and Country, she worked as a wartime secretary for the inventor of in-flight refuelling and where the first British jet planes were tested; she was also a medical and legal secretary and Court Reporter.

Pinckard left England in 1954, emigrating to Canada and New Zealand. She emigrated to California in 1960, finally settling in the Santa Clarita Valley. She was married first for 26 years and now happily married for 35 years and counting. She has been a docent for 22 years at the Los Angeles Zoo touring school children, visiting schools to show slides on the plight of endangered animals, and reading to children at a local school.

Despite challenges along her walk through life, Pinckard continues to maintain a happy attitude up until today, as can be seen through her writing. With illuminating detail, A Damn Fine Growth: Autobiography of a Cockney Kid will bring smiles, tears, and rich memories to its readers. 

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

Married with 4 children, 6 grandchildren and a great grandson, Veronica Pinckard has travelled extensively with her husband and at 85 remains active in Tai Chi Chu’an, handiwork and learning to play the piano.

She has written and published many short stories, including an award-winning one.
A Damn Fine Growth * by Veronica Pinckard

Autobiography of a Cockney Kid
Publication Date: June 22, 2012
Trade Paperback; $23.99; 406 pages; 978-1-4771-2411-6
Trade Hardback; $34.99; 406 pages; 978-1-4771-2412-3
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4771-2413-0



UKs Love of Reading Sparks the Great Book Migration

Jonathon Edwards
UK’s Love of Reading Sparks the Great Book Migration
Jonathan Edwards jumps on board to launch national reading campaign
 The UK is a nation of Bonds, Bennetts and bookworms
Hermione beats Harry in the top fictional character polls

A list of the UK’s favourite fictional folk has been revealed, placing James Bond and Elizabeth Bennett as the characters we’d would most like to be.

According to the poll of over 2,000 people, the average UK resident spends 7 hours and 54 minutes immersed in a good book each week. Over half of the nation (53%) will read on a daily basis for at least an hour and seven out of ten people still prefer the feeling of a real book over an e-reader.

The findings, conducted by vision correction specialist Ultralase, also revealed that the average UK bookworm will get through two and three quarter books each month. The most popular reasons for reading are escaping everyday stresses and broadening knowledge. However, for some people, books provide the perfect retreat for a different reason! Over a third of people have hidden behind a book to check on someone they admire, avoid a conversation or simply sit back and indulge in a spot of people watching.

This national joy of reading has prompted Ultralase to launch The Great Book Migration with the support of former Olympic athlete, and patient, Jonathan Edwards. The campaign will track 100 books, and their travels, across the UK. Varying from classic horrors such as Dracula to modern romances such as One Day, the titles will be found in a range of public places with ‘Read Me’ labels attached to their covers.

Those who find one of the marked books will then be invited to join the migration and log where they found it using QR codes, twitter handles, Facebook or email. Readers wanting to find out more about The Great Book Migration should visit http://on.fb.me/JX5CR4 for more details.

Tony Veverka, Chief Executive at Ultralase, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be launching our book migration and we can’t wait to see how far and wide the titles travel. As we can see from the research, reading may be one of our oldest past times but it’s certainly still a favourite - with so many people devoting their spare time to this hobby.

“It was, however, disturbing to see that so many people still let their sight compromise their joy of reading. In fact, 15% of people in the UK struggle with their sight whilst reading and one in ten (12%) also said they’ve felt intimidated or embarrassed by not being able to see when they’re reading in front of others.

“One of the most common causes of poor vision when reading is Presbyopia. It will affect everyone one of us as some stage in our life and can set in as early as 40-50 years old in some cases. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can avoid but there are treatments available, such as Supracor to combat the condition and we urge people to explore those options before sacrificing the enjoyment they deserve when reading.”

One in ten people feel that reading glasses are a symbol of getting old and a further 10% would rather opt for treatments such as laser eye surgery than wear glasses.

The top 10 fictional characters include:
1. James Bond
2. Elizabeth Bennett (Pride & Prejudice)
3. Jane Eyre
4. Hermione Grainger (Harry Potter series)
5. Miss Marple (Agatha Christie)
6. Harry Potter
7. Gandalf
8. Bella (Twilight)
9. Poirot
10. Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy)

Monday 2 July 2012

New Book Offers Readers an Inspirational Guide to Mastering Life


Author William L. Di Carlo reveals how readers can learn to control their thoughts and actions to live a more fulfilling life.

Most of mankind fear change. Recent studies show that people will not undertake a new activity because if there is a chance of difficulties, they will not start it. “Mankind needs to face their fear, and do it anyway. If you wish to achieve something and it appears threatening, investigate it, find out the facts, and get started on it!” William L. Di Carlo declares in his book, Mastering Life.

Over the last 30 plus years, the author has taught people to achieve their goals, mainly through the art of Kenpo Karate. His teaching goes beyond martial arts as he helps them to change outlook on themselves, on everyone they interact with, to how they walk and talk, look people in the eye, in other words, create a new individual. Mastering Life expounds more on this process as it reveals how to control one’s thoughts and actions for a more fulfilling life. Through these enlightening pages, readers can see the great men that Di Carlo has called upon to assist him with his understanding of goal reaching.

In this book, the author explains cognitive reconstruction, a process of learning to alter their faulty thinking with those that are correct, positive reinforcing and enable them to achieve their goals in self-protection as well as in life. He reiterates the importance of taking the next step despite the risk of failure, emphasizing that when man falls down, he gets up and learns from it. He encourages readers to take advantage of this book and apply it to their daily life as they take the next step to fully Mastering Life.

This book will be featured at the New York Library Association Book Exhibit in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on November 7-10, 2012.

For more information, visit www.Xlibris.com.

William Di Carlo has published this book after a life time of study and experience. “I have always wanted to help others become empowered and this book will help them do it,” Di Carlo said. Di Carlo has spent his life helping people face their fears and achieve their goals in the martial arts for over 30 years since achieving his 8th Degree Black Belt. Having trained and promoted national champions and many black belts he has also owned diversified businesses and tested his principles on living the life he has dreamed of, repeatedly having ‘started over’ many times. Di Carlo also said, “I’ve always did what I dreamed of, others would say to me, ‘How can you do that?’ and I’d say, ‘Watch.’ ”

Mastering Life  by William L. Di Carlo
Publication Date: April 25, 2012
Trade Paperback; $15.99; 99 pages; 978-1-4568-7501-5
Trade Hardback; $24.99; 99 pages; 978-1-4568-7502-2
eBook; $9.99; 978-1-4568-7503-9

To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879.

For more information on self-publishing or marketing with Xlibris, visit www.Xlibris.com. To receive a free publishing guide, please call (888) 795-4274.