One of my favorite career/business authors has done it again!  Alexandra Levit , who I met over dinner in Chicago, is releasing her newest book today: Blind Spots: 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success

I got a chance to interview Alexandra… here are my questions and her responses:

What is the premise of Blind Spots?

The recent recession has toppled and transformed our ideas about just about everything. Massive change is afoot and many of us are still reeling from the work-force bloodletting that began three years ago and the downfall of companies we thought we all respected.

If we take the time to examine the world that’s rising out of the ashes, we see that a major paradigm shift is occurring. We have realized that money and manipulation will only go so far, and we’ve come 180 degrees from the backbiting and dirty politics that characterized the dog-eat-dog 1980s. Inside the business world, organizations and individuals are looking inward and seeking a return to traditional human values like honesty, trust, moderation, open communication, and one-on-one relationship building.

Those who wish to be gainfully employed for the foreseeable future must take this transformation seriously and adapt new ways of doing things. In this book, we explore the 10 biggest myths of business success that people believe to be true even though they don’t work for 98 percent of all truly successful people.

The time to debunk these myths is now because they are more dangerous and less viable than ever given this post-recessionary climate of ethical scrutiny and intense competition. If adhering to these myths didn’t get you places before, it really won’t today, when employers want to hire people with Puritan work ethics, people who want to do their jobs well without rocking the boat too much and who are strong representatives of the organization’s culture.

If you want to get ahead in this values-driven environment, putting on blinders is not an option and you can’t afford to waste time. You must throw away these myths, determine what will work in their place, and immediately put it to use.

What makes Blind Spots different from other career books?

I wrote Blind Spots because I was tired of reading silly theories and platitudes dispensed by business and career authors who sell their work by giving these myths credibility and by telling readers what they want to hear.

Here is one thing you can count on: I will tell it like it is. I will be honest with you about what will render you successful in today’s business world, not yesterday’s.

I refuse to give you overly provocative advice that hasn’t worked for anyone I know, like quitting your job tomorrow and starting your own business the next day, or marching into your boss’ office and announcing that he should appreciate your individuality. This advice is not trendy and it’s not hype – it’s what actually works.

What do you hope readers will take away from Blind Spots?

Each chapter includes academic research, expert commentary, anecdotes from contemporary culture, and inspirational stories from people like you who either fell prey to a myth or had to rethink their approach, or who recognized the myth for what it was and consequently came out on top.

Along the way, I’ll provide specific advice for course-correcting that readers can use immediately in their work lives. I hope that by the time they finish reading, they realize that a lot of what it takes to be successful is already a part of who they are, and that they absolutely have the power to cultivate the skills and attitude that will take them wherever they want to go.

What’s your favorite myth and why?

I have personally experienced most of the book’s myths myself, so they are all favorites in a way. But overnight success is the first myth I debunk in the book because it’s one of the most widely held beliefs. It’s also hugely misleading, and adopting this idea that you can easily become an overnight success could actually be quite damaging for your career and life.

The truth is simple. There are very few – if any – genuine cases of overnight success. The majority of successful people have dedicated themselves to a goal and persevered for a long time, experiencing several setbacks before reaching a high level of achievement that is finally noticed and talked about by others.

Sounds awesome, right?  I love Alexandra’s writing style… and am anxious to see her new book

When I was speaking on my last trip, in the Bay Area, I talked about writing a book.

Here are two questions I got from one of the attendees, via email:

How does one go about self-publishing? and Why is this better than attempting to get one’s book published by a well know publisher?

There’s another, bigger, question that needs to be answered first.  That is: what do you hope to accomplish with your published book?  Is it book sales ($$), or is it fame, or is it a stronger brand (as an expert)?  Or something else?

Knowing that might affect how you approach your own book plans.

But back to her two questions:

First question. How does one go about self-publishing?

I had an eye-opening moment when my publisher (Happy About) told me he does around (or over) 250 tasks for an author.  The obvious include copy editing (the words) and layout editing (preparing it for the printer).  He has his distribution channels (mainly Amazon, I think), and he does fullfillment (he ships the books when people order).  He handles money, and taxes, and refunds, etc.

And over 200 other things. (hear a podcast interview he did with me on why you shouldn’t self publish )

When I was towards the end of my second book I had totally planned on self-publishing.  However, by the time I was done, I was ready to hand it off and have someone else do all of the rest of the work. I was tired, having put heart-and-soul into that big project, and I wanted to essentially outsource the rest.

My plan for my next books is to self-publish, and right now that feels right. I am getting all my ducks in a row to do this, and know I’ll spend time getting my ISBN number, working with designers and editors, the printer, etc.  But it’s a challenge I think I want to undertake right now  We’ll see if that changes, like it did last time.

Here’s a high level overview on self-publishing:

1. Write the manuscript.
2. Have it edited (copy editing)
3. Have it prepared for the printer (layout editing)
4. Have all book cover stuff ready and designed (including ISBN, UPC bar code, inclusion of testimonials and foreword, etc.)
5. Send order to printer (assuming you’ve gotten bids and picked one)

Now, you have at least 100 books in your “inventory.”  Good luck with that.  What you do with those is for another blog post

Second question: Why is this better than attempting to get one’s book published by a well know publisher?

I’ll never forget when a Dan from Wiley, a major publisher, reached out to me to pitch me on a book proposal.  It was very exciting at first, but after a while the whole thing fell apart. He reached out to me, and then they rejected the idea, after I put hours into the proposal.

Some of those hours were at the hospital while my wife was in early stages of labor.  Yep, I wasted my freaking special time on a stupid book proposal because “we’re meeting in the morning and I really want to take this to my team.”

I got sucked into that.

It would have been worth a $15,000 advance, and some nice royalties if the book sold well.

But HIS idea was rejected by his peers, after I did a lot of legwork for it.

Our final conversation was not very cordial, to say the least, and he’s tainted the way I look at Wiley, or other big publishers.

What do you get from a big publisher?  Lots of expectations.  They expect YOU to market it. Completely.  No matter what they say, if you don’t market it, you lose, period.

I remember Dan saying “but if you publish with us, you could then say you have a Wiley book!”

Big flippin’ deal.

Can you tell I’m still miffed about it?

The last straw was when he suggested I buy 2,000 copies in advance.  I’m no math genious but isn’t that about $40,000, out of pocket, just so I can say I have a Wiley book?

NO THANKS.

I’d rather self-publish. It might cost me about $2,000 out of pocket, and some time, but I got time, and I got $2k, especially if it means I don’t have to deal with a book factory that only cares about their bottom line.

I want to do it on my own terms.

I want to keep certain things in the final manuscript (I’ve heard from other authors that their editors took stuff out).

I want to make more than 25 cents per book sale (I’ve heard from authors that they might get “a few bucks,” but I know one who gets 25 cents per sale. You have to sell a LOT of books to make any money that way.)

I want to do it on my own schedule.  Timelines are good, but book writing isn’t the only thing I do for a living… and if they are riding me on a deadline I’m not sure that will be good for me.

I have friends who write books for big authors, and I think they love it.

I am simply choosing to do it on my own for now.

Will I ever do a big publisher?  Sure, if I get a sweet deal, a la GaryVee (supposedly got a $1M book deal to write 10 books). Why?  Because he has an audience (aka, platform).  He has almost 1M people following him on Twitter.

Do you have a platform?  If you do, you can take the money upfront (like he did), or you can self publish (like Seth Godin chose to do (MUST READ)), and make it on the back (and maybe make more, if you are good at hawking your books).

So we go back to the question: what is the purpose of your book?

Then, will a publisher help you accomplish that goal, or is the work really still in your lap?

Another “Now What???” book rolled off the press: I Want To Work In An Association – Now What???, by Charlotte Weeks.

I met Charlotte at a career conference a few years ago and we immediately connected.  Her enthusiasm for the career space was contagious.  She later became the president of the National Resume Writers Association, which is a two year volunteer term.

Charlotte Weeks lives in Chicago, which is a hotbed for associations.  In my uneducated mind, this includes nonprofits, societies, etc.

As I travel the country and speak to professionals and executives in transition, I hear many people who are interested in the nonprofit space.  Many are interested because they want to have a “more meaningful” job, regardless of the money.

From what I hear, though, nonprofits can pay pretty good!

If you are interested in this space, get Charlotte’s book digitally for 9.99 or 11.95, or a physical copy for 16.96.  Click here for the options.

Great job Charlotte – I know it’s a huge task to get a book out, and YOU DID IT!

Last week I wrote about Alison Doyle’s job search books, and I got an email from JibberJobber user Cleo Parker (on Twitter) with what I decided would be today’s post  From Cleo:

Reading your post about books this morning prompted me to share a great book I’m reading right now “Succeed- How we can reach our goals” by Heidi Grant Halvorson. In it she discusses research about how people see themselves, see their goals, and which approaches pay off.

Although I would think job seekers who of a mind set to use Jibber Jobber are well on the “right thinking” path that involves beliefs such as hard work is more important than luck and you can get better at pretty much everything with effort, I found it enlightening and valuable, and I’d suspect anyone in a job search would benefit from reading it.  Especially the people who think that they’ll be “discovered” without putting in the work needed to be “found” or those that just give up.

She’s got one statement that I love about deciding if you should abandon a goal:

“If the answer is “I don’t have what it takes”, you are wrong. You do have what it takes. Start again.”

(My Dad had a saying “Can’t never did anything” – same sentiment,
probably why I like it!)

Although I’m not happy about how many jobs I’ve gone through in the last few years (I’m getting better and better at landing them, now I have to be more careful about wanting and keeping what I get!) I’m happy to have had some additional time on my hands the past few weeks to read this book. I encourage you to check it out!

Thanks for the insight, Cleo – I know this will be a great book for many of my readers/users.

My work continues to get awesome media mentions.  This one is from Meridith Levinson at CIO.com.  She titles it How Writing a Book Can Boost Your IT Career and Your Income.

She starts:

“Jason Alba always wanted to write a book. When he started his own business, a service for job seekers called JibberJobber, in 2006, he finally had the time. One night in January 2006, while dining out, Alba shared his book idea—an explanation of how job seekers could use LinkedIn in their job search—with some friends who had books published. Alba says they loved the idea, and one of them offered to introduce Alba to his publisher and serve as his executive editor.”

This is really a fun story… you can read the article here. I know many of you are interested in writing a book. My advice? DO IT!

One of my favorite quotes from her article:

“Even if your book sucks, even if it’s small, even if it’s lame, just being the author of a book … gives you credibility.”

Even if it SUCKS?

Yes, even if it sucks.

I’m not saying to write a sucky book, but don’t put it off for years, while you get to “excellent,” when you can get it published sooner, at “good enough.”

Meridith, thanks for letting me share my story with your readers

Alison Doyle is the job search expert at About.com, and has been blogging and writing about jobs and careers for years.  She has also counseled many people one-on-one as they work on their own job search.  She’s definitely “in the trenches.”

Here are three job search books Alison has written, the most recent/current at the top:

Alison Doyle’s Job Search Guidebook (more info)

Internet Your Way to a New Job (third edition) (more info)

The About.com Guide to Job Searching (more info)

I remember my first discussion with Alison. JibberJobber was relatively new, and I was anxious to have people like her learn about it, blog about it, share it with their audience.  I emailed her a few times, and she finally called my phone number.  At the time, I didn’t have a work number… so she called my home

I was in a bedroom taking apart (or putting together?) a bed frame … tools and stuff where a strew, when she called.  I was flattered, and delighted.  We had a great call, and over the years we’ve had a number of communications, including lunches when she’s been in Utah.

Alison Doyle is the real deal.  She is genuine, smart, current, and really passionate about all-things-job-search.  Check out her books here. You can learn more about Alison on Twitter (@AlisonDoyle), and of course find her atJobSearch.About.com.

I recently found out about InsideJobs.com, which is a simple, very nicely done website to help you explore career options, career fields, career paths.

I haven’t poked around a lot, but from my first impressions and understanding, it is very, very nice, and very useful.

If you are not quite sure what you want to be when you grow up, whether you are 16 or 76, check out this very cool resource!

Helpful?

Chip Hartman is a really nice guy.  A gentleman.  He’s a very good person, and a job seeker’s advocate.

Chip recently created two ebooks that you can get for free, no strings attached.  Download and check them out.  Print them, study them, apply them.  They are both very good, and worth your time.

First, a few weeks ago I wrote on my LinkedIn blog about his ebook: Turbocharge your LinkedIn Profile. Here’s the direct download.

Second, he just sent me an email for the new one, on personal branding.  It is called The Basics of Personal Branding (download here).

It is very, very good.  I do a lot in the personal branding space and highly endorse this ebook.

Get them both, study them, apply them!

It seems like:

introvert + job search = failure

Doesn’t it?

Doesn’t all the advice point to networking?

And doesn’t networking mean you have to meet people, smile, be happy and excited and positive?

WAIT!!!

STOP!!!

Yes, your relationships can and should play a big role in your job search, and the success of your job search.

But if you are introverted, or scared to death to be an extrovert (or fake being an extrovert), there is still hope for you.

Lots of hope.

Social networking is a powerful tool for introverts because they are not in a high-pressure social environment.

But introverts can thrive at non-social networking, too.

They can definitely thrive.

Take what you think networking is all about … you know, all the stuff extroverts seem to thrive at, and discard it.

Networking is more about developing real relationships than it is knowing everyone your city, or industry.

Networking is more about one-on-one than it is collecting dozens or hundreds of business cards and email addresses (and then doing nothing with them).

Networking is more about thoughtfulness and follow-up than it is blasting general emails and updated to people who really don’t feel like they know you (and don’t really care about you).

Can an introvert thrive at that stuff?

Definitely.

Do not hide behind the title/stereotype of being an introvert to think you cannot network.

Want a book recommendation?  Here you go: The Successful Introvert, by one of my favorite introverts, Wendy Gelberg.

Wendy is the real deal.  She’s introverted.  She’s quiet.  She’s not the one who is at the network meeting shaking everyone’s hand, smiling at everyone and pretending she’s the host.

She might walk away from the meeting only having had one or two conversations.

But those conversations will have been really good. The people she talked with will have felt cared about.  She will have worked on breaking beyond a superficial relationship and getting to a deeper relationship.

She is an introvert who walks her talk, and she’s someone you should listen to. You can pick up her book here.

I got an email from JibberJobber Partner Linsey Levine linking to a terrific New York Times article by Thomas Freidman titled The Start-Up of You.

Linsey has been a JibberJobber partner for at least two years. She really gets it.  Here’s her tagline in her email reads:

I help people in career pain, career limbo, or career depression
Get Unstuck: Get Clear, Get Focused, Get Moving

You can learn more about her at LinseyLevine.com.

Back to the article by Freidman… READ IT! Then read it again. I had to read it three times. It is awesome. Here are some of my favorite parts:

They (the companies he writes about) are all looking for the same kind of people — people who not only have the critical thinking skills to do the value-adding jobs that technology can’t, but also people who can invent, adapt and reinvent their jobs every day, in a market that changes faster than ever.

But you would never know [what companies are looking for] from listening to the debate in Washington, where some Democrats still tend to talk about job creation as if it’s the 1960s and some Republicans as if it’s the 1980s. But this is not your parents’ job market.

Quote from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman: “No career is a sure thing anymore. The uncertain, rapidly changing conditions in which entrepreneurs start companies is what it’s now like for all of us fashioning a career. Therefore you should approach career strategy the same way an entrepreneur approaches starting a business.”

Another Hoffman quote: “For entrepreneurs it’s differentiate or die — that now goes for all of us.””

The last paragraph is brilliant… read the article.

How are you thinking about your career, and career management?  Is it just happening TO you, or are you driving and managing and directing it?