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Thoughts on books, publicity, and the media from our Cave Henricks staff.

What Makes a Great Business Book?

The 100 Best Business Books of All Time

What makes a great business book?

Fall is typically a hectic time for those of us in the publishing world. This year is certainly no exception. We’ve attended book festivals, gone through our acquisitions process for our spring 2011 books, finished our work on our summer books, begun work on our fall titles, and all while balancing personal and professional time constraints that most everyone faces while preparing for the holiday season. This fall at Cave Henricks Communications, we will be promoting eight new business titles, all of which we consider to be terrific books and each with a strong message.

The demand for business books right now is huge, as company executives grapple with how to not only keep their company above water, but also how to grow their business, retain top talent, find innovative ways gain a competitive edge and come out on top, despite the setbacks they may have encountered during the recession. Similarly, employees are looking for ways to become indispensible to their company (see: Linchpin, by Seth Godin), ensuring safety through brutal rounds of layoffs and poising them for success in the future.

Not surprisingly, this high demand for business intelligence has increased the supply as well. Approximately 11,000 business books were published in 2009, up nearly 40 percent since 2005. This swell makes sifting through the sludge of mediocre to downright bad books to find the truly great ones an often grueling process – for editors, agents, publishers, media members, publicists and consumers alike.

While everyone’s mental list of what makes for a great business book is likely to vary, here is our list of the five qualities (and those that we look for in the titles we represent):

  • Prescriptive advice that can be applied today. While a book about innovation may be interesting, if it doesn’t tell readers how to innovate or what steps to take to grow their business into one known for innovation, what is the value to the reader? A great business book introduces a practical framework and offers prescriptive advice on how to implement immediately.

 

  • A unique spin. Completely novel business book topics are difficult to come by; there are already thousands of books on marketing, leadership, customer service and entrepreneurship, just to name a few topics. Every once in a while, one comes along, almost automatically qualifying it for a great business book, but for those that lack the completely new business idea, they must have a unique spin with new advice, research or other offerings.

 

  • A timely topic. Today’s environment is tough. Companies are struggling; top executives to front-line employees are feeling the pressure. A great business book should address the concerns and issues people are facing today and provide a roadmap for navigating the hardships to come out on top.

 

  • Impressive author credentials. Media members today are inundated with books from authors – or their publicists – seeking coverage. (One reviewer told me that he often receives upwards of 600 books a week.) So, how do they choose which books to cover and which to pass over? Typically, three questions are asked: Who is the author? What is he or she saying? And, why should I care about this today? While the credentials of the author alone cannot move a reporter to cover the book, it is essential that the author have the education, experience and know-how to lead the discussion on his specific subject matter.

 

  • Compelling writing. As noted above, the qualifying factors for a great business book likely vary from person to person; however, this one is nonnegotiable. Good writing – actually, excellent writing – is a necessity. While we seldom turn to a business book for its entertainment value, when an author is able to make a book on economic principles a New York Times bestseller and global sensation, as Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner did with Freakonomics, you know you have a great book on your hands.

We’re curious – what do you think is the recipe for a great business book?