I admire people who have strong convictions and the courage to follow them, BUT I am utterly terrified to read books by people with these convictions whom I happen to personally know.  My fear, of course, is that I won’t like the book and will be asked in some stunningly awkward situation what I thought.

So it was with some trepidation that I picked up the just-released, TOUGH LOVE: Scripting the Drive, Drama and Decline of Galaxy Coffee by John Moore.  Moore is a veteran of the marketing departments of both Starbucks and Whole Foods, a well-known blogger and the author of an earlier book about Starbucks, Tribal Knowledge. He is also a friend of mine, one who often departs from the beaten path and who chose to release his new book in a most unconventional fashion.

Tough Love is an e-book, written as a screenplay, and is the first book to be published by 800-CEO- READ, a Milwaukee-based online bookseller known for its informed reviews, interviews and business book manifestos.  When asked about why they decided to launch a joint venture with Moore, Jon Mueller of 800-CEO-READ said, “We’re big fans of John, and when I saw that he was working on a business screenplay, I thought it would be the ideal format to launch through ChangeThis.  The site is about creating positive change, and not only do John’s ideas do that, the book itself suggests a different route for presenting business thought.”

I am pleased to report that Tough Love is a gem of a book that delivers on all fronts. Reading it is a bit like watching a subtitled film.  Within a dozen pages, the dialogue format all but disappears, and I found myself caught up in the strong storytelling which sets the book apart and makes the business lessons memorable. That what happens to the fictional Galaxy Coffee so closely mimics much of what is happening to its real-life counterpart, Starbucks, further establishes Moore as a top notch marketing brain and makes him seem prescient all at once.

I sat down with John at our offices this week to talk about his latest project.  Here’s a quick take on five questions I had upon reading his book.

Q:   Tough Love is not only an e-book, it is in a format unfamiliar to business readers and it is the first title to be published by 800-CEO-READ.  Why did you choose such an unconventional path?
I totally respect 800-CEO-READ. Not only are they THE experts in selling business books, they are tastemakers of business books. Having the support and the endorsement from them means a lot to me, especially given the non-conventional format of Tough Love.

Q:   I’ve heard you say you’re not a fan of fables.  If so, then why did you choose a fictional format for this book of business wisdom?
With all the drama that has been going on with Starbucks in the past few years, it seemed natural to write a story about it. However, I didn’t want to limit myself to writing a fable, because the story I wanted to tell was too complicated to fit the fable format. Generally, business fables have one, maybe two, key ideas. That’s it.  My Tough Love story covers a lot of territory from company culture, to leadership skills, to marketing strategies, to navigating a global brand during a bad economy. There were far too many insights I wanted to share that wouldn’t fit the mold of a fable business book.
I went the screenplay route, because it allowed me to tell this complicated story from a few different angles. Also, I wanted to challenge myself to write in a format and style that’s different from anything I’ve ever done (or perhaps will do again).

Q:  What’s your goal with Tough Love?  Are you challenging the traditional publishing world or merely stretching your own mental muscles to bring business ideas to life in new ways?
I’m not out to challenge the traditional publishing world. Instead, I want to share interesting business ideas in interesting ways. The e-book format has a lot of flexibility now with the iPad and all the other smart ices out there. People I’ve talked with who’ve read Tough Love on their iPad tell me it reads great.

Q:  I understand there is a print version of the book in the works.  Tell me more.
In August, we will offer Tough Love as a printed book. Readers will have the option to get the screenplay as a PDF or as a bound book. It’s a matter of making Tough Love more convenient to readers.

Q:  If readers walk away from your book with just one thing, what would you hope that would be?
Simply put… do something different.  All the main characters in Tough Love eventually do something different.  Vivian Kane, a long-time Galaxy Coffee marketer, makes a major career shift at the end of the story. David Pearl, the fictitious CEO of Galaxy Coffee, has massive change forced upon him. While he initially rejects the change, David eventually embraces the change and does something different in his professional life. This change brings about a renewed entrepreneurial sprit within David and that inspires him to bring out the entrepreneurial spirit in others. The ending will surprise a lot of people and hopefully inspire readers to do something different.

Tough Love is the perfect addition to your summer business reading list.  I give it two thumbs up and predict you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll learn and how much fun you’ll have getting to know Moore’s compelling cast of characters.

Visit John Moore online and buy the book at 800 CEO READ.