Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite

Predictive Analytics by Eric Siegel is a detailed but readable overview of a somewhat complex math-driven prediction technique which uses sophisticated computer programs to analyse and extrapolate information from large amounts of personal data - data which is generally available from internet, social media, and company records. Writing in a non-technical, anecdotal style, the author covers a great deal of ground, providing a clear picture of the current state of the science. Predictive Analytics (PA) is used in a variety of disciplines such as stock market trading, fraud detection, policing, insurance, medicine and, probably the aspect that we are more familiar with, marketing. He explains how the algorithms work, the benefits, pitfalls and sometimes unexpected side effects of PA; for instance, how prejudice can be perpetuated by using some types of data, how predicting death can cause unwelcome complications with health insurance, how what you post on social media can have unforeseen effects on whether you will be accepted for a credit card, have your tax return audited, or cause a restaurant you may have mentioned to be inspected. There is a large section on the processes that enabled IBM to create Watson, the machine that won the quiz show Jeopardy, and also a good deal of information on machine learning and the prospects of artificial intelligence. Written primarily for the non-professional, the book also includes links and appendices for those who would like to study the subject further.

I fully expected Predictive Analytics to be a difficult read, but was pleasantly surprised at the style and accessibility of the work. It is easy to follow and should be of interest to anyone who is concerned about how the personal information which all of us supply routinely to service providers like public utilities, banks and Facebook, vendors like Amazon, and our employers is used. I am sure that we have all experienced some of the results of data mining, where adverts quickly appear on our social media pages as soon as we have looked at some item or other on the net. But some of the aspects of PA I found to be quite disturbing, like the way employers such as Hewlett Packard are using PA to analyse their employee records to predict which employee is likely to leave the company, or how health insurance companies are able to use PA to analyse their clients’ claim histories to establish who is likely to die. Eric Siegel points out that data is the new oil and that PA is gaining pace and sophistication at an unprecedented rate. He goes on to suggest that control legislation is urgently required in some areas, but in the meantime I strongly suggest you read this book - forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness by Lolly Daskal is a book that every leader needs to read, one with the advice that many growing leaders never have the chance to hear. As I read this book, I thought about all the men and women who have driven me, and the patterns outlined in this well-crafted and compelling work surface very powerfully in their lives. Drawing from popular psychology, philosophy, and professional experience, the author unearths traits in leaders who fail because they rely solely on their skills and on what has consistently worked for them — which might not be relevant anymore.

In well-crafted prose and providing wonderful insights, the author illustrates how our skills and talents can become stumbling blocks on our way to greatness. And did you know that the overconfident leader can suddenly become the imposter, that the person who builds on truth can become a master at using lies to lead others, that the explorer can become the exploiter, and that the gifts that make us rise can turn against us when we fail to discern what really makes us grow and connect more intimately with ourselves and with others? The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness is a ground-breaking work on leadership, a book that showcases the author’s leadership skills and experience so brilliantly that it will provoke a revolution in the hearts of up-and-coming leaders, and help those leading others to be more aware of the dangers that come with their skills. Lolly Daskal writes with confidence and leaves the reader in no doubt that she is a master of the subject. It’s perfect leadership psychology.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Unbarred Innovation: A Pathway to Greatest Discoveries by Mayur Ramgir is a unique look at entrepreneurship and having confidence in yourself and your ideas. There is nothing that you cannot do. Many times, people are confused or lack confidence in their ideas. So they back off and return to their ordinary lives. However, if the most innovative people of our time had thought the same way, we might not have this amount of advancement in our time. What I really liked about this book is the fact that the advice given can be applied to anyone and any idea.

This advice is not restricted to one industry, so to speak. Mayur Ramgir gives sound advice on how your idea can be the next big thing too, if only you give yourself the chance to explore it. There is nothing too complicated or technical in this book that you cannot understand. You will not find anything that will confuse you. It is the best motivational book I have ever read. It has a constant uplifting theme backed by good word choice.

I feel that Mayur Ramgir did a phenomenal job by providing the general public with a confidence boost. His use of real innovators' success stories also helps to back up the whole theme of the book. I would highly recommend this book to people who are lost and need direction in their careers. This will definitely help them with very good, sound advice.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

How I Sold 80,000 Books: Book Marketing for Authors (Self Publishing through Amazon and Other Retailers) is a business/finance self-help book written by Alinka Rutkowska. The author writes children's books and has been an independent publisher as well as a coach for authors seeking to do the same. She introduces her topic with a word most of the non-business savvy world cringes from: marketing. And she discusses how marketing should begin almost before an author starts writing and certainly before selecting a title. Rutkowska presents the four Ps that are the ingredients to success in marketing an indie book. They are Product, Place, Price and Promotion. She thoroughly discusses each of these aspects of marketing, and illustrates each topic with examples from her experiences and useful links. In the section on Product, Rutkowska discusses the editing process and the three types of editors needed for any text before publication. In Promotion, she discusses giveaways and other promotional tools designed to make your book sell. She also includes a list of recommended readings and a bonus section containing six interviews with established authors who discuss their marketing strategies and their paths to success.

Alinka Rutkowska's business/finance self-help book, How I Sold 80,000 Books: Book Marketing for Authors (Self Publishing through Amazon and Other Retailers) is a veritable textbook for aspiring indie authors. The material presented within is densely packed and loaded with ideas, strategies and essential tips that are neatly organized, packaged and imparted in a conversational and highly accessible manner. And that's no mean feat for a book that has so much to offer. Rutkowska suggests that readers read this book several times, especially when they're preparing a book for publication, something she herself does, and I would have to agree.

I was very impressed with Rutkowska's coverage of her topic. While I've read a number of books on independent publishing, I've not encountered as complete and user-friendly a work on the marketing aspect. I found her presentation of her subject to be enthusiastic and entertaining. Rutkowska manages to infect her readers with the joy she takes in tackling the challenges of marketing a publication and making it into a best-seller. She even simplifies the intricacies of Amazon's publishing options and discusses the pros and cons of those somewhat arcane and complicated schemes. How I Sold 80,000 Books: Book Marketing for Authors (Self Publishing through Amazon and Other Retailers) is now my go-to book on the subject and it's most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lori A. Moore for Readers' Favorite

Strategy-In-Action: Marrying Planning, People and Performance by Thomas D. Zweifel and Ed Borey presents ten chapters of business advice including questioning whether strategy is dead, being the change, sustaining momentum, and measuring performance and results through a dashboard. Aimed at senior or executive-level management employees, the book’s goal is to teach the reader how to be a dynamic leader with a strategic process. The three core principles of Strategy-In-Action are (1) Strategy and execution go together; (2) Each phase of the process is equally important, and (3) The strategists in the company include the alignment of the company’s decision makers and stakeholders. A brief history of strategy starting back in the 6th century BCE is provided. Zweifel and Borey also put forth seven facts of the new landscape: speed, globalization, internet/virtual organizations, new technologies, democratization, empowerment, and complexity.

As a business professor, I am drawn to books like Strategy-In-Action: Marrying Planning, People and Performance by Thomas D. Zweifel and Ed Borey. Strategy-In-Action would make a great supplement to or even a textbook for a graduate-level business course on Strategic Management. I like the debunking of the linear fallacy where people believe that strategy can be broken down into tasks to be performed. As Zweifel and Borey make clear, it doesn’t always work that way. I appreciated the chapter on “The Art of Measurement,” What’s on the Dashboard?” and the case studies and graphics included to help grasp this complex topic. The Strategy-In-Action Worksheet at the end of the book was a nice way to sum up the process in a takeaway that readers can use.

Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

When one hears the word “brand”, one immediately thinks of a trademark. However, in Diehl’s world, brand becomes a three-dimensional rendering that encompasses more than just the name of a business. To Diehl, a strong business identity is achieved by combining personality and values with the functionality (and flexibility) of a good product. Brand Identity Breakthrough makes some interesting observations, some quite simplistic and of common sense, yet all of them valuable. Some of these are: (i) money is just a vehicle through which people exchange happiness and that businesses provide a method for people to do this in a tailored and systematic way; (ii) while the essence of business may be the creation of specific value, a business cannot succeed on the virtue of it being a good idea alone; (iii) while the corporate world today looks for individuals possessing a specific series of qualities combined with real working experiences which conform to their work environments, the traits of a good entrepreneur require thinking outside the box – not necessarily reinventing the wheel, just tweaking it a bit and making it your own; (iv) the key to keeping a foothold in today’s marketplace is having the ability to adapt to the constant flux of its consumers' demands; and (v) while it’s always a good idea to keep sight of the big picture, breaking things down into small goals helps.

By his own admittance, the author has led an adventurous and diverse life which has eventually led him to his ultimate calling. Moving out of his parents' home, he lived in a trailer while finishing high school, before setting out to travel the world, even teaching English in China. This has given Diehl considerable insight into both humanity as a whole and how the world works. He’s chosen to forge his own path and Brand Identity Breakthrough is a culmination of not only his business acumen, but also the way he’s seen people function and how that affects the marketplace and business entrepreneurs in general. His prose is down-to-earth, conversational and immediately engaging, while the book offers guidance on identifying one’s core values and developing a unique selling proposition.

Brand Identity Breakthrough by Gregory V. Diehl offers a no-nonsense approach to business by getting down to the bare bones of the business analysis, not only looking at what makes a business tick, but also examining what drives that business and whether it will be successful. However, Brand Identity Breakthrough is no walk in the park with rose-colored spectacles firmly in place – it identifies the many pitfalls facing entrepreneurs today and then offers anecdotes where others have turned potential problems into a positive solution. Overall, a great book with sound advice that’s a must-read for all individuals about to embark on the road to entrepreneurship.

Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Leadership Briefs by Dick Daniels covers all the topics one can imagine having a connection with leadership, such as the social graces of memorable leaders, questions for leaders and followers, developing leadership capacity, a leader’s most valuable asset, or sustaining leadership. The content is quite exhaustive and hardly any facet of leadership is left untouched. In each of these areas, the pertinent questions are identified and appropriately answered. Rather than an open ended discussion on leadership, what is envisaged here, I think, is a closed examination of one's preparedness to meet the challenges of leadership. The price one should be prepared to pay for becoming a leader is also discussed. Whether it is criticism, challenge, gossip, or rumor, the leader should be ready to face all.

Leadership Briefs by Dick Daniels is written as a quick reference but also as a holistic guide. The book is replete with bulleted lists, important pointers, and procedural steps to ginger up the topic under study. The author has further enlivened the discussion by including intelligent quotations at all appropriate places, heralding his unique approach. For example, while discussing communication, the quotation from George Bernard Shaw, ‘The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place’ is given, I think, to show that there are many hidden pitfalls in communication, while the message you wish to pass on may be simple. Aphorisms of such nature are provided in many places, signaling the approaching topic.

Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Money Secrets: Keys To Smart Investing by Kim Curtis begins with a short and pertinent discussion about money and the need to make decisions about money; how you deal with money is how you deal with life. After a brief overview of financial terms and practices, Kim goes on to the specifics of financial planning, the nuts and bolts of investment, the importance of a diversification strategy, as well as the role of a financial advisor. Kim has made good use of attention grabbers and data presentation techniques like flow charts, pie charts, and diagrams, giving the reader the easy option of mastering the art of investing. A glossary of terms and a list of source material guarantee its position as a reference book as well.

Money Secrets: Keys To Smart Investing by Kim Curtis examines the whole gamut of spending money to accrue delayed benefits holistically. Rather than merely acting as a practical guide, this book will go a long way in making the whole subject clear to us, explaining all related terms from a practical as well as fiduciary angle, using sample forms wherever necessary. Introducing us to different types of professionals and experts in this field, Kim familiarizes us with the jobs and functions performed by them. This is thus a very useful book, both for a newbie to investing for learning the art, and for an expert in finances as a quick reference. The author has succeeded in packing a rather small book with a host of big ideas.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Storybranding 2.0 is a non-fiction guide for marketing and sales professionals written by Jim Signorelli. Signorelli has been in marketing since he was a paperboy who devised ways to increase his number of customers. Storybranding is a technique he’s worked on that focuses on the brand’s reason for being, rather than the attributes of a particular product or service. Signorelli sets out step-by-step instructions to help his readers understand the concept of Storybranding, as well as its increased effectiveness over the traditional marketing techniques that proclaim the excellent virtues of products. A brand with a story has resonance with its customers that goes beyond any particular product. Getting to that level of resonance is a 4-step process which can seem daunting at first glance; however, Signorelli shows through examples and charts exactly how to do it.

I’m a freelance copywriter and was intrigued by the premise of Signorelli’s marketing and sales guide, Storybranding 2.0. I was, quite frankly, blown away by this book. It’s a marvelous guide for copy and creative writers alike. Signorelli’s insights into how to gain an empathetic understanding of both the brand and the prospect are perceptive. How that understanding can build resonance is shared and made accessible through his engaging and interesting prose, examples of real-life brand successes and failures, and techniques. As I read on, I started to think about how I could use Signorelli’s storybranding techniques, and how previous sales strategies might have been more successful had I known about them before.

Storybranding 2.0 is also an enjoyable book to read. It’s very well written, and I found myself reluctant to finish reading. I read on through the appendices where he’s included suggested reading, his blog entries on Storybranding (which are excellent and not to be missed) and his bio. I’m glad I’ve read Storybranding 2.0 and am planning to use the techniques I’ve learned with some current and future projects I’ve got lined up.

Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Smart Talk by Lisa B. Marshall begins by taking the hell out of hello – how to introduce yourself or make a first impression. Lisa discuses many points here including the oft forgotten but very important dictum, the introduction should be relevant. The magic of conversation, the next topic discussed, focuses on what to say when, and how to say it with tact and grace. Lisa also devotes a full chapter to discussing difficult people to talk to, the procrastinators, the chatterboxes, the bullies, and other such misfits. How to give feedback, how to receive criticism as well as practicing responses to handle criticism, are then discussed. Lisa explains nine models of saying no, a vital part of any talk, as well as the fourteen rules of negotiating, a rather difficult skill to master, without damaging important relationships.

Smart Talk by Lisa B. Marshall is a godsend, especially when it comes to the problems that we are most often faced with in connection with our work, resolving conflicts, strengthening natural charisma, or persuading others. This book can prepare us to face any trouble, unannounced or otherwise. With bulleted lists, prominent display of points to remember, and practice exercises, this is a complete manual to master the art of communication. A helpful index, references of real life instances of many of the concepts introduced, and a chapter summary make this an invaluable reference for anyone involved in public speaking.