Marketing Expert Ashley Hastings to Release 2nd Book

Established CGW author Ashley Hastings is working hard to finalise his second book, entitled 'Copywriting for Marketing Communications'. It's an extension of his first book, 'I'm Here!' which was aimed at business owners wanting to create their own marketing, and delivers Ashley's expertise now to the media community and to corporate clients with their own marketing teams.

His new book, entitled "Copywriting for Marketing Communications" is in production now, so keep an eye on Ashley's book list on our website.

Become a High Potential With Nitin and Peter

Established CGW author Peter Freeth is working on a new book, this time with Asia Pacific Head of Talent Nitin Thakur.

Peter and Nitin have been working closely together since 2014, developing and delivering corporate talent management programs, and they've uncovered some fascinating secrets about what really constitutes 'high potential'.

"We started thinking that so many people in business and the academic world have written about the qualities that get you promoted. There are psychometric tests, assessment centres, leadership programs, all kinds of things that you have to do to be 'leadership material'. But at the same time, we know that leadership is very personal and subjective, so it doesn't make any sense to have one set of criteria for identifying a 'high potential' leadership candidate." says Nitin.

Peter adds, "We know that leadership is actually not a behaviour at all, it's not some set of activities or qualities that the leader possesses, it's in fact a description of a relationship between people. So the relationship that the leader creates with the team is where the magic happens, and therefore that relationship depends as much on the team as it does the leader. The second traditional idea that didn't make sense is the idea that you can measure a person's potential, that you can predict what a person will be able to do in the future. So it seems much more credible and concrete to put a person into a new scenario and then to measure what they actually do. So what we're really measuring isn't potential but performance, but we're doing it before anyone is committed to the hiring decision."

The book will take the research that Nitin and Peter have conducted and turn it into a series of practical steps that anyone can take to dramatically improve their career prospects. Both authors agree that what really matters isn't having the knowledge to achieve more, it's the application of that knowledge, and so many management and leadership books are simply gathering dust on the office bookshelves of the world.

"This is a book that will make a real impact on your career, and we're working hard to make this both evidence-based and practical", says Nitin. "Peter has already made a huge contribution to the talent programs running in my business, and I know that together, we're creating something that really does have something new to say in this crowded career development market."

'How to Become a High Potential' is the working title of the book, which is due for release early in 2018.

Leader on the Pitch Kicks Off

The new book from TV psychologist and established CGW author Paul Boross and rugby legend Scott Quinnell, entitled Leader on the Pitch, launched on Monday to a wonderfully keen audience at Soho's Union Club.

With guests from the worlds of entertainment, sport and business, Paul and Scott got the book off to a flying start, acknowledging the hard work that has gone into its production over the past year or so.

"What started as a crazy idea grew during the filming of Sky's School of Hard Knocks series, and with the support of Christopher and the CGW team, we've turned that idea into something that you can hold in your hands, and we believe that it's going to make a genuine difference to the lives of anyone who reads it. The experiences and concepts that we're sharing aren't just for people in obvious leadership roles, they're for anyone who has to do what they do through a team of people.", says Paul.

Scott adds, "There's a story that I tell in the book, about the time that I scored a try in the 2001 Lions Tour game against Australia. If you’ve ever seen it, I just get over the line, and I just look up, and I just nod my head. That was just a little thank you to everybody who achieved my goal. I'd say that around 250 people, family, friends, doctors, teammates, all supported me, and I couldn't have done it without them. Any leader has to recognise that they can't do it alone."
The 80 or so guests at the launch event are part of that success too, because it's very easy for an author to lose touch with their readers.

Paul says, "The act of creating something new can be so isolating that we lose sight of the reason for creating it. So our book launch was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the people who we wrote the book for.

The atmosphere at the launch was wonderful, and all of our guests were so charming and supportive of Leader on the Pitch. So many people gave us such lovely feedback that meant a great deal to both Scott and I, and that’s what gives us the strength and energy for all the hard work that is yet to come."

With so many books on leadership, and even sport and leadership, many people have asked what Paul and Scott have got to say about the subject that’s new. Scott replies, "What I would say is that everyone has a unique perspective on leadership because everyone, at some time in their life, has been inspired to follow a leader. Our angle is that leadership isn’t about the amazing charisma of the leader, it’s about the relationship that they create with their team, because in the end, the results that the leader shows for all their hard work aren’t achieved by that leader, those results come from the hard work of their team."

Join Paul and Scott's team by getting your own copy of
Leader on the Pitch, available now from all good book shops

ISBN 978-1-9082934-1-1

£7.99

How Many Books Will I Sell?

We receive many author submissions which promise to earn millions from guaranteed sales. Unfortunately, for business books, this is almost never the case. Business books generate revenue by adding value to a business rather than through direct sales, unless you happen to be a 'household name' business guru.

When I recently visited our main supplier and distributor, they shared some interesting statistics. They print and distribute literally millions of books every year, and according to their data, the subject categories break down as follows:

That's a lot of categories, so let's combine some of the similar ones:

Business books make up 5% of the total books that are distributed to bookshops.

Remember, the primary purpose of a business book is to create value for the author's business. That's where our expertise is.