Best Independent Books October 10
We are delighted to recommend the following books from the independent publishing sector.
FICTION
Camilla Learns to Shine
by Elizabeth Connell Lewis and Mark S. Lewis
Camilla is no ordinary cuttlefish. She looks different from the others and cannot swim as fast as the cuttlefish and squid around her. Worried about her appearance, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Along the way, Camilla learns to appreciate her special body type and unique abilities as she meets new friends near her ocean home. As she navigates the vibrant underwater world, she encounters various sea creatures who teach her valuable lessons about self-acceptance and the importance of embracing one’s uniqueness. Through her interactions, she discovers that her differences make her special and that true beauty comes from within.
This charming tale not only entertains but also educates young readers about marine life, fostering a love for the ocean and its inhabitants. Camilla’s heartwarming story celebrates diversity, resilience and the joy of helping others.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Children's
ISBN: 978-1637353219
Saint Richard Parker
by Merlin Franco
This story follows Richard Parker, an ace businessman, writer and investigative journalist, who loses his job after exposing the vegetarian CEO of his newspaper as a beef exporter.
Forced to retreat to his village, Richard embarks on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment. Navigating through market streets, ballrooms, tantric retreats and pristine jungles, he encounters a dark witch named Isakki and her menacing buffaloes. He consults an astrologer, who predicts his destiny lies in the exotic East. Along the way, he must prove he is not a con artist, child snatcher or Man Friday material. Amidst running for his life, he discovers his true love and the path to enlightenment.
This witty cross-genre satire tackles issues such as racism, prejudice and commodified spirituality in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The globetrotting, vibrant, culturally rich adventures of Richard Parker are hard to resist. — KirkusHonors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Humor & Satire
ISBN: 979-8223473961
NON-FICTION
Beyond the Dream: From the King of Pipeline to a Life of Serving and Inspiring Others
by Joey Buran
This compelling memoir captures the remarkable journey of a surfing legend. On December 17, 1984, Joey Buran achieved his ultimate dream by winning the Pipeline Masters, the most prestigious surf contest.
What happens when a 23-year-old reaches the pinnacle of his career? This story takes readers from his triumphant victory at Banzai Pipeline to the creation of the United States’ first professional surfing tour. The journey wasn’t without its challenges — he faced a dark period that nearly cost him his life. Emerging from those struggles, he found a new purpose as a respected minister, dedicating his life to serving others. His passion for surfing never waned. He won the World Masters Championship in 1998 and was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in 2009. His coaching led Team USA to a World Surfing Championships title in 2017.
Written with the same intensity and honesty that characterized his surfing style, this memoir is a testament to faith, hard work and resilience. His reflections on his roles as a husband, parent, grandparent, minister and coach offer profound insights into the transformative power of serving others.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Biographies & Memoirs
ISBN: 978-1956897449
Persuasive Leadership: Mastering the Art of Influence in Business and in Life
by Alinka Rutkowska, Buster Arnwine et al.
This book dives deep into the wisdom of top business visionaries who’ve harnessed the magic of persuasion to elevate their collaborative prowess and achieve unparalleled success.
In countless business endeavors, the difference between mediocrity and triumph hinges on ability to motivate and inspire. This book features the wisdom of more than 30 persuasive leaders who’ve mastered this craft. It describes the core elements of persuasive leadership: eight principles of persuasion and seven leadership traits.
True leaders understand that inspiring people isn’t about barking orders but about sparking a collective desire to excel. This book serves as a roadmap to infuse persuasion into people’s leadership DNA, supercharging their impact and propelling them towards their loftiest ambitions.
Rutkowska does a brilliant job of assembling the stories of leaders from a variety of fields who draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience to share some helpful nuggets of wisdom on leadership and everything it entails. — Readers’ FavoriteHonors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637352595
Bridges to Leadership: Vision, Empowerment, Strategy, People, Action
by Oded Agam
With his extensive experience at Intel and various high-tech startups, the author shares in this book his unique approach to success.
The author uses the bridge as a metaphor to illustrate how relationships can propel us forward. Just like bridges, relationships require careful planning, step-by-step construction and constant maintenance. He shares his learnings from both his successes and failures. He provides insights into how he bootstrapped a successful venture capital firm, grew startups into revenue-generating companies, and created a new product line by bridging gaps between departments. He also shares a failure due to his inability to cross a bridge when the opportunity presented itself.
The author presents his leadership philosophy with the aim of informing, empowering, and strengthening people’s leadership strategies and networks. He demonstrates how to align the pieces of a successful project and secure them into place, bridging the gap from where leaders are to where they want to be.
A thoughtful read that employs personal experience to solidify actionable leadership strategies — Readers’ FavoriteHonors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637351673
In case you missed the books featured in the last newsletter, here they are again:
FICTION
Zero Two Hundred Hours
by Eric Wentz
To avenge the death of his father, a Navy SEAL leads a counterstrike against Al-Qaeda. Saudi-trained Al-Qaeda operatives launch an attack on Camp Delta, the terrorist prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The assault mirrors not only the brutality and sophistication of the assault that killed his father but mimics the SEAL’s own tactics. Lieutenant Commander Grant Chisolm must outsmart Shakir Amir, the head of the fanatical movement.
Chisolm prepares his men to stop an attack he’s expecting to come from the water. When he realizes he’s about to clash with Al-Qaeda forces coming from all directions and wearing suicide vests — 2:00 a.m. is the scheduled detonation time — he crosses international borders and confronts Cuban forces as well as the terrorists. Hours later, his forces slaughtered, Amir, badly wounded, bleeding and delusional, floats off the coast of Guantanamo.
A veritable crash course in world history, military strategy and the psychology of warfare, the narrative is so fast-paced and electrically charged, it will leave readers’ hairs standing on the back of their necks.
Wentz teaches as well as mesmerizes... Intensity of writing pervades the pages of this stunning story. — Goodreads Honors: seen on CBS and Fox
Recognition for Author: Bronze Medal, Thriller – Terrorist, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, 2013; Honorable Mention, Thriller – Terrorist, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, 2017
Category: Mystery & Thriller
ISBN: 978-1637350553
NON-FICTION
UNLEASH the potential and make it happen
by Patrick Steiner
This guide to thriving in the digital world is tailored for businesses and leaders. A practical handbook, it demystifies the digital landscape with real-world solutions, such as the Digital Success Canvas and the Digital Pulse Check, for evaluation and planning.
More than just a book, this is a toolkit for transformation. Featuring pragmatic levers and modules for digital success, it converts theory into action, providing a structured approach to implementing digital strategies. It demonstrates how to navigate complexities with ease and make informed decisions.
This guide is an accessible companion for turning digital challenges into victories. It shows not only how to survive but to thrive in the digital age, leveraging every opportunity with confidence and clarity. The book is not an endpoint but a gateway — a gateway to a world of digital excellence, collaboration and continuous growth.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-3952598818
The Revenue Catalyst: Mastering the Art of Sales
by Geoffrey M. Reid
This book is a compelling exploration of the often-neglected art of sales, positioning it as the crucial fifth dimension of business. The author delves into the evolution of sales strategies and their critical role in business success.
This comprehensive guide covers everything from the psychology of sales and effective team development to leveraging data and KPIs for predictable outcomes. It challenges conventional wisdom and fills the gaps left by traditional business education. The author unpacks the science of sales, helping readers understand the psychology behind decision-making and persuasion. He provides strategies for selecting and nurturing top sales talent to build high-performance teams, utilizing KPIs to enhance predictability and efficiency and leveraging practical insights through real-world applications, case studies and hands-on techniques.
This is more than a book; it’s a strategic tool for anyone looking to excel in modern sales, including proactive business students, inquisitive sales professionals, budding entrepreneurs and seasoned executives.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637352793
Author Inc: The Entrepreneur's Secret Playbook to Skyrocketing Leads and Sales by Self-publishing a Book
by Ray Brehm, Nathan Andersen et al.
Successfully integrating a book into a business strategy requires hard work. More than 30 successful entrepreneurs shared their insights, and the common thread is effort and dedication. The strategies in this book are effective, but only for those willing to put in the work.
The book shows how to build a list and make sales immediately, even without an existing list or product. It teaches 15 counterintuitive habits that successful entrepreneurs use to boost their daily success. It tells where to locate the best people for email and reader lists and how to bypass the lengthy trial-and-error process while building an online empire. It explains why no one should ever go it alone as an author and why advertising less might actually help grow a list faster.
The intention behind the book was to gather a unique group of entrepreneurs and delve into their success stories. It went a step further by asking them to outline what they would do if they had to start from scratch in 30 days. The results were astounding! What had started out as an interview anthology was transformed into a world-class handbook for entrepreneurs aiming to use a book as a primary business tool.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1732783058
Captain's Logbook: Escaping Nine to Five for 24/7
by John De Silva
This book comprises recollections of a life spent at sea. Throughout this first-person account of the voyage, the author explores the exquisite miseries and vicissitudes of life on the unforgiving oceans of our planet.
The long, tiresome journey begins in January 2006. The author assumes command of Cape Agulhas and a misanthropic crew. Before the ship has completed its circuitous route along the African coastline, however, he must respond to everything from biblical infestations of cockroaches to engine failures, duplicity and deceit. Nearly every imaginable disaster that can occur on a seafaring vessel does occur. Yet the palpable tension of the narrative underscores the tenacity of the human spirit as it is tested by God and nature alike. Through optimism, faith and a relentless desire to make it back to his family, the author guides the vessel through one hardship after another.
This book offers a darkly humorous examination of man as he faces the best and the worst of his own kind. The colorful cast of characters includes barbarous sailors, corrupt port officials and a seasick cook with the culinary aptitude of a barnacle.
A vivid, practical and insightful look in the life of those who choose to navigate the open seas and earn a livelihood — GoodreadsHonors: seen on CBS and Fox
Category: Biographies & Memoirs
ISBN: 978-1637350560
We trust that your readers will enjoy our hand-picked selection.
For more bestselling and award-winning books from the independent publishing sector, please go here.
Warm regards,
Alinka Rutkowska
CEO, LibraryBub
