Why am I passionate about this?

By 18 I had read all the books I chose for this essay. During high school, I read biographies of John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Jefferson, Geronimo, Anne Bonny, J. Pierpont Morgan, Winston Churchill, Sophocles, and more. In addition to panoramic, sweeping, epic fiction—Harold Robbins, Tai-Pan, Lawrence of Arabia, Faulkner, Doctor Zhivago (read in Russian and English)—I studied and reread self-help, “how-to” books on everything: writing, cooking, fishing, whatever. I read Ted Williams’ book on hitting a baseball, but, alas, it didn’t help.


I wrote

How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients

By Jeffrey J. Fox,

Book cover of How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients

What is my book about?

Rainmakers are those salespeople that bring in the revenue that sustains an enterprise. Rainmakers generate the money that pays for…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman

Jeffrey J. Fox Why did I love this book?

Obvious Adams is a gem of a “book.” It is 58 pages long, and was originally published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post magazine in 1916. Adams becomes an advertising superstar because he does one hard thing: he thinks. By thinking, he discovers obvious solutions to knotty problems. Did you ever here someone say, “I wish I thought of that?” The answer is simple: you didn’t study, analyze, think, hard enough. When my mother read my first book, “How to Become CEO,” she said, “Jeffrey, much of this is obvious.” “Correct Mom, but nobody does it.”

By Robert R. Updegraff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Obvious Adams as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OBVIOUS ADAMS was first published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post in April, 1916. Though it was the story of an advertising man, it was quickly recognized as presenting a germ idea basic to outstanding success in the business world and the professions. Harper & Brothers brought out the story in book form in September of the year of its publication in the Post. The book met with a ready sale. In reviewing it, the New York Times said, "The young man who is going to seek his fortune in the advertising business should have Obvious Adams…


Book cover of Confessions of an Advertising Man

Jeffrey J. Fox Why did I love this book?

Confessions is an unparalleled, iconic book on advertising, marketing, business ethics, integrity. Unlike the fictional Adams (in Obvious Adams) David Ogilvy was a living genius, an imagination giant, and the creator of timeless headlines and taglines.

Quoting Olgivy: “We admire people who work hard, who are objective and thorough. We detest office politicians, toadies, bullies, and pompous asses. We abhor ruthlessness. In promoting people, we are influenced as much by their character as anything else.”

By David Ogilvy,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Confessions of an Advertising Man as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?



A new edition of the timeless business classic featured on Mad Men—as fresh and relevant now as the day it was written

 

"We admire people who work hard, who are objective and thorough. We detest office politicians, toadies, bullies, and pompous asses. We abhor ruthlessness. The way up our ladder is open to everybody. In promoting people to top jobs, we are influenced as much by their character as anything else."  —David Ogilvy

 

David Ogilvy was considered the "father of advertising" and a creative genius by many of the biggest global brands. First published in 1963, this seminal book revolutionized…


Book cover of How to Win Friends and Influence People

Jeffrey J. Fox Why did I love this book?

This book of eternal wisdom was published in October 1936. Today Carnegie’s advice would be characterized as “emotional intelligence,” although his book is better than any current writing on “EQ.” Carnegie advised never to complain or criticize; smile; listen to the other person; learn to correctly pronounce a person’s name and never forget that name; and to see the problem, the issue, through the other person's eyes. Still rare and uncommon skills.

By Dale Carnegie,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked How to Win Friends and Influence People as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Millions of people around the world have - and continue to - improve their lives based on the teachings of Dale Carnegie. In How to Win Friends and Influence People Carnegie offers practical advice and techniques, in his exuberant and conversational style, for how to get out of a mental rut and make life more rewarding.

His advice has stood the test of time and will teach you how to:
- make friends quickly and easily
- increase your popularity
- win people to your way of thinking
- enable you to win new clients and customers
- become a…


Book cover of Think and Grow Rich

Jeffrey J. Fox Why did I love this book?

This book was published in 1937, and like Carnegie’s classic, came out in the midst of the Great Depression. The book launched motivational literature. Napoleon (such a cool first name) offers thirteen principles for success, including be a continuous learner and have an unshakeable belief in one’s self. My favorite principle is to be persistent. Stay determined. Aspirando et Perseverando.

By Napoleon Hill,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Think and Grow Rich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is one of the bestselling motivational books of all-time. Inspired by a suggestion from industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Hill explains the philosophy that helped the wealthiest and most accomplished members of society succeed.


Book cover of The Old Man and the Sea

Jeffrey J. Fox Why did I love this book?

Hemingway deliberately wrote Old Man to be a commercial success; to avenge a scathing critical review of a prior novel; to sell books; to make money. And on his way to more fame and fortune, Hemingway produced a 128-page masterpiece. The Old Man (Santiago) and the Sea (life) is about courage, toughness, grit, invincible hope. Never give up. Never rely on luck. Fight. There can be a success in failure (just ask Thomas Alva Edison). That Santiago idolized Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankee baseball Hall-of-Famer, is another reason to read and reread this magnificent story of struggle and dignity.

By Ernest Hemingway,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked The Old Man and the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This powerful and dignified story about a Cuban fisherman's struggle with a great fish has the universal appeal of a struggle between man and the elements, the hunter with the hunted. It earned Hemingway the Nobel prize and has been made into an acclaimed film. Age 13+


Explore my book 😀

How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients

By Jeffrey J. Fox,

Book cover of How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients

What is my book about?

Rainmakers are those salespeople that bring in the revenue that sustains an enterprise. Rainmakers generate the money that pays for all employees’ mortgages, car loans, tuitions, braces. This is true for companies, colleges, hospitals, churches, associations. Only 10% of all salespeople are rainmakers (and many of them own small businesses.) But 70% of all salespeople can materially and significantly increase their income. How to Become a Rainmaker is a success blueprint for the ambitious. It was selected as one of "The 100 Best Business Books Ever Written.”

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Not So Little Things

By Kyle Ann Robertson,

Book cover of Not So Little Things

Kyle Ann Robertson Author Of White Picket Fences

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Kyle's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson unravels the meticulously crafted life of Tina, an artist engrossed in the intricate world of historically accurate miniatures. As she dutifully honors her deceased father's desire for her to follow in his artistic and historical footsteps, Tina's controlled existence is shaken by the emergence of long-buried secrets when she takes a commission to build a replica of Jake Martin’s family mansion.

Robertson navigates the delicate balance between Tina's devotion to her father's wishes and the disruptions caused by revelations from the past. The novel beautifully explores the complexity of familial expectations and…

Not So Little Things

By Kyle Ann Robertson,

What is this book about?

Tina Edwards loved her childhood and creating fairy houses, a passion shared with her father, a world-renowned architect. But at nine years old, she found him dead at his desk and is haunted by this memory. Tina's mother abruptly moved away leaving Tina with feelings of abandonment and suspicion. Raised by her loving, wheelchair-bound Aunt Liddy, her father's sister, 33 year old Tina has become a miniature room artist and cherishes the control she has over her life in Northeast Georgia as she works hard to please her beloved dead father's wishes of following in his footsteps in art and…


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