Categories: Articles

12 Great Business Books Coming Your Way

Looking forward to reading about what’s next?

It turns out that there are a slew of new business books heading our way. In scanning through the Amazon Kindle store, I just spent a small fortune ordering some new books from some of my favorite thinkers. Here’s a list (in alphabetical order).

I’ll wait, go get your credit cards…

Amazing Things Will Happen by C.C. Chapman. My good friend, C.C. Chapman (who co-authored Content Rules with Ann Handley) is back with his first solo effort. Is success and happiness something attainable? C.C. thinks so, and he’s going to map it out in this book> It comes out in December 2012.
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The man who brought us the The Black Swan and Fooled By Randomness is back with a book about how some things actually benefit from disorder. Sounds like chaos is good. This one comes out in November 2012.
Can’t Buy Me Like by Bob Garfield and Doug Levy. Doug is a friend of mine (he’s the founder of imc2 – now called MEplusYOU), and when he told me that he is co-authoring a book with famed ad critic, Bob Garfield, my jaw dropped to the floor. I’m a huge Garfield fan (check out The Chaos Scenario) and this is sure to be a great read. Authenticity in marketing? Yes, these two are tackling it head-on. This book is coming out in March 2013.
The Commitment Engine by John Jantsch. The man behind Duct Tape Marketing is back with his latest book. It’s a gem. In this day and age, if you can’t get a commitment from customers, what will the future hold? John has some amazing perspective. So, if you like Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine, this one will be right up your alley. This book comes out in October 2012.
The Fate of Power and the Future of Dignity by Jaron Lanier. One of the original thinkers around virtual reality, Lanier caused a stir with his last book, You Are Not A Gadget. This one sounds just as meaty. This book is coming out in March 2013.
Future Perfect by Steven Johnson. The latest from the mind that brought us Where Good Ideas Come From, The Invention of Air, Everything Bad Is Good For You and more. In two words: can’t wait! Can the political system change and adapt not because of technology but as a by-product of the change? Johnson thinks so. This book comes out in September 2012.
The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. I devour everything Seth puts out. This book is already a massive hit based on his Kickstarter project (check it out here: Kickstarter – The Icarus Deception). Is your work the art that you were meant to create? That’s the topic of this business book, and I can’t wait to deep dive into it! This book comes out in December 2012.
The Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. My two close friends (and the guys behind Trust Agents) are back from their solo book writing ventures with this one. I’ve had a sneak peak and, just like Trust Agent, this one is going to turn some heads and rocket to the top of the bestsellers’ charts. Getting ideas to spread is one thing. Getting ideas to stick is another. This book comes out in October 2012.
The Launch Pad by Randall Stross. I’ve been fascinated with Y Combinator for a long while. This book is a peek behind the magic of this Silicon Valley startup incubator. This book comes out in September 2012.
Makers by Chris Anderson. Wired Magazine‘s main man and author of The Long Tail and Free is back with this new book about the future of manufacturing and the creation of products in a very different world. This book will be out in October 2012.
The Power of Why by Amanda Lang. Amanda is one of the smartest pundits when it comes to business think. She can (and does!) go toe-to-toe with the best of them. Where does success come from? According to Amanda’s upcoming book, it’s as simple as getting good at asking "why?" This book comes out in October 2012.
To Sell Is Human by Dan Pink. I had no idea that Dan had another book coming out, so this one put a massive smile on my face. Like Seth Godin, I devour everything Dan does. His previous books, Drive, A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation are among my personal favorites. This book comes out in December 2012.

Some gems… I know. What books are you looking forward to reading?

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.