The Curve: Turning Followers into Superfans
Nicholas Lovell
(UK: Portfolio, 2014; USA: Portfolio, 2013)

In the digital age everyone struggles to answer one question: how do I get people to pay when so much is free?

The answer is the Curve.

Whatever business or creative field you are in, Nicholas Lovell’s startling book encourages you to embrace giving some things away for free. By stimulating interest and cultivating communities, you’ll build relationships with your audience and your fans, who’ll want more of what they love.

With stories ranging from musicians and artists to gaming and flour companies, from Kickstarter to Angry Birds, The Curve shows how to connect with people – and make them happy to pay up for the very best you can offer.

Recommended by:
Christopher Norris, Jolabokaflod Book Campaign

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Curve: Turning Followers into Superfans)
Available in the USA via Amazon (The Curve: How Smart Companies Use Freeloaders to Find Superfans)

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Greg McKeown
(UK: Virgin Books, 2014; USA: Crown Publishing, 2014)

Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload? Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised? Do you ever feel busy but not productive? If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these, the way out is to become an ‘Essentialist’.

Recommended by:
Katrina Douglas, Co-Founder, SameVine

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less)
Available in the USA via Amazon (Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less)

Deep Work
Cal Newport
(UK: Piatkus, 2016; USA: Grand Central Publishing, 2016)

Many modern knowledge workers now spend most of their brain power battling distraction and interruption, whether because of the incessant pinging of devices, noisy open-plan offices or the difficulty of deciding what deserves your attention the most.

When Cal Newport coined the term ‘deep work’ on his popular blog, Study Hacks, in 2012, he found the concept quickly hit a nerve. Most of us, after all, are excruciatingly familiar with shallow work instead – distractedly skimming the surface of our workload and never getting to the important part. Newport began exploring the methods and mindset that foster a practice of distraction-free productivity at work, and now, in Deep Work, he shows how anyone can achieve this elusive state.

Recommended by:
Katrina Douglas, Co-Founder, SameVine

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World)
Available in the USA via Amazon (Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World)

The Lean Startup
Eric Ries
(UK: Portfolio Penguin, 2011; USA: Crown Business, 2011)

Most new businesses fail. But most of those failures are preventable… The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that’s being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched… The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers really want. It’s about testing your vision continuously, adapting and adjusting before it’s too late… Now is the time to think ‘lean’.

Recommended by:
Katrina Douglas, Co-Founder, SameVine

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Lean Startup)
Available in the USA via Amazon (The Lean Startup)

Trump: The Art of the Deal
Donald J Trump
(UK: Arrow, 2016; USA: Ballantine, 2015)

Here is Trump in action – how he runs his business and how he runs his life – as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and changes the face of the New York City skyline. But even a maverick plays by the rules, and Trump has formulated eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker’s art. And throughout, Trump talks – really talks – about how he does it.

Recommended by:
Ian Winn, Author and Podcaster, Octopus Messiah (author website) and Litopia After Dark (podcast website)

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (Trump: The Art of the Deal)
Available in the USA via Amazon (Trump: The Art of the Deal)

Ian’s debut novel will be republished soon (3rd edition)
The Techno Pagan Octopus Messiah