More Resources

Home > Get a Clue

Get a Clue

Speed Reads

Business writer David Stauffer receives hundreds of business books free each year as owner of Stauffer Bury Inc., a Red Lodge, Montana, business writing firm that compiles management information and produces business publications for corporate clients.

With so many tomes and so little time to read them, Stauffer has learned to sift the good from the bad at a glance. Here, he offers his tips for sizing up business books in a hurry:

  • Read reviews online. Business magazines and newspapers regularly run reviews of the latest business books. Find them online at the publications' Web sites.
  • Check the book's index for a person or topic with which you're familiar. Flip to those pages to see if the author says anything new on the subject. If it's just the same stuff, skip the book.
  • Count the authors. Too many spoil a book. "Chances are the author with the least experience did all the writing," says Stauffer.
  • Avoid "cure-all" books. A book that promises solutions to all your business problems will likely do no more than deplete your cash flow.

Contact Sources

Content Continues Below


Ed Pankau, c/o Pankau Consulting, (713) 224-3777, http://www.pankau.com

Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc., fax: (415) 362-2512, rdonovan@bkpub.com

David Stauffer, c/o Stauffer Bury Inc., sbi@wtp.net

Elizabeth Millard (sukkie@earthlink.net) is a freelance writer who frequently uses her private investigative skills while researching articles.

Carla Goodman (carlagood@earthlink.net) writes about small-business issues for Entrepreneur and other national business magazines.

  Page   1   |   2   |   3   |   4  

Marketplace

Learn how to distribute a press release

Try our new online printing. theupsstore.com/print
Today on Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Connect
What makes a good client gift?
What guidelines do you follow when buying gifts for your clients? Have you ever received an unusual or inappropriate gift?
Resource Centers
Where Business Gets Done
Revisit the lost art of the meeting, the pitch, the presentation and the all important handshake to close the deal.

Insurance Center
Review your company's needs, save on workers' comp, protect your business from lawsuits and more.

Startup How-To Guides
Step-by-step guides to launching your business.

Commercial Vehicle Center
Get the right ride for your business.


Sign Up for the Latest in:
e-Business & Technology
Franchise News
Business Book Sampler
Starting a Business
Sales & Marketing
Growing a Business

E-mail*
Zip Code*