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Here's my short list of great books for your professional development library.
Writing for story | Media interviews & public speaking | PR & communication management
Writing Creative Nonfiction by Philip Gerard Story Press, F&W Publications. Cincinnati, OH 45207. ISBN 1884910432 Insight and advice on the writing process from start to finish. Brilliant observations on story development. Genuine, specific in detail, highly readable. A classic. |
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee Regan Books, Harper Collins. New York, NY 10022. ISBN 9780060391683 Brilliant insight into the story process, how it captures and transports an audience. Written about screenwriting, but CBC Radio recommends this book; its principles apply regardless of medium. A classic. |
Writing for Your Readers: notes on the writer's craft from the Boston Globe by Donald Murray The Globe Pequot Press, Box Q, Chester, CT 06412. ISBN 1564400514 From the cover — "A handbook of practical advice on how to write with vigor, clarity, and grace." |
Magazine Editors Talk to Writers by Judy Mandell John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY 10158-0012. ISBN 0471119911 Written for freelance writers, but offers valuable insight for media relations. Covers the editorial role and how decisions are made; final section includes interviews with 50 editors. |
On Writing Well by William Zinsser Harper & Row. New York, NY 10022. ISBN 0060891548 Principles, forms, approaches to writing — enjoyable and filled with practical wisdom. A classic. |
Public Relations Writing Form & Style, Eighth Edition by Doug Newton and Jim Haynes Thomson Wadsworth; Belmont, CA 94002-3098. ISBN 9780495566762 Covers all aspects of clear and effective public relations writing. An excellent and highly practical textbook. |
AP Stylebook by Associated Press Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA 02142. ISBN 9780465004881 A guide to usage, capitalization, abbreviation, liability, privacy, privilege, U.S. media law. |
The Canadian Press Stylebook by The Canadian Press Toronto, ON M5C 2L9. ISBN 9780920009543 A new edition for the new millennium. Look up principles, advances, broadcast writing, editing, story construction, taste, writing. You can buy it through the Canadian Press site . |
Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management by James E. Grunig (ed.) Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, NJ 07642. ISBN 0805802274 An expensive, 600-page, important book — the report of a seven-year research project by the International Association of Business Communicators. Read the first chapter, an overview, then selected chapters. A pivotal book on how to think about communication management. |
Public Relations and Marketing Communications in Canada by William Wray Carney and Leah-Ann Lymer (ed.) The University of Alberta Press, Edmonton, AB T6G2E1. ISBN 978-1-77212-044-8 With 19 contributing authors from across Canada, this book works as a comprehensive overview or as a reference. It covers public relations essentials, an orientation to marketing, and elements of public relations and marketing communications. |
The Wisdom of Teams: creating the high performance organization by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith HarperBusiness. New York, NY 10022. ISBN 0887306764 Clearly illustrates what a true team is and how to build one, using case studies. As readable as it is practical. |
Crisis Communications: A Primer for Teams: Second Edition by Al Czarnecki APR, FCPRS, LM Kindle Direct Publishing B0161M6K2M Helps your team build an infrastructure for issues management and crisis response. Specifies roles, resources, processes and principles to put senior managers on the same page during a crisis. This second edition is updated throughout, includes a new chapter on social media, offers links to subtopics and online resources. The Kindle format can be read on smartphones, tablets and laptops. |
Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman Bantam Books, New York, NY 10036. ISBN 0553104624 Excellent insight into the dynamics of leadership, building relationships, fostering loyalty. Highly readable, impressive scope and depth. Includes 32 pages of annotated references. |
Flawless Consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used by Peter Block Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, San Francisco, CA 95104-1342. ISBN 0787948039 An exceptional, down-to-earth book on effectiveness. Harvard and Loyola U. of Chicago (my alma mater) use it in business administration and organizational development courses. |
Questions that sell: the powerful process for discovering what your customer really wants by Paul Cherry American Management Association, New York, NY 10019. ISBN 0814473393 A book that is as much about effective two-way communication as it is about sales. Very useful in helping public relations and sales to talk to each other. |
The Social Media Management Handbook by Nick Smith and Robert Wollan with Catherine Zhou John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ 07030. ISBN 978-0-470-65124-7 A thorough, concise, highly readable book on everything you need to know to get social media working in your business. The authors cover strategy, culture, metrics, policies, roles and responsibilities. A comprehensive book that makes sense. |
All these books, unless otherwise noted, are available through Amazon.com or Indigo.ca.
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