There are books on journalism that have not lost their relevance over the years. For example, Valery Agranovsky's For the Sake of a Single Word (1978). It was written by a great professional and is devoted to basic things that do not change much over time. Suffice it to recall one quote from it: "What matters is the number of thoughts per square centimeter of text." The fact that we now operate more often in kilobytes rather than square centimeters does not change anything, by and large. Then there is David Randall's The Universal Journalist (1996). It was the first to say that in today's world a journalist must be able to work in all genres, with all types of media and in all channels of communication. There are hardly a few opinions on this nowadays.
However, as "the one" I will recommend the book "Internet News Journalism" by Alexander Amzin. It is a real must read for anyone who has anything to do with modern media. And one of those books that is worth rereading from time to time. Also, this book is distributed free of charge by the author, for which he is very grateful. You can download the official electronic version of the book here.
Speaking of fiction, one of my favorite books is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I was given it as a gift in first grade and it still sits on my bookshelf. I guess we all wanted to be as creative, adventurous, brave, and cool as Tom. I certainly did.
Andrey Kokourov, Editor-in-Chief of Sostav.ru
Life examples and personal experience can sometimes teach us much faster than books with clever schemes and rules for solving business problems. Especially if we sympathize with the characters and feel for them. That's why I will recommend two books that evoked various emotions of empathy in me and are tightly included in my personal list of "recommended literature": "The Career of a Manager" by Lee Iacocca and "Generation P" by Victor Pelevin.
Both works can be simultaneously attributed to different categories, from business to journalism, as they mostly describe career ups and downs, negotiation skills, and building relationships with management and colleagues. And also search for new ideas of business development and struggle with competitors. In other words, all the things we face in our working and personal lives. Unfortunately, or fortunately, our own experience and rakes can teach us much faster than other people's advice. But it is still better to learn from other people's mistakes.
Denis Sidorov, Head of Advertising and Special Projects, CBDO of Sostav.ru
"Fooled by Chance. On the hidden role of chance in business and in life", Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It is an obvious fact that life is a series of unpredictable events, which we cannot influence and under which, often, it is difficult to adjust. And, at some point, any person begins to feel very insecure in the external environment: he does not quite understand what is happening, where he was helped by chance, when the achieved result is a natural consequence of certain actions. It is clear that it is impossible to predict how the wheel of fate will turn, but it is possible to correctly perceive the event and try to turn it to one's advantage.
I think that two components are important for any business: correct assessment of the situation and quick reaction to events. Only with this approach can we maintain balance in our ever-changing world.
"Into the Lighthouse", Virginia Woolf - not an easy read, but then such an involving, subtle, tinkling novel, like the streets washed by spring rain. Virginia Woolf with her prose gives an emotional aftertaste, lightness, wonderfully distracts from the external bustle of the modern world.
Irina Vasenina, Managing Partner of Progression Group
I must say that over the last 20 years of my professional life, my home library has accumulated quite a lot of literature on PR, marketing, etc. It is impossible to stay at the forefront of the profession without being interested in what actually happens in this profession. So I am guided by the principle that even 3% of the useful information that can be found in today's professional publications is worth discovering. As for the remaining 97%, I was fortunate to become acquainted with this book while I was still a student at the Philosophy Department of Moscow State University. I can recommend this book to all those beginning their professional life, and I will also take the liberty of advising my colleagues of mature age not to forget about it. At least as a calming read. It is called "The Sovereign", the author everyone knows, we will not name him.
Fiction is both easier and more difficult. If you have to stop your choice on one book, it is not a feasible condition. But in the work of a consultant working on the side of an agency, there are no impossible tasks. This is not the pathos of the profession, it is one of the conditions we accept. So let To Kill a Mockingbird be such a book. I like the reserved optimism of the book: all people are different, sometimes they are not our friends at all, but it does not mean that they are bad, they just need to know them better. I would like to add that this means that consensus is possible and we can agree. But this is an art that will not appear even after reading all the professional literature published in the last 50 years.
Alexander Briskin, Director of Corporate Communications and CSR Projects Practice, Mikhailov & Partners. Strategic Communications.
"Creativity makes money", Peter Cook. A wonderful and easy to read book that touches on many issues: human physiology, environment, organizational structure and many others. Its main idea is that there is creativity in every person, which can be stimulated by working on oneself and the right external factors, thus answering the questions of how to develop creative qualities in oneself, which in the advertising business many people call the overseas word "creativity".
"A World Full of Demons," Carl Sagan. I would put here all the books of this greatest, in my opinion, man, scientist-astrophysicist and popularizer of science. But, since it is necessary to choose one, I will tell about the last one I read, because, in my opinion, each subsequent book of his is superior in some way to the previous one. This book highlights the possibilities of the human mind and the fight against pseudoscientific nonsense, touching on the existence of aliens, reincarnation, magic, mysterious structures such as the "Face on Mars", or even entire fantasy continents such as Atlantis or Lemuria. It is a skeptic's manifesto, a textbook of common sense, and a hymn to scientific knowledge. This book, for all that, is deeply personal, as it seemed to me, but it carries the same message that Sagan tries to convey in all her works, starting with Cosmos: science opens to mankind unprecedented possibilities of knowledge, and there is no need to invent imaginary idols and allow oneself or one's consciousness to be manipulated in any way.
Alexander Kovalenko, Digital Media Manager, Twentieth Century Fox
I read very little professional literature, I don't believe in all these "5 ways to make employees work more efficiently", and so on. As a person who runs his own business, I have long ago concluded that everything can only be learned in practice, with the help of advice from older comrades who have gone through it themselves. I don't want to listen to theorists, most of their theories remind me of Marx's words about communism "Interesting theory, it will be curious to try it on some country, which is not pitiful" but my small country is pitiful.
Of the books I would recommend to young minds who want to build their own business - above all "The Financier" by Dreiser. For me, it was the foundation that laid the desire to do something of my own, to develop, and most importantly, never give up. It is impossible to recount the plot and mood in brief, but in my opinion this book is a powerful motivator, at one time it opened my eyes and directed me towards business, not entertainment, entertainment came later!
The second book is The Godfather by Marco Piuso. Well, it is a classic that everyone needs to master, regardless of their profession. I found a lot of points in it, which I later used in my life, starting from ethics and ending with practical things during negotiations. But the main thing you should learn from Koza Nostra is devotion to your business and partners (family) without this you will quarrel after the first million earned. It is the family format that we are trying to build our agency around.
Artem Sinyavsky, CCO and co-owner of Marvelous agency
Everything Is Negotiable: How to Get the Best Deal Every Time, Gavin Kennedy. This book stumped me, but I still recommend reading it. I think this negotiation guide is almost impossible to read because of the heavy language and you certainly shouldn't use all the recommendations given in practice. Unless, of course, you want to acquire the habits of the proverbial "used car salesman".
Most of the examples on which the book is based are caricatured, simplified and isolated from the circumstances. It doesn't work that way in real life; real negotiations are much more complex. That's only the first half of my impressions.
That said, I believe you need to read it if you have anything to do with sales, business and complex negotiations happen in your life or work. Well, since they happen to everyone, I recommend reading it for everyone. Regardless of who your negotiation opponents are... but no!
You cannot consider those with whom you are trying to negotiate as opponents, the author teaches us. Negotiations are about finding a mutually beneficial solution. At the same time, benefit is a complex concept that can be quite different for different people and situations. You will never realize the value of your offer to your partner until you step on the path of negotiation.
If, however, you have been the victim of rough negotiations, you have been broken and forced to make unfavorable decisions and terms - read with dread. You will be ready to resist any dirty tricks and pressure. For myself, I made two important and simple conclusions. I don't have to convince anyone of my rightness at all. If I don't like the result and the negotiation process, I can just get up and leave - that's fine.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Phil Knight. A biography of an entrepreneur instead of a fiction book? Yes. Because Shoe Dog influenced not so much my work as it did my passion for running.
Shoe Dog came to me late last year as a recommendation to read over the vacations. We were all exhausted at the end of a challenging yet powerful year of work. White noise in my head and a keen desire to escape on vacation didn't stop me from downloading the book to my Kindle and starting to read on the plane. The inspiring story of the creation of Nike's multi-billion dollar empire is exactly what you need to read to see that success is not a coincidence of fortunate circumstances. It's the result of perseverance and hard work. But necessarily in the right direction.
Do you feel like you work hard? Don't be ridiculous! The founders of Nike had no working hours, no life-work balance - it's all for wimps. Working a basic job to make money for a new company. Then evenings, nights and weekends to develop Blue Ribbon - which was the name of the company at the startup. Chances are you won't have a Nike. Simply because you love yourself too much.
And, of course, the crazy idea that the author came up with while still at university and carried through his entire life. For the sake of which he traveled to post-war Japan and presented a non-existent company there. For many years he balanced on the verge of multi-million dollar debts, which could at any moment ruin his life. For most of its development Nike was not a company, it was only a promise. At this point I'll end the spoiler and just emphatically recommend reading it. Shoe Dog will go down especially well if you're tired as hell. For me, this story is especially important. The entire time I was reading this book, I had Nike sneakers on and a set of running gear in my backpack. Nike, of course.
Nikita Mikheenkov, Nimax Development Director
Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. A basic, desktop book for anyone whose job or social role is in any way dependent on the opinions or behavior of others - that is, for just about everyone.
Richard Bach's "A Seagull Named Jonathan Livingston." A beautiful cautionary tale, about the conflict between the gray mass of people and the individual. This parable provides an analogy to the life of people and society, which opens our eyes to the truth that we all "play" by the same rules, which are described in this story. Despite this, one should always strive for perfection, to be able to understand life differently, going beyond the rules, applying the rules received in life.
Konstantin Agafonov, Unite's leading marketing communications expert