Art Business

In How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, veteran journalist Chris Taylor traces the series from the difficult birth of the original film through its sequels, the franchise’s death and rebirth, the prequels, and the preparations for a new trilogy. Taylor provides portraits of the friends, writers, artists, producers, and marketers who labored behind the scenes to turn Lucas’s idea into a legend.

Do you want to avoid being a target of social influence and manipulation? Do you feel guilty for wanting to say no although you have not done anything wrong? Do you often find your decisions are based on assumptions rather than knowing the facts? Are you tired of repeatedly making the same mistakes? The solution is Critical Thinking and Dark Psychology Secrets 101, a valuable skill that you can use at work and in your personal life so you can regain control of your own thoughts, opinions, and behaviors.

Making good decisions quickly is what marks out truly great leaders from the rest of us. Decision-making is one of the most sought-after skills today, but most of us have never been taught, but one most of us have never been taught. Aged 19, I went off-piste snowboarding, way before I had the skills or experience to do so, and very quickly found myself hurtling towards the edge of a cliff face on sheet ice. Within minutes, I was literally hanging onto a boulder for dear life, with my legs dangling over the precipice.

Enchantment, as defined by bestselling business guru Guy Kawasaki, is not about manipulating people. It transforms situations and relationships. It converts hostility into civility and civility into affinity. It changes the skeptics and cynics into the believers and the undecided into the loyal. Enchantment can happen during a retail transaction, a high-level corporate negotiation, or a Facebook update.

The proven model that offers powerful and elegant strategies for leaders. How Great Leaders Think: The Art of Reframing uses compelling, contemporary examples to show how more complex thinking is the key to better leadership. Leaders who understand what's going on around them see what they need to do to achieve the results they want.

Your guide to becoming an explanation specialist. You've done the hard work. Your product or service works beautifully - but something is missing. People just don't see the big idea - and it's keeping you from being successful. Your idea has an explanation problem. The Art of Explanation is for business people, educators, and influencers who want to improve their explanation skills and start solving explanation problems.

You negotiate every day of your life. Whether you are asking your employer for a raise or persuading your child to do his homework, everything is a negotiation. Written by Gerald Nierenberg, the world's foremost authority on the subject, and recognized as the Father of Contemporary Negotiation, The New Art of Negotiating is an updated, expanded version of the million-copy bestseller, The Art of Negotiating, which was the first on the subject of negotiating.

Since its initial publication, The Business of Venture Capital has been hailed as the definitive, most comprehensive book on the subject. Now in its third edition, this market-leading guide explains the multiple facets of the business of venture capital, from raising venture funds, to structuring investments, to generating consistent returns, to evaluating exit strategies.

With the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it's amazing that we're ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary - freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better

Mark Schwartz, author of leadership classics A Seat at the Table and The Art of Business Value, reveals a new (empowering) model for the often soul-shattering, frustrating, Kafkaesque nightmare we call bureaucracy. Through humor, a healthy dose of history and philosophy, and real-life examples from his days as a government bureaucrat, Schwartz shows IT leaders (and the whole of business) how to master the ways of the Monkey, the Razor, and the Sumo Wrestler to create a lean, learning, and enabling bureaucracy.

This book is the culmination of so much knowledge, wisdom and experience I've acquired over the years. It is for everyone, including myself. I feel it has truly empowering and actionable information that will most certainly enhance your life. I also find myself consistently applying more and more of what is discussed since I began writing this book. I hope this work sparks something within you. I hope it acts as a catalyst for setting you on the path of empowerment and becoming the best version of yourself.

Many musical artists fail to utilize social media effectively, finding it confusing or overwhelming. They create a few posts, don’t see results, and immediately give up. But there are strategies to follow that have been tried and tested by musicians like you. These methods will help you get your name out there, monetize music, and find heights of success you never imagined. Music Business & Marketing Accelerator Using Instagram is a resource for any singer, songwriter, rapper, or producer who wants to make a splash on the internet.

How did a boy from small-town New York become the world’s most successful writer? How does he do it? He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, “I’m still working on that one.”

Does talking about your accomplishments feel scary or icky because you're worried people will think you're "obnoxious"? Does it feel more natural to "put your head down and do the work"? Are you tired of watching the loudest people in your industry get disproportionate praise and rewards? If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you might be self-sabotaging. You need to learn to brag better. Meredith Fineman shares the surefire and anxiety-proof strategies that have helped her clients effectively communicate their achievements and skill sets to others.

Fully revised and updated-with Jeanne Martinet's trademark wit and practicality, The Art of Mingling hands you the keys to feeling at ease in any social situation Does the idea of going to a large party make your mouth go dry? Are you more comfortable on Facebook than face-to-face? You're not...

The Soulful Art of Persuasion is a revolutionary guide to becoming a master influencer in an age of distrust through the cultivation of character-building habits that are essential to both personal growth and sustained business success. This isn’t a book full of tips and life-hacks. Instead, The Soulful Art of Persuasion will develop the habits that others want to be influenced by. This audiobook is based on a radical idea: Persuasion isn’t about facts and argument. It’s all about personal character.

How Music Got Free is a riveting story of obsession, music, crime, and money, featuring visionaries and criminals, moguls and tech-savvy teenagers. It's about the greatest pirate in history, the most powerful executive in the music business, a revolutionary invention, and an illegal website four times the size of the iTunes music store.

Some people think that in today’s hyper-competitive world, it’s the tough, take-no-prisoners type who comes out on top. But in reality, argues New York Times bestselling author Dave Kerpen, it’s actually those with the best people skills who win the day. Those who build the right relationships. Those who truly understand and connect with their colleagues, their customers, their partners. Those who can teach, lead, and inspire.

Drawing on the latest discoveries in disciplines ranging from neuroscience to behavioral economics, McQueen suggests that we are too often using 19th- and 20th-century techniques to change 21st-century minds—and are wondering why it’s not working. What we need is an upgrade in our understanding of what it really takes to influence others.

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him - the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood - he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door.