This post was inspired by 8 Top Guilty Pleasure Books for Summer Reading by Ivana Taylor over at Small Business Trends. Her list is definitely worth a read!
Let’s take it back to elementary school when we used to get a list of summer reading books to be read by the end of summer. These books will help you reload while you relax. Here are 5 picks for the public relations pro’s summer reading list:
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Rogue Elephants: One PR Girl’s Fight Through the Human Jungle by Miss Jane K Hunt
Rogue Elephants: One Girl’s Fight Through the Human Jungle is the witty and self-deprecating auto-biographical account of a PR career stretching from the mid-80s to 2012, written by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ winner of the national title of ‘Best Freelance PR Practitioner’ 2012. Filled with both humour and poignant episodes, the book takes the reader on a journey, beginning with Jane’s floundering around with a PhD at Cambridge University and then taking on the cultural challenges of working as the executive secretary for a Japanese stockbroker. It sees her launched into a career in in-house PR, before leaving the PR profession for a while to face huge personal challenges, from alopecia to death threats. Her return to the industry and subsequent move to the agency side of the PR world is then sprinkled with funny episodes, bizarre encounters, famous faces and moments of public relations triumph, which will have both those in the PR profession and beyond laughing and wanting to read on, to find out how Jane then created a regional PR consultancy (Catapult PR), based in a sleepy Lancashire location which could create one award winning PR campaign after another. The book ends with Jane’s ultimate title triumph in 2012, when she grabbed her award from the hands of Olympian, Colin Jackson and wasn’t prepared to let go! This book is a must for anyone working in PR or considering a career in public relations, but is also a witty read for anyone who likes books in the spirit of ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet’, any woman trying to juggle motherhood with a career or running their own business and anyone who is seeking inspiration to overcome life’s obstacles.
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Rethinking Reputation: How PR Trumps Marketing and Advertising in the New Media World by Fraser P. Seitel and John Doorley
Good public relations is no longer just icing—it’s a strategic imperative more important to your competitive success than even advertising or marketing. This is true whether you’re a century-old multibillion-dollar corporation or a penniless startup. In Rethinking Reputation, public relations guru Fraser Seitel and John Doorley, founder of the Academy for Communication Excellence and Leadership at Johnson & Johnson, examine a fascinating new set of case studies—including the BP oil spill and the launch of CitySlips—to glean the PR dos and don’ts for the new media world, covering both standard reputation maintenance and crisis management. They also show start-up companies and entrenched organizations how to use the power of word-of-mouth to jump-start business like never before. This is a wake-up call from two industry legends—for public relations professionals as well as entrepreneurs, CEOs, and anyone else tasked with representing their organization to the world.
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Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice by Larissa A. Grunig, Linda Childers Hon, and Elizabeth L. TothClik here to view.
Are You In? Inc: PR’s Alter Ego by Nicole GarnerImage may be NSFW.
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PR Rock Star (A Little Brand Book) by Cyndy Hoenig
What makes a successful public relations program? Does my business really need it? Can I do it myself? Unless you are a hot celebrity, a top CEO, or just discovered the cure for the common cold, good PR just doesn’t happen on its own. It takes a lot of skill, and consistent hard work over a period of time. It’s part art, part science and when practiced correctly, the results are very rewarding. Former Hollywood publicist, Cyndy Hoenig, provides little brands with the tools to create a successful PR campaign to start getting your brand the recognition it deserves. “Cyndy’s entertaining and very personal approach outlining a powerful blueprint to be effective in public relations is formidable. To think like a PR person helps anyone to better partner with their PR firm to maximize results. Cyndy Hoenig is a seasoned PR Professional who rose through the ranks at the prestigious Los Angeles PR firm Bender, Goldman & Helper, where she served as Director of the Consumer Television Division. Her area of expertise centers on planning and executing media relations programs that achieve high levels of coverage. Hoenig is the founder and principal at Pure PR.