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 White-Collar
Sweatshop
By Jill Andresky Fraser
Wonder how your wage-slave friends are holding up under the strains
of mergers, downsizing, insane work schedules, shrinking benefits, and
corporate double- and triplespeak? Well, wonder no more. Jill Andresky
Fraser has spent five years documenting the fact that the 'cubed life
leaves a lot to be desired. And we mean a lot! The book features
numerous interviews with miserable wage slaves, which give a vivid,
sad picture of their plight. Fraser discusses the economic and historical
reasons that have created such a work world, and even traces a "path"
out of the white-collar sweatshop. Of course, if you're an IP the state
of dependent professionalism is no concern of yours. (Surprisingly,
Fraser doesn't see IP-dom as much more than an anxious -- and radically
unstable -- alternative to corporate life.) This book will remind you
of how lucky you were to have dodged the white-collar workshop. And
for those of you who've still got a foot in the corporate door, it might
give you a final push toward professional freedom.
Buy it
 Being Self-Employed
By Holmes F. Crouch
Reviewed by Tina Pamintuan
Question: how annoyed can one man get at the IRS during an audit? Answer: so annoyed that he learns all the ins and outs of tax law, switches his career from nuclear engineer to tax practitioner, and writes a series of straight-talking guides that help others meet their taxation obligations without shelling out any more money than necessary. Read More
The 101 Best Freelance Careers
By Kelly Reno
Reviewed by Tina Pamintuan
If you're an aspiring freelance baker or candlestick maker, but currently make ends meet as a corporate paper pusher, consider checking out this easy-to-read, inexpensive paperback from Berkeley Publishing. The bulk of Kelly Reno's latest "how-to" career guide, The 101 Best Freelance Careers, is an entry by entry listing of some of the most unusual options for IPs. Who knew there were people out there freelancing as spinsters? (No, I'm not talking about old maids in rocking chairs, but IPs who pay the bills by spinning natural fibers into yarn and selling their handicraft by the ball.) Read More
Soloing:
Realizing Your Life's Ambition
By Harriet Rubin
Reviewed by Robert Morris
If your wage-slave job not only leaves you unfulfilled, but drives you nuts too, it might be time to read Harriet Rubin's new book, Soloing (HarperBusiness). But be forewarned -- it might inspire you to quit the job and set up shop for yourself.
To become a soloist, Rubin writes, is to gain "the knowledge one needs to cross over into a world where work and freedom are one and the same thing." She cites several different examples of those who have done so. One is Peter Drucker, "a lone worker who refused for years to let...
Read More
Marketing
with Speeches and Seminars: Your Key to More Clients and Referrals
By Miriam Otte
Reviewed by Warren Sloat
There's no shortage of books about public speaking, but most of them concentrate on speechmaking itself -- finding the right topic, writing and researching it properly, and delivering it effectively. In Marketing with Speeches and Seminars, Miriam Otte takes speechmaking a step further: she argues that public speaking is a useful means to an all-important end -- getting clients.
The first issue the aspiring public speaker should address, Otte writes, is
that of venue. Once you've identified potential audiences, getting an
invitation to speak probably won't be difficult. Otte makes the point,
one easily confirmed in practice, that many clubs and organizations
are eager, even desperate, to find...
Read More
Kiss
Off Corporate America: A Young Professional's Guide to Independence
By Lisa Kivirist
Reviewed by Warren Sloat
As you read Kiss Off Corporate America, you may in
places wonder whether the book is a self-employment guide or a psychological
self-help manual. The author, Lisa Kivirist, seems to have intended
this, for her point is that people who leave corporate jobs for solo
careers (or who want to) need to be prepared for... Read More
Mompreneurs:
A Mother's Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Work-at-Home Success
By Ellen H. Parlapiano and Patricia Cobe
Reviewed by Warren Sloat
What's the best thing about working at home? When the authors of Mompreneurs asked this question, one respondent replied: "Can go on school trips." And what's the worst thing? Her response was the same: "Can go on school trips."... Read More
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