A Career Carol WINS! – And possibly invents a new book genre (PANTs)

What an Extraordinary Evening

Thursday 19th September 2024, The Drum Theater, Wembley, London. The 200 guests.

A mix of publishers from majors like Wiley, Pearson, Routledge to smaller independents. The authors, from serial business authors and journalists through first timers. Plus, guests, BBC presenters, media.

The surreal nature of the evening began early. In an unrelated but sobering coincidence, there was an Israel/Palestine demonstration right next to the event location. A strange juxtaposition with the guests arriving in award evening attire.

Perhaps it wasn't exactly the Oscars but for Drs. Schuster & Oxley it felt close.

As someone aptly said during the evening, none of us really set out to write business books with an expectation of winning awards. In almost every case, it was because we felt passionate about a business topic and were frustrated that it was neither well understood nor adequately discussed. So, we set out to address that... to fill that gap.

In our case, it was about a frustration that there was no career advice designed specifically to appeal to NextGen audiences. Something relevant and practical. But importantly, something that was fun, entertaining, and engaging. Something that presented an important business topic in a genuinely new and interesting way. Something that felt more like a novel than a dry, self-indulgent, academic treatise.

A friend of ours suggests our approach is best described as non-fiction narrative. Perhaps along the lines of Erik Larson and his series of books like Devil in the White City. While we love Erik's books, and for that matter others of that genre, we aren't sure the description is really accurate for us. We tell a fictional story about real professional challenges. We then discuss the background and suggest strategies designed to help individuals optimize their careers.

In our more expansive moments, we like to imagine that perhaps our approach is a new category... Fiction meets Career and Professional Life Advice. Humor meets Executive and Entrepreneurial Coaching. So... perhaps Fictional Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction Fiction, or Professional Advice Narrative Tales (P.A.N.Ts)?

Whatever the label (we are fond of PANTs), the important thing is we wanted to create something that appealed to an audience of professionals who might not have otherwise contemplated reading a business book. We wanted to provide them with an alternative. Something while different and fun, might still spark some thoughts, reflections, introspection, and in the process help them be better equipped to deal with some of life's more difficult professional challenges.

Did we succeed? This is hard to measure.

The feedback in terms of reviews has been very positive. Certainly, the feedback from NextGen readers has been very encouraging. It's hard to know though, even in a world of unfiltered social media, whether the reviews are accurate or objective.

This is where things like the BBAs really give us a boost.

The BBAs: Recognition and Validation

Our friends at The Book Publicist, specifically Ella Davidson, felt strongly that our book should be considered for the awards. To be honest, both of us were initially a little reluctant. I think we both felt a little intimidated by the idea of volunteering to have our book scrutinized by a panel of expert judges.

The BBAs sit alongside the FT Business Book Awards as the two big annual critical assessments of new business books. The BBAs do tend to support the smaller, newer authors. However, their standards, the judges, the process is no less rigorous.

When we heard in May that our book had been selected as a finalist, we were shocked. There are so many new business titles each year that making the initial cut is in of itself an accolade and one we didn’t expect.

We were told the winners would be unveiled at a glitzy event in September. Our mindsets were strangely conflicted about attending the event. One of us summed it up as:

“we would be attending simply to rub shoulders with the winners, not to be one.”

But we felt at least one of us should attend.

Initially, we felt Helmut would go along, given his proximity. However, in an odd twist, Helmut was called to Vienna and David had to schedule a last-minute trip to London. What followed was unexpected, extraordinary, and something of a ‘pinch me’ moment.

In retrospect, of course, we wish we both could have been there. However, we are glad that David & Sue were there to fly the Drs. Schuster & Oxley flag.

As we write this a week later, we are still trying to process what happened. Our book was selected by the judges as being of such merit to warrant picking it out from the tens of thousands of others published during the year.

Writing can be a lonely process. Even with the two of us collaborating, it still feels sometimes like we are on a deserted island... believing we have a great idea that could be really useful for lots of people, but not being able to know for sure. So, perhaps this gives us a bit more encouragement and validation. A bit more evidence that we may be on to something.

Thank you to the BBA, the judges, and to all of you for supporting us. We believe we are resilient and confident people. Fueled by our deep conviction that what we do is important, has purpose, and meaning. However, we all occasionally need a little encouragement.

Last Thursday was a wonderful night, a welcome boost, and a tremendous encouragement to keep going.

2025... A Groundhog Career... here we come… favorite to win the PANTs category!

A Groundhog Career – Update

We are happy to report that our second book launch countdown continues toward March 18, 2025.

This past month, we have agreed to typesetting, formatting, and completed our penultimate editorial review.

Our success at the BBAs has raised some, if not expectations, then certainly aspirations for our second book. There is also a nice buzz of anticipation. This feels very different to A Career Carol, where we felt we were truly in a cave, about to throw it like a literary hand grenade into an entirely unsuspecting world.

A Groundhog Career should arrive to a world a little more aware of what we are planning to unleash. Albeit we still think we have a few tricks and certainly reached further in our ambition.

What we are very happy to hear from our BETA readers and publishing partners is a consistent sense that book 2 really resonates and clicks with people. Of course, we won’t know how widely people feel this until Spring 2025. But… our aspiration, ambitions, targets… well, they are a few points higher now!

Sal de Ibiza, Never Stop Dreaming

The Dr. Schuster Column

I am writing this from my hotel room in Valencia, while I tuck into some Sal de Ibiza crisps—the very best snack! My guilty pleasure, after another exhausting day embracing my new life in Spain, pondering on the events of the last few weeks.

Having our first publication highly commended by an expert jury and recognized in front of a room of accomplished writers at the 2024 Business Book Awards certainly gives validation to the concept of constant learning and reinvention.

Producing a quality book that resonates with the right audience requires one to draw from your own learning and life lessons. It requires a rich, diverse, varied set of life experiences. With the associated highs and lows. Peaks and troughs. While both David and my lives may seem very corporate, it masks a much broader spectrum of experiences, full of risk-taking and a willingness to follow outrageous intuition.

New Experiences and Surprising Choices

But back to my Sal de Ibiza story—new experiences, surprising choices, and why I am in Valencia. Those observing my career from a distance might assume by now I would be back in London, sitting on several corporate boards and having dinners at posh Mayfair clubs. Instead, in what seems entirely consistent to me, I am doing something different. One that isn’t driven by financial incentives, status, or a big stage—but a path I consider significantly more rewarding from an emotional and intellectual perspective.

Every morning, after my workout and my coffee, I rush to Euroace, the language school I selected to improve my Spanish. Until Christmas, twenty hours per week in group classes with ten other students, complemented with private afternoon classes. Sitting in a classroom with mostly twenty-somethings is an interesting experience. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that most of the time we spend together is filled with conversation and dialogue tailored towards the issues, anxieties and dreams of Gen Z.

The strange thing is that nobody seems fazed by the fact that I am a similar age to their parents. As an aside, I did like that one of the students thought I was in my thirties! This confirmed my view that for most young people everyone over thirty falls in the category mayor—which means old, no further distinctions needed. I finally outed my real age but not sure whether it really registered. I am grateful that there is at least one other student who is a bit closer to my age.

A Classroom Without Phones

The intriguing fact about this experience is that it is not awkward at all. We are all here for the same reason, for a common purpose: to become fluent in Spanish. Some students have been living in Spain for over a year and are rather well spoken; others like me can communicate but lack the grammatical backbone and the vocabulary to talk like an educated grown up (in fact this experience reminds me of the David Sedaris essay when he tried something similar in France).

I attended a similar course in Valencia in my twenties and, interestingly, not much has changed. Young, talented teachers, paper handouts, students bringing notebooks and nobody using a phone in class!

What has changed is that people take this far more seriously than I remember, and everyone talks openly about their struggles with dyslexia, ADHD, introversion, depression, etc. This is a serious generation with worries about their careers and futures. Nobody is late, everyone stays to the end and people are mentally present. Career considerations, what to do next and how to cope with an ever-changing world are the key topics.

As I sit in class, I am delighted that we created Shey Sinope and his career journey. His character is most needed and relevant, and hopefully provides a force for good.

I am equally delighted that I decided to be here in Valencia, redefining myself, replacing old dreams with new dreams and certain of the fact that the secret of successful reinvention is to never stop dreaming.

Nunca dejes de soñar!

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