A Thing of Beauty - The preview copies of A Groundhog Career arrive

I know what you’re thinking… That’s a huge book.

Well, the thing I’m holding is a preview copy of our second book, A Groundhog Career. The thing I’m standing next to is a poster we ordered for the book launch event on March 18th.

Writing a book is something of a marathon. The closest thing I can think of is doing a doctorate. The study, interviewing, writing, and obsession about detail is close to that. But it’s more fun. And hopefully gets read by a few more people!

Last week, we received advance author copies of the finished book. First sight of the completed product brings a euphoric feeling. Sort of like a cross between graduation and childhood birthday.

A Groundhog Career, as you know, was something we began working on in the summer of 2023. We had a lull while we waited for the first book to “break” (that’s author jargon). Helmut saw I was restless. So he very wisely said…

“Well, why don’t we start work on book 2?”

We wrote the Groundhog Career story over 6 months and then put it to one side while we focused on publicizing A Career Carol. We came back to the book in the spring of 2024.

This coincided with forming a new publication partnership with Alison Jones and her team at Practical Inspiration Publishing.

Ultimately, this had a big impact on the final form of the book. Alison’s inputs and coaching were very insightful. Never discount the subtle but profound influence of some well-timed “are you sure about that?” and “or alternatively you could consider this.”

A Groundhog Career was probably finished in August of last year. As much as the manuscript was largely complete, the formatting and production process has its own timeframe.

And the product is so much the better for it.

Without doubt, the preview copies that arrived this week are the best Drs. Schuster & Oxley produced books of all time.

OK… yes… it is the second book. But still, it sets a new standard.

A Career Carol was a great first product. We were delighted with it. However, we think you will agree A Groundhog Career is better.

We are very excited to share the new book with the world. Not long now. The launch is less than a month away.

We are planning a launch event in London for publication day. We have panel conversations, book readings, confetti, fireworks, balloon drops, clowns, dancing bears, a snake charmer, a reunion of the dance troupe Hot Gossip, and a secret announcement from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Some of the previous paragraph may not be true.

Lots of thanks to all the people who helped us to produce such a great book. We’ve mentioned Alison and her team. Andy Doodles Baker is tremendously talented and a lot of fun to work with.

However, without Sue Oxley, none of this would have happened. So, to Sue—undying love and gratitude.

February Update

How do you top appearing live on BBC Business News?

Well, you win an award!

We learned on Valentine’s Day that A Groundhog Career has been shortlisted for best career book by The Wishing Shelf Awards.

The Wishing Shelf Awards are run by the larger-than-life Billy Bob Buttons (aka Edward Trayer). Now in its 11th year, the awards distinguish themselves in several ways including their judging panels which represent an unusually large number. The scores from some 200 volunteer readers across London and Stockholm make the determinations on who is finalized and who wins.

By making the final slate, we apparently made it into the top 30% of books nominated this year.

In the press this month, we had an article published in The i Paper, a UK daily national newspaper: The Seven Tricks to Boost Your Motivation at Work. You can read it here.

We also wrote a great piece on the ongoing return-to-the-office controversy. Companies continue to manage this badly. Our piece appeared in Entrepreneur magazine, and you can read it here.

And, for those of you (like us) who were concerned that we seemed to appeal mainly to the more salacious newspaper brands, we had an article published in the legendary Times.

In this piece, we looked at the return-to-the-office subject from an individual’s standpoint. It’s important to understand what you might sacrifice by not being physically proximate to movers and shakers in your organisations.

Our March update will include some great additional coverage including an upcoming podcast with Ambition and press coverage in Arabian Business, Minutehack, and The European Business Review.

A Groundhog Career – Supporting the Launch

As we count down to the launch of our second book on March 18th, we are sharing once again how you can support us.

First, obviously, if you haven’t already ordered a copy of the book, you could go here and do so.

However, we have an ambition to try to channel orders for the book to be on the 17th and 18th of March. The 24/48-hour sales totals may propel the title up the charts.

In this vein, we have arranged with PIP, our publishers, to offer the digital version of the book at a limited special introductory price of 99p/99c until March 18th.

This represents an extraordinary 90% discount for a very limited time. On March 19th the price will revert to £7.99/$9.99 respectively.

You can go here to see the special discounted rate.

The second thing you could do is to write a review of the book on Amazon and Goodreads.

(Good) book reviews make a huge difference. They not only increase the appeal of a book to those who find it in a search, but they also impact how the search algorithms work. The more reviews, the higher the title appears in search results.

Reviews are embargoed (saved but not posted) until March 18th.

Please take a few minutes to give the book a review.

Finally, once again, we’d like to make the offer to any newsletter subscribers to join us at our book launch event in London on March 18th. If you’d like to attend the book launch event, please let us know by emailing us at:

info@acareercarol.com

The evening will include hearing from those who contributed to the book, a few words from the authors, and a special appearance by Shey Sinope himself.

We will share reflections and pictures from the evening here probably in March or April.

Are We Stupid or Just Mad?

The Dr. Schuster Column

Shortly before Christmas, I decided to spoil my sister, Helga.

She’s into sports, loves to travel, and is an incredible cook. After countless delicious dinners she has prepared for me, it was time for payback. She also has a habit of poaching my bags, especially for short trips, so a luxury weekend bag seemed like the perfect gift.

Vienna’s Golden Quarter is a paradise for luxury shopping. Dior, Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton—you name it. The perfect place to find something special.

I headed straight to LV, only to be met with a queue stretching endlessly.

Hermes? Even worse.

Gucci? I thought their recent profit warnings meant they’d welcome me with open arms. Nope, another ridiculous line.

I gave up and moved to Plan B: a restaurant voucher.

Vienna boasts several Michelin-starred restaurants. First call: fully booked for months. Second option: a promising newcomer with two stars—also unavailable.

At this point, frustration turned to reflection.

Why do so many premium brands preach customer focus but in reality, only take our money and waste our time?

Airports force us through endless duty-free corridors when all we want is a direct path to the gate or a quiet lounge.

Business-class flights booked months in advance suddenly cost more to reschedule than a brand-new ticket.

High-end restaurants and private clubs charge astronomical prices only to rush you out after two hours.

We follow the herd. If people queue, it must be good. If it’s expensive, it must be exclusive. If it’s labelled luxury, it must be exciting.

But real luxury isn’t about logos or price tags—it’s about time. Time to spend with loved ones, to cook, to read, to create memories.

Many younger consumers already understand this: experiences matter more than material possessions. Vintage clothing and quality books are the new status symbols. Bookshops the new temples of hedonism.

So, what did Helga get?

No designer bag, but a home-cooked dinner with exquisite wine straight from the Austrian vineyards and lifetime permission to poach my vintage bags.

Luxury brands, take note: your customers are getting smarter. After all, simplicity is the ultimate luxury.