Happy first publication day A Career Carol – October 13, 2024, marks the first anniversary

Looking Back on an Extraordinary Year

In the last year, lots seemed to have happened. And like so many things in life, it’s spooky when you look back on a big event and then realize it was a year ago.

We’ve learned a lot as first-time authors. There was the process of publishing, for example. We were delighted to work with a publisher for the first time. We felt we needed a guide as we attempted to publish a book.

One of us found the process frustratingly slow. The other had the wisdom and patience to see it as a proof of concept and learning experience.

Then there was the publicity angle. There is no point writing a book and not telling people about it. So, we set out with publicists in Austria, London, and New York. Working with this virtual team was wonderful. It felt very much like having allies, supporters, advocates.

With their help we:

• Did radio interviews in Chicago, Dublin, and—drum roll—Cedar Rapids.
• Did interviews with newspapers and journalists, including the iconic Wiener Magazine and a national UK daily tabloid.
• Wrote articles for over 60 journals and magazines including Forbes, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Big Think, Maddyness, LinkedIn, and People Management.
• Worked with podcasters in Houston, Indonesia, and London.

We also worked to develop our own social media presence—building a website, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even TikTok.

It’s quite funny to look back on some of this. We think of ourselves as semi-talented amateurs on most of it. Our whole thing, though, is that we want to try to do as much of it as we can ourselves. It’s ultimately about the experience and learning. The outcomes are predictable. But… but… each piece to our slightly biased eyes gets better as we learn.

We are reminded of several of our teachers (more about Ms. Skinner later) and work bosses over the years. We think we both built careers to some extent on the belief that so long as we didn’t make the same mistake twice, we were making good progress. Try, fail, try again. It’s a mantra to build a long, occasionally successful career on.

Highlights and Recognition

A big highlight of the last year were the conferences and school presentations Helmut was invited to give. He talked to over 300 high school students in Vienna and then featured A Career Carol at the AFS Youth Council Conference in New York.

However, as you might expect, the big surprise and “oh my gosh… does this mean we’re not just authors, but relatively good ones?” moments were the book award recognitions. In April, A Career Carol was selected as a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards. In the summer, the Bookfest named us Best Career Book, and then in September the big, completely unexpected BBA recognition came.

So, a year later, are we different? What has changed?

Well, A Career Carol enters its second year with some kudos, a renewed momentum. The book award season shone a spotlight on it that has widened and deepened interest. That’s good!

Moreover, we are enthused. We are excited. We are more confident.

Why Did We Write A Career Carol?

As an aside, we did an interview recently for Sassy Book Reviews and were asked the question:

“Why did you write A Career Carol?”

We have the usual answer to that question. The one that talks about believing there was a need, a gap, a niche. Something important to say.

One of us though also thought perhaps it was because they were trying to prove Ms. Skinner, their junior school English teacher, wrong. When she said, very cruelly, vindictively, and without justification:

David Oxley… she shouted this in front of the entire class… Once again, you have proven my point… mark my words… you will never ever be a writer…. No. You are destined for a career without letters, grammar, or punctuation!

Well… Ms. Skinner… how do you like those apples!

(P.S. I’ve never understood the apples comment in Good Will Hunting. Apparently, it’s a riff on apples falling not far from trees and some movie folklore. I still don’t entirely understand how it has become a phrase meaning something like… now who’s laughing… or in this case… Ms. Skinner may have been premature in her dismissal of the young Oxley’s efforts.)

(P.P.S. Dr. Schuster has just pointed out that perhaps Ms. Skinner deserves some credit for using the dark arts of reverse psychology on me. My world has just shifted on its axis. I will now go and dismantle the room dedicated to half-burned effigies.)

Apologies for that diversion… returning to A Career Carol’s birthday.

We find ourselves today reassured that the proof of concept that was A Career Carol has done as well as it has. It received a great reception in the media, among critics, and has sold well in the UK, USA, Austria, Belgium, and India. It is fascinating to see where it has sold most.

The last year has taught us a great deal, but the main takeaway is that we think we are really onto something with the fundamental purpose, format, and message behind our writing. With A Groundhog Career, we will hopefully take a further step forward toward serving that purpose.

Onward… upward… try… fail… try again… and again.

A Groundhog Career – Update

October has seen us continue our relentless march toward the March 18, 2025 publication of our second book, A Groundhog Career.

This past week, we announced our partnership with Ella Davidson and the team at The Book Publicist to help introduce the book to the world. You can see the announcement and press releases here.

We have also agreed on the high-level plan through March 2025 and beyond. Building on what we did for A Career Carol and separating what worked AND what we enjoyed, from what didn’t and we don’t.

One of our favourite things was hosting a book launch. You may recall we ran an event at the Century Club in October 2023 for 70–80 people.

Planning the Next Launch

Our plan is to host a book launch event in March 2024 for A Groundhog Career.

We have a venue and format in mind. It will, of course, be in London. Details will be forthcoming.

We aren’t quite at the stage of a national book signing tour. But we hope that in the weeks leading up to the launch and immediately afterward we will have various things we can share with you as opportunities to meet in person. We will try to publish a high-level list in January.

Incidentally, if you haven’t yet pre-ordered your copy of the book, why not put that right? It’s available on Amazon here.

POV – Being Contrarian

The Dr. Schuster Column

I’m writing this month’s newsletter contribution from a quiet, less crowded, and much more affordable Ibiza.

The Ibiza you don’t often hear about—no drunks, no drugs, just serenity. While the island is famous for its wild summer party scene, by late October, the energy shifts. The clubs close, the crowds vanish, and prices drop dramatically. What’s left is a calm, peaceful atmosphere that’s hard to find during the peak season.

This time of year, Ibiza offers a completely different experience—one that feels more authentic and intimate. And that’s precisely why I’m here. It’s also a reflection of how I live: by embracing the unconventional and making deliberate choices that challenge the status quo.

The Value of Contrarian Thinking

Living what I consider a contrarian lifestyle is about seeking out value and meaning in places others often overlook or avoid. It’s about swimming against the tide, not for the sake of being different, but because there’s richness in taking the road less travelled. And it has served me well.

Even as a child, I found myself drawn to things that were less popular. I wasn’t the kid who enjoyed big birthday parties, so my parents stopped encouraging me to host them. Carnival and other crowded festivities never appealed to me. While most of my classmates played football, I chose handball, and when everyone else was saving up for a Vespa, I was perfectly content riding my bicycle.

This early instinct to follow my own path shaped my approach to life and, later, my approach to business and work.

This contrarian mindset extends to my financial decisions as well. Investing in equities when most analysts are urging caution—or even advising a sell-off—can seem reckless to some. But when you adopt a long-term perspective, everything changes. You come to understand that no one else will ever understand or represent your interests better than you can.

Warren Buffett’s famous mantra sums up the philosophy perfectly:

“Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”

It’s not about disregarding expert advice, but about doing your own research, seeing the bigger picture, and having the conviction to act when the majority is heading in the opposite direction.

This mindset played a significant role when David and I decided to leave behind traditional career paths as advisors, consultants, or NEDs to write a series of books. It wasn’t a vanity project but a heartfelt decision to walk away from working for others. We wanted to create something meaningful—a blend of storytelling and career advice that hadn’t been done before, complete with pop-art and anime illustrations.

Now, as we celebrate the first anniversary of Shey Sinope and work on the third book in the series, it’s clear that a contrarian approach can be incredibly liberating. After all, most great innovations come from challenging conventional wisdom.

Our book’s hero, Shey Sinope, mirrors this philosophy. Like us, he’s not afraid to defy expectations and push boundaries. Writing these books has shown us that sometimes the ideas that aren’t supposed to work are the ones that resonate the most.

And that’s what living a contrarian lifestyle is all about—finding freedom, fulfilment, and success by going against the grain.

October Event and Media Update

Helmut was invited to participate in Hedley May’s HRrewired leadership program this month. Hedley May are a leading HR executive search firm based in London. They are also a great source of progressive and forward-looking HR thinking.

Nick Hedley and Karen Frizzell have sponsored the program for the crème de la crème of HR leadership talent. The first event took place at Hedley May’s very impressive offices.

The opportunity to discuss HR leadership and cutting-edge HR thinking with incredibly impressive HR talent was invigorating and energising.

All the participants received a signed copy of A Career Carol. We love getting (positive) feedback on the book, particularly from such a distinguished audience.

If anyone reading this is interested in attending future HRrewired events, please contact Karen to express your interest.

As we mentioned earlier, we also did an interview with the very popular book blogger, Sassy Reviews, this month.

You can read the full interview at the link in the picture above or here.

However, let us share one of the Q&As here:

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

A4. We both have a special connection with St. James Park and the area around Piccadilly in London. We spent decades of our lives in or around that area with its rich history, vibrant street scenes, and wonderful restaurants.

There is a breakfast place on Pall Mall where we invented the first concept for A Career Carol. Its croissants are particularly inspirational.

For some reason, Dr. Schuster took issue with St. James being listed as a favourite spot of ours. On an objective scale of beautiful places, perhaps it doesn’t chin the bar. But in so far as its significance to Drs. Schuster & Oxley… it’s responsible for so much.