Best Independent Books February 5
We are delighted to recommend the following books from the independent publishing sector.
NON-FICTION
Bridges to Leadership: vision, empowerment, strategy, people, action
by Oded Agam
With his extensive experience at Intel and various high-tech startups, the author shares in this book his unique approach to success.
The author uses the bridge as a metaphor to illustrate how relationships can propel people forward. Just like bridges, relationships require careful planning, step-by-step construction and constant maintenance. He shares his learnings from both his successes and failures. He provides insights into how he bootstrapped a successful venture capital firm, grew startups into revenue-generating companies, and created a new product line by bridging gaps between departments. He also shares a failure due to his inability to cross a bridge when the opportunity presented itself.
The author presents his leadership philosophy with the aim of informing, empowering, and strengthening people’s leadership strategies and networks. He demonstrates how to align the pieces of a successful project and secure them into place, bridging the gap from where leaders are to where they want to be.
A thoughtful read that employs personal experience to solidify actionable leadership strategies, making it a relevant and timely contribution to leadership self-help — Readers’ Favorite
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637351673
Next Level Selling: the definitive guide to closing high dollar deals
by Tom Fedro
This book, written by an award-winning sales leader and CEO, is a master work that reveals the steps of the Million Dollar Framework. It explains the eight critical steps of the framework — identifying the ideal customer profile, engaging the prospect, asking quality questions to establish the pain, establishing the authority, ensuring the money is there, creating a compelling proposal, then implementation, followed by growth and renewal.
The author introduces “a smart gal named PAM” as a mnemonic for pain, authority and money — the criteria for establishing whether there is a sales deal to be made. He shows how the PAM sales process has identified, closed and delivered high-value deals with the largest, most respected brands on the planet, including American Airlines, ASUS, Cisco, Comcast, Dell, GoPro, HP, Logitech, Microsoft and Toshiba.
This book shows how to identify, qualify, and close valuable opportunities while developing long-term relationships with target audiences.
Honors: Bronze Medal, Business/Finance, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1943386529
Never Get Their Coffee:
empowering fearless leadership
by Lakisha Ann Woods
In this insightful work, the author challenges the societal norms that can often hold women back. She weaves a tapestry of compelling research, statistics and first-person accounts to highlight the unique role of female leadership in today’s workplace.
Drawing from her own experiences and those of other executives, the author offers a myriad of strategies to empower women to claim their well-deserved seat at the table. The book guides readers to understand the importance of recognizing and owning their internal power, especially in times of crisis. It sheds light on the unconscious biases that women, not just men, exhibit towards one another. Such biases can hinder progressive leadership. Readers will learn to leverage the power of the 3 Cs (communication, coordination and compromise), and to own their successes without apology.
The book also emphasizes the positive power of practicing wellness and self-care habits and encourages readers to step out of their comfort zones. It reminds readers that while there will always be obstacles on the path to growth, nothing holds them back more than their own self-doubts.
Honors: Bronze Medal, Women’s Non-Fiction, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637351840
The Why Whisperer: how to motivate and align teams that get your strategy done
by Hans Lagerweij
This book is a practical roadmap for aligning teams with a clear and compelling direction. Drawing on decades of international leadership experience, the author demonstrates how to connect purpose, vision and strategy to daily execution.
The author explores how to clarify mission, vision and goals for maximum impact while crafting an organizational direction that resonates with teams. He shows how to align strategy with daily work to drive results, master purposeful communication, and implement reverse elevator speech to inspire and motivate. Using the Six Cs model, he guides leaders in fostering a culture where all team members understand their role in achieving success.
This resource is essential for leaders seeking to transform uninspired teams into high-performing organizations. It challenges readers to rethink their approach to leadership, emphasizing collaboration, motivation and lasting organizational change.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 979-8310573062
The Ladies Playbook: how to get your way with a man
by Melanie Joy Vertalino
In this book, the author offers a captivating, no-nonsense guide for women ready to embrace their power, elevate their dating game, and create the extraordinary love life they've always craved. This isn’t about mind games; it’s about transforming into the magnetic, high-value woman who effortlessly draws men in, commands respect, and leaves them eager to win her heart.
The author explains how to strut into every first date with unshakable confidence, armed with insider dating etiquette and outstanding behavior. She shows how to master the secrets of emotional intelligence, staying cool, calm and collected in even the most intense situations. The book enables women to set new, elevated standards, attracting only high-quality partners who rise to meet their expectations.
This book is a personal roadmap to becoming a woman who captivates effortlessly. Women can bask in the power of knowing that they control their love life and can craft it into the fulfilling, passionate journey they've always dreamed of.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Self-Help
ISBN: 979-8330624683
In case you missed the books featured in the last newsletter, here they are again:
NON-FICTION
Quitless:
the power of persistence in business and life
by Alinka Rutkowska, Akintoye Akindele et al.
This book is an honest, thoughtful look at the mental fortitude and dexterity it takes to be a great entrepreneur.
This is a comprehensive anthology of some of the most successful, die-hard and tirelessly working entrepreneurs in the world. It is a compelling narrative about the cruciality of persistence. It describes the art of responding purposefully, deliberately and pragmatically to the myriad obstacles standing between an entrepreneur and success. It teaches specific tactics and strategies for perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. It explains how to develop a mindset that welcomes challenges and adversity via cognitive programming. It explores the value and usefulness of failure in developing resilience and new points of view.
Every single day there is an entrepreneur that comes to life for the first time, and every single day there is another who gives up on his dreams. Persistence is all that separates them.
This book… is uplifting and supportive to all the people who wish to succeed in what they love doing… The message is simple: never give up. — Goodreads
Honors: Honorable Mention, Non-Fiction Anthology, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637350539
The Price Whisperer:
a holistic approach to pricing power
by Per Sjöfors
Consumer behavior is irrational. People are finicky, temperamental and subjective, but they’re also highly predictable. When it comes to determining optimal product pricing, therefore, it’s important to keep in mind that the perception of value is value.
In this book, the author explores the complex network of variables that regulate customer perception of price and value. By isolating key factors that determine a target market’s willingness to pay, businesses can effectively hack their existing model, thereby increasing asking price and sales volume. It’s simple psychology. This book explains the unique internal and external factors that control consumer purchase behavior; how to increase pricing without sacrificing sales volume; how to identify the right customers for products and save marketing dollars; why pricing does not exist in a vacuum and how the set-and-forget approach is a recipe for failure; why lowering prices and offering frequent discounts seldomly translates into greater purchasing volume; and how price sets an expectation of quality and benefit or lack thereof. The author advises to approach consumer behavior through a psychological mindset, not an entrepreneurial one.
The product might be right, the marketing strategy might be right and the branding be right, but if the pricing is off, the business will suffer. It’s essential to value a product correctly.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637351178
Automotive Search Marketing
by Alex Melen
This book contains a detailed account of the latest and greatest strategies in online marketing for car dealers looking to take their digital marketing to the next level.
The author tells what it takes to plan and implement a strategy for search marketing that uses the latest techniques to maximize the return on investment. He provides a detailed description of Google ranking signals to help improve the search engine optimization and jumpstart organic search traffic. He reveals advanced pay-per-click implementations to revamp Google Ads campaigns and increase business immediately.
In this book, the author explains how to select an advertising agency, evaluate performance, and optimize campaigns consistently.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637352113
No EGO Policy: Culture Reimagined: leading with love and authenticity
by Daniel J. Batty
Company culture is often treated as a set of policies or perks, but the truth is it is shaped every day by how leaders show up. This book reframes leadership as a deeply human practice, rooted in authenticity, accountability, and care for the people doing the work.
Drawing from decades of real-world experience across construction, operations and fast-growing national brands, the author blends personal stories with practical leadership lessons. The result is a grounded look at how trust is built, how teams stay aligned under pressure and why humility often unlocks better performance than authority ever could. Culture, as the book shows, is not enforced. It is modeled. Readers are guided through how to hire and develop people who reflect the mission, create transparency without fear, and build environments where wins are celebrated and growth is shared. The tone is honest and reflective, offering insights forged through experience rather than theory.
For leaders who want to move beyond ego-driven management and create workplaces defined by purpose and pride, this book offers both inspiration and direction. It is a reminder that when leadership is grounded in love and authenticity, culture becomes a powerful engine for innovation, loyalty and lasting impact.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Business
ISBN: 978-1637353929
FICTION
Why They Run
by Zoey Wheeler
Some races are about speed. Others are about escape, identity and the courage to want more. This story centers on two runners chasing the same scholarship, each driven by very different fears and hopes. One runs to survive the weight of a secret that threatens to derail everything he has built. The other runs to step out from a legacy that has defined her before she ever set foot on the track.
For the two characters, every stride carries pressure, expectation and the promise of a future neither can afford to lose. As competition intensifies, the rivalry between them sharpens into something far more complicated. Ambition collides with vulnerability, and the pursuit of victory becomes tangled with emotions neither planned for. The tension on the track mirrors the stakes off it with winning being no longer just about crossing the finish line first.
Blending sports drama with a slow-burn romance, this novel explores resilience, identity and the quiet moments that define who people become when under pressure. It is a reminder that sometimes the hardest races are not the ones with spectators, and that the most meaningful victories often come when everything is on the line.
Honors: seen on MarketWatch
Category: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1970584028
We trust that your readers will enjoy our hand-picked selection.
For more bestselling and award-winning books from the independent publishing sector, please go here.
Warm regards,
Alinka Rutkowska
CEO, LibraryBub
