Bob Andelman’s latest book is FANS! Not Customers: How Commerce Bank Created a Super-Growth Business in a No-Growth Industry, written with Commerce Bank founder, chairman and CEO Vernon W. Hill II. It will be published in October 2007 by Portfolio Books/Penguin.
He is also the author or co-author of several best-selling biographical, business, management and sports books, including:
Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
Andelman’s authorized biography of comic book and graphic novel legend Will Eisner for Dark Horse/M Press was published in October 2006..
Eisner, whose work has influenced everyone from Orson Welles and Steven Spielberg in film to Neil Gaiman, Art Spiegelman and Frank Miller in graphic novels, was called “The Leonardo of the comic book form” by Civilization Magazine. USA Today called Eisner’s creation, The Spirit, “The Citizen Kane of comics.” And Michael Chabon, whose The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was deeply inspired by Chabon’s time with Eisner, said of him, “Will Eisner seems like some utopia of the anarchists, to be in a state of permanent revolution.”
The Mimi Herald’s Richard Pachter wrote: “Andelman’s affectionate biography rambles a bit, but it’s entertaining and enlightening, capturing Will’s extraordinary character and dignified presence quite nicely.”
Booklist’s Gordon Flagg wrote of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life: “Besides verifying Eisner’s impact on nearly every artist who drew comics in his wake, Andelman shows that Eisner’s influence extends to such film directors as Spielberg and Tarantino.”
Heidi MacDonald of The Beat wrote: “Andelman goes far beyond the Eisner most of us knew, the tireless supporter of comics as an art form. Andelman also ties in various figures to comics historical tapestry — George Bridgeman, Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, and a teen-aged Neil Gaiman all have unexpected roles to play along the way, as do countless others.”
Paul Fitzgerald of The Roanoke Times wrote: “Writing a review of Bob Andelman’s excellent and beautiful biography of Will Eisner poses a challenge – not as monumental as the one that Andelman has met most successfully – because most of us who personally carry what we thought to be a fulsome awareness of Eisner’s many intriguing facets are discovering here an endless array of new and precious jewels, revealed by this biographer’s diligent digging and offered up to sparkle in an intricate setting of fine, clear, muted prose, logical organization and meticulous indexing.
Mean Business
Mean Business: How I Save Bad Companies and Make Good Companies Great (Times Books/Random House), with Albert J. Dunlap, chairman and CEO of Sunbeam. Published in hardcover, paperback and audiocassette.
The Chicago Tribune’s Barbara Sullivan wrote: “Hate him or love him, this is a fascinating book.”
Soundview Executive Business Summaries named Mean Business “one of the best business books of 1996.
Worth wrote: “This book makes you feel like swearing a whole bunch – proudly.”
Amazon.com’s business and investment editor recommended Mean Business, saying in part: “(Dunlap’s) ultimately successful efforts at corporate resuscitation are recounted in his typically colorful and exhilarating manner “
Attaché, the US Airways in-flight magazine, listed the top 10 “Business Books for All Time” and described Mean Business as the “contemporary version” of Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Mean Business was also a finalist in the 1997 Financial Times of London Global Business Book Awards.
Built from Scratch
Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion (Times Books/Random House), on which he collaborated with Home Depot co-founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank.
Built from Scratch was the correct answer to the “Final Jeopardy” question on the May 2, 2000, broadcast of the syndicated “Jeopardy” game show. According to Bob, this is almost as exciting as when Sports Illustrated wrote that his book Why Men Watch Football was a “Sign That the Apocalypse is Upon Us.”
The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Built from Scratch is far more fun to read… It was ghost-written by Bob Andelman, who isn’t known for restraining the vanities of his subjects. He previously helped Albert J. “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap write a book that glorified the Dunlap method of management. In this case, however, Mr. Andelman has subjects willing to acknowledge a few of their failings.”
The Motley Fool gave Built From Scratch its second “Jester Award,” calling it “an incredible tale of a retail revolution… Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank have added – with the aid of Bob Andelman — yet another great feature to the American landscape: Built from Scratch.”
Knight-Ridder News Service wrote, “If you ever wondered how such a great concept developed, or how much a retailer could influence American life, read Built from Scratch . . . In it are some great stories about starting and running a successful business. This book is an open, no-holes-barred look at two brilliant, yet down-to-earth men.” (This review ran in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Washington Times, Lakeland Ledger and St. Petersburg Times, among others.)
Speaking of Built From Scratch, it made his debut in Japan in October 2000. When Bob received his copy, he couldn’t understand why his name wasn’t on it. Then his wife pointed out he was looking not at the front cover, but the back.
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The Profit Zone
The Profit Zone: Lessons of Strategic Genius from the People Who Created the World’s Most Valued Companies (Times Books/Random House), with Adrian Slywotzky and David Morrison, partners in Boston-based Mercer Management.
The Profit Zone is Andelman’s best selling book overall. More than 100,000 hardcover copies in print after 10 printings. After five years in hardcover, Three Rivers Press published the paperback edition on February 26, 2002. The slightly redesigned cover includes a review blurb from BusinessWeek’s John Byrne: “Rarely — if ever — have any observers so skillfully dissected these executives’ strategies to create lessons that can be taught to anybody … The Profit Zone provides insights and lessons aplenty.”
The New York Times ranked The Profit Zone as No. 10 on its best-selling business books list on April 5, 1998. The New York Times also ranked The Profit Zone as No. 28 on its best-selling hardcover book list on March 15, 1998.
Business Week ranked The Profit Zone as No. 8 on its best-selling business books list on March 2, 1998. Business Week’s John Byrne wrote that The Profit Zone “provides insights and lessons aplenty… It makes practical and usable some compelling theories for how to win in today’s marketplace.”
The Boston Globe’s David Warsh wrote “The Profit Zone is better than most strategy books… more coherent than a business magazine, more helpful – and more fun.”
Amazon.com’s business and investment editor recommended The Profit Zone: “Clearly written and immensely practical, The Profit Zone deserves a place on every manager’s bookshelf.” The Profit Zone maintained its position among Amazon.com’s top 2,000 best sellers for more than four years.
Worldwide, The Profit Zone has been translated into Chinese (Complex and Simplified), Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.
Bob translated each edition personally — in longhand, on brittle parchment paper.
Why Men Watch Football
Why Men Watch Football was featured in major newspaper stories in the Los Angeles Daily News, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Tribune, St. Petersburg Times, Memphis Commercial Appeal and Miami Herald. Excerpts appeared in Folio Weekly (Jacksonville, Fla.), Acadiana Profiles (Lafayette, La.) and Gallery magazine.
Sports Illustrated (Feb. 14, 1994) wrote, “This Week’s Sign That the Apocalypse is Upon Us: Trees died so that a writer named Bob Andelman could produce a tome entitled ‘Why Men Watch Football,’ which theorizes, among other things, that football ‘gives us men something to talk about.'”
More recently,Bob was interviewed live by CNN Headline News (January 31, 2002) anchor Larry Smith at 7:40 p.m. following the first telecast of a new Osama Bin Laden interview. Bob remarked that if he had to have an opening act and Jay & the Americans weren’t available, Osama would do. The subject of the interview? Bob’s 1993 book Why Men Watch Football. You can watch a QuickTime movie of Bob’s 3-1/2 minutes of fame by clicking here. Be warned: it’s a 9.1 mg file! (You can get QuickTime here.)
“… a fascinating and mind-boggling new book… ” — Marty York, The Toronto Globe and Mail
“This book isn’t to be debated on C-Span. It’s an examination of the malse psyche, which is like looking into a black hole… This is a self-help book that might tell a woman why a man can spend six hours in front of a television but seem incapable of carrying on a six-minute conversation.” — Bob Chick, Tampa Tribune
“Andelman describes 20 reasons why men love football.” — Lois K. Solomon, Palm Beach Post
“Lordy, lordy, why do men love thus sport so much? Thanks to St. Petersburg writer Bob Andelman, we need no longer await an answer from on high .” — Loraine O’Connell, Orlando Sentinel
“A very serious man has written a very serious book about this very serious subject.” — Rod Woehler, The Independent Florida Alligator
“Andelman gets right to the core of the gridiron’s grip on the male psyche, weaving a thoughtful and thorough analysis of the psychological and personal reasons of why so many men love to watch this game.” — Dave Scheiber, St. Petersburg Times
“It’s conclusive–Andelman shows that there’s lots more going on in the heads and hearts of those who watch football than there is down on the field.” — John Morthland, Author
“Wow. We couch slugs are much more complicated creatures than I thought. Makes me kind of proud, almost. (My wife isn’t buying it, though.).” — Steve Millburg, Southern Living
“Bob Andelman’s ‘Why Men Watch Football’ grabbed my attention from the first page. For years I have wondered why I watch the Tampa Bay Bucs. I still have no idea, but at least I now have an excuse, thanks to this gifted author.” — Daniel Ruth, Tampa Tribune
Other Books
The Corporate Athlete: How to Achieve Maximal Performance in Business and Life (John Wiley and Sons), which he co-wrote with Dr. Jack Groppel; Why Men Watch Football (Acadian Press); Stadium For Rent: Tampa Bay’s Quest for Major League Baseball (McFarland & Company) Bankers as Brokers: The Complete Guide to Selling Mutual Funds, Annuities and Other Fee-Based Investment Products (McGraw-Hill); Profit Drivers is only available online here.
Profit Drivers
Read It for Free:
ProfitDrivers.Net
Managed By the Mob
“Looking for inspiration in tough times? Try the advice of tough guys. I mean real tough guys-not the relatively wimpish characters whose ideas have shown up in business books in recent years. Forget about Attila the Hun. What did he know about wiretaps? Forget about Gen. Patton, too. Sure, he was rugged, but he had a license to kill.
“Don Corleone, now there’s a tough guy. And he understood business.
“So, I thought it would be interesting to see what organized crime-real and imagined-has to say about management and leadership. What follows is some blunt wisdom from the most recognized mobsters of the modern age. Think of these quotes as sound bites you can’t refuse.”
To continue reading, please surf over to Context Magazine, which published a column by Bob titled “Wiseguy Wisdom.” Then come back and check out Bob’s web site, ManagedbytheMob.com.
Inc. Magazine (January 2002): Leigh Buchanan’s story, “Managing from A to Z,” included a reference to the piece Bob wrote for Context magazine titled “Wiseguy Wisdom.” Bob owns letter “O” in Buchanan’s story: “O is for Organized Crime.”
Navigating the Yellow Stream
Here’s a rarity: Navigating the Yellow Stream by Paul Crumrine reprints “Poppy Copy,” an essay by Andelman (originally published by Tampa Bay Life about the drug test he took – and failed – while working at the Tampa Tribune.
Magazines & Newspapers
From 1994-98, Andelman also wrote the national syndicated weekly column “Mr. Media” distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. It appeared in print and/or online in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Gainesville Sun, Islamorada Free Press, Focus, Arizona Republic, Sacramento Bee and City Pages. The irrevent weekly column grew out of “Headliners,” a weekly column he wrote in the mid-1980s for the St. Petersburg Times.
A five-time Florida Magazine Association award winner for investigative reporting, Andelman appears in the first edition of Who’s Who in the Media and Communications.
Andelman spent five years as a Central Florida contributor to both Business Week and Newsweek.
MAGAZINES: Forbes, Financial & Insurance Planner, SMERF Meetings Journal, Motivational Strategies, Manatee Magazine, Sarasota/Manatee Business, Money, Redbook, Maddux Report, Tampa Bay Life, Tampa Magazine, Sarasota Magazine, Pulse of Radio, Performance, Billboard, Florida Motel & Hotel Journal, Florida Business, Florida Trend, Tampa Bay Metro Magazine, Florida Retail Centers, Gallery, Jacksonville Magazine, Writer’s Digest, Sci-Fi Universe, Star, National Law Journal, Good Times of South Florida, West Coast Woman, Acadiana Profiles, Editor & Publisher, Lifestyles, Shopping Centers Today, Shopping Center World, Underwater USA, Commercial Real Estate South, Southern Homes, New Business, Rag, Gainesville Magazine, Tri-State Trader, Office Guide/South Florida, Esteem, New Miami/South Florida Magazine, Sports Arena, National Real Estate Investor, Florida Real Estate Journal, Corporate Meetings & Incentives, Southpoint, Hooters Magazine, Players, Music Magazine, Texas Lawyer, Florida Lawyer, Technology Meetings, Insurance Conference Planner, Medical Meetings, Jam, Data Bus, Religious Conference Meetings Association, Focus, Mature Lifestyles, The Rotarian, Southeast Real Estate News, The Big Guava, USAE Magazine, ABA Journal, Know Tampa Bay, Baseball America, TravelSouth, Association Meetings, National Investor, Jacksonville Today, Details, Florida Journal, Small Meetings Guide, Shorecrest Magazine.
Bob wrote an advertising section for the Jan. 22, 2001 issue of Forbes titled “Business of the Bay.”
NEWSPAPERS: Orlando Sentinel, Cleveland Plain Dealer, St. Petersburg Times, San Jose Mercury News, Sun-Times of Canada, Toronto Globe & Mail, Grand Rapids Press, Leesburg Commercial, Gainesville Sun, Tampa Bay Business Journal, Islamorada Free-Press, Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel, Staten Island Advance, Rochester Democrat-Chronicle, Bangor Daily News, South Bend Tribune, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Examiner, Tampa Tribune, International Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Warfield’s Tampa Bay Review, Warfield’s Business & Technology, Miami Daily Business Review, Creative Loafing, Weekly Planet.
Andelman was also editor and associate publisher of Tampa Bay Weekly (1988) and published his own magazine, Jump (1987).
Corporate & Non-Profit
Among Andelman’s corporate clients: Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Poynter Online; Kirchman Corporation (book, corporate history); Invest Financial Corp. (co-author, book, Bankers as Brokers); John Heagney Public Relations (press releases); Sherry Wheatley Sacino (press releases); Pinellas County Department of Economic Development (marketing materials); Ruth Eckerd Hall Performing Arts Center (script, 10th anniversary video).
Video
Bob Andelman has been involved in the creation and production of three TV shows:
* “Florida Rocks” — This hour-long 1983 program was essentially a local version of MTV. It featured videos by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Henry Paul and others. Hosted by Eric Snider, it was taped on location at Peaches Records & Tapes in Clearwater, Fla. Andelman wrote, produced, directed and edited the show.
* “Ruth Eckerd Hall’s 10th Anniversary” — This hour-long 1993 program celebrating the Clearwater performing arts center was a mix of videotaped salutes from artists such as Victor Borge with on location inserts featuring local television anchorman John Wilson. Andelman organized the clips and wrote the shooting script.
* “Temple Beth-El’s 75th Anniversary” — This hour-plus 1998 program featured interviews with Temple members young and old as they remembered stories about the founding and daily activities of the reform Jewish temple in St. Petersburg. Andelman conducted the interviews and co-produced the program with David Brown.
Music
Andelman wrote liner notes for albums by two Tampa Bay area bands, Backtrack Blues Band and Savatage.
Personal
Andelman, whose hometown is North Brunswick, NJ, has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1982. He has a bachelor’s degree in film studies (with a minor in American literature) from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Mimi, (a copy editor at the St. Petersburg Times) have been married since 1988, have a 10-year-old daughter, a yellow lab named Scout, a jackalope terrier named Chase and are big fans of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
