Books and Reviews
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Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion (Times Books/Random House, 1999), on which he collaborated with Home Depot co-founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot’s founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.
CNBC’s “Mad Money” host Jim Kramer endorsed the timelessness of Built From Scratch when he told his viewing audience, “Built from Scratch is the best of all those business biographies.” Built From Scratch was translated for a Japanese edition.
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Mean Business: How I Save Bad Companies and Make Good Companies Great (Times Books/Random House, 1996), with Albert J. Dunlap, chairman and CEO of Sunbeam. Published in hardcover, paperback and audiocassette. Mean Business was a finalist in the Financial Times of London Global Business Book Awards. Mr. Media Books published a third edition, with new and updated content, in July 2014, as well as producing an ebook for the first time and digital audiobook.
“His outspokenness is refreshing…workers and shareholders alike will applaud his approach to high-salaried CEOs whose companies are crumbling.”
— Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle
“Hate him or love him, this is a fascinating book.”
— Barbara Sullivan, Chicago Tribune
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The Profit Zone: Lessons of Strategic Genius from the People Who Created the World’s Most Valued Companies (Times Books/Random House, 1997), with Adrian Slywotzky and David Morrison, partners in Boston-based Mercer Management. The Profit Zone is Andelman’s best selling book overall with more than 100,000 hardcover copies in print after 10 printings. 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.
“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.
— John Byrne, BusinessWeek“The Profit Zone is so insightful that most managers will pray that their competitors never read it.”
— Richard D’Aveni, Amos Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, and author of Hypercompetition
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The Wawa Way: How a Funny Name & 6 Core Values Revolutionized Convenience (Running Press), written with Wawa convenience stores CEO Howard Stoeckel to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. With a mixture of personal history and business advice, Stoeckel discusses the last 50 years of Wawa’s growth, development, and expansion. It’s the story of how a small company with a funny name made a big difference, and all it took was a little goose sense. Publication Date: April 2014.
“Corporate histories are seldom engrossing and even less frequently do they touch an emotional chord, but that’s exactly what the books does. Wawa fans, and general business readers, will relish this empowering story.”
— Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW“The cult of Wawa lives on…The company’s six core values and a leadership style focusing on employee ownership with a strong sense of corporate social responsibility are major topics. Written in a light, conversational tone, though, this is a quick, engaging read. VERDICT A must-have for Wawa devotees and recommended for others interested in a behind-the-scenes look at an East Coast retailing legend.”
— Library Journal
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Will Eisner: A Spirited Life (Dark Horse/M Press, 2005), the biography of the legendary artist and writer who is often credited with taking comic books out of the ghetto in the 1940s and establishing the market for adult, long-form comics – graphic novels – in the 1970s. A Spirited Life has been translated for a Spanish edition and an Italian edition was published in 2013. In April 2015, Twomorrows Publishing will distribute an updated, expanded and illustrated deluxe coffee table edition of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life and an e-book will also be produced for the first time. Andelman also recorded the audiobook edition. Introduction by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Michael Chabon and Foreword by legendary comic book artist Neal Adams. A deluxe, expanded and illustrated coffee table edition of the biography – as well as an ebook – was published in April 2015 by TwoMorrows Publishing.
“What the book is most to be commended for is the sheer volume of people Andelman is able to get on the record to talk about Eisner, not to mention the invaluable firsthand accounts from Eisner himself.”
– Wil Moss, Nashville City Paper (June 9, 2006)“Perhaps most poignant, however, are the testaments to Eisner’s influence and talent from peers such as Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Robert Crumb and Neil Gaiman.”
– Kevin Walker, Tampa Tribune (January 8, 2006)
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Building Atlanta (Chicago Review Press), written with legendary Atlanta businessman and “bail bondsman to the civil rights movement” Herman Russell. Introduction by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young. In Building Atlanta, Russell shares his inspiring life story and reveals how he overcame racism, poverty, and a debilitating speech impediment to become one of the most successful African American entrepreneurs, Atlanta civic leaders, and unsung heroes of the civil rights movement. Not just a typical rags-to-riches story, Russell achieved his success through focus, planning, and humility, and he shares his winning advice throughout. As a millionaire builder before the civil rights movement took hold and a friend of Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young, he quietly helped finance the civil rights crusade, putting up bond for protestors and providing the funds that kept King’s dream alive. He provides a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at the role the business community, both black and white working together, played in Atlanta’s peaceful progression from the capital of the racially divided Old South to the financial center of the New South. Publication Date: April 2014.
“Not many people alive in Atlanta today can look back and say they were involved with Dr. King, but Herman can do that. He’s been an important person in the history of this city.”
— Arthur Blank, cofounder, the Home Depot; owner, Atlanta Falcons
Stadium for Rent: Tampa Bay’s Quest for Major League Baseball (McFarland & Company, Inc.). This is the true, complicated story of the decades-long battle to bring a baseball team to Florida’s West Coast. Back in print for the first time in two decades, Bob Andelman’s detailed investigation has been enhanced with hundreds of political cartoons and photos that illustrate the community’s sometimes brutal campaign, as well as an all-new introduction by best-selling sportswriter Peter Golenbock and an afterword by award-winning Tampa Bay Times sports columnist Gary Shelton. Plus, interviews with original Tampa Bay Devil Rays franchise owner Vincent J. Naimoli and the man to whom he sold managing interest in the team, Stuart Sternberg.
“Andelman points a finger not at the bay area’s civic leaders but at the panjandrums of baseball. He provides an impeccably researched play-by-play of every inning of this high-stakes game in which the home team has been shut out… The story is compelling, and in Andelman’s hands, it’s masterfully organized and written.”
– Tom Chase, Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine“A phenomenal read. The guy did his research… I became so engrossed, I couldn’t put it down.. a superb job on how he put it together.”
– Erica Stuart, associate producer, 60 Minutes, CBS-TV
Determined: A Lifetime of Love and Hate, War and Peace … And What the Water Moccasin Taught Me (Mr. Media Books), written with Atlanta attorney and civil rights leader Felker Ward, Jr. Introduction by former Atlanta mayor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young. Publication Date: October 2018.
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Fans Not Customers (Profile UK), written with Metro Bank UK and Commerce Bank US founder Vernon W. Hill II. Introduction by bestselling management guru Tom Peters. These are tough times for all of us—but it is still possible to defy gravity and create massively successful new ventures, turn-round lumbering giants, and go for growth. The secret lies in not just satisfying customers but in amazing and delighting them. But to amaze and delight your customers and clients isn’t easy, and it requires constant work and innovation. This book is generously scattered with examples and case studies drawn from Vernon Hill’s own experience and shows how it is to be done. Publication Date: October 2012. Excerpts appeared in American Banker magazine online and The Sunday Times of London.
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Keep Your Eye on the Marshmallow (Berkley/Penguin), written with nationally recognized motivational speaker Joachim de Posada. In Keep Your Eye on the Marshmallow, Posada uses the parable of Arthur’s struggles after reaching the top to teach us that adhering to the marshmallow principle is especially important in uncertain economic times. True success is more than just financial gain or recognition; it’s the ability to balance every aspect of life outside of work in order to enjoy your success, maintain long-term goals, and savor the marshmallows of life. Publication Date: May 2013. Also translated into Korean, Spanish, and two Chinese editions.
“What a great read, compelling story, and powerful life lesson! I’m going to get copies for all my children.”
— Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of The Platinum Rule and Charisma“A delightful story that helps drive home important principles for business and life.”
— Terry L. Brock, president and CEO, Achievement Systems, Inc.“The kind of story you can read and reread with new insights every time. If you want to begin changing your life right now, read this book.”
— Marcy Ullom, Ed.D., associate vice president, University of Miami
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Why Men Watch Football: A Report from the Couch, 20th Anniversary Edition (Mr. Media Books). Why Men Watch Football is the definitive work on a subject that millions have asked themselves at one time or another: Why do men watch football so much? The book is a serious study of the male psyche, and it also has a humorous side. The classic 1993 book was re-issued as an e-book for the first time as it was originally written by the author.
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Mind Over Business (Perigee/Penguin), written with nationally recognized sports psychologist and athletic trainer Ken Baum. Mind Over Business gives you the tools you need to change your brain and improve your career. It doesn’t matter if you’re self- employed, work for a large company, or sell insurance or sandwiches. You’ll learn to beat your competition regardless of your background or business. Publication Date: March 2012. Audio rights pre-sold.
“Noted sports performance psychologist Baum, with coauthor Andelman [The Profiler], shares his process for achieving success in this helpful and ambitious book… Baum’s logical program is highly recommended.”
– Publisher’s Weekly
“These two business books, both by sports enthusiasts, focus on the cognitive aspects of business and life success… Both books have something to offer, but Mind Over Business is more sophisticated and expands on the usual goal-achievement literature.”
– Library Journal
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The Consulate (MIHI Trust), spy fiction written with former FBI and CIA agent Thomas R. Stutler. Agent Wyckoff spent half a decade as a CIA trained Case Officer operating abroad before becoming an FBI Agent. The Chinese are targeting a classified US program. Agent Wyckoff knows if he follows American laws and procedures, the US will lose. But if he’s willing to use the tradecraft he learned in the CIA, he may just even the odds. Publication Date: March 2011.
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The Profiler: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths (Hyperion/Voice, May 2010), written with nationally recognized criminal profiler and frequent CNN contributor Pat Brown. In The Profiler, Brown opens her case files to take readers behind the scenes of bizarre sex crimes, domestic murders, and mysterious deaths, going face-to-face with killers, rapists, and brutalized victims. It’s a rare, up-close, first-person look at the real world of police and profilers as they investigate crimes–the good and bad, the cover-ups and the successes. The book was optioned by Warner Bros. Television and a pilot, “Trooper,” was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer in 2012 for CBS and again for TNT in 2013. It has also been sold overseas in Japan, Korea, Germany, Portugal and Taiwan. Audible.com purchased audiobook rights.
“Pat Brown takes us into the very minds of cold-blooded killers. Most people can’t comprehend the ‘why’ behind murder. Pat, utilizing her background as one of the country’s leading criminal profilers, coaches the reader as to how a killer thinks, reacts, and kills! Incredible!”
– Nancy Grace, host of Nancy Grace on HLN and bestselling author of The Eleventh Victim“I’ve been in law enforcement for almost 18 years now, and after reading The Profiler, I realize how little I understood the mind of the criminal. Pat Brown exposes the methods and the means, the hows and the whys, and exactly what it is that makes a criminal tick–fascinating!”
– Stacy Dittrich, author of Murder Behind the Badge: True Stories of Cops Who Kill and veteran police officer and law enforcement media consultant
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Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy (Portfolio/Penguin), by Isadore Sharp, founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. How did a child of immigrants, starting with no background in the hotel business, create the world’s most admired and successful hotel brand? And how has Four Seasons grown so dramatically, over nearly half a century, without losing its focus on exceptional quality and unparalleled service? Isadore Sharp answers these questions in his inspiring memoir. He started out in Toronto, the son of a modest builder from Poland, but ambition and fate rapidly took him beyond his father’s three-man construction business. Andelman did not author or co-author this book but came in and helped Sharp near the end of the writing process by conducting dozens of interviews with Four Seasons managers and executives and contributing additional material to the finished manuscript. Publication Date: 2009.
“There’s something different about a Four Seasons hotel. It’s like gravity doesn’t have the same effect there–the weight of the world lifts from your shoulders as soon as you walk in the door. I’ve often wondered how they do it. Now I know. It’s an inspiring story.”
– Morgan Freeman“I have a great deal of respect for Issy Sharp and Four Seasons. I stay at their hotels all the time. This book is a terrific read by one of the smartest men in any business.”
– Larry King
