Portfolio
Books & Publishing Portfolio
The Furniture Wars: How America Lost a $50 Billion Industry
By Mike K. Dugan
BookSurge Publishing, 2009
Former Henredon CEO Michael Dugan was in the unique position of having lived through the rise and fall of what had once been one of America's signature industries. A prolific contributing editor to trade magazines, Dugan hired StyleMatters as writing consultant to help organize his treasure trove of personal stories and historical accounts; to develop the arc of his book's story; and to assist with streamlining language in particular areas. In the end, this self-published book was a resounding commercial success, selling several thousand copies in its first six months on the market.
Live From Jordan: My Letters Home from the Middle East
By Benjamin Orbach
AMACOM, 2007
This vivid contemporary perspective of the Middle East explores the culture of the Levant in the months leading up to and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Formerly with the U.S. Department of State, author Benjamin Orbach brought StyleMatters onto the project as both developmental editor and line editor. We served as both a sounding board to help Mr. Orbach frame his unique perspectives and as a language technician in his run-up to seeking—and winning—a strong publishing partner.
Your Work, Your Life … Your Way: The 7 Keys to Work-Life Balance
By Julie Cohen, 2009
This dynamic self-published book aimed at a coaching client audience was developed from a series of extensive course materials and exercises, in addition to several phone interviews of the author conducted by the StyleMatters editor. The author commissioned StyleMatters to design the book as a graphically-intense, action-oriented trade text complete with pencil exercises, how-to explanations and practical, actionable advice on achieving work-life balance. The author also contracted StyleMatters to develop a companion workbook of the same title.
Developing Exemplary Performance One Person at a Time
By Michael Sabbag
Davies-Black Publishing, 2008
Authored by American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) National Advisor Dr. Michael Sabbag and commissioned by the company Learn.com, this book culminated in the effort of two StyleMatters editors and an HR consultant to finalize the manuscript in only three months. This project originated through the publisher, Davies-Black Publishing, who was keen on going to press quickly and asked the author to retain a third-party editor to accelerate the writing process. After a competitive bidding process, Davies-Black brokered an arrangement between StyleMatters and the author to develop the book, a process that employed extensive phone and in-person interviews to articulate and refine Mr. Sabbag’s unique models and theoretical constructs for long form.
Becoming the Evidence-Based Manager: How to Put the Science of Management to Work for You
By Gary Latham, PhD
Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2009
After having published over 100 academic journal articles and contributed to many books in diverse fields, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Board Director Dr. Gary Latham asked StyleMatters to assist him with the development of this important trade book. Working in conjunction with publisher Nicholas Brealey Publishing and SHRM, StyleMatters helped refine the author’s draft outline, enhancing the flow of the book’s treasure trove of new and unique concepts and crafting it into one best suited to the publisher and the target audience. In the final phases of manuscript development, StyleMatters worked with the author to execute the content and massage it into its final, streamlined form.
