Wanted: New Career.

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Author: Dyer, Lucinda

"The traditional admonition of one generation to the next, 'get a job,' has been replaced with a more complex mandate: "Go out and create a job for yourself,'" says George Gendron, editor of Inc. magazine. Easier said than done, perhaps, but publishers are indeed reporting increased interest in, and sales of, titles targeted to the entrepreneur and small-business owner. There is even a company that specializes in titles specifically for the entrepreneurial at heart. Rhonda Abrams is the president of the Planning Shop, located in Palo Alto, Calif. "We're in the heart of Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurship is in the tap water," she says. A nationally known speaker on small business and entrepreneurship, Abrams is the author of The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies and writes a column called "Successful Business Strategies," which runs in 100 newspapers and online at www.usatoday.com. In October, the Planning Shop will launch its In a Day series with Business Loans in a Day.

So, how's business for entrepreneurship?

Getting ahead, through ownership and investment, is now the norm in American business life, with more than 500,000 new businesses with employees being started each year. Outsourcing, offshoring and big company layoffs keep adding fuel to the movement. According to the U.S. Census, of the 5.6 million American businesses with employees, 5.5 million of them have 99 or fewer workers. America's 17.6 million nonemployer (one-person) account for a whopping $770 billion in yearly revenues. So business is good. Are general trade publishers providing the right books for this subcategory?

Abrams says there is increasing recognition by publishers of the importance of this market, but many of them still picture entrepreneurs as 20-somethings hunching a high-tech company. In reality, she says, "entrepreneurs are an extremely diverse group who range in age from recent college grads to retirees who work as everything from plumbers and physicians to Pilates instructors."

And this group, she notes, has immediate and pressing needs. "The big-business employees want books from the latest business guru to help them improve their careers and stay abreast of recent trends." Entrepreneurs, says Abrams, are looking for a title to help solve a critical business problem--raising money, dealing with employees, making a presentation to a potential client or funder.

For booksellers eager to attract entrepreneurial customers, Abrams offers the following suggestions. First, develop a list of customers interested in small business/entrepreneurship and do regular mailings about new titles. Co-host events with entrepreneurial organizations, such as local chambers of commerce, small-business development centers and specific industry associations. Finally, get creative. Maybe that underused café would make a perfect place for home-based entrepreneurs to meet with Clients.

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By Lucinda Dyer