After publishing Putting the Public Back in Public Relations with Deirdre Breakenridge, one of the greatest rewards was the ability to connect with wonderful people all over the world who are facing extraordinary challenges while also accomplishing amazing things.

I’ve learned first-hand from their experiences, obstructions, struggles and resulting triumphs in almost every industry imaginable. In turn, I shared my journey and escapades to offer outside perspective and ideas to help trigger new opportunities.

As these exchanges continued to surmount, I realized, the common thread tying each instance together was the book. Every company I would speak to initially purchased books for their PR, service, marketing, interactive, digital, and social media teams to read, discuss, and then hopefully innovate inside. In turn, representatives from many organizations  took the initiative to ask for a call, Web chat or in-person visit to discuss the book and also take the time to answer questions from the team.

What unfolded was an online and offline book club that connected ideas, questions, and guidance.

I would like to extend the same opportunity to your company or school.

If you purchase books for your team, please let me know if you’d like to host a book club chat where we can discuss the lessons, examples, concerns, and thoughts contained in the book or those that stemmed from reading it. Or, if your class is reading the book this semester or next, let’s arrange a virtual visit.

In most cases, we hosted a video discussion via Skype to save on travel fees and time. We simply organized the book club team in a conference room with a notebook and webcam one side and me with a notebook and camera on the other. Seamless and effective…

Some of the companies that have hosted Book Clubs to date include:

- Facebook
- Southwest Airlines
- Home Depot
- Wynn
- Forrester Research
- GM
- San Francisco University

Please reach out and let’s explore the possibilities of hosting a live chat.

I would also like to take a moment to thank Lara McCulloch. She created and hosted the first Twitter-based book club series, discussing a chapter online every week. Thank you Lara. And also, thank you to everyone who helped organize a book club in the past.

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When Deirdre Breakenridge and I initially heard that book stores were reporting that Putting the Public Back in Public Relations was out of stock, we suspected a distribution hiccup was at root of the issue. While it’s never good news to hear that customers cannot get their hands on the very object in which we dedicated and invested over a year of our lives, Deirdre and I were elated to learn that the month-long dry spell was actually due to the book literally selling out around the world.

We’re happy to announce that the book is now in its second printing and is already back in stock online and in stores near you (see below for links).

Deirdre and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your support and help.

Thank you.

The future of marketing and communications is in our hands and together we will put the public back in business.

Industry Support:

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” is a passionate and persuasive case for rewriting the rules of public relations. Authors Solis and Breakenridge expertly combine third-party perspective with case studies and examples to paint a picture of a profession on the brink of reinvention.”
- Paul Gillin

“Movers of the message, now hear this: the public on the other end of the transaction isn’t waiting around for you to reach it with your pitch. Let Brian Solis explain these things to you, and you will be far, far better off.”
- Jay Rosen

“This book looks at what’s wrong with public relations in an age of social media, serves as a complete social media primer from the perspective of those who work in communications, and lots of incredibly useful information about the art of listening and metrics for the web 2.0 world. If you are a social media strategist, it’s a great book to share with your senior manager.”
- Beth Kanter

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations gets it all – what’s wrong with the old model and the power of the new one. Brian and Deirdre explain in clear detail how it’s no longer about pitching, it’s about engaging. They explain what that means and hot to do it right. If everyone reads this, my job as a reporter would be a whole lot easier.”
- Sarah Lacy, Author of Once Your Lucky, Twice Your Good

“I am thrilled that there is finally a book about the right way to approach PR in today’s world, where hyper-connected conversations trump the old school broadcast mentality. Everyone who wants to build a career in PR or marketing should read this book.”
- Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

“PR has changed forever and Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge are at the forefront of this change. If you think PR is fine and dandy, please buy this book because without it you will be out of business!”
- Gary Vaynerchuk

“Attention all marketing and PR people! Must-read new book by @briansolis and @dbreakenridge: Put the public back in public relations!”
- Guy Kawasaki

- Hugh MacLeod, @gapingvoid

Book Reviews

Fast Company – Brian Solis Envisions the New PR

“You will want to read this book.”

PRWeek – Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

“This is a must-read for all PR pros.”

Chris Brogan

“This is the kind of book that you buy and put out on the shelf when you’re done reading it and hand it out liberally to all PR and new media professionals. Heck of a good book…I really recommend it.”

Brian P Brown – Book Review: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

“This book kept me awake for nights on end. It has that motivational quality to it that just makes you want to do your PR job better. I recommend this book to anyone who plans on participating in the online conversation. If you are already active in social media and marketing online, you cannot afford to pass over this book.”

Linda Vendevrede – How to avoid ending up in PR’s Jurassic Park

“If your client hasn’t listened to your counsel so far, this book just might be the leverage to help them finally see it. Brian and Deirdre build a strong case about why the traditional PR strategies and techniques have to change and adapt.”

Flack Me – Recommended: A Book for Here and Now

“a chance to reintroduce sociology, anthropology, psychology and other sciences to inspire a new, more meaningful kind of public relations.”

EyeCube – Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

“If dinosaurs had the equivalent of this book millions of years ago, they’d still be roaming the Earth today.”

Your Guide to Survival in the World of the Social Web by KD Paine

“But beyond that gloom and doom is where Putting the Public Back in Public Relations really shines. It’s the GPS that PR people need to guide them out of the weeds and wilderness. I strongly agree with Solis and Breakenridge’s recommendations on how to measure social media, and I can’t help but congratulate them for devoting 20 pages to metrics.”

Buy the Book:

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First, I am proud and humbled to have been named among 39 other incredible PR and communications thought leaders and practitioners in the 2009 PRWeek edition of the annual 40 Under 40 list.  For the record thought, they added another year to my age before its time…

Second, Eric Chandler published a great review on PRWeek of my new book with Deirdre Breakenridge, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.”

Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge feel now is the time for PR to lead the charge in owning social media communications. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a call to action that sheds light on how PR pros have a window of opportunity to reclaim a leadership position.

The authors convincingly explain how PR has always been about storytelling. Somewhere along the line, targeting “audiences” with “messages” stole the thunder and eroded PR’s reputation. Today, we’re talking to real people – not “users” –who are customers, reporters, bloggers, and visionaries. They crave real, meaningful conversations, free of marketing fluff and corporate-speak.

This book examines how social media can help reestablish those connections. It offers an organized, methodical approach to the underlying theories and technologies that define social media: traditional vs. new journalism, blogger relations, social media releases, VNRs 2.0, corporate blogging, social networking, and micromedia…

As Eric so eloquently notes at the end of his review, “This is a must-read for all PR pros.”

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