Boston Counseling Therapy

Book Review – Outsiders On the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career…Even When you Don’t Fit in!

Recently, the book, Outsiders On the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career…Even When you Don’t Fit in! Was sent to me, from the office of Life Coach David Couper, for review.

The premise of this work is simple: If you don’t fit in at your job, you might fit in better at a different company, or working for yourself. In fact, you might be great somewhere else, doing something else.
In this 200-page paperback, Life Coach and Author David Couper provides encouragement to the employee who just doesn’t fit in. He also provides simple pointers on personal marketing.

I like books that keep it simple. Dr. David Burns book “Feeling Good” is simple—and it’s a profoundly useful text that I often recommend to my clients. Unfortunately, ‘Outsiders’ lacks the same utility as some other titles in the genre, and comes across a bit stale (other books that offer advice on career and personal branding include the 4-Hour Workweek, Crush It!, and What Would Google Do. While simple, these works are cutting edge).

AUDIENCE

In ‘Outsiders’, the Author spends a large amount of the work encouraging the reader that changing careers, while challenging, can also be personally (and financially) rewarding. Good Advice. However, this one idea is a major focus of the text—so much so that if someone is in Barnes & Noble, thinking to him/herself “I don’t fit in at my job. I should consider trying something else.” That person is already (mostly) past where this book will get them.

While go-getters may find the book ineffective, ‘Outsiders’ is the book that should be gifted to the “misfit toy” of your office. You know the one: He’s grossly underpaid. He has an unkempt beard. He’s really good at “X”, but just isn’t a corporate fit—and he lacks the self-confidence to do anything about his life being stuck. Slide this book under his cubicle wall.

THE PLUSSES

“Outsiders on the Inside” is both well edited and well written for a short run, self-published book. In addition, the author solicited short stories from many individuals who succeeded after making a career change, and those vignettes, peppered throughout, are interesting and inspiring.

THE CONCLUSION

Reviewing short run books is always difficult, because the authors have often put a huge amount of their personal time and resources into writing and publishing the works. Hence, giving a less than positive review isn’t fun. While I’m rating this book 2.5 out of 5 stars, Life Coach David Couper certainly thinks this book is helpful—so maybe my review is off. I’m interested to hear your feedback; what do you think about “Outsiders on the Inside?”

A NOTE FROM DAVID COUPER
David Couper recently wrote me to correct a point in my review, stating that his book is not self-published, but rather published by “Career Press.” I called Career Press, and they described themselves as an “independent” publisher. It appears to be a very small publishing company, with less than selective criteria. They seem to be half career books, half “New Age” books (through the name New Page Books), where titles include “Pleiadian Initiations of Light”, “Tell Me What to Eat Before, During, and After Cancer Treatment”, and “Twilight of the Gods: The Mayan Calendar and the Return of the Extrarrestrials.”

I am a fan of self-publishing, and I believe that these small publishers is a good way to go for authors who sell under 10,000 copies. But, at the end of the day, I still consider it in the self-publishing sphere. Anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a publisher–For today I’m going to call myself “Super Publisher Press!” Send me your manuscript and if I like it I’ll print in on my Lexmark printer, and sell it on my website. Congrats–you’re now are working with a publisher!

I Described Mr. Couper’s book as short run. He wants to make it known that he has 5000 copies (which, frankly, is short run).

Mr Couper’s Email to Me:
Dear Dr. Centore

Thank you for the review on my book. I should have replied before now but I appreciate you taking the time to read the book and giving your feedback. It is always interesting to hear what professionals in the field think. One point which is incorrect is you said that the book was self-published and a short run. Actually the book is published by Career Press which is medium sized specialist press based outside of NY and had a normal initial run of 5000. I tried to comment on your website but I was not able to log in.

Thank you

David Couper

Social Bookmark