Impostor's Handbook

(Hardback)

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Description

When he was invited to come to New York to write at Esquire magazine at the age of thirty, Texas-born Ross McCammon was sure he was doomed to fail. He was thrown in the deep end in one of the most stylish and competitive cities in the world. But he soon realised that everyone felt like he did, and that no one feels like an insider. In short everyones faking it.
With this realisation, and with ten years experience at Esquire (and four years as etiquette columnist at Entrepreneur magazine) under his belt, McCammon now offers The Impostors Handbook: a funny and frank guide to pretending you are as charming, relaxed, interesting and witty as you want to be. He has also interviewed dozens who have learnt and benefitted from the same lessons, including CEOs, restaurateurs, actors and musicians.
Offering chapters on interviews, handshakes, entering a room, email technique, lunches, drinks, chitchat, when to shut up and how to employ a profanity, The Impostors Handbook throws all the conventional self-help wisdom out of the window and gives you all the ammunition you need to fake your own bona fide success story.

Reviews

"A handy how-to guide on cultivating and applying today's most useful business skills... An effective amalgam of satire and practicality, McCammon's functional playbook takes the guesswork and much of the mystery out of job searches and appropriate office etiquette." - Kirkus; "How to achieve success in the workplace is the gist of this humorously effective handbook...McCammon's lessons have the ring of universal applicability and honest truth. Read this delightful book, and relish its never-highfalutin approach." - Booklist (starred review); "My advice: Do not read this book at work. That's because it will make you snort with laughter, perhaps even giggle, and generally look unprofessional. On the other hand, DO read this book before or after work or any other time. Not only is it hilarious, but it's massively useful. Ross McCammon gives great advice about interviews, speeches, collaborations, clothes and the art of not being the office jerk. This is my favorite business book in years." - AJ Jacobs, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Year of Living Biblically; "Regardless of your vocation, Ross McCammon provides you with all the skinny required to find your fanny with both hands. Hilarious and true, this navigational chapbook knows the score." - Nick Offerman, New York Times bestselling author of Gumption and Paddle Your Own Canoe; "A funny guide to help the introverted become extroverts without becoming jerks. Indispensable." - Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend; "Features some of the best, most pertinent in-the-trenches advice I've ever read, the type of crucial guidance that's mysteriously never taught in schools. Like this gem: When you don't know what to say in a business meeting, shut up. Invaluable book. And funny as hell. I wish I had this knowledge when starting out. I wish I had a lot of things." - Mike Sacks, author of the New York Times bestseller Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers; "Do exactly what this very funny book says (especially about clothes and underminers). You will not only be entertained and enlightened, you will actually get the job. You will get the promotion. You will become the boss. The hard part is doing what it says. After that, it will be easy." - Daniel Menaker, author of A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation; "For everyone who secretly fears they're not worthy-in other words, everyone intelligent-Ross McCammon offers the perfect balance of practical and motivational. His wry, plucky style will help you decode the mysteries of the office place, from interviewing to politics to just the right food to order at a business lunch (Hint: soup good, sandwiches bad)." -Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, NBC Today Show; "Most career advice books are full of platitudes and false promises. Ross McCammon has broken that mold. I dare you to read this without laughing frequently and applying his tips immediately." - Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take

Author Bio

Ross McCammon has been a senior editor at Esquire magazine since 2005, where he's responsible for the magazine's coverage of pop culture, drinking, cars, and etiquette. He has edited Esquire's "Dubious Achievement Awards" and the long-running annual feature "The Best Bars in America," writes the monthly feature "The Rules," and is a frequent contributor to the magazine's back-page humor section "This Way Out." For three years he has been the business etiquette columnist at Entrepreneur magazine. His humour has been collected in Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney's Humor Category, edited by Dave Eggers. He lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife and son.