Mark Suchomel, who last fall was promoted to president, client services, at Perseus Books Group, is adding another feather to his professional cap: author.
"In my career as a distributor and publisher, I've learned various life lessons and how to get ahead," he explained. "At first, I thought the trick was to work hard, work smart and keep your nose to the grindstone. Ha! Then I thought the trick was to get fired--it clarifies the mind and makes you focus on what you really want to do. But then I learned that the ultimate move is to get almost fired. Suddenly, without doing or saying anything, I was a drama queen, which was really uncomfortable, but I certainly got noticed!"
Suchomel's debut tome is called Parachute, What Parachute?: A Job-Hunting Guide for the 21st Century. In it, he recalls his professional roller coaster ride of the past two years, which included being shown the door after 15 years as president of IPG; founding his own boutique distributor, Legato, as part of PGW and Perseus; learning in a very public way that he was not making the move when Perseus's distribution companies--and Legato--were about to be bought by Ingram; keeping his job at Legato when the sale fell through; then becoming president of client services at Perseus, with all Perseus distribution companies reporting to him. "It's been a hell of a couple of years," he commented. "Part of it was hell. But now I'm on cloud nine, which appears to be at least how many lives I have."
Parachute, What Parachute? is being published by Da Capo next March, "assuming I'm still at Perseus," Suchomel said. "But the way things are going, I may have David Steinberger's job by then--or whoever he reports to." --John Mutter