Story of My Book
Reel Leadership helps leaders understand the power of film in communicating leadership ideas and lessons. Reel Leadership dives into this idea through interviewing various leaders and movie industry personas.
My name is Joseph Lalonde and I am the author of Reel Leadership. I wrote this book because I saw the need to help leaders find a way to enjoy entertainment without feeling guilty.
When I began my own personal development journey, I discovered how leadership gurus try to dissuade people from enjoying regular forms of entertainment because they see it as a waste of time. I fell in line with believing this lie; that entertainment, especially movies, held no real value. Over time, I began to realize the power movies actually have to communicate messages and change lives. It was then that I began my Reel Leadership journey and now I want to share that journey with you.
My hope is that, in reading this book, you discover movies are powerful tools in communicating leadership principles. I hope to instill in you the same sort of passion and excitement that I have for leadership and movies! Ultimately, I want you to see this book as a resource that will help you see movies not as a mindless form of entertainment but as a tool to discover new ways of thinking about leadership.
In this book, you'll learn about the ways you can find leadership lessons in movies. You'll hear stories from:
- David Hayter (the writer of X-Men 1 and 2) and how he dealt with a demanding director on set.
- Daniel Knudsen and how every great movie should have a moral premise.
- Marty Himmel and how he overcame fear because of the movies he watched.
You will enjoy this book if you love movies, want to become a better leader, and struggle to find balance between the two.
Reel Leadership is a nonfiction book that speaks to leaders and movie lovers who want to look at leadership and personal development in a new way.
The Book - Reel Leadership
The book is written in 3 parts.
Part 1 contains the introduction and information about the history of film and leadership. You will discover what the early days of movies looked like. You may be surprised to see some of the innovations that have been developed. You will also read about the history of leadership from Biblical times to current day. It’s a wild ride!
Part 2 contains the meat of the book. These chapters detail the stories of leaders such as John Ramstead (a former Top Gun pilot), David Kahn (a leader and lover of comic books), and Brent Baum (a movie producer who searched Mount Arafat for Noah’s Ark). These stories, along with others, help us see the power of movies in communicating leadership principles.
Part 3 contains ideas about the Reel Leadership framework. In these closing chapters, you will see the steps you can take to view film in a new way. You will begin to understand how to look at a movie, see the scenes that have played out, and learn how to pull leadership lessons from the movie.
What I Need & What You'll Get
This book will be published with New Degree Press. I set up the pre-order tiers to help cover the costs of publishing my book. Money raised will go towards the following:
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The Editor I will work with to revise and publish my manuscript in December 2021.
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The Cover Design of my book. (The mockups you see currently are a placeholder!)
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The Layout Design for the interior of my book (physical copy, ebook formats).
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The Copyediting for my book to polish the grammar and spelling prior to publication.
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The Launch & Promotion Efforts for my book when I ultimately publish this winter.
I am also offering some exclusive rewards for people who pre-order my book now:
- You will receive a personally signed copy of my book when I publish and a handwritten thank-you note.
- Your name will appear in the Acknowledgments section of my book (“with Special Thanks to”).
- You will receive early access to the Introduction and some excerpts from my book, with the opportunity to review it and give me early feedback.
- You will have the opportunity to be involved in selecting my cover and title.
- You will be invited to join my Author Community and get behind-the-scenes sneak peeks into the publishing process.
- And much more!
Campaign Goals
Tier 1: Hit $5,500 and the ebook/softcover editions get published (this is the minimum needed)
Tier 2: Hit $6,500 and the book will get a hardcover edition
Tier 3: Hit $8,500 and we’ll get an audiobook edition.
About the Author
Joseph Lalonde is an award-winning leadership blogger. He has been recognized as a top-50 expert in the leadership blogging world. Now, he’s bringing his insights on leadership into the book world.
Joseph is writing Reel Leadership to help you understand the connection between movies and leadership. He wants to help you enjoy your entertainment a little more while coming away from it a better leader. He believes you, too, can become a reel leader.
In his spare time, Joseph enjoys running along the shores of Lake Michigan with his Vizsla, Lok. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Pamela. In the winter, Joseph climbs frozen waterfalls in the frozen tundra of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
For more information, you can connect with Joseph Lalonde at joe@jmlalonde.com, on his blog, and on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
International Preorders
For international preorders, please do the following:
Identify the perk that interests you, e.g. 1 or 2 paperbacks
Select the pink "Back it" button to "Make a contribution" for the same amount (this choice bypasses the shipping address page)
Email me at joe@jmlalonde.com to share your mailing address, so I can calculate the international shipping costs and invoice you for that amount via PayPal/Venmo
Risks & Challenges
The biggest challenge with publishing a book is delivering the finished book to the backer, specifically my mailing of the book to you. I have eliminated this risk by building into the campaign the mailing and shipping costs of your signed copies to you within each pre-order tier.
The risk of delivering the pre-sale copies of my book is contingent on the publisher we use. I will be working closely with New Degree Press to make sure we get the earliest possible ship date of the signed book copy to you. We will keep all pre-sale backers up-to-date as my book hits each key milestone and publishes. You will know when the copies are expected to ship.
Want Free Copies Of Reel Leadership?
I am running a referral program where you can earn extra copies of the book to keep for yourself, pass out to friends, and use at book club.
How can you earn free copies of the book? For every 5 people you refer using your unique referral link (At the top of the campaign page, you will see the "share" buttons. Click on the "chain" icon to get a custom link just for you), you will get one additional copy of the paperback version of the book.
This is a great way to get copies into the hands of family or friends who may not be able to afford the book or just to surprise your team members with.
Other Ways You Can Help
Not everyone can support, but that doesn't mean you can't get something out of it!
I will reward the top 3 people who don't back the campaign but who refer the most backers at the end of the campaign (30 days). Here's how:
- At the top of the campaign page, you will see the "share" buttons. Click on the "chain" icon to get a custom link just for you. (Note: don't use the URL in the browser window as it won't work to track referrals and you won't get credit ?)
- Copy that link and paste it on your social media, email it to a friend, or text a fellow book lover.
- When someone clicks on that link and backs the book, you get 1 entry!
Please use #ReelLeadership and tag me as well as my publisher, New Degree Press, so we can help amplify your efforts!
Tag:
Instragram - @JMLalonde / @newdegreepress
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/joe.lalonde.9 / @NewDegreePress
Twitter - @JosephLalonde / @NewDegreePress
Thank you so much for all of your love and support!
Thanks again,
Joseph Lalonde