PILOT YOUR LIFE: Comedian Turned CEO Helps You Star in Your Career

As a comic, Shaw never became a household name, having retired from the stage at age 21, newly married and ready for steadier work. Still, this mix of memoir and advice mostly succeeds thanks to his genial but focused voice. In short chapters, the current CEO of Pilot Pen leads off with a joke or anecdote from his career, then draws a lesson from it, sometimes proving that show business can indeed inform commercial business. "[E]ven if you are scared to death, you can't show weakness or vulnerability," Shaw declares, adding that "success is bred by a constant quest for improvement." He advises readers on how best to enter a room and grab a crowd (hint: keep your introduction short). Earlier in his career, Shaw helped introduce the disposable lighter at Bic thanks to his willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. At Pilot, he managed to turn the use of a Pilot pen to sign a Middle East peace accord into a public relations bonanza. Still, some readers may question his nostrums—e.g., marketers should abandon an idea that won't take off quickly. And he acknowledges that his success is based on what many modern couples will no longer countenance: a marriage with a supportive wife who cared for their kids on her own up to five days at a time while he was on the road. (Oct.)