Q&A With Tom Johnstone

Stacy J. Miller was kind enough to connect me with Tom Johnstone who recently published his debut, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying. I love the title, it’s catchy & I know I would read it! 

Q: Tom, would you please give a brief description of your book How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying? 

A:  I wrote How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying to be a guidebook for people in corporate America who may have lost sight of their goals or their drive.  It’s designed to be an entertaining reminder and step-by-step guidance of how to breathe and move forward, enjoying the steps you take up the corporate ladder. 

Q: How long did it take you to write How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying? 

A:  It took me just over two years to piece together the book, but it’s been a passion project of mine for over twenty years – cobbling together stories of my personal and professional life that crafted my corporate career.

Q: What made now the right time to write & release How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying & what lessons do you hope readers learn after reading it?

A:  I have matured personally and professionally over the past couple of decades (as I hope most people have), but I still feel like a kid at heart in everything I do.  I wanted to capture the energy of my inner child with the maturity of my corporate experiences while they were both still fresh.  I feel the combination of these influences made the timing right for me to share and reminisce with both sides of my personality.  

I feel corporate America has recently lost its rudder in many ways, and I’m hoping my book helps people to course correct for their own careers as well as the companies they work with.

Q: What did you do before you were an author?

A:  I worked in Hollywood for a couple of decades, writing sitcoms, cartoons, sitcoms, and even game shows before I entered into the business world.  Combining these two influences just seemed natural.

Q: If you are currently writing your next book, is it something similar to How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying, a different topic, or will you try your hand at fiction this time around?

A:  Actually, the next book I am working on is not a business book. It is a work of fiction.  And although it is heavily influenced by the same experiences I have had in life, the next work explores religious worlds rather than corporate ones.