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    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying
    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying
    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying
    Audiobook3 hours

    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying

    Written by Carol Leifer

    Narrated by Carol Leifer

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    For many years, television comedy was an exclusive boys' club-until a brilliant comedian named Carol Leifer came along, blazing a trail for funny women everywhere. From Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live to Seinfeld, The Ellen Show, and Modern Family, Carol has written for and/or performed on some of the best TV comedies of all time.

    This hilarious collection of essays charts her extraordinary three-decade journey through show business, illuminating her many triumphs and some missteps along the way-and offering valuable lessons for women and men in any profession. Part memoir, part guide to life, and all incredibly funny, How to Succeed in Business without Really Crying offers tips and tricks for getting ahead, finding your way, and opening locked doors-even if you have to use a sledgehammer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 8, 2014
    ISBN9781494571177
    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying

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    Reviews for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying

    3/5

    46 ratings12 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Guys, I'm so bummed. :( This was possibly the most excited I've ever been about a Goodreads win, but Carol, you broke my heart!

      The subtitle about this book should honestly be "Lessons for Life in a Cubicle." Instead of being the great comedy-world memoir that every single publishing industry newsletter I'd read had promoted it to be, it ended up being a rehash of all the handouts the career center my college used to give out during interview workshops. Yes, she mixed in some anecdotes, and they were enjoyable enough (not "hilarious," however; the blurb lies), but this was simply not what it was billed as. You go in expecting her to focus on breaking down the boys' club and instead you get advice on what to wear. What to wear!

      I am a comedy writing nerd to the extreme. I might be one of the only twentysomethings who saw the name "Carol Leifer" floating around and 1) knew who that was and 2) bounced a little with excitement knowing she had a book coming out. I think I've read just about every oral history that's out there, watched every doc, listed to the commentary on way too many DVDs to recall, and so forth, and this book just kicked me square in the ovaries. It actually felt patronizing -- you're talking about being the first woman, this really great feminist act, and then you remind me to be a lady and get a manicure. I mean...what the hell, Carol.

      So maybe this was my fault for expecting a different book. Maybe it's the fault of every newsletter put out for months by her own publisher and all the industry pubs I follow. Maybe it's the fault of Tina Fey for shooting the bar into the sky on a rocket that no woman writing about the boys' club is going to reach for a really long time. Who knows. I just know that I closed it feeling deflated. But she did inadvertently remind me to send a thank-you note to someone, so that was cool.
    • 4/5
      I expected this to be an entirely humorous book. It turns out that it's more of a how-to than a memoir, but it's a really worthwhile, enjoyable career how-to. The author uses her own career as a springboard for various useful lessons. A lot of the book focused on the importance of learning to work with, instead of beside, people. I took this to heart and loved the anecdotes about comics who are my contemporaries, and will be sending the book on to my niece. She won't know all of the names, but I'm hoping she'll take the book to heart.
    • 2/5
      I was expecting a rollicking good story about being tv during the 80s and 90s. No great stories and not even a good business book. It's very rudimentary lesson is "be nice" because you never know how that kindness might be repaid.
    • 4/5
      This is an excellent advice book intertwined with memories and stories of an incredible comedienne. With all of the people that Carol Leifer has crossed paths with, it is no wonder how she has compiled so many interesting and fun stories. She also has some great advice for those wanting to pursue a career in comedy, although I believe this would be beneficial to other professions as well!
    • 4/5
      Instead of writing a straight-forward memoir, Carol Leifer takes her experience as a stand-up, writer and actor and frames it as an advice book for anyone starting out in their chosen field. It's a good, light read that gives a glimpse into the ups and downs of show business while offering basic career advice that can be applied no matter what your career path looks like. Before Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling - there were women like Carol Leifer, who has been in a male-dominated business for over 4 decades and helped paved the way for the women who followed her.
    • 3/5
      Absolutely thought I did this already! Oh no! This was an ER book and I enjoyed it! Much like other reviewers have said, this is mostly common sense. I think this would be a great book for a new grad! Even if they are not in showbiz it has a lot of great advice and wonderful stories! I enjoyed it very much
    • 3/5
      Carol Leifer has had an interesting carrier as a comedian and writer on such shows as Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately, this book was just okay for me. It was filled with a lot of generalizations and one line zingers (some cute, some funny, some kinda stupid). I like her attitude in general, but the book seems to be confused as to whether it wants to be a an advice book or a memoir. The result is that the advice bits is very beginner level, like a blog, and the memoir bits lacked the in depth connection to draw the reader fully in. I kind a wish she has stuck to the memoir format because I would have loved to learn more about her life as a comedian and how she pulled through the challenges she faced. Oh, well. Not for me.
    • 2/5
      I was a bit disappointed by this book. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it didn't deliver. Carol Leifer is a very funny and talented woman. She's a great writer too, it's just that the stories were not that interesting to me. Seemed like too much name dropping and not enough comedy. How to succeed in Business should have been my first clue. I was expecting more hilarity.
    • 5/5
      Carol Leifer's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying combines humor, memoir and advice in one volume. Like Saget, her love for her dad is evident, and she also shares lots of fun showbiz stories, mostly from her early days of standup.Leifer was the inspiration for Elaine on Seinfeld, and as a writer on the show she wrote one of my favorite episodes, "The Understudy" which featured Bette Midler, whom Leifer said "had a lot of heart."Lost of famous people are in the book, like Jay Leno, whom Leifer says is the nicest person she ever worked with. There's many photos in the book, and the early ones of her, Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld, whom she has known for years, are priceless.The book is divided into three sections: How to Handle Yourself During the Frenzied Scramble for Gainful Employment, How to Maintain Your Sanity While Stubbornly Advancing an Ever-Arduous Career, and How to Keep Your Footing When You Finally Get a Leg Up To the Top of the Heap.In these sections, Leifer shares not only funny stories from her difficult climb up the comedy writing heap, but useful advice for anyone looking for a job. (Don't take a soda from the refrigerator at a job interview. It cost her a job with Aaron Spelling when he found out. Like Aaron Spelling can't afford another Diet Coke).This is a terrific, funny book, and the perfect gift for a college graduate, a woman re-entering the job market or just anyone who likes comedy (especially Seinfeld). Rating 5 of 5
    • 3/5
      A perfectly nice little showbiz memoir, but don't let the title or the fact that Leifer throws in a bit of career advice fool you into thinking that this is really a career advice book. Most of the career advice is at a level that's only appropriate for people new to the job market, e.g. be on time, put some work into your appearance, etc. When she touches on the fact that she's a woman in a male dominated profession, her advice sticks to the rather simplistic find-ways-to-make-that-an-advantage and doesn't go at all into the way that people can have different expectations for women at work than men (the old too feminine to be taken seriously vs. too masculine and therefore evil balance). A pleasant read but not particularly useful.
    • 2/5
      A little too much memoir to be a career advice book, and a too much career advice to be a memoir of a life in the TV business. Most of her advice falls under the category of "work hard and be nice to people and you can be successful like me!", which is nice, but not terribly helpful. She also assumes you have a passion, you know what it is, and want to spend your life working on that thing. It's a fast read, and she did some interesting things that I enjoyed reading about (writing for Seinfeld, among others), but overall I wasn't terribly impressed.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. Great anecdotes, very funny, but also excellent advice. I am going to get this book as a gift for all the future graduates I know. In addition, it also recharged my enthusiasm for my own career long after my own start in the work force. Carol's style is like talking to a very interesting, very funny friend and coming away feeling refreshed, excited and optimistic about your future.