Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about both of you.
A1. Drs Schuster and Oxley are long time collaborators and former work colleagues.
Helmut Schuster is Austrian by birth, educated as a PhD economist in Vienna, before pursuing a business career that ultimately led him to travel the world and lead the HR Function for BP PLC. He is based in London. An active start-up investor, entrepreneur, and award winning author.
David Oxley, is a British by birth but now lives in Austin TX. David was a management consultant in his early career, but went on to do significant corporate restructuring projects with BP, where he worked with and became lifelong friends with Helmut. David earned his doctorate in organizational change from Cranfield University.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “A Career Carol”?
A2. A Career Carol emerged from a long-standing concern we shared about existing business, and in particular, career advice literature. Our observation was that it wasn’t written with today’s audience in mind. We set about correcting that. Our goals were to write a career advice book that engaged the reader in storytelling. In stimulating left and right brain thinking. Ultimately, we think it’s false that business books can’t be entertaining, relevant, and practical. A Career Carol was our proof of that concept.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. We’d list a mix of entertaining and engaging stories that have deeper meanings, like Who Moved My Cheese, The Trolley Problem, or The Little Prince. And then add to those the behavioral science aspects of Thinking Fast and Slow, Good to Great, and Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar. We are eclectic and inclusive readers. We’d finally add a dash of Douglas Adams, Richard Osman, and, of course, Charles Dickens.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. We both have a special connection with St James Park and the area around Piccadilly in London. We spent decades of our lives in or around that area with its rich history, vibrant street scenes, and wonderful restaurants. There is a breakfast place on Pall Mall where we invented the first concept for A Career Carol. It’s croissants are particularly inspirational.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘A Career Carol’?
A5. Well, beyond the desire to write a Career Advice book that was distinct and different? Probably, our love of ghost stories and social satire. We both enjoy books that combine humor with deeper thought-provoking questions. A Career Carol includes the irresistible combination of a ghost story, a central character filled with late teenage angst, and pokes fun at graduation speeches.
As we worked through the manuscript, we were fortunate to interview about a dozen young NextGen entrepreneurs. In many ways those interviews reinforced the why and what. They were brilliant.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘A Career Carol’?
A6. About 15 months. From concept, first draft, through the research and interviews to the final publication. We started in June 2022, and it was published in Oct 2023.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your book?
A7. Amazon, our publishers website Austin Macauley, and all the big online retailers (Waterstones, Foyles, Barnes & Noble).
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘A Career Carol’?
A8. We worked with Andy ‘Doodles’ Baker to design the cover. Andy is an extraordinary artist based in Birmingham, UK. The concept emerged from our collaboration with him. We are contemporary ‘pop’ art enthusiasts, but we also wanted a ghost story/Christmas carol aspect. Central to the whole thing was picturing Shey Sinope. The character in the book who experiences the prophesized career crises. We love how it came out.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. It can be complicated. Our view is that you have to write your book, not someone else’s. We focused on writing in a style, and in a format that really appealed to us. Perhaps other people do it differently. It’s a difficult task writing a book. For us, a key was feeling fully engaged and committed to the tone, style, and story. So, the answer is just that… We wrote from our experience, what we know, in a fashion that really spoke to us.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
Don’t let anyone tell you can’t. However, if you’re going to do it… Do it well. Commit. Make sure you are very clear why you want to write and how what you want to say is important, at least to you. Then… open Word… And tap your keyboard. See what emerges…
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