When your book makes it onto the Library of Congress's "25 Books That Have Shaped Readers' Lives" alongside books like the Bible and War and Peace, the phrase "rest on your laurels" could certainly be applicable and understandable. But that's the last thing author Richard N. Bolles and Ten Speed Press are doing for the just released 40th anniversary edition of What Color Is Your Parachute?
"Dick Bolles has overhauled the book, with a new organization centered around job-hunting as a survival skill," said Ten Speed publisher Aaron Wehner. "The text has changed dramatically since the first edition—it's a completely different book from 40 years ago. Job searchers need to arm themselves with advanced job-finding and job-creation techniques, along with the attitude necessary for perseverance in these tough times," said Wehner. "Conventional job-hunting skills are inadequate."
Parachute has always been updated annually and for this year's edition, a new chapter titled "Networking in the Age of Social Media" has been added, which focuses on how job searchers can use social media like LinkedIn, LinkUp, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and blogging effectively and appropriately. Chapters titled "Being Inventive Is Key to Survival" (on approaching one's job hunt from a place of creativity and invention) and "Teaching Survival Job Hunting to Others" have also been added. To coincide with the more recent iterations' focus on social media, Ten Speed launched a two-week targeted campaign on LinkedIn beginning for the August 16 pub date. Down the road, major promotions are being lined up for important job-finding periods: January, for the New Year and "new you" job seekers, as well as May, to cater to graduates entering the workforce.
Another new component in Parachute's equation is digital sales. Last year, the e-book accounted for 5% of total sales. This year, Ten Speed expects that number to double thanks to an interactive, Java-enhanced edition, with dynamic charts and graphs, set for release in September.
"The job market is always changing, as economic realities shift and job fields rise and fall," Wehner said. "Similarly, the resources and techniques available to job hunters are constantly evolving, and knowing how to use them creatively is crucial. By continuing to grow Parachute's presence in the digital space with apps, e-books, and Web presence—all of which figure prominently into the plans for the 40th edition—Parachute continues to reach out to new audiences through the ways they connect with information."
Ten Speed relies heavily on the Parachute brand in its marketing efforts, and with good reason. The accomplishments are worth pointing out: 10 million copies sold, a New York Times bestseller for six years running, translations in 20 languages, and a staple in all library collections. According to Ten Speed, sales have remained "remarkably steady" over the years, selling between 200,000 and 250,000 copies annually.
The key to Parachute's staying power is the mixture of its successful, tried-and-true method, cultivated and revised over the past 40 years, combined with the original foundation Bolles created in the first edition. "The core principles of Parachute haven't changed much—the ‘what' and the ‘where' of the job hunt—but the ‘how' has changed greatly in the digital era," Wehner said of the book's adaptability. "Networking is still critically important—the core concept of using bridge people to find connections and openings—but the ‘how,' such as utilizing social media to find or make connections, is vastly different than it was even three years ago. Every new edition addresses changes like these in depth."
Since 1971 What Color Is Your Parachute? has managed to assist generations of job hunters. The new edition appears situated to help yet another generation.
