Uh Oh! An AOL Employee Just Published A Novel That 'Examines Corporate Culture In Humorous Fashion'
AOL software developer Ben Woods just published his second novel, titled Corporate Ties - Relocation, Recruitment, and Romance in the Workplace (Business gibberish included!) .
It's a "workplace humor novel" that asks the question: " Why do people give up their independence to become corporate clones?"
In an email to Business Insider, Woods says (emphasis ours) that the book is "based on a true story at a previous job" – boy does some of it sound familiar…
Here's the pitch…
Hello,
I don't think you typically do book reviews, but I wondered if you would be interested in checking out a copy of my latest workplace humor novel, Corporate Ties - Relocation, Recruitment, and Romance in the Workplace (Business gibberish included!). I work for AOL, and even though the book is based on a true story at a previous job, I think you and your readers may find the material interesting. I'd be happy to send you a book. Thanks for your consideration!
-Ben Woods
New novel examines corporate culture in humorous fashion
Why do people give up their independence to become corporate clones? Better yet, why do they do so while wearing a necktie?
Those are the questions that author Ben Woods asks in his new workplace humor novel, Corporate Ties - Relocation, Recruitment, and Romance in the Workplace (Business gibberish included!). The book ($15.00, 326 pages, http://corporatetiesbook.com ) follows the footsteps of Jason Harris, a web developer who thinks he has found the perfect job with a Fortune 500 financial subsidiary. He meets his cool and quirky coworkers and even scores a date with an Indian princess/database administrator.
This lasts all of eight days. Due to “organizational restructuring,” the parent company announces that all employees at Jason's location are being relocated to corporate headquarters in another state.
Each person mulls the idea of exchanging a laid-back, business casual dress environment for a cafeteria, a fitness center, and a strangling — by a necktie (corporate attire only, please) and organizational bureaucracy.
The men and women in suits arrive to document the documents, proactivate the buzzwords, and cage the project managers. Is the job really worth it?
Ben Woods is a freelance writer and computer programmer who works for AOL in Baltimore. His first book, The Developers, is a tech-humor fiction novel about government conspiracy, online privacy, and crazy people on the Internet. During the past two decades, he has held full-time writing and computer programming positions with companies large and small, collected a stack of employee manuals and health insurance cards, and worked with a litany of CEOs, PMPs, BBMs, and A-HOLEs.
Early reviews
Overall, the book is engaging and well-written with a real appeal to those who enjoy situations similar to Dilbert cartoons.
- Beth Burke, Bookpleasures.com
Faced with a decision of just how much a job is worth to him, Corporate Ties is a fine pick with plenty to consider, highly recommended.
- Midwest Book Review
It's fast paced, funny, with a splash of cynicism (just how I like it) and kept me interested in the story. The writing is most definitely the highlight of this book.
- Meg @ A Bookish Affair
ISBN 978-0982781906
Website: http://corporatetiesbook.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/corporateties
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Ties-Relocation-Recruitment-Workplace/dp/0982781903
Publisher website: http://spumonipress.com
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