Yesterday, April 12th, was "National Drop Everything and Read Day" here in the US, and I used the day as a perfect excuse to… drop everything and read. As noted earlier, Branson’s new book, Screw It, Let’s Do It, is available next week, and the good folks at Virgin Books were kind enough to send a review copy. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book about Sir Richard’s general life philosophies or how much it would differ from his earlier book, Losing My Virginity, which covers the history and background of Branson’s life and adventures very well. This new book, however, is much shorter and an easy read even for younger audiences or "emergent adult readers," and presents chapters focused on Branson’s core principles — be bold, challenge yourself, live in the moment, value family and friends, have respect, etc.

In the end, the stories are of course the strength of this book, and of almost any book that Richard Branson writes. Succeeding in business his own way while mostly ignoring the staid old-school rules that others take as non-negotiable, Branson is the only global business leader who could write a book about everything from growing Christmas trees (and shooting rabbits)… to diving out of an off-course balloon into the ocean… to pretending to buy an island when you can’t afford to stay there (and later buying it for 6% of the asking price)… In one story, Branson hires a fishing boat on holiday in Mexico, then gets caught in a storm and swims two miles back to shore. "After the storm cleared, they searched [for the fishing boat] for two days, but found nothing." You’ll have to read the book to see how he works this into his chapter on Living in the Moment, or to later see his up-front, un-varnished explanation of how he landed himself in jail in the ’70s. Best of all, even some of his "business" stories are re-told here from a personal angle… When building the original Virgin Records recording studio, for example, Branson found a great manor house to buy and took out loans… but still needed £7,500 more to reach the needed £30,000… [Read more]

Richard Branson apparently has a new book titled — in that irreverent Branson style, as always — Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life, available April 18th according to Amazon. Here’s the blurb for this book:

Learn the Secrets of a Global Icon

Throughout my life I have always strived for success - as a businessman, in my adventures, as an author and a proud father and husband. I want to share the many truths I’ve learned along the road to success which have helped me to be the best I can. They include:

• Have faith in yourself
• Believe that anything can be done
• Live life to the full
• Never give up

Learn these and other simple truths, and I hope you will be inspired to get the most out of your life and to achieve your goals. People will always try to talk you out of ideas and say: "It can’t be done," but if you have faith in yourself you’ll find you can achieve almost anything.

Quick Reads books are written to appeal not only to emergent readers but to anyone wanting a quick, powerful and fast-paced read.

Sounds like an interesting (and fast) read for anyone interested in the personal philosophy that powers Sir Richard’s rebel adventures…

PS: Kudos to the clued-in folks at Virgin Books for keeping us apprised directly. Now that’s intelligent blog marketing— reaching out to the target audience of Branson fans already predisposed to read this new book. Well done.