Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a host of books, for which I have won major book awards in the US and the UK. But for my latest novel “Call to Power: A prime corporate novel” I chose to publish under a pseudonym. Doing so guarantees my freedom as an author. Unlike my other books, Call to Power revolves around a number of hot-button issues such as boardroom intrigues, offshoring of manufacturing jobs, tax dodging, and religion.
I have been working as a manager at the world’s leading banks and businesses, which is why I am privy to how the global economy is really run behind closed doors.
But as Jack Page I have also authored a short story called “Wrangler of Wall Street,” which you can download for free at my website www.jack-page.com
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Call to Power: A prime corporate novel” is available from July 2020. I had the idea for the book at one of those Economic Summits in London, where the big executives of international behemoths mingle. The mood seemed to be one of inevitability. Talking to all those high-powered leaders I realized how little weight they attributed to the individuals of their own caste.
Our global economy puts an unprecedented strain on individual companies and people. Digitalization and cheap labor from abroad are responsible for mass-layoffs all over the developed world. Call to Power shows the effects this has on the lives of everyday Americans who feel the American Dream slowly slipping out of their reach. And this business thriller is even more about the stewards of these corporate giants, the top-managers whom I have seen increasingly trapped in a spiritual vacuum. Yet Call to Power shows a glimmer of hope, a possible moral compass that will ensure the promise of capitalism is met, and first and foremost the novel shows that one determined underdog can alter a seemingly forlorn course of history.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have the peak of productivity right after I wake up, which is around 5pm, that’s why I never understood the troves of authors who write during the night.
But given that I am an executive myself with a tough schedule, I seldom have the privilege to choose a specific writing time. I use every free minute in hotels, airports, or on trains.
And yes, I need absolute silence.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Michael Dobbs, John Grisham, Arthur Hailey, Stephen Frey, John Updike – and these are just the major fiction authors that kept me reading at night. I read probably just as many business books as novels.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
For me it is my blog, Amazon, and twitter. I found that Facebook and Instagram don’t work so well for business novels.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stick with it. Like with most tasks, whether you are successful as a writer is decided over the long haul. The famous business author Malcom Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hours rule. Before you have not invested that amount of time in a skill, chances are you will not be truly good at it. Now you can do the math. Don’t give up after a year, or two, or even five. Honing your craft and your storytelling technique is something every author must do excessively .
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A CEO I used to work once told me on my first day: “Don’t ask, just do.” I don’t know if he came up with it himself or simply echoed the Nike-slogan, but being bold has enabled my prolific writing, just as much as my rapid career progression. Try, test, and enhance. This is by the way also the best way to combat writer’s block. Never waste time second-guessing and analyzing things to death. Don’t get me wrong: You must have a strategy, but you don’t have to polish it and be 100% certain of it. 70% is fine.
What are you reading now?
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou.
This is such an amazing real-world story that a business fiction author would have a hard time coming up with it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
First, I will be adding a lot of content to my blog https://jack-page.com/blog/ My goal is to make it the go-to portal for all things related to business fiction.
Second, I have a couple of new ideas for my next novel. After having looked at the Rust Belt in a kind of manufacturing novel, I might deal with digitalization by the very people pushing this trend onto the world, i.e. Silicon Valley. The next novel might, however, also take my readers to Manhattan and Wall Street. High finance never gets boring.
As I have dozens of new ideas, I am working closely with my readers to elicit which worlds they feel like diving in next.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Robinson Crusoe. This would suffice to survive and get out of there.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jack Page Website
Jack Page Amazon Profile
Jack Page’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account