User talk:JoelEisenberg

Joel Eisenberg, President of Topos Books, is best none for his motivational book line for creative artists, the 'Aunt Bessie' series. Inaugurated in 2005 with “Aunt Bessie’s How to Survive a Day Job While Pursuing the Creative Life,” celebrity collaborators included Clive Barker, Brad Meltzer, Stuart Woods, Nancy Tellem, Larry Hagman and other all-stars, who exposed their strategies of living the dream life without starving to death. What struggling creative artist cannot identify with Joel Eisenberg? He was once a full-time underpaid wage slave. And, a full-time writer with a no-holds-barred work ethic … yet only sporadic success. Newly married, the bills were mounting. Sleep became a gift; he still had to write for hours after the job to meet his professional goals. He was burning out, and the screenwriting assignments were slowing to a crawl. How could he possibly offer his new wife financial security? On the other hand, writing was such an overwhelming passion that the stress of plodding away at yet another unrelated day job was playing havoc with both his relationship and his health.

Between award-winning independent film gigs, Joel has held nearly 100 unrelated day jobs (a.k.a. dirty little secrets) in his colorful career. In a town where image is everything, however, they have never before appeared on a formal bio. Until now: Assistant to a bounty hunter. Produce manager at a Brooklyn supermarket. Launderer for a mental hospital. Telemarketer and door-to-door salesman. Teacher of severely emotionally disturbed students. Warehouse supervisor. Stockboy. All the while, Joel honed his craft ...

Taking a year and a half off to regroup, Joel sent blind emails to the official websites of many of his favorite authors and celebrities. What ensued was unprecedented. Best-selling novelists Clive Barker, Brad Meltzer, Laurell K. Hamilton, Richard Paul Evans, Douglas Preston, Andrei Codrescu, Jonathan Kirsch, Thomas Perry, Carolyn See, Lisa See, Father Andrew Greeley, Alan Dean Foster, Stuart Woods and Kelly Lange, President of CBS Entertainment Nancy Tellum, actors Sally Kirkland, Dee Wallace Stone, Elya Baskin, Robert Hayes and David Hess, TV icons Jamie Farr, Wink Martindale, Mike Conners and Larry Hagman, producers Stephen J. Cannell, Bob Kosberg, Bob Kiviat, Gene Perret and Russ Streiner, legendary director Robert Wise, ESPN commentator Bill Pidto, former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Larry Holmes and many others all graciously contributed to Joel's first book: "Aunt Bessie's How to Survive a Day Job While Pursuing the Creative Life."

A burgeoning publishing empire ensued (Topos Books), as did innumerable new feature film and book opportunities.

Joel speaks to students as a career coach, and firmly believes outside passions must be acknowledged in the workplace. To that end, he also offers his speaking services to disgruntled employers, in a program entitled, “You’re Too Smart to Go Down Stupid: Overcoming Employee Apathy.”