Recommended Reading

This list below are all books purchased and/or read by our staff, and are all recommended.

Click on any book image to be directed to Amazon.com for purchase.

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  Live Sound Operator’s Handbook – very thorough yet easy to read; also features a DVD to help educate on various sound reinforcement examples, frequencies, and so on.
    
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  The Backstage Handbook – an “illustrated almanac of technical information”, this book is essential for any theater stage manager, and is quite useful for concert stage managers as well.  Includes sections on knot tying, pictures of stage related tools, shop math, and much more.
  
  
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  A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting – this book takes you through the history of lighting and details various lighting fixtures, applications, and examples of lighting plots.
   
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  This Business of Concert Production and Touring – this book is compact but full of pertinent information on how to best set up a concert and tour, both from the artist side and the promoter / venue side.
  
  
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  There are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings – this quirky yet entertaining book helps shed light on the mysteries surrounding electricity.  You’ll learn to know and love the “Greenies” who want nothing more than to party.  
   
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  Festivals and Events Management  – this is a UK textbook that takes an international approach to explaining festival and event management, with several interesting case studies.
  
  
  
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  Essentials of Negotiation – not specific to the entertainment industry but an important read on how to best negotiate with other people; the strategies here can come in handy not only in dealing with vendors, but also with fellow co-workers, especially as the stakes are raised higher in stressful situations. 
  
  
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  Event Planning – a textbook that goes through how to plan and execute meetings, corporate events, galas, conferences, conventions, and other special events.  This book is a great resource for when you aren’t just focusing on concert / festival production.
  
  
  
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  The Event Safety Guide – this fantastic compilation of event safety protocols and best practices is long overdue.  Rather than be a how-to book for beginners, this book is designed for on-site use at an event, where you can quickly find elements that pertain to your situation and utilize the information accordingly.
   
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  Event Entertainment and Production – an older (2004) book, but contains a lot of useful information, especially in the areas of music licensing, examples and lists for site visits, run of shows, and production schedules, and event risk mitigation strategies.
   

This list below contains books not yet read by us, but either have strong reviews or are brand new:

• Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art and Business
• Sound Reinforcement Handbook
• Stage Lighting Design:  The Art, the Craft, the Life
• The Complete Guide to Creating Enduring Festivals
• Successful Security Secrets of Concert, Festival, and Special Event Productions
• Successful Secrets of Concert, Festival, and Special Event Productions
• Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century