Two new books launch with B2

Two new books launch with B2

Over the past year, B2 Communications has expanded its service offerings to include book publicity for two well-known Tampa Bay residents turned book authors: Dewayne Staats and Frank Morsani.

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B2’s first at-bat in this field began last summer with the launch of Tampa Bay Rays TV announcer Dewayne Staats’ memoir, “Position to Win: A Look at Baseball from the Best Seat in the House.” The book chronicles Staats’ 40-year career as a Major League broadcaster while underscoring a central message – putting yourself in a “position to win” with persistence, preparation, and hard work.

B2 was responsible for announcing the launch of the book, setting up book signings and pitching interviews to media including uncharted territory for B2 - sports radio. And as Staats traveled the country with the Rays, B2 landed him as a guest on several top-rated sports talk radio shows, along with a live interview on WGN-TV’s morning show in Chicago.

“Position to Win” also received favorable reviews from book critics, hitting a home run with a positive review on MLB.com, which helped the book fly to the top of Amazon.com’s list of new baseball releases. Staats was also a featured author and speaker at the 2015 Festival of Reading presented by the Tampa Bay Times.

Staats hasn’t lost any steam since the book launched. He continues to attract crowds at book signings throughout the Tampa Bay area and across the country.

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The second book B2 helped launch is “To Be Frank: Building the American Dream in Business and in Life,” by businessman and philanthropist Frank Morsani. In the memoir, Morsani shares his personal life journey – from humble beginnings growing up in Dust Bowl-era Arkansas and serving in the Navy during the Korean War to building a successful career in the automobile industry, which has allowed him to donate millions of dollars to local institutions, notably the University of South Florida.

“To Be Frank” was released in November 2015 and B2 assisted with the launch party, which took place at USF CAMLS in downtown Tampa. To date, B2 has secured a number of positive news stories in the local media including in The Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Business Observer, The Tampa Bay Business Journal, Florida Trend and Bay News 9’s “In Depth” segment.

Morsani’s goal with the book is to spread his message that the American Dream is alive and well, especially to young professionals and entrepreneurs. With this goal in mind, B2 has and is coordinating a number of speaking engagements for Morsani, including at the Tampa Museum of Art, Oklahoma State University, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Poynter Institute, Downtown Tampa Rotary Club, and the University of Tampa.

Local author and former St. Petersburg Times reporter Dave Scheiber co-authored both books.