800-CEO-READ, a leading direct supplier of book-based resources compiles a monthly list of best-selling business books based on purchases by its corporate customers nationwide. Here are the best sellers for September 2013, plus descriptions of the Top 10.

1. "Finding Allies, Building Alliances: 8 Elements That Bring - and Keep-People Together" by Mike Leavitt and Rich McKeown; Jossey-Bass, 241 pages ($29.95)

2. "Innovating Analytics: Word of Mouth Index - Use the Next Generation of Net Promoter to Increase Sales and Drive Results" by Larry Freed; John Wiley & Sons, 288 pages ($26)

3. "Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World?" by Jim Ziolkowski; Simon & Schuster, 272 pages ($25)

4. "Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity" by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny; Random House, 352 pages ($28)

5. "Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management Is Over - and Collaboration Is In" by Peter Shankman and Karen Kelly; Palgrave MacMillan, 256 pages ($26)

6. "The New Technology Elite: How Great Companies Optimize Both Technology Consumption and Production" by Vinnie Mirchandani; John Wiley & Sons, 378 pages ($49.95)

7. "Forever Cash: Break the Earn-Spend Cycle, Take Charge of Your Life, Build Everlasting Wealth" by Jack Bosch; Morgan James, 190 pages ($19.95)

8. "A Curious Discovery: An Entrepreneur's Story" by John S. Hendricks; HarperBusiness, 384 pages ($28.99)

9. "Generosity Network: New Transformational Tools for Successful Fundraising" by Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey C. Walker; Deepak Chopra, 304 pages ($26)

10. "Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements" by Tom Rath and Jim Harter; Gallup Press, 240 pages ($25.95)

11. "Grow a Pair: How to Stop Being a Victim and Take Back Your Life, Your Business and Your Sanity" by Larry Winget; Gotham, 176 pages ($17.50)

12. "How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything" by Dov Seidman; Jossey-Bass, 389 pages ($27.95)

13. "The Leadership Contract: The Fine Print to Becoming a Great Leader" by Vince Molinaro; John Wiley & Sons, 229 pages ($24.95)

14. "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg; Random House, 202 pages ($28)

15. "50 Digital Team-Building Games: Fast, Fun Meeting Openers, Group Activities and Adventures Using Social Media, Smart Phones, GPS, Tablets, and More" by John Chen; John Wiley & Sons, 200 pages ($24.95)

16. "From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership" by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer; Jossey-Bass, 224 pages ($27.95)

17. "The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy" by Jon Gordon; John Wiley & Sons, 192 pages ($21.95)

18. "Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not Like You: How to Delight and Engage the Customers Your Competitors Don't Understand" by Kelly McDonald; John Wiley & Sons, 209 pages ($24.95)

19. "What's the Future of Business: Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences" by Brian Solis; John Wiley & Sons, 218 pages ($29.95)

20. "Smart Tribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together" by Christine Comaford; Portfolio, 256 pages ($25.95)

21. "Passion Conversation: Understanding, Sparking and Sustaining Word-of-Mouth Marketing" by Geno Church, Greg Cordell, John Moore and Robbin Phillips; John Wiley & Sons, 229 pages ($25)

22. "Highly Recommended: Harnessing the Power of Word of Mouth and Social Media to Build Your Brand and Your Business" by Paul Rand; McGraw-Hill, 257 pages ($25)

23. "Train Your Brain for Success: Read Smarter, Remember More, and Break Your Own Records" by Roger Seip; John Wiley & Sons, 261 pages ($24.95)

24. "Rise of the Naked Economy: How to Benefit from the Changing Workplace" by Ryan Coonerty and Jeremy Neuner; Palgrave MacMillan, 258 pages ($28)

25. "Ctrl Alt Delete" by Mitch Joel; Business Plus, 288 pages ($28)

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE TOP TEN:

1. "Finding Allies, Building Alliances: 8 Elements That Bring - and Keep-People Together" by Mike Leavitt and Rich McKeown; Jossey-Bass, 241 pages ($29.95). How can leaders successfully bridge divides and turn competitors into collaborators? Leavitt and McKeown explain how a well-chosen network can become a powerful alliance. The book includes a framework of 8 elements that will help any leader foster and maintain an effective, productive collaborative venture and shows how better collaboration can not only solve problems, but boost the competitiveness and resilience in all sectors.

2. "Innovating Analytics: Word of Mouth Index - Use the Next Generation of Net Promoter to Increase Sales and Drive Results" by Larry Freed; John Wiley & Sons, 288 pages ($26). "Innovating Analytics" introduces an index that measures a customer's likelihood to recommend and the likelihood to detract. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) that has been adopted by many companies during the past decade is no longer accurate, precise or actionable. This new metric, called the Word of Mouth Index (WoMI), has been tested on hundreds of companies and with over 1.5 million consumers in the past two years. Freed details the improvement that WoMI provides within what he calls the Measurement Ecosystem. He then goes on to look at three other drivers of customer satisfaction along with word of mouth: customer acquisition, customer loyalty and customer conversion.

3. "Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World?" by Jim Ziolkowski; Simon & Schuster, 272 pages ($25). Twenty-one years ago, Ziolkowski gave up a fast-track career in corporate finance to dedicate his life to buildOn, an organization that turns inner-city teens into community leaders at home and abroad. He set out to show not that "he" could change the world, but how "each one of us" can, through the power of service to others.

Today, buildOn students have contributed more than 1.2 million hours of service, from Detroit and the South Bronx to Haiti, Mali and Nepal, while building more than 550 schools worldwide. Together, they are breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations in their own lives and transforming their communities. An international chronicle of faith and the boundless potential of the human spirit, "Walk in Their Shoes" tells the story of Ziolkowski's movement and the thousands of young people who have decided to step forward, step up, and make a difference.

4. "Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity" by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny; Random House, 352 pages ($28). "Thinking in New Boxes" is a revolutionary process for sustainable creativity from two strategic innovation experts from the Boston Consulting Group. To make sense of the world, we all rely on assumptions, on models - on what de Brabandere and Iny call "boxes." If we are unaware of our boxes, they can blind us to risks and opportunities.

5. "Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management Is Over - and Collaboration Is In" by Peter Shankman and Karen Kelly; Palgrave MacMillan, 256 pages ($26). The era of authoritarian cowboy CEOs like Jack Welch and Lee Iacocca is over. In an age of increasing transparency and access, it just doesn't pay to be a jerk-to employees, customers, competitors, or anyone else. In "Nice Companies Finish First," Shankman, a pioneer in modern PR, marketing, advertising, social media and customer service, profiles the famously nice executives, entrepreneurs and companies that are setting the standard for success in this new collaborative world. He explores the new hallmarks of effective leadership, including loyalty, optimism, humility, and a reverence for customer service.

6. "The New Technology Elite: How Great Companies Optimize Both Technology Consumption and Production" by Vinnie Mirchandani; John Wiley & Sons, 378 pages ($49.95). There is a new definition for the technology elite, and you find them across industries and geographies. The 17 case studies and 4 guest columns spread through "The New Technology Elite" bring out the elite attributes in detail. Every organization will increasingly be benchmarked against these elite - and soon will be competing against them.

7. "Forever Cash: Break the Earn-Spend Cycle, Take Charge of Your Life, Build Everlasting Wealth" by Jack Bosch; Morgan James, 190 pages ($19.95). After stumbling upon a number of principles, Bosch escaped the "hamster wheel of financial hell" to retire at the age of 37. He now shares these strategies around the world teaching that anyone can reach financial freedom by following the simple proven strategies laid out in "Forever Cash."

8. "A Curious Discovery: An Entrepreneur's Story" by John S. Hendricks; HarperBusiness, 384 pages ($28.99). Media visionary Hendricks takes the reader on his unforgettable journey from founding Discovery Communications over a breakfast table to establishing the organization as the world's largest provider of television content. Hendricks tells this remarkable story - from the triumphs to the failures - with unflinching candor. In the process, he shares what he's learned in the past three decades, from the obstacles and successes of the early years to the very real and very different challenges that exist today.

9. "Generosity Network: New Transformational Tools for Successful Fundraising" by Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey C. Walker; Deepak Chopra, 304 pages ($26). Walker and McCrea offer a fresh new perspective on nonprofit management and development, showing how traditional pre-scripted, money-centered, goal-oriented communication techniques lead to anxiety and failure, while open-spirited, curiosity-driven, person-to-person connections lead to discovery and growth. Highly practical, motivating, and thought-provoking, "Generosity Network" is designed to energize and empower nonprofit leaders, managers, donors, board members, and other supporters.

10. "Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements" by Tom Rath and Jim Harter; Gallup Press, 240 pages ($25.95). "Well-Being" will provide with a holistic view of what contributes to well-being over a lifetime. Written in a conversational style by two best-selling authors, this book is filled with fascinating research and novel ideas for boosting well-being in five key areas. As a complement to the book, readers will have the opportunity to use Gallup's online Well-Being Finder to help them track and improve well-being over time.

(800-CEO-READ, a leading direct supplier of business books and other knowledge resources for businesses and organizations nationwide, is a division of Milwaukee-based Dickens Books. For complete descriptions of all books, visit http://800ceoread.com.)