New business-related titles appear constantly, and a few books have become long-term success stories. Popular themes and terms become part of the language of business.

People who are familiar with "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," for example, aren't confused if they hear clients or colleagues talking about "sharpening the saw."

Kevin Banning, head of the marketing department at Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.), believes that many people who read mass-market business books are looking for nuggets -- practical information that may be tucked into a book that otherwise doesn't have much that's new.

"You're always looking for someone with a good idea," Banning said. "'Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive' contained a couple of very practical things. 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' I read early on and really thought it was great. At the end of every chapter there was a list of very practical nuggets."

Banning mostly reads business books that are specific to his field -- marketing -- and spends less time with the popular business titles.

"In Search of Excellence: Lessons From America's Best-Run Companies" (written by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in 1988) purported to show what made several companies successful.

"It didn't hold up," Banning said. "A decade later, those companies were just average, with the exception of GE."

Steve Cagle, store manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Montgomery, Ala., sees increased interest in business books at the end of each year, as people set goals for their personal finances, and another surge of interest around tax time.

"'The Automatic Millionaire' is real popular right now," he said.

As a manager, which book has he found beneficial?

"'Who Moved My Cheese?' is a great, short story. You can apply these principles in every situation," Cagle said. "Every company is always going through changes."

Candace Myers, assistant manager at a Montgomery B. Dalton Bookseller, said certain titles never lose popularity, especially "The One Minute Manager," "Who Moved My Cheese?" "Good to Great" and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People."

"We sell these over and over and over again," Myers said.

Other popular books mentioned by Banning, Cagle and Myers include:

*"Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" by Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy, 2002.

*"Who Says Elephants Can't Dance: Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change" by Louis V. Gerstner, 2003. The book looks at the turnaround at IBM.

*"The Profit Zone: How Strategic Business Design Will Lead You to Tomorrow's Profits" by Adrian Slywotzky, 2002. "It says to stop focusing on market share and remember you're supposed to be making money. It's obvious, yet it needed to be restated," Banning said.