I’m excited about my upcoming talk next Tuesday (1/26) at the Ross School of Business at U-Mich. I’ll be in conversation at 4:30 p.m. with Dean Robert J. Dolan, discussing the book and the implications of foreign investment for the state of Michigan.

My talk with Dean Dolan is tentatively scheduled to be recorded by C-Span’s Book TV for airing at a later date. I have a happy relationship with Book TV. They aired discussions on two of my previous books: my first one, Collision Course, which I spoke about at St. John’s University Law School, and The End of Detroit, which I also talked about at Michigan in 2003. The End of Detroit talk was a popular one on C-Span and popped up years after I gave it.

If there’s any topic you’d like to hear us discuss, feel free to comment or send me an email. Hope to see you there.

Here’s an AP story about my talk:

UM hosts author of book on foreign business in US
Associated Press – January 19, 2010 4:14 AM ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – The author of a new book on the growing role of foreign business in the U.S. economy is joining the dean of the business school at the University of Michigan for a public forum.

On Jan. 26, Micheline Maynard and Dean Robert J. Dolan will discuss Maynard’s book “The Selling of the American Economy: How Foreign Companies Are Remaking the American Dream.”

Maynard is a transportation reporter for The New York Times. Her three other books include “The End of Detroit: How the Big Three Lost Their Grip on the American Car Market.”

The afternoon event is at the Blau Auditorium in the Ross School of Business.

Last week, I was invited to take part in a popular feature on NYTimes.com — Talk to the Times. Editors and writers answer questions from readers. I got some great ones, about everything from my favorite stories to whether I’m a pilot (I’m not) to the best way to handle complaints about luggage. Here’s the full Q&A. Hope you enjoy it.

What a great month this has been for the book! It’s now available in three formats: hardcover, ebook and audiobook. Please check out whatever meets your needs.

Three appearances are coming up in the next few weeks, all of them in Michigan.

On Jan. 20th, I’m speaking twice in beautiful Petoskey.

I’ll give a lunch talk to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. It will be held at Stafford’s Bay View Inn, followed by a discussion. That evening, I’ll take part in a wine and cheese event at McLean and Eakin Booksellers, one of the country’s finest independent book stores. Both require registration.

On Jan. 26, I’m taking part in an event at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. I will be In Conversation with Dean Robert J. Dolan, discussing the book and issues facing Michigan as it climbs out of its recession.

Hope you’ll find time to attend.

The Selling of the American Economy is now available as an audiobook on iTunes. Click the link below or the iTunes link on the sidebar to be taken to the book’s page (if iTunes is installed on your machine).

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m looking forward to a new round of opportunities to talk about the issues in the book.

UPDATE: OSU POSTPONED BECAUSE OF SNOW. WILL BE RESCHEDULED TBD.

First up: I’ll be speaking Friday morning on a breakfast panel at the Fisher College of Business

at Ohio State University.

I’ll be joined by Larry Jutte, the long time senior vice president at Honda Motor Company, and Tazeem Pasha of Ohio’s department of development. We’ll be discussing the impact of foreign companies in Ohio, and what it says about the national economy. Please join us.

Later this month, I’ll be speaking in Petoskey, Mich., and in conversation with Dean Robert Dolan at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

I’d like to take this opportunity to send Christmas and holiday greetings to all my readers.

If you receive The Selling of the American Economy as a Christmas present, take the time to drop me a line and let me know what you think. In the meantime, have a happy and healthy holiday weekend.

The Selling of the American Economy is now available as an audiobook from Audible.com. It runs six hours and 42 minutes — just right for a trip to London, or part way to Tokyo. The book is narrated by Marguerite Gavin and the audiobook version is published by Gilden Media Corporation. The audio version also can be purchased through Amazon.com. Please take a listen and let me know how you think it sounds.

During my visit to Dartmouth College this fall, I sat down to discuss the book with MBA candidate Hyeon Chang, a member of the class of 2010. You can listen to a podcast of that conversation here.

Nice to see the book included on Amazon.com’s list of New and Notable NonFiction Gifts. Take a look here.

I’m excited to report that my first event of the new year will be at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. The program is called, “How Foreign Companies are Transforming the American Economy: A Dialogue” on Friday, January 8.

I’ll be discussing the issue with Larry Jutte, the long-time senior vice president at Honda of America in Marysville, Ohio, and Tazeem Pasha, global markets investment manager of the Ohio Department of Development. Our program moderator is Karen Hopper Wruck, distinguished professor of finance and the associate dean for graduate programs. There is more information here.

Honda was actually the first Japanese car company to build a factory in the United States, and it has become the largest manufacturer in Ohio. It began with motorcycles, and added three more factories, two for cars and one for engines. Its investment brought new prosperity to towns near Columbus, not to mention thousands of jobs. And the expansion hasn’t stopped: Honda has a big plant in Lincoln, Ala., which I profiled in my previous book, The End of Detroit. And it recently opened a new plant in Greensburg, Ind., which you can read about in The Selling of the American Economy.