Audiobooks by Zac Bissonnette

Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were soap-opera stars in the late 90s, a wholesome young husband-and-wife duo who combined musical talent with humor and charisma. When the truth about their sexual orientations came to light, their marriage and TV careers ended, but decades later they have remained friends. Together, they open Palm Springs' chicest movie memorabilia store, Hooray for Hollywood, but no customers and dwindling finances spell trouble. A Hail Mary arrives in the form of Yana Tosh, a ninety-year-old diva of the silver screen who has amassed a valuable collection of costumes and props and is looking to sell. But first, Jay and Cindy have to beat their competition, a vice president from a mega-auction house with ten times their resources. And when he winds up dead, they become prime suspects in the murder. With their freedom and livelihoods on the line, Jay and Cindy desperately need to clear their names. There are plenty of other potential suspects, but they'll have to solve it soon before they're forced to trade in their vintage costume collection for two orange jumpsuits.

Zac Bissonnette (Author), Melanie Carey, Paul Bellatoni (Narrator)

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The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

A bestselling journalist delivers the never-before-told story of the plush animal craze that became the tulip mania of the 1990s In the annals of consumer crazes, nothing compares to Beanie Babies. In just three years, collectors who saw the toys as a means of speculation made creator Ty Warner, an eccentric college dropout, a billionaire—without advertising or big-box distribution. Beanie Babies were ten percent of eBay’s sales in its early days, with an average selling price of $30—six times the retail price. At the peak of the bubble in 1999, Warner reported a personal income of $662 million—more than Hasbro and Mattel combined. The end of the craze was swift and devastating, with “rare” Beanie Babies deemed worthless as quickly as they’d once been deemed priceless. Bissonnette draws on hundreds of interviews (including a visit to a man who lives with his 40,000 Ty products and an in-prison interview with a guy who killed a coworker over a Beanie Baby debt) for the first book on the strangest speculative mania of all time. Praise “Equally heartwarming and heartbreaking, this accessible work will captivate.” —Library Journal, Starred review “Bissonnette (Debt-Free U) does a masterful job of tracing the rise and fall of the Beanie Baby phenomenon of the 1990s . . . This cautionary tale of elevated consumerism, with collectors fretting over what they didn’t have rather than taking pleasure in what they did, serves as a useful history lesson for today, told with wit and subtlety.” —Publishers Weekly “The spectacular story of the strangest speculative bubble there ever was and the man behind it. A must-read for anyone looking to understand how manias start and markets go insane.” —LIAQUAT AHAMED, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lords of Finance “Fascinating, strange, sad, funny, and entirely engrossing, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble is a smart, engaging book that’s as much about the odd saga of these plush toys as it is about the nature of obsession and desire.” —SUSAN ORLEAN, author of Rin Tin Tin “In spare, elegant prose, Zac Bissonnette tells the riveting story of how Ty Warner ruthlessly built Beanie Babies into a mania as misguided and regrettable as the 1637 Dutch tulip craze and mortgage-backed securities in 2008. You won’t be able to put this book down.” —WILLIAM D. COHAN, author of Money and Power “The amazing story of the time the world lost its mind over little beanbag critters named Punchers, Humphrey, and Wingless Quackers. Zac Bissonnette takes us on a journey into the secretive world of the man behind the mania, Ty Warner.” —BILL DEDMAN, coauthor of the bestselling biography Empty Mansions Sign Up Don't miss out on news about Penguin Books and authors, along with special offers and promotions. Sign me up for news about Nonfiction books and other great Penguin titles.Sign me up for news about Zac Bissonnette Email Address Date of Birth

Zac Bissonnette (Author), P.J. Ochlan (Narrator)

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How to Be Richer, Smarter, and Better-Looking Than Your Parents

Striking out on your own for the first time is exhilarating. But in a culture full of bad advice, predatory banks, and splurge-now-pay-later temptations, it can also be extremely dangerous--leading you to make financial decisions that could hurt you for years to come. Combine this with a slumped economy, mounds of student loans, and dubious examples from reality TV stars to politicians to your own parents, and it's no wonder so many twenty-somethings are struggling. Twenty-three-year-old Zac Bissonnette--the author of Debt-Free U--knows exactly what you're going through. He demystifies the many traps young people fall victim to in their post-college years. He offers fresh insights on everything from job hunting to buying a car to saving for retirement that will give you a foundation for a secure, stable, and happy life. In the process, he reveals why FICO scores are overrated, online job applications are a waste of time, car loans are for suckers, and credit card rewards are a scam. With detours to discuss wine connoisseurs, Really Broke Housewives, and Lenny Dykstra, Zac shows you how to make better choices today so you can be richer, smarter (and better-looking!) for years to come.

Zac Bissonnette (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

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Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Moochin

This Audio Book Can Save You More Than $100,000 These days, most people assume you need to pay a boatload of money for a quality college education. As a result, students and their parents are willing to go into years of debt and potentially sabotage their financial futures just to get a fancy name on a diploma. But Zac Bissonnette is walking proof that the assumption is not only false, but dangerous. From his unique double perspective-he's a personal finance expert (at AOL Money & Finance) AND a current senior at the University of Massachusetts-Zac figured out how too get an outstanding education at a public college, without bankrupting his parents or taking on loans. Armed with his personal knowledge, the latest data, and smart analysis, Zac takes on the sacred cows and conventional wisdom about choosing and financing college. You'll discover, for instance, that: Student loans are NOT a necessary evil. Ordinary middle-class families can-and must-find ways to avoid them, even without scholarships. College "rankings" are useless-designed to sell magazines and generate hype, if you trust one of the major guides when picking a college, you face a potential financial disaster. The elite graduate programs accept lots of people with nonelite bachelor's degrees. So do America's most selective employers. Zac can prove every one of hose bold assertions-and more. He has a simple message for parents: "RELAX! Your kid will be able to get a champagne education on a beer budget!"

Andrew Tobias, Zac Bissonnette (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

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