Whether you're a politician caught with his pants down, an investment bank accused of accounting improprieties, or even a family-owned restaurant with a lousy Yelp review, a crisis doesn't have to be the make-or-break moment of your career. Correctly managed, even the most embarrassing "reply all" can quickly become a thing of the past. In Masters of Disaster, Christopher Lehane and Mark Fabiani, reveal the magic formula you need to take control when it's your turn to be sucked into the vortex of the modern spin cycle. Covering the ten commandments of damage control, and based on their work for clients like Bill Clinton, Goldman Sachs and Hollywood studios, the authors outline the strategies that can make real time news alerts, Twitter trend lines and viral videos work for you rather against you. Full of both lively personal anecdotes and hard-knuckled straight talk, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to emerge with their reputation intact.

Bill Guttentag is a two-time Oscar-winning documentary and feature film writer producer-director. His films include the dramatic features Knife Fight and Live!, and the documentaries Nanking and Soundtrack for Revolution. He lectures at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.