800-CEO-READ Blog

Not For Everyone

Rich from Hello_World wrote a post a couple of days ago about our Art of the Start Pitch Kit. He believes it is not very original. Others have left comments on the post voicing similar thoughts.

First, let me say I love the blogsphere because you can quickly see what people think of what you are doing.

My only response would be to give you a little history and the results. Guy K. came to us with the idea. He has friends at Sandisk and was able to put together the deal. Guy thought the flash drive would go great with the book. The idea was simple - the flash drive was meant to give you a place to store important files.

We loved the idea. We figured if people wanted the book, they could easily go to Amazon. The Pitch Kit gave something a little different to offer customers. And do the math. People are getting the flash drive at about 2/3 off what you would pay retail.

We have sold over 350 Pitch Kits to date. To be honest, we thought it would be more. The upside is that the offer still has legs and we continue to take orders every day. The other thing to consider is the market. As I have said before, most business titles don't sell more than a couple thousand copies.

All things considered, we are happy with the offer and how it has been received.

Jack Covert Selects--The Naked Truth

The Naked Truth : A Working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters by Margaret Heffernan, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 288 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, September 2004, ISBN 078797143X

Margaret Heffernan wrote an article in 2002 for Fast Company, because she sensed that something was amiss in woman's careers. So she launched an experiment and asked for women to share their experiences. Turns out the response was overwhelming. She was inundated with emails from women all over America; some were offering solutions to common problems and others were in dire need of advice. In her own words:

"My fast company experiment confirmed – beyond my wildest imaginings – what I had seen in my own career and the careers of many women I'd worked with and for: that women are still abused, undervalued, and alienated in a business world that still can't recognize and respect them; that the pressure to align personal and work values is urgent and unrelenting; and that many women are inventing solutions that, if they were shared, could make us a lot less lonely."

The book is filled with vignettes as told by real women in the business world today, discussing many different issues. Looking at the chapter names alone will give you a good idea of what is covered: Start Smart; Geishas, Bitches, Guys – and the Invisible Women; Balls to the Wall: Toxic Bosses and Hostile Environments; The Emperor's New Clothes; Power and Where It Comes From; Sex, Love and a Vision for Life; The Whole Life; How High Can You Go?; Breaking Up Is Hard to Do; The Entrepreneuse; The Parallel Universe.

Women in the workplace, according to Heffernan, are certainly allowed to grow, and make a contribution in the early stages of their careers. But somewhere along the way, they are left to feel like trespassers when they want to get into top management. They are made to feel like gatecrashers. And she suggests that instead of crashing the party, women leave, and start their own party. And this book invites you to join this party, by learning from the participants' experiences. This book is not about complaining, but about the fact that women are problem solvers, and there are many solutions offered in this book which I truly believe you will find useful because it tells it like it is.

Jack Covert Selects--QBQ

QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question, What to Really ask Yourself to Eliminate Blame, Complaining and Procrastination by John G. Miller, G. P. Putnam and Sons, 120 Pages, $19.95 Hardcover, September 2004, ISBN 0399152334

What book comes to mind when someone tells you about a book that can be read in an hour and will change your life? Who Moved My Cheese of course. But now there is QBQ. This book was originally published by Denver Press and sold over 300,000 copies—which is a huge number for a self published book. It's plain to see why it sold so well. This is a book that can be instantly applied to not only yourself but your peers as well. The book advocates personal accountability. It is the direct antithesis of the phrase we all know so well: “It’s not my job.” The author states:

"The Question Behind the Question™ (QBQ™) is a tool that's been developed and refined over the years that helps individuals – including me – practice personal accountability by asking better questions. The benefit people enjoy the most about the QBQ, though, is a personal one: Once they start practicing QBQ thinking, things just seem to go better. People have more fun. Life is simply more satisfying and enjoyable for those who choose the way of personal accountability."

It is an engaging book, and the true spirit of QBQ is captured in Chapter 35, because it explains it so well; the spirit of QBQ is not asking why, when or who. But rather what or how. Focusing on yourself to solve problems, as well as to focus on action. An excellent example of what you will find in this book:

It is not about changing others. It is about making a difference by changing ourselves.
It is not about blaming the team, but about recognizing the power of one.
It is about adapting to change and developing ourselves.
It is about accomplishing goals with the tools and resources we have.
It is about making better choices.
It is brought to life when we ask “What can I do to make a difference?”

Folks, this book is going to be a huge best seller. It really strikes exactly the correct balance between a tool to use personally, and a tool to help your team or company become a more focused organization.

USA Today Snapshot

In the International Edition of USA Today, they had a Snapshot (those little factoid things) about publishing on Monday.

States with the most book publishers:

California - 16,787
New York - 7,371
Florida - 4,858
Texas - 4,724
Illinois - 3,390
Colorado - 2,979
Source: Andrew Grabois, R.R. Bowker

For 800-CEO-READ, the vast majority of people we deal with are in New York. The notable exceptions are Harvard Business School Press in Boston and Dearborn Trade in Chicago.

Back online

I'm back, and up a little earlier because of the jetlag.

There was lots of good stuff that went up while I was gone. I want to make sure you saw the Tom Peters "Everything You Need to Know About Strategy" paper and the excerpt from The Cult of Mac. We had Frans Johansson fill in for a week. You have been seeing some posts from Susan RoAne. So, I hope we were able to keep your attention.

HELP! Giving and Getting It

We were taught to be independent... pull ourselves "up by our bootstraps" but those boots and that philosophy are out of fashion. People who are successful in their careers and businesses let people know what they need, ask for help--- whether it's in the form of leads, ideas, advice or information. Their "luck" is a result of hard work, savvy manners, perserverance and great followup Most importantly, people who create their own "luck" and turn serendipity to success... offer their help.

Sherris Goodwin is a successful entrepreneur and owner of the Hospitality Institute and Early Education Training Program and one of the hardest and smartest workers I know. As a former educator it was always her dream to train the people who would teach our youngest students as well as contribute to the hospitality industry.

She attends many industry groups in both arenas and supports the profession. At one meeting she met a young woman who was interested in the hotel business. Sherris, ever the 'teacher' and supporter offered to give her some help by providing the names and numbers of four people in the industry as well as lent her name to open the doors.

When questioned about her generosity to someone she really didn't know, Sherris Goodwin said that we all started somewhere, people helped her and she wanted to return that early support to the next generation.

Did the young woman who received support from Sherris ever make it to her desired goals? We don't know. Sherris told her that when she contacted those four people, to call her and she would get more leads and contacts. Unfortunately, the young woman was not a smart nor savvy networker. She never followed up with Sherris, did not get more contacts or support from a very generous woman. "And she never has attended any industry event since", Sherris confirmed.

The young business woman ,who asked for help, lost the opportunity to turn the serendipity of meeting Sherris and being the recipient of her generosity, into success.

The lesson: once we ask for help, we must followup and keep that generous matchmaker of networking in the loop to ensure ongoing support and relationship building. That's how we create our "luck"!

I am back

I think Todd is due back shortly and we will be back supplying you with all that is fun and newsworthy about business books.

A couple of things before I go home and sleep. Jet lag is real! Especially when you are old!

As I go over my email back log I see a missive from our friend Tom Peters that starts out “New Delhi. Thirteen September 2004. I awoke, jetlagged and sweaty, at 3 A.M….” I will get permission and post the missive later.

English rain is different than Milwaukee rain. At least the rain that falls in the Cotswold's on the second and third week of September. It comes and goes quickly. Another observation…English drivers—especially in small towns—are crazy. I have heard that Italians are wild but to go sixty MPH on a road that is narrower than my driveway…That is a little goofy if you ask me.

I got the new Charam and Bossidy title Confronting Reality when I got back. We have a Jack Covert Selects—which I like—and an interview, which we will do next week.

After paring down all the incoming books from the twoo weeks I have been gone, I have 15 ½ inches of books that made the first cut. I’ll talk about this more next week.

Finally, our blog was mentioned with the BIG boys. Check it out

The Road Not Taken

'You Never Know it Alls' are the heroes of How To Create Your Own Luck. The "You Never Know" Approach to our personal and professional lives means that we see opportunities and are open to possibilities.

Sometimes that means we move from our chosen paths and pursue the fork in the road. Gail Feinstein was a teacher of the hearing impaired when she knew she needed a change. Through contacts and leads, she entered the travel industry and enjoyed her work. Once she moved to another part of the area, she found that her skills as an educator and as a travel manager were also suited to the world of property management.

Gail allowed herself to step from her path chosen as a young teen into two different worlds that gave her new experiences. But something called to her from deep within... she missed being an educator and making a difference in peoples ' lives while truly giving them the gift of learning.

She combined her newly developed business skills with her superior skills as an educator and started a tutoring business with children and adults. Gail created her own success by "listening" to the voice in her stomach and combining all of her skills and her commitment to teach. And she still works in the property management area when school is out! You Never Know! It Alls are open to where the path will lead... and it could be a circular path that leads you back to your original passion... but in a different, but more satisfying form.

Create Your Own Luck

Thee is a fourth trait of the "You Never Know It Alls" featured in How To Create Your Own Luck: They not only listen well, but they eavesdrop.By overhearing, they are in a position to offer help and to learn some new information.

On a vacation, Lisa Miller and I were in Jerusalem in the famous Fink's bar where the media was known to hang out. It was a very quiet night when a man walked in and we heard him order a scotch in what sounded like American English. Lisa and I looked at each other and gave the "why not" shrug. So she asked, "Is that American English?" "Yes, it is", He answered.

We learned he had a rough day, just covered a peace rally that had gone wry. Coincidence provided our conversation as we had gone to the Via Dela Rosa to follow the Stations of the Cross and were met by this rally. We left early. Larry Register, then MidEast Bureau chief for CNN, and four time Emmy Award winner, filled us in.

That was in 1989 and we are still friends. He stills fills us in on the news from an insider's vantage point. He has opened doors for my books and me with his network and I continue to support ( nudge him to fulfill) his goal of writing his book.

When is eavesdropping OK? When it allows us to help others, start a conversation, find out we have something in common. Why? You just never know! You may learn of a job, a client or make a lifelong friend.

Book REview: Good Business

Good Business: Leadership, Flow and the Making of Meaning
By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

When my kids were little they had a picture book simply called, “People” by Peter Spier. Near the end there was a picture of what it might be like if everyone looked the same, dressed the same, etc. (I think they all drove olive-green Hummers.) On the last page, there was a wonderful colorful picture filled with people who looked different and dressed different and well, just made up the cacophony that makes the world both challenging and fun.

Good Business is suggesting we do the same transformation in the world of work. It is suggesting that we take this wonderful experience called Flow and apply it to work. It suggests that this will pull us away from the drab green monotony and into the world of color and difference and meaning.

Did you read Flow? This is good stuff. The idea that we can do an activity we love and get lost in the time/space/process of it, is very cool. We’ve all done it tons of times in our lives and maybe some of them were even at work.

The thing I liked best about Good Business is that it takes a multi-tiered approach to bringing flow to work. It suggests that employers might be smart to create environments and systems that support flow, and also puts responsibility on each of us to examine ways we can bring flow into our own work world.

There have been a lot of books that have expressed one of these views or the other, but none that I am aware that bring both to light.

On the “provide a better environment” side:” First Break All the Rules (Buckingham and Coffman), Now Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham and Clifton), Hidden Value Pfeffer and O’Reilly), etc.

On the “personal responsibility for Flow” side: Now Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham and Clifton), Your Signature Path (Bellman), and tons of books that spring from “the do what you love and the money will follow” thinking.

Ya, I like this stuff, and I have some concerns about it too.

#1: The idea that there is one true right job for us and if only we find it we will have bliss. (Doesn’t it sound absurd when it’s written out like that? And now ask yourself, how much are you basing your career decisions on just that belief?)

#2: If we only figure out the formula, we can be in Flow much of the time. I find the formula to be elusive, and if you do find it, difficult to maintain. (Why does an activity one week bring flow and the next week just feel awkward?)

Good stuff, yes. Worth considering, yes. Worth seeking, yes. Worth beating ourselves up if we can’t find it and/or maintain it, no.

Some New Books

My new book The Medici Effect discusses how one must be able to incorporate failure into ones actions in order to maximize innovative success. Interestingly this particular theme returns with an intriguing twist in the book Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever by John Beck and Michael from HBS Press. Their thesis centers on the fact that the “gamer generation”, which has grown up playing video games, has a fundamentally different outlook on opportunities, failures and risk-taking than the generation before them. The gamer generation has, through video games, become far more at ease with exploring opportunities, quickly learning what is required to win, and – most importantly – pressing restart if they fail. These lessons came into full force in the “real world” during the dot com boom. The younger generation, and those that play games in particular seem quite able to move on after they fail, to focus on what’s required to “win”, and to always be on the lookout for new puzzles and opportunities. That’s the way they have grown up and they will bring these lessons into the workplace. Managers and executives would do well to realize this potential and leverage it..

I also had the opportunity to read another upcoming book from HBS Press - Mass Affluence: 7 New Rules of Marketing to Today's Consumers by Paul Nunes and Brian Johnson. Their main argument is that while people have become richer their spending has not risen at a commensurate rate. This leaves plenty of dollars ready to be consumed and the authors suggest that we should target these new middle-markets with more upscale, higher quality products. These products should be priced below the luxury class, but above mass-market. In other words somewhere in the “middle” - a traditionally dreaded zone for marketers. This new middle is willing to buy premium golf balls, disposable electric toothbrushes and other more expensive items because they have the money to pay for it and they are willing to spend it, too – at least for the right benefits.

#4: The Main Point Keeps Getting Repeated

This is the final piece in my 4-part series on book writing styles and then it’s on to some great new books I have read… Imagine that you are reading a business book and get hooked right away. It has a great premise, powerful examples and seemingly sound theory. Wow – you keep turning the pages and can’t wait to see where all of this is going. But by chapter 3 or 4 the book has begun to loose it’s former luster. It just appears that there is not much more to the book than that one single, exciting idea. In fact, it could have served much better as an article. Instead it’s the same concept brought up again and again but with no real new meat added to it.

This happens ALL the time, in my experience. Why? While writing The Medici Effect I thought a lot about this. In part, I think, it involves the author believing that important points have to made several times in order for the reader to “get them”. I found myself constantly wanting to revisit points I had made earlier just to make sure I had placed enough emphasis on them. As the manuscript grew, however, my confidence in the reader grew as well. Points should really only have to be made very well once or twice, and then one should move on. It keeps the reader alert and interested in what is coming next.

#3: They are often dry

Business book authors face some tensions in trying to keep the pages engaging. Oftentimes, the book has to be simultaneously intriguing yet clear, easy-to-read yet deal with sophisticated topics. These tensions can leave any author struggling with how to present their ideas, particularly if they have a lot of time constraints. I certainly felt this tension and had to work hard to relieve it. It just seems a lot easier if one could just translate a PowerPoint presentation into the arguments and flow of the book. But, unless you are Tom Peters (who actually uses his PowerPoint slides as the book), that can lead you down the wrong path. The text becomes too dry as the pages fill up with endless strategies, bullet points, lists and the retelling of examples without the requisite human touches.

Now, ever since Who Moved My Cheese hit the best-seller lists there has been a plethora of books that have stepped into the intersection of a fable and business advice. This is done either to allow the author to vividly make certain points or to inspire the reader to do something specific. The fable-structure is certainly not as dry as a translation of PowerPoint slides, but it is quite limiting in how we can present ideas along with requisite proof, theory etc. But maybe it is time we try out some other intersections. How about business advice unraveling like a murder mystery?

While writing The Medici Effect I got some early feedback. It suggested that although the ideas presented were fascinating and unique, the chapters were too long. After thinking about it for some time I realized that every chapter had two components to them (a discussion of an idea, and then how you can apply this idea). I first decided to chop each chapters in two and then worked hard to make all the chapters interdependent. Specifically I wanted each chapter to hook into the next one, unraveling the underlying theory and its implications at a page-turning pace rather than through summaries and bullet points. Turns out that my peer reviewers liked this a lot because it made it easier for them to see how the ideas and concepts in the book related and supported to each other.

The truth was that I got this idea from having read The Da Vinci Code- a book chock-full with short chapters and page-turning cliff-hangers. Despite what praise or misgivings one may have about that book, it has become clear that the way Dan Brown (the book’s author) structures the text is part of its success. He certainly has the sales numbers to prove it. You can learn more about my upcoming book The Medici Effect at www.themedicieffect.com.

Unfair Advantages and The Apprentice

I recently read the manuscript of a book written by a professor at a business-school. It was very interesting and, without revealing too much, suggested that the real story behind a company’s success lies in its unfair advantages. Thought about that thesis as I watched the latest episode of The Apprentice last night. For those of you who do not follow, or missed the show: This guy named Bradford had an immunity from being fired as his losing team went in to the boardroom (where Trump decides who stays and who goes). Brad had performed very well this time around, and confidently gave up his immunity to hammer home this point. Trump accepted Brad's confident move. That moment I turned to my fiancée and said – he’ll get fired. Business success often relies on leveraging unfair advantages when you have them – Trump knows this and will get rid of someone that gives up such an advantage so quickly. I said this, not because I knew Trump (I don't), but because I had just read this manuscript. Well, that is indeed what happened. Trump clearly felt that Brad was the best person in the boardroom, but said that his mistake is the type of mistake that can cost a company its life.

Now let’s see how we can apply Level 5 leadership lessons on Mr. Trump and The Apprentice…

BOOK REVIEW: The Imagineering Way

Book: The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity
Author: The Imagineers (from Disney)
Reviewer: johnmoore (from the Brand Autopsy blog)

Typically I pass on business books promising to increase your creativity. Most times, these books on creativity focus on teaching a proven system for generating “out-of-the-box” ideas. Such books on creativity have never helped me get more creative. In fact, they flat-out stifle my creative energy.

So I was skeptical when my fellow blogger on Brand Autopsy, the quick-witted Brand Examiner Paul, evangelized The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity to me. But then I thought about it … who's better to talk about creativity than Disney Imagineers? These are the folks responsible for creating ideas and turning those ideas into innovation designed to enhance the Disney Experience of the millions of guests who visit the Magic Kingdom.

Eight pages into The Imagineering Way ... my skepticism faded completely.

The Imagineering Way works because it takes a personal approach and not a pedantic approach to sparking creativity. There is no one author, but rather a collection of essays from 50+ Disney Imagineers. In each essay, Disney Imagineers share company campfire stories full of pithy quotes, weathered truisms, and “eureka” moments from successful and failed Disney projects.

A few memorable snippets from the book include:

“If you find your logic is talking you out of a good idea, question the logic first, then question the idea.” – Luc Maynard, Disney Imagineer

“Your affection for the idea will grow as you explain it to others. If you connect with the idea, others will connect with it, too.” – David Mumford, Disney Imagineer

“It’s easier and far more comfortable to stay in a rut, but unless you’re on a ride at one of our theme parks, no one ever found true happiness following the same old track around and around.” - Chris Runco, Disney Imagineer

“I submit to you that in the formula world we live in, it’s the people with imagination – the risk takers – who make the new waves and the new rules. Remember, the last three letters of trend are E-N-D.” – Marty Sklar, Disney Imagineer

The Imagineering Way is chock-full of great, inspirational and actionable stories sure to jumpstart your creative juices. It's a way worthy read.

#2: Examples are too well-known

There is a tension inherent in much of business book literature and I certainly felt it while writing The Medici Effect. It is this: In order to tell a compelling story and provide convincing arguments the examples used must be at once fresh yet also feel relevant. The problem is that those examples that feel relevant are often those that are well-known and written to death about. Since Dell, Southwest Airlines, 3M and so on have done well it is tempting to force-fit ones principles, guidelines, strategies etc. to those companies. Not only can this appear contrived at times (and thus diminsh the veracity of the book's message) it can also kill the readers interest. The problem is that even a causal business book reader will have read about these companies multiple times and will have either A) already formed an opinion about why these companies were successful or B) become a bit tired of seeing the same names pop up all the time. Obstacle B is tough to overcome even if the author is providing a very different way of looking at an old example since the reader has to finish the chapter/section/paragraph to see the author’s point.

With The Medici Effect the manuscript always seemed tighter and more punchy when the examples used were fresh. People who are known within specific intersections such Marcus Samuelsson (global cooking), Richard Garfield (collectible card games), Deborah Prothrow-Stith (public health and violence-prevention), Howard Berke (serial entrepreneur) but not outside of them always provided the best stories. In cases where I used well-known examples it was imperative that something unique was added. So instead of focusing on how Richard Branson got Virgin off the ground, The Medici Effect tells the story of how musician/composer Mike Oldfield created the path-breaking album Tubular Bells (which was the only album that provided Virgin Records with a profit for the first 4 years).

Only you can tell me whether it has worked or not!

#1: Business books are often too long

Ever started a business book, thought it was quite interesting, yet never finished it? Happens all the time. Often the culprit is the book’s length. There are several reasons why writing extensive and long business books is a bad idea (unless you are writing a reference book which people have no intention of reading straight through anyway). First, it is far better for a reader to finish a book than not. By completing it the reader gains a coherence and a complete picture of the ideas in the book – in addition they are more likely to say they liked it since it was such a fast read. Second, if you give yourself a lot of room to write about a topic the text will tend to sprawl, regurgitate points, and take off on tangents – thereby diffusing the impact of the main message. So why do people write long business books? Well for starters it is easier to sprawl than construct a tight and concise narrative that is also engaging. I also believe that writers feel that “short text” does not connote “serious insight” which of course is not true. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn Revolutions was a mere 170 small pages.

The first draft of The Medici Effect was about twice as long as what ultimately became the final manuscript. The process of cutting the text down to its core and essence was at times quite painful. I didn’t cut down the text because the book had to be short, but once I was done it took up no more than 200 pages. One chapter, which I had spent about 6-7 weeks researching and writing full-time, ultimately got thrown out. I realized that although the chapter was intriguing and provided new insight it slowed down the thrust of the book too much. Frank editors, friends and collegeaus are critical here! Some of the most successful business books over the past 5-10 years or so have been quite succinct: The Innovator’s Dilemma, Crossing the Chasm, The Tipping Point, Good to Great are just a few that have made their point without wasting a lot of time!

The Style of Writing

While writing The Medici Effect I got the opportunity to think carefully about just what makes a good business book good. Now, clearly the ideas in the book have to be good otherwise it will not go anywhere. OK – but beyond that… what are some of the stylistic and structural issues that writers have to work through as they try to make compelling arguments? I will explore four problems common to many business books over the next few posts before moving on to discussing some of my more recent reads. Here they are:
• They are too long.
• They recycle their main point repeatedly.
• They are too dry.
• The examples are too well-known.

My next entry will deal with the first one.

Inside The Medici Effect

As promised yesterday, here comes more about The Medici Effect, my new book published by HBS Press.

Basically, The Medici Effect takes you on a fascinating journey to the Intersection: a place where ideas from different fields and cultures meet and collide, ultimately igniting an explosion of extraordinary new discoveries. I calls this proliferation of new ideas “the Medici Effect”—referring to the remarkable burst of creativity enabled by the Medici banking family in Renaissance Italy. The culmination of three critical factors— the movement of people, the convergence of science, and the leap in computation—are increasing the number and types of intersections we can access today. By stepping into these intersections we enable an exponential increase in the number and types of idea combinations that can occur.

This book is not about the Renaissance, nor is it about the Medici family. Instead it is about the effect they created and how we can do the same in our own lives and organizations. It looks at the process behind this explosion of new ideas and the special challenges we face while executing them. May sound like a simple concept – and it is – but if I have done my job the book will not regurgitate the same idea twice and should be surprising you at almost every turn.

A lot of research went into the development of The Medici Effect since theory plays a very big part of it. I devoured thousands of pages, dating back to the origins of creativity and innovation research. Even more interesting were the many interviews I had with people and teams that operated at the Intersection…

You will learn about the origins of the game Magic, about the connection between violence-prevention and health-care, what termites and groundbreaking architecture have in common, and even about Shakira and Shrek. Explore amazing recipes by one of the world’s most innovative chefs and hang out with one of the world’s most prolific inventors (and you will not have heard of this guy, even though he has most definitely affected your life in many ways). Learn how a diverse team managed to read the mind of monkey, about a fashion designer inspired by the mythical creature called the Chimera and understand the true meaning of the “the Medici Effect”!

You can check out more about the book here: www.themedicieffect.com.

More on other books and the process of writing soon.

As Summer Fades Away...

Summertime is often an opportunity to catch up on books one has been meaning to read for some time. So I did this past summer as well. One such book, Tulipomania by Mike Dash, proved quite intriguing. The writing is perhaps a little bit dry, but the story is quite fascinating. Most of us have, of course, heard about the boom in tulip prices that happened in Holland during the 1630’s, but there has been very little specific information written about it.

It is not your typical business book since it sits at the intersection of history, botany and economics. Still it provides a riveting historical context for what happened duirng the boom days of the Internet-craze. I found it particularly interesting that the tulip craze only truly took off when it become OK for tulip traders to pay for tulip bulbs with other tulip bulbs. It was this specific market-acceptance that paved the way for a mind-boggling escalation in prices since it was easy for one bulb to rise in value by 100% in a short period of time if all you had to do was pay for it with another bulb. This is of course reminiscent of the dotcom days when they only way you could really acquire an Internet company was with stock from another Internet company. It allowed for an explosion in asset values. Of course, in the end, someone is always left holding the bag at the end of the ride. In Tuilpomania this “holding the bag event” is specific and traced to a specific night at a pub…

The Medici Effect

What do goat milk, spiders, and fishing lines have in common? Sea urchins and lollipops? Music records and airlines? Ant behavior and telecommunications routing? Most of us would assume nothing. But out of each of these seemingly random combinations have come radical innovations that have created whole new fields and in ways large or small, changed the world.

Hello – my name is Frans Johansson. First I want to thank Jack and Todd for the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas over this week. Both of them are on vacation and meanwhile I’ll talk about some interesting books, about the process of writing a business book and, of course, a bit about my new book, published by HBS Press: The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures.

The book’s message is that we have the greatest chance of innovating at the intersection of different disciplines or cultures such as those listed above. It looks at why this is, and outlines the special challenges involved in executing intersectional ideas – and how to overcome them. I will post a longer piece about The Medici Effect tomorrow. Meanwhile you can read more about it out at the site: www.themedicieffect.com.

TP and "I'm outa here"

Two more Tom Peters comments are in the excerpt blog today.

As Todd said last week, we are both going to be gone for awhile. He is jet setting already and I start on Sunday. I'll be gone for almost two weeks. We have excerpt posts going everyday while we are gone and an author will be posting next week. Also Tom Ehrenfeld, he of Startup Garden fame, keeps threatening/saying we will post during our absense...So keep visiting.

800CEOREADer and more Tom Peters.

Two more Tom Peters rants are now on the Excerpt Blog.

I don’t know if you know we have another source of unique information about business books and business book authors/thought leaders. It is connected to our ecommerce site and is we called 800CEOREADer, found at www.800ceoreader.com. We have 16 authors featured each month and the archive is really getting fun to look at. Some of the information isn’t all that great—meaning it is almost catalog copy—but some of the information is really loaded with content.. Check it out

One other thing the READer offers is 800CEOREAD's unique daily best seller list.

Fall 2004 Strategy + Business

The new issue of s+b from Booz Allen Hamilton has a great case study on Dell and how they turned around the hurt they felt in late 2000. Books and reading helped CEO Kevin Rollins. Here are the books featured:

Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life by Deal/Kennedy
The New Corporate Cultures: Revitalizing the Workplace after Downsizing, Mergers, and Reengineering by Deal/Kennedy
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
Corporate Culture and Performance by Kotter/Heskett
A Company of Citizens: What the World's First Democracy Teaches Leaders about Creating Great Organizations by Manville/Ober
Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein
The Reengineering Alternative: A Plan for Making Your Current Culture Work by
by William Schneider
Value Shift: Why Companies Must Merge Social and Financial Imperatives to Achieve Superior Performance by Lynn Sharp Payne

As an "authority" on business books, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a better list of books on corporatre culture.

New Excerpt Blog Post

Another Tom Peters post in the Excerpt Blog.

Art of the Start Pitchkit Ships today

Hi Everybody

We got our inventory of Guy's book today and will ship all the books and "sticks" today. We only have a few left of the pitchkits so order soon. Guy Kawasaki and us have created a fun package. Check it out.

Tom Peters--Everything You Need to Know About 'Strategy': A Baker’s Dozen Eternal Verities

I just posted the first excerpt from Tom Peters latest rant. Check it out on our excerpt Blog.

Art of the Start cover

Besides offering one of the most innovative deals in publishing where got can “get a stick of memory and the book, for a great price”, Guy also used the Internet to get a cover for the book. He offered a Canon Digital Rebel as a prize for the design selected. What is really cool is all the cover suggestions are printed on the inside of the dust jacket.

How cool is that!

You can see the contestants on his site.

Happy Labor Day

I find myself laboring this Labor Day. I wanted to give you a little update.

Jack and I will be traveling on and off through the month of September. So, it might be a little quieter than normal here. We have lined up some things to keep you entertained while we are are gone.

Please be sure to check out the Excerpts Blog. Starting next week, we are finally going to run Tom Peter's paper entitled "Everything You Need to Know About 'Strategy': A Baker’s Dozen Eternal Verities". Starting September 20th, we are going to run an excerpt from the Cult of Mac by Leander Kahney.

We will also have our reviewers publishing book reviews. We have a guest host who will be filling in for a time.

When we get back there will be lots to talk about. We will be in the heart of the fall book season.

Talk to you then.

Thank You

Virgil already said it, “audentis Fortuna iuvat” (luck helps those who are audacious).

Well then, does Good Luck, in capital letters, exist?

Plain old good luck is chance; it cannot be controlled. Chance is what happens to those who do nothing to avoid it. On the other hand, Good Luck is what occurs when you create conditions that enable you to achieve what you desire. But how are these conditions created? “Through work”. And what is bad luck? It depends on how you look at it. It can be experienced as a tragedy or as an opportunity to reconsider things in your life, without denying pain or adversity. Bad luck, with time, can turn into Good Luck.

We hope you enjoyed the excerpt from our new book.

One parting thought from Napolean Bonaparte:

"Conditions? What are conditions? I am the conditions?"

And from Woody Allen:

"Ninety percent of success is based simlpy on insisting."

And from us:

How much longer are you going to wait?

Good Luck!

New York Publishers Part 1

Hi Folks,

I made it back.

Looks like I got out just in time.

To decompress from a NYC visit always takes almost as much time as it took during the visit.

A quick recap. I had fifteen appointments during the four days and talked with over 30 publishing types.

The weather was spectacular. I’ll post more specific posts later but for a first pass...I stayed at a REALLY nice hotel, the W in Union Square. I love the Union Square area with the farmers markets and the great park.

An aside, my first morning I had some time to kill before my first appointment and went to the park to read the paper. Most of the benches were full but one was available. I am a lazy traveler and generally pack two suits and some white shirts. I am wearing a dark suit so I make sure the bench is clean before I sat down. As I sat there feeling really good about everything, I watch a squirrel unzip a zipper on a sleeping guy's bag and take an apple. Anyway, this nice lady in a park services uniform comes up to me and says “Sir, you should move because this is the poop bench.” Sure enough, moments after I left a pigeon made a deposit on the bench.

I can tell you that the pipeline of new books looks good. HarperBusiness is repackaging Drucker and bringing out this season a “Daily Drucker” which looks cool. More later.

Name Dropping for Networking Results

Another trait of the people who turn serendipity into success is one that we were admonished not to do: be a name dropper. And yet, those who are willing to risk hearing "no, I never heard of Joe Jones" reap the benefits. The type of name dropping the You Never Know IT Alls' do is not the offensive type that sounds like nothing more than showing off.

It's done to establish a common link. It's more a "do you know who I know" reflexive comment to find a person known to both people, a place both parties have lived or visited or a favorite movie, sport, team or book. The results can be surprising.

When I called the audio club to chat with the woman whom I had met at the Book sellers convention, her successor answered the phone and explained that Christine was on maternity leave. Jennifer was warm, open, interesting and we had a great conversation about the audiobook industry.

Towards the end of the conversation, I took a deep breath because I was about to ask one of "those" questions. "Are you any relation"?" I didn't even have to finish my sentence when Jennifer said, "Yes, he's a second or third cousin." " Wow! he must be a fun relative to have" was my response. "I don't know him my self but I have heard what a nice guy he is," she commented. That impressed me as I like hearing when celebrities are also nice and remember their roots.

Our business conversation took a different turn and our connection was deepened. On my next trip to New York, I met Jennifer and we had a great conversation in person. As a result, she featured my audiobook, What Do I Say Next? in their catalogue with a promo piece on me. It was their topseller that quarter.

Because we liked each other, Jennifer and I stayed in touch even after she left the industry. Last year, I was delighted to attend her wedding in New York. Business creates friends, friends create business. All this (including some nice royalty payments on my audiobook) were the result of my taking the risk and seizing the opportunity to drop a name as it relates to 'relativity'.

BTW, Jennifer's last name was Stallone!