The Business Model Innovation Factory
Friday, March 16, 2012
Woohoo! The Business Model Innovation Factory is off to the printer and will be published on April 24th. You can learn more about the book and even download the intro for free at www.bmifbook.com. I am so glad that the writing part is done and the fun part of putting the ideas out in traffic, improving on them through active conversation and applying them in the real world can soon begin. I can’t wait. The writing part took the better part of a year and gave me newfound respect for those who have authored several books and make a living by writing them. Not me. One and done. I did it because writing a book was on my bucket list and I wanted to share my point of view that R&D for new business models is the new strategic imperative for all leaders. I never actually thought I would do it and probably still wouldn’t have if Richard Narramore, Senior Editor at John Wiley & Sons, hadn’t called and asked me to. Of course Richard offering an advance and a contract complete with publication dates didn’t hurt. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I agreed.
65,000 words and 200 pages may not sound like a lot but believe me it is! Especially when you have become accustomed to writing 140 character tweets and 700 word blog posts and columns. Writing a book has totally screwed up my writing habits. I love to write and before taking on this book project I was in the groove of writing regular blog posts and columns. I managed to continue to write a steady stream of snarky tweets but had to devote all of my blog and column writing time to the book if I was going to meet my deadlines. The only posts I could muster this past year were all earmarked directly to be included in the book. In fact blogging proved to be a great test market for ideas. I am so glad the book manuscript is now finished so I can get back to blogging and writing columns on whatever topics interest, humor and inspire this innovation junkie. It is probably presumptuous to think any of you who subscribe to my blog or like reading my columns even noticed that I was in book-writing prison. I appreciate your patience if you noticed!
Now that the manuscript is put to bed I am glad I put myself through the process of writing a book. Although while living through it I’m sure my family can attest to many groans coming through the closed door of my home office. Writing a book is something everyone should do at least once! As a classic procrastinator it was an important personal development exercise in self-discipline. I had to set word count goals for myself in order to meet deadlines. I had to lock myself in my home office and forget any romantic notion about the ebbs and flows of creative juices. I had to just sit at the computer and force myself to put initial ideas down on paper. It was real work, I hate to say it but almost like a job, to make sure I was achieving my word count goals and staying on track. Once the words were cranked out and at least something was on the page, editing and improving was an ongoing iterative process. I have read the manuscript so many times I can’t see straight. Please, I beg of you, if you find a typo in the book, have a heart and don’t point it out to me!
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAm I the only one who thinks it is ironic that the book industry is being disrupted to smithereens just as my book on business model innovation is about to be published? In the time I have been writing my book, Borders has gone out of business, Amazon has launched its own publishing platforms bypassing traditional publishers and for the first time the total on-line sales of e-books has surpassed the total sales of printed books. The book industry will never be the same. I can’t think of an industry more in need of a business model innovation factory, a sandbox to explore and test new ways to create, deliver and capture value. The truth is every industry, organization, community and leader needs a business model innovation factory. I am looking forward to debating and putting the ideas in my book to work. I am also looking forward to getting back to regular blogging. 700 words is a piece of cake!
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