I'm putting together a book proposal and some sample content and wanted to do a quick test with this group since many of you would fall into my target market. Please comment if the description and concept are interesting enough that you would pick up the book or be interested in knowing more about the project.<p>Working Title: The Failing Point<p>Subtitle: Hard earned business lessons about what not to do<p>Description
A business book for entrepreneurs and business leaders filled with lessons learned over a career working for some of the greatest companies and leaders, and companies and leaders of whom you’ve never heard. There are many books which attempt to lay out the steps the author thinks you should take to make you a millionaire or an overnight success. This is not that book. This is a set of essays on topics related to getting started, creating a product, building a team, starting a business, raising money, driving revenue, and operating the business. They say you learn the most from your mistakes. If that is true, this book is a trove of learning for the reader. Hopefully the reader can avoid failure and some of the common mistakes I, and many I have known, have made along the way.
There may be other ways to package this knowledge depending upon your goals. Can you structure 10-15 key points as a 45-60 minute talk? How about in an interview format? Are there sample chapters or example content in either <a href="http://bwatson.typepad.com/" rel="nofollow">http://bwatson.typepad.com/</a> or <a href="http://www.manyniches.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.manyniches.com/</a> If you want to do a book the easiest way is to self-publish. The challenge with the title is that--in my experience--entrepreneurs want a "to do" list not a "not to do" list. Although both are very useful.
"Please comment if the description and concept are interesting enough that you would pick up the book..."<p>Sure they are, but that doesn't matter. What matters to me is <i>who</i> tells their story. I'd rather hear about the failures of someone who eventually succeeded that someone who's still struggling.<p>Make it like "Founders at Work" or "How to Get Rich" and you'll do well.