

How Writing a Book Is Like Starting a Company - andygcook
http://onstartups.com//tabid/3339/bid/79666/8-ways-writing-a-book-is-like-starting-a-company?source=Blog_Email_[8%20Ways%20Writing%20a%20Boo]

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spatten
Nice article. At first, I thought it would be more similar to our manifesto on
Leanpub: <http://leanpub.com/manifesto>.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a new take on the concept. It's a nice
complement.

For comparison, the points from the Leanpub manifesto are:

1\. There are market risks, technical risks and a very low probability of
success.

2\. Both writing a book and creating a startup are highly creative processes
undertaken by one or a few people working closely together.

3\. Historically it has taken about a year, often spent in isolation or
"stealth mode", to develop and release the first version.

4\. Historically, startups have been funded by VCs and authors have been
funded by publishers, both of which are hit-driven businesses.

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danmaz74
The book looks interesting and I considered buying it, but then I discovered
that the Kindle edition is more expensive than the hardcover. When it is like
this, I feel cheated (to say the least). So, I'm sorry, but I'll not buy it.
Too bad.

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jasonlbaptiste
wait, where did you see this? kindle is 12.99 and hardcover is 16.95. Maybe
international edition? Let me know so I can have the publisher look into this.

In the meantime, email me - j@onswipe.com. I'd like to send you a copy for
free.

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danmaz74
Hm... yes, I'm from Italy. Didn't even think I would see different prices just
because of that; the prices I see are 16.95 for the hardcover, and 19.38 for
the Kindle edition (on amazon.com, and I see the same prices even if I'm
signed out). If this is Amazon's doing, I apologize with you, and shame on
Amazon! And thank you for the free copy offer, but I don't want to take
advantage of this ;)

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joshkaufman
I've read the pre-press galley: it's a solid, useful book. As I mentioned in
my official blurb, the chapters on PR and fundraising alone are worth the
read. Tons of good advice, illustrated with clear examples. Highly
recommended.

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jasonlbaptiste
thanks Josh!

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seancoughlin
One important difference that the author doesn't mention is that after a
start-up launch you're still going to be testing hypothesis, making
improvements/ changes/ pivots such that your product 6 months after launch
might not look anything like your product at launch. With a book, you might
add more to a new edition, but the product is more or less set after post-
release.

Still, I think it's an interesting post - especially about how writers can
learn from iterative/ lean methods. Thanks for sharing!

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moped
As someone who's working on a non-fiction travel memoir (and tried my hand at
a startup), I'd agree with the author.

Another comparison not mentioned-- many writers who attempt to write a book
fail.. whether it's actually completing the 1st draft, finding a publisher, or
gaining traction once launched. Kinda reminds me of a pg talk, where he argues
that startups fail by default, and it's our goal is to avoid dying at each
milestone.

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jasonlbaptiste
Great point! Even once published, odds of success are low. You're funded aka
have an advance, but the odds you deliver a return are low, just like
startups+VCs.

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boopsie
After I wrote my first book, I was told, "Live on the advance. Go to Hawaii on
the royalties." By which the speaker meant, "Don't count on success."

I dare say there is a complement in startups.

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andygcook
@Jason - Did you get any feedback from readers as you wrote the book? Or did
you mainly retool articles from your blog and use the comments as feedback?

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jasonlbaptiste
Completely new material. I took a case study method as opposed to a tried+true
methodology.

What I did was understand what readers wanted from my blog posts and took that
into account. I basically just wrote everything I wish I could have told
myself 5 years ago.

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joejohnson
For both a book and a startup, ideas are cheap. The real value is in the
implementation.

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jasonlbaptiste
Yup. I already have my next book fairly well outlined. The key is - will I
write it?

