Things I Know About Writing A Book, Part 1

With my book releasing (very) soon, I thought I’d share with you some thoughts and reflections about the book writing and releasing process.

My  new book, Igniting the Invisible Tribe: Designing An Organization That Doesn’t Suck, (go here to sign up for a release notification) initially grew out of a project I did for grad school back in the early parts of 2009.

In my cohort, we didn’t have to do a “thesis” but we did have to do a “project.” Most of my classmates created some kind of organizationally driven program, but I was in the process of leaving a nonprofit and joining a consulting practice, so it seemed to make more sense to focus on something a bit more concrete than the shifting sands of my job.

I originally started my research by delving into the impact of multiple generations in the workplace and the troublesome effect this seemed to be having on teamwork, collaboration, communication, etc.

I quickly discovered, however, that whatever “the problem” with work was, it was much bigger than a generational one.

SO… my book did its first “pivot” and the scope of my research exploded with the reach of a nuclear bomb.

If generations weren’t the problem, what was?

I dug in, and held on for dear life.

My book would go on to do several more of these “rotations” throughout the last three and a half years as I continually narrowed down the “big point” of what I was trying to say.

LESSON #1: Your book will likely change (dramatically) in scope, purpose, and target audience — potentially multiple times — through the process of writing. This is normal. Go with it. And keep writing.

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P.S. Here are the other things I know about writing a book: Part 2 & Part 3.

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