Supporting Those You Like – CTRL ALT Delete Comes Out Next Week

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My new book, CTRL ALT Delete, comes out next week.

It took well-over six months of concentrated effort to write my second book, CTRL ALT Delete, which comes out on May 21st, 2013. The thing is this: you would have never known it or felt it. In that time, I didn’t miss a client meeting for Twist Image or alter my responsibilities at the agency. On top of that, I continued to blog daily, write my weekly contributions to both the Huffington Post and Harvard Business Review and a weekly audio podcast. It was (not so simply) added on to my already rigorous work load. But, here’s the thing: it was pleasurable. Pleasurable in the same way that you went to a movie that you adored or falling asleep on the couch after a long day’s work.

Here’s the dirty little secret about writing a book…

The hard part is not finding a literary agent. The hard part is not finding a publisher. The hard part is not writing it. The hard part is selling it. The hardest part is convincing you (and people who don’t know me) that CTRL ALT Delete will be worthy of the time needed to read it. I am thankful that there is a large community of connected people who are willing to share the content that I create, but when push comes to shove and money has to exchange hands, it gets tougher. Recently, I had a conversation with Nilofer Merchant on the eve of her releasing 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era. She was commenting on how little people know when it comes to supporting an author… and she is right. It’s not clear.

Tweets are not enough.

With that, there have been instances where individuals have offered to tweet about or post to Facebook and – the truth is – that there is nothing as amazing as the kindness of people that I hardly know. But, we live in an amazingly dense world of information now. So many tweets, blog posts, podcasts, YouTube videos, social media exchanges and more, that it’s hard to get anyone to notice – beyond a tweet – about things like a new business book. And those tweets last but for a fleeting moment… and that’s only if the people these individuals are connected to are actually looking at their Twitter stream.

What’s next?

Beyond giving you something for free or running another contest, I am hopeful that you will help me out by simply buying the book. If you have the means, perhaps you can buy multiple copies and give them away to the people you think might most benefit from the content. And, if you’re able, perhaps invite me to speak at your organization or event. While I love to blog, write columns and record podcasts, books are the white space that allow me to take a lot of the divergent and off-the-cuff concepts you have found here, pull them together into a larger and more cogent thought, and truly deep-dive into just how much business has fundamentally changed (and what you need to do to be viable in this new environment).

Yes, there are many way to support an author.

You can buy books, tweet about it and bring an author over to your business to share the knowledge, but you can also help that author see, find and uncover newer media and business opportunities to share the information. CTRL ALT Delete is a very different book. It will help you uncover the five movements that have changed business forever (that few brands are doing anything about), along with the triggers you need for yourself to ensure that you’re employable within this new dynamic. With all of the influencer outreach, traditional media and PR work that is being done to launch this book next week, I’m also hopeful that you can keep your eyes and ears open to let me know if there’s an opportunity that I may have  missed or should be capitalizing on.

I think you will love the book.

I am hopeful that you will buy it, recommend it, review it and share it. I am hopeful that you will help me uncover other opportunities to get the word out. Lastly, thank you. I know that I don’t spend much time in the comments or in the back-and-forth on channels like Twitter or Facebook, but I am reading and constantly appreciative of how these stories and ideas spread. I hope you will come along for another book launch next week and stick around long after that for many more blog postings, columns, podcasts and more.

You can pre-order CTRL ALT Delete, right here:

CTRL ALT Delete – Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It.

6 comments

  1. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in marketing, sales and/or social media. I’ve had the pleasure or reading a pre-release version. It’s very well written and right on time. Mitch Joel expresses a number of fascinating thoughts in a very clear way. His advice on “the one screen” and why you shouldn’t create a mobile version for instance of your website is excellent and of great value.
    If you don’t learn anything from this book, the in my opinion you’re a genius and should have written it yourself. Enjoy the read.

  2. I’m very keen to buy the book Mitch, and it is already out in the UK in hardback, but not on Kindle. Do you know when the Kindle version is coming out since I really only read that way nowadays?
    Thanks, Joanna

  3. Thanks, Joanna… I wish I had control over issues like these, but I do not. I know that my publisher, Hachette Book Group, is doing everything it can to get this done. I’m hopeful it will be available on Kindle. If not, you may want to try Kobo.

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