January 2nd. It’s a big day at TPHQ today as “How to be a Productivity Ninja” gets an official (re)release with Icon Books.
As many of you know, the book was originally released as a self-published book in July 2012. Before I released it, I had a couple of conversations with big publishers and wasn’t impressed with what they were telling me or offering me. A year or so later, once the book existed as a real ‘thing’ (!) I was approached by Icon Books, a smaller publisher (who I confess I had never heard of before) and they told me their plans for the book: give it a small edit, give it a stonking new cover, get it into Waterstones, get it into WH Smith, get it around the world.
Well, they’ve done all of that. It’s in shops as of today. I’m super-excited by it reaching a whole new audience.
18 months on from finishing and releasing the original book, I’m still immensely proud of it. It was both one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on, as well as one of the most challenging. I’ve also had amazing feedback from people that it’s changed they way they work, live and think. I still get those emails regularly and each one is as special as the first one I ever got. I’m currently working with Icon on a couple of ideas for follow up books, so watch this space!
For now though, if you’ve read ‘Ninja’ already, please help me spread the word. Add a review to the Amazon page (link below). Tell your friends, find it in bookshops and tweet pictures. Buy them for your work colleagues.
And if you haven’t read it yet, please buy it this week! You can buy it from Amazon here.
It’d be great if we can get it into the top 10 business charts of Amazon, Waterstones and WH Smith, which will encourage them to stock it more… and so on and so on in a virtuous circle of ninja-ness.
Happy 2014!
I have brought fully into the whole concept of Productivity since attending a number of courses late last year. I have the original book, is the new version significantly different or is it just tweaked a little as is outlined above? – Regards Ian
Hi Ian,
Thanks for buying the original! The new one is much the same book: slightly shorter with a ‘crisper’ edit. And we’ve combined the Projects and Meetings chapters that were previously 2 separate ones, cutting out some of the content there. Overall it’s a ‘tighter’ book and I think it reads better.
But to answer your question, no, not significantly different and I wouldn’t encourage you to buy the new one for yourself if you still have the old one – but of course I’d encourage you to spread the word and perhaps buy it as a gift for someone who needs it (tactfully, of course!).
Thanks!
graham
Hi Graham
I am at the organising stage and already know this system is going to be good. I had read getting things done but somehow your book feels more accessible and easier to understand. Thanks for writing such a great book which I have high hopes will help me to manage a small business and young family without feeling so frazzled all the time. All the best for organising the nation!
Hi Graham,
I have so much I want to do and so little time to do it! How do I get everything I want to do done between everything I have to get done? I’ve been focusing on doing the stuff that I think will make me happy and brushing the boring miserable, but essential, stuff under the carpet for too long. The light bulb came on in my head over the Christmas period and I decided that 2014 is going to be my year for becoming super productive. Thankfully I have found your book to get me started on that quest. The book was delivered earlier today and I can’t wait to seriously get stuck in!
Thank you so much for what I believe will be a life saver!
Best regards,
Chris Swain.
Hope so, Chris! Keep us posted on your progress!