The one that is of relevance to this blog revolved around the concerns expressed in the course of the Australian Society of Authors Congress which was held in Sydney last month. Like the music industry, the book industry is in a state of some uncertainty with regard to what the future holds in relation to authors' livelihoods. This is because of apparent diminishing p-book sales, variable e-book sales, and the looming take-up of the industry by large and powerful companies which are making what they see as good business decisions. They probably are good decisions in the shorter term, but what happens if the writers stop writing?
It won't happen, of course. Writers, being the peculiar people that we are, will continue to write, but the practicalities of earning enough to be able to eat, support our families, and pay the bills does tend to steal time away from our primary activity, which is likely to impact on the quality of what we are able to produce.
The long and short of it is that writers, like anyone else, need to be able to become somewhat entrepreneurial, if they are to survive. While many of us have spent the better part of our lives writing, honing that skill, not so many have invested time and passion into learning the skills of entrepreneurial success. This is where Author, Matthew Michalewicz's excellent book comes in.
I hesitate to call this a self-help book, because although it is eminently readable and practical, its scope is a little wider than the genre label might suggest. The author's personal philosophy shines through as he reveals his take on the all-important question of creating meaning in life, and the great satisfaction of not merely entertaining dreams, but actually realising them. It seems that we might even exceed our most dearly held goals, given the right attitude of mind, skills and work ethic.
This very readable book tracks through actions for achieving any goal that the reader might have, whatever that might be - whether it is to develop a successful business, write a book, write a very good book, become a body-builder, or start a successful charity to address a benevolent cause that is dear to your heart. While Michalewicz doesn't claim particular originality with regard to the ideas contained between the covers, he writes that he has used the approach in each of his business ventures.
The author has the credentials to write this book with some credibility, having achieved considerable success in a range of different endeavours. I don't suppose he was obliged to write this book to make his fortune, but in sharing his process, others might learn the techniques that have worked so well for him.
Michalewicz uses the metaphor of five doors one passes through, in order to achieve what it is that they wish to achieve, and at the end of each chapter details specific actions that guide the reader towards attainment of the goal. The book includes footnotes relating to the research supporting the writer's particular claims, and although these are interesting, they are possibly not essential to the text given the author's expertise in the area.
According to the information about the author at the end of the book, Matthew Michalewicz 'is an international expert in entrepreneurship, innovation, and success psychology'. He 'has a track record of starting businesses from scratch and selling them for tens of millions of dollars'. He has written a number of other books including Winning Credibility, Puzzle-Based Learning, and Adaptive Business Intelligence. At the time of the book being published he was lecturing at the University of Adelaide as a Visiting Fellow on the subject of technology commercialisation. A link to his website is included here.
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