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The Myths of Innovation--New from O'Reilly

Press release: August 18, 2010

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Sebastopol, CA—In this new paperback edition of the classic bestseller The Myths of Innovation (O'Reilly Media, $17.99 USD), you'll be taken on a hilarious, fast-paced ride through the history of ideas. Author Scott Berkun will show you how to transcend the false stories that many business experts, scientists, and much of pop culture foolishly use to guide their thinking about how ideas change the world.

"Innovation is simple if you stop thinking about it in the broken, false, but popular ways others do, and the book is a great guide," says Berkun. "It's been so popular because it makes the surprising truth about how great things happen fun and inspiring, as well as easy to apply at work as soon as you put the book down."

The new paperback includes four new chapters on finding ideas and putting them to work, updated references, new stories, and stronger evidence than ever that there's a better way to think about how progress happens in the world.

You'll have fun while you learn:

  • Where ideas come from
  • The true history of history
  • Why most people don't like ideas
  • How great managers make ideas thrive
  • The importance of problem finding
  • The simple plan (new for paperback)

Since its initial publication, The Myths of Innovation has been discussed on NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, and at Yale University, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Amazon.com, and other major media, corporations, and universities around the world. It has changed the way thousands of leaders and creators understand the world. Now in an updated and expanded paperback edition, it's a fantastic time to explore or rediscover this powerful view of the world of ideas.

Praise for the first edition:
"The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and eye-opening, but it sure isn't what most of us have come to believe. With this book, Berkun sets us free to try and change the world."
—Guy Kawasaki, Author of The Art of The Start

"Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about innovation."
—Don Norman, author of Design of Everyday Things

"Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to read. It's totally great."
—John Seely Brown, Former Director, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)

"Methodically and entertainingly dismantling the cliches that surround the process of innovation."
—Scott Rosenberg, author of Dreaming in Code; cofounder of Salon.com

"Will inspire you to come up with breakthrough ideas of your own."
—Alan Cooper, Father of Visual Basic and author of The Inmates are Running the Asylum

"Brimming with insights and historical examples, Berkun's book not only debunks widely held myths about innovation, it also points the ways toward making your new ideas stick."
—Tom Kelley, GM, IDEO; author of The Ten Faces of Innovation

For a review copy or more information please email peyton@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.

You might also be interested in reviewing Scott's recent book, Confessions of a Public Speaker, a hilarious and highly practical book for anyone who talks and expects someone to listen.

Scott Berkun (@berkun) is the best-selling author of Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation, and Confessions of a Public Speaker. His work as a writer and public speaker have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, and other media. He has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington and has been a regular commentator on CNBC, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. His many popular essays and entertaining lectures can be found for free on his blog at scottberkun.com.

Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including sample content, full table of contents, author bio, and cover graphic, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0636920013464.


The Myths of Innovation The Myths of Innovation
Scott Berkun
ISBN: 978-1-4493-8962-8, 256 pages
Book Price: $17.99 USD, Ebook Price: $14.99 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
Request review copy
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About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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