1. What
motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience
and turning it into this book? I have been working in change
management for many years (since the 1980s in fact) and I have found it
frustrating that despite a whole industry being in place (around consultancy,
training, books, etc) change is still implemented poorly. For example: implemented late, over budget,
not meeting requirements, etc. Therefore, my motivation to write this book was
to write a book of pragmatic and usable hint-and-tips, based on my personal
experiences (both good and bad), that people and organizations can use to help
improve their record of implementing change.
2. What
is it about and who is it for? Firstly, the book is aimed at change
managers, project managers, and programme managers who are trying to implement
change and projects. Despite working
long hours and being dedicated, these people are experiencing a constant
barrage of problems which is hindering their projects. Therefore, this book lists many common
problems with solutions which these people should be able to use immediately.
Secondly, it would also be useful for students studying change and project
management. Thirdly the book would be useful for aspiring change and project
managers who want to understand the challenges that they could expect. Finally,
it would be useful for senior executives to understand the problems they (and
their staff) could experience with implementing change or projects.
3. What
takeaways might the reader be left with after reading it? I want to get across that change and
project management is challenging but it is critical to an organization’s
survival and despite a steady stream of issues, it is possible to execute
change very successfully. Project Management can be compared to a
marathon. It is hard work and fulfilling
but one needs to be proactive, determined and persistent.
4. How
did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? To be honest, when I started to write
the book, I had no idea what the cover would look like. I wanted something that
was not too serious (to avoid an immediate turnoff) or too jokey (so it is not
taken seriously). Therefore, after several discussions and brainstorming
sessions and my publisher, we eventually agreed on the current cover. I must admit I liked the cover.
Firstly,
it is eye-catching, and has a good balance between being fun and being
serious. Secondly, I also particularly
like the interaction between the human and robot hand. It reminds me of both the Sistine Chapel
ceiling and one of my favourite TV shows from the 80s the logo from the Southbank
show
5. What
advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? I guess I could probably provide four
areas of wisdom and advice. The first is to find a subject area that you are
interested in and find motivating.
Writing a book (while enjoyable) is a marathon. There will be many
challenges (such as writer's block, demotivation and tiredness) and having a
subject that you like and find motivating will help you keep moving forward in
these ‘dark times’. Secondly, work out the structure of the book at the
start. For example, what are the key
themes? key chapters? and so on? Do not immediately dive into writing without
any pre-thought, otherwise you will make mistakes which will require a large
amount of rework. Thirdly, build a writing plan (especially if there are other
major demands on your time) to complete the book. This includes the initial draft as well as
reviews and any updates after this.
This structure will provide control and helps monitor progress. Finally,
make use of all the technology available. There are many good tools around and
I personally like Grammarly and Otter-AI. Learn to use these tools because they
do save a large amount of time
6. What
trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book
publishing industry is heading? I have been an avid book reader since
the 1980s, which is long before eBooks were even an idea. Audiobooks did exist at that time but they
were distributed on physical cassette tapes Despite, a large number of opinions
to the contrary, books will continue to be popular because people still like
reading and gaining knowledge.
Although,
I believe that audiobooks’ and eBooks’ market share will continue to grow to
the disadvantage of physical books. This
will be especially noticeable among the younger generations who are more ‘at
ease’ with newer technology that audiobooks and eBooks are based upon. Although physical books will still be popular
with the older generations.
However,
this means over time as the younger generations become the older generations
then physical books could either start to disappear completely or become a
niche area like vinyl records for music.
Finally, with the growth of eBooks and audiobooks, then their
distribution will be dominated by three or four major firms. This means that
physical stores (especially the smaller ones) will either need to reinvent
themselves or they will disappear. Also, it could mean that these large
distributors will only focus on the more popular books that they can sell
easily which will mean less opportunity for any niche or non-mainstream books.
7. What
challenges did you overcome to write this book? I had three main challenges. The
first challenge was to ensure that the book was not too long. I wanted the book
to feel like a checklist where people could dip in and dip out as required, and
I felt if the book was too long people would find this hard to do. Therefore, the text had to be concise and
focused.
Secondly,
in addition to being an author, I work as a consultant, lecturer, and mentor,
which means my diary can be very busy (albeit mostly in a nice way). Therefore, I needed to ensure that I had good
time management which meant I had to create a plan and allocate dedicated time
each week to focus on the book. Finally, once the book was written, I needed to
ensure it was publicized effectively. Therefore, I needed to know my audience
and employ an excellent publisher.
8. How
would you describe your writing style? I suppose because the book is based
on my own experiences then my writing style is very reflective. For example, what have I done in the past?
what went wrong? what went right? And
therefore, what would I have done differently looking back? This reflective
writing helped generate the basis for the book which is a series of hints and
tips for implementing change more successfully.
9. If
people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? The only real constant in society is
change. This could be planned change (such as new products) or unplanned change
such as coping with COVID-19 or the war in Ukraine).
If
society cannot cope with implemented change successfully then we're all
doomed. Therefore, everybody needs good
change management skills, and this book provides an essential aid for
this.
For
more information, please see: https://www.paultaylor.associates/
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning
blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available
to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He
has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in
all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
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Brian Feinblum should be followed on
Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured
in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.
This award-winning blog has generated over 3.2 million pageviews. With 4,400+
posts over the past decade, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs
by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and
recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing
blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For
the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the
nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth,
Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey
Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne,
Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA,
Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers
Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors
and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published
in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News,
Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The
Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami
Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.
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