Product Description

How do you know whether a hot technology will succeed or fail? Or where the next big idea will come from? The best answers come not from the popular myths we tell about innovation, but instead from time-tested truths that explain how we've made it this far. This book shows the way. In "The Myths of Innovation", bestselling author Scott Berkun takes a careful look at innovation history, including the software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become successful innovations - truths that people can apply to today's challenges. Using dozens of examples from the history of technology, business, and the arts, you'll learn how to convert the knowledge you have into ideas that can change the world, such as: why all innovation is a collaborative process; how innovation depends on persuasion; why problems are more important than solutions; how the good innovation is the enemy of the great; and, why the biggest challenge is knowing when it's good enough. "For centuries before Google, MIT, and IDEO, modern hotbeds of innovation, we struggled to explain any kind of creation, from the universe itself to the multitudes of ideas around us. While we can make atomic bombs, and dry-clean silk ties, we still don't have satisfying answers for simple questions like: Where do songs come from? Are there an infinite variety of possible kinds of cheese? How did Shakespeare and Stephen King invent so much, while we're satisfied watching sitcom reruns? Our popular answers have been unconvincing, enabling misleading, fantasy-laden myths to grow strong." - Scott Berkun, from the text.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155915 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
"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 to change the world unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation happens." - Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to read it's totally great." - John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox, and Director, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); current Chief of Confusion

Lifehacker.com, August 2007
The Myths of Innovation is a must-read for creative types searching for their muse--and anyone who want to understand more about the world we live in

LondonBookReview.com, August 2007
an entertaining and thought-provoking read, ideal for that plane journey, stop-over or a just as a quick holiday read.

Customer Reviews

fascinating

I really enjoyed this book. Scott has a great writing style - friendly and informative, well suited to the task in hand. What could have been a dull history of innovation has been turned into a short, punchy work. He manages to pack a great deal into the 192 pages; examples of how innovation works, where innovation comes from, and debunks several popular myths of innovation, pointing out that whilst there is a 'eureka' moment, there's a whole lot of hard work which lead up to it in the first place.

I read this book on a train journey, and found myself picking back through it on the return journey. It's jam-packed with interesting anecdotes and information. Inspirational too - it put the idea of writing and where ideas come from in a new light.

Recommended reading. Top stuff.

A quick but utterly absorbing read
In the Myths of innovation Scott Berkun analysis the what works and doesn't work in creating innovative products.

He looks at the Myths that surround innovation and breaks the process down to a pragmatic guide to creating the space to be a more productive innovator. Written in a relaxed style you'll plough though the book in no time at all, and come away inspired.

Anyone who want to go further in software/product/web design should read this book.

Also, don't forget to read the Colophon as with all of Scott's writing it's a treat.

This was nothing new under the sun
Mr Berkun writes nice English to read. Too bad that the contents was not in the level of writing. The book states it is hard work to come up with good idea and that even good idea might not sell or comes out to be Frankenstein. Final chapter was embarrassing, it looked like amateur philosophers text about ethics. I wonder was it editor who had out lined this book to be something between theoretical and practical and ending up not be neither. When Mr Berkun finally fills his bookshelf I am quite sure this book is not the one which will be remembered as a master piece.