Poke the Writer's Box

There's been a lot of hype about Seth Godin's book Poke the Box. I gave it a whirl and found it a fast and fun read. Motivational books are often left open to interpretation and I read this from a writer's perspective.

The main theme of this book is bravery. Don't be afraid to try things, to start things, to shake things up - in other words poke the box. My dad's an entrepreneur by nature, so my childhood reading included books like Dale Carnegie's How to Make Friends and Influence People and Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (you can get the Kindle version for under a dollar). They had their own cult followings, this book will be like that. The trick is, it pushes you to act, but is ambiguous enough that everyone can relate to it. Dad would like this book, but maybe because the little man on the cover looks like he might be a distant relative of a Queensland favourite; the XXXX factory headquarters is just around the corner from my Dad's and they still sport their 1960s logo:

There are no secret instructions to success. You won't find them in this book either, but Godin points out, that's not the point of the book. You have to stop waiting for instructions - you need to GO, you need to START SOMETHING. And if it doesn't work? START SOMETHING else, and something else. Always be starting. Godin tells us, don't wait to be picked - PICK YOURSELF.

Writers feeling uncertain about putting their work out there, or considering self-publishing would get a LOT out of this book. Godin has been known to encourage writers to take a risk with their work. This book is part of a self-publishing project, you can learn more by visiting:

The Domino Project

Or, visit Seth's Blog

You might also like Brainwashed -a free ebook about re-inventing yourself.

Now I'm reading Save the Cat

Have you read Poke the Box? Got another Seth Godin book you love? Let me know!