Acknowledgments
To say I am rich with love is an understatement. None gets to the finish line alone. I am honored and grateful for the many people who have helped make this book happen: a ten-year journey filled with laughter, awakening, and love. Thank you.
Derek Lewis: I truly could not have done this without you. I am so, so grateful for your time, thoughtfulness, and dedication to creating a book I am proud to share with my fellow disrupters.
“Writing a book takes a village. When we researched potential ghostwriters, we evaluated capability as well as fit with our team. Derek proved to be the perfect choice. The process of writing the book challenged us to refine our concepts so that they could stand up to public scrutiny. This forced us to re-write some of our training curriculum, which has had a positive impact on our business. We would work with Derek again in a heartbeat.”
– David O’Neil, founder of the CPG consultancy Delta Associates
“I’ve found Derek’s professional opinion on business manuscripts to be spot-on. He knows what’s right and what’s wrong, able to put his finger on exactly what a book needs to be great.”
– Nathan Martin, Publisher of Sound Wisdom
Derek, I had an amazing experience working with you. When we started the project, we did not really know exactly what we wanted or how to put it on paper. You helped us to not only reveal what we were looking for but to also understand and find our reader.
You wrote our thoughts in a unique way and, as we realized later, the only way that we would have liked them to be written. It was an honor to work with you. Thank you for our amazing book The 5-Minute Economist!
– Dr. Vadim Khramov
Vice President for Global Research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
former economic advisor to the executive director of the International Monetary Fund
co-author of The 5-Minute Economist
As a first-time author of a full-length book, I had a lot to learn about the process. As someone who had been writing feature-length pieces for years, and worked in student journalism during my college years, I thought that putting together a complete business book would simply be a longer exercise on something I already knew how to do. Boy, was I wrong.
After working on it for about three months, I knew I was going to need help in order to finish the book on time while also performing my day job as a CEO. Besides, you can’t edit yourself, and I knew I would need an independent eye to review my raw output and help me see the forest for the trees.
I was fortunate to have secured a contract before I began writing my book based on the strength of a proposal I had written for the publisher. I had a detailed table of contents, and I thought that I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.
I was only half right.
I know my subject matter cold, but Derek completely redirected the way I would convey that knowledge to my readers. Left to my own devices, I would have cranked out a fairly dry tome, more in the style of a textbook or reference work than a story with a narrative arc that pulled the reader along and rewarded his interest. Early in the process, Derek redirected me to be a storyteller rather than a technical writer. His “one reader” methodology was invaluable in forcing me to focus my message on a single idealized reader. Without it, the book would have had more a more diffuse shotgun approach that tried to be all tings to all readers, which naturally doesn’t work.
Derek is a deft editor and an invaluable sounding board. Even though the subject matter of my book was fairly technical and very much an industry insider’s take on physical security, Derek found his way into the material and was quickly able to discern the essential from peripheral. I mourned some of his editorial cuts, but they added much clarity and strength to the final product.
I also have to recommend Derek’s The Business Book Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Write a Great Business Book. It’s valuable on its own as a guide to the most important questions you will face as a business book author, but it’s even better as a companion to actually working with Derek on a real project.
Derek is a pleasure to work with, and an excellent collaborator.
– Steven Van Till
Founder, President, and CEO of Brivo
Chairman of the Security Industry Association Standards Committee
author of The Five Technological Forces Disrupting Security
When I finished the first draft of my book, I wasn’t sure if my message was clear enough. Derek guided me on how to focus the book, what character it should have, and how the book should flow. His book The Business Book Bible complemented his coaching sessions to add great value to my work. Derek’s expertise in business books showed in his practical advice: Chapter layouts, possible subtitles and stylistic elements.
The end result: Fantastic reviews from industry leaders, bestselling authors, and offers from five publishers. Golden Stripes is a book I am proud of. If you believe you have a book in you—talk to Derek!
– Captain V.S. Parani
Executive at MSC Mediterranean Shipping
author of Golden Stripes: Leadership on the High Seas
As the author of five business books, I sure wish I had read this one earlier in my career. It would’ve saved me a lot of time, headache, stress, and money. Derek Lewis has done an incredible job of laying out exactly what you need to do in order to write a successful business. I give The Business Book Bible my highest recommendation.
I know without a doubt that, every time I work on a project with Derek, I’m going to come away with something I can use in my own business. He’s intelligent, personable, knowledgeable, and very skilled with words. Just being around him forces me to improve my own abilities so that I don’t feel like I’m completely embarrassing myself. He specializes in making the technical and complex so easy to understand that you don’t realize why it wasn’t obvious to you all along.
Job well done. It looks tremendous—beautiful!
I’ve found Derek’s professional opinion on business manuscripts to be spot-on. He knows what’s right and what’s wrong, able to put his finger on exactly what a book needs to be great.
No one tells you how hard it is to write a business book. Luckily, Derek”s Bible makes it easier—much easier.
This excellent book demonstrates why Derek Lewis is a highly trusted authority in the area of crafting powerful, effective business books.
Derek Lewis’s The Business Book Bible is by far the most comprehensive book I have ever seen on the nuts and bolts of writing a business book. If you’re planning to write a business book, then you would do well to read this book first.
Business writing requires unique skills, and a deep understanding about what the targeted readers expect and need. Derek Lewis’s lucid roadmap and philosophy go way beyond the obvious, and will help writers achieve higher levels of success and satisfaction.
A dedicated and professional ghostwriter, Derek Lewis brings energy, enthusiasm, a deep well of knowledge and ability, and an even deeper desire to ‘make it work’ to any job. I wholly endorse his editorial services, his industry guidance, and his business ethics.