Wow. What a month it’s been for me.
The team at Radian6 is growing like crazy, and we have exciting initiatives on our plate.
This blog relaunched just two days ago as Brass Tack Thinking, and I’m super excited about not just this incredible collaboration with Tamsen, but the long-term possibilities of the Brass Tack Thinking platform.
And now, I’m excited to share with all of you yet another announcement that has me so excited I can hardly stand it.
I’m beyond honored and exhilarated to be co-authoring a book with my friend and respected colleague, Jay Baer. If you don’t know Jay already, he’s the owner of Convince and Convert, an awesome (and busy!) social media and digital strategy consultancy, and author of the popular blog by the same name.
We’ve secured a publishing contract with the great folks over at Wiley & Sons (thanks, Shannon!), and we’ll be spending our summer with our faces down, writing and writing and writing. As of right now, the book is slated to be released in February 2011, just in time for the madness that is SXSW Interactive. So for those of you who have been needling Jay or me about the book thing, you can hush now. It’s happening.
And like Forrest and Jenny, Jay and I kinda go together like peas and carrots. With attitudes, maybe, but we’re good together. Promise. Even if he’s Forrest and I don’t have blond hair.
What’s it about, for crying out loud?
Our book is all about delivering new blueprints for what business looks like in a real-time world, from the inside. What do new expectations for response, engagement, and interaction mean for your culture, hiring, communications, planning?
This isn’t a book about how to do social media marketing. It’s a book about the new demands placed on businesses because of the web and social media, and frameworks for how to adapt to them. We’ve evolved in response to nearly every business revolution to date, except this one, perhaps one of the more transformative we’ve seen. And it’s time.
We’re focused on the every-business. Not the mega-conglomerates, not the massive internationals, not even the Fortune 100 (though they might learn something, too). We’re talking to small business. Mid-sized business. Non-profits. Associations. Agencies. The ones you can see yourselves in, or that you might experience every day.
We’ll be sharing a bit of why, plenty of how, and stories of companies who are figuring it out.
And the project will come complete with a slightly different take on a Facebook page (stay tuned), bonus content, certain shenanigans, lots of interaction and feedback from you, and we hope a whole bunch of learning and fun along the way.
Here’s where you come in…
Jay and I have been wrestling over the title. Not literally – yet – but we’re chewing on this big time. And we have smart, savvy, and business-minded people right here. So, weigh in, won’t you?
Please take a moment and tell us which title you think embodies this book best, characterizes and illustrates the problem we’re trying to help businesses solve. None of them? How about an idea of your own? And please ask your friends to share, too. The more voices, the better insights we’ll have.
[polldaddy poll=3328571]
Here goes nothing…
So, I’ve buckled my seatbelt and tuned up my keyboard. I’ve already been writing like mad and so has Jay, and I get more excited with every completed paragraph.
Many thanks to Jay for working with me on this project, which is really a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to share the book with all of you, and thank YOU all for being so much of what’s made this possible. I most definitely would not be here were it not for the community that’s come together right here.
So, onward! It’s Friday. And I have writing to do.
Wow – congratulations on the big news! Love the concept, it reminds me of why I love Avinash's book Web Analytics 2.0 so much – he takes complicated concepts and makes them down-to-earth and actionable for the common person.
thanks.
-Dan
Congratulations Amber! I am sure it will be awesome. 🙂
Congratulations – this is a big accomplishment!
Congrats. Jay is awesome. You two will create new things that business needs.
Dean Holmes
Congratulations. That's exciting. I'm very curious to see what you both produce.
Ok, I'm calling you Jenny from now on. 🙂 Congrats on the new blog collab with Tamsen and the book deal with the Jay-man.
Wow, so many wonderful and exciting collaborations. You ladies inspire, challenge, and teach me – thank you for that. Good luck with everything – I look forward to following the journey.
Be well,
Vanessa
Congrats Amber. Writing a book is like Taming a Firehose, but I like Real Time (R)evolution, cause that is what it is. The Expectations Epidemic sounds like a chapter title. 😉
I honestly have the chills. How freaking exciting is this? Nothing makes me happier than seeing smart, kind, super cool people doing something they love. Speaking of love … I love all of the titles. Wish I could rank order them. If I have to pick … FASTER! it is.
I'm virtually toasting to you and Jay continuing to kick ass – in book form.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
I'm so excited for you – Congratulations!! This project sounds significant and I'm looking forward to all you'll share.
Quite a huge task! Great idea! Some words that come to mind: Innovation Invitation; you said Blueprint, how about Biz or Business Blueprint 3.0 or whatever version it is now…why not something related to a map, chart, guide? I love to brainstorm but hate doing it by myself! Have a blast!
Congrats on the book. It sounds like it will be an important resource. Can't wait to read it.
Amber – congrats.
A suggestion for the title – Business At The Speed Of Now
Hope you like – Looking forward to an advanced copy ; )
Glad this news is finally public. You know which title I want and you know I'm proud of you both! Can't wait to read the book.
Congratulations Amber!
Congratulations!
Sounds like its going to be an awesome book! 🙂
Titlewise I think while The Expectation Epidemic (to me) fits best with the content you described, The Real-Time (R)evolution is by far the catchiest title so I would chose that one. It just rolls of the tongue easily and sounds super interesting. 🙂
Have fun writing!!
Hi Jeremy! We thought of something like that but might be a snick close to: http://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Su…
How soon is Now anyway? Some ideas:
Business on the Edge of Now
Leading the Edge of Now
Lead the Edge of Now
Best wishes, and enjoy.
Fantastic Amber! I am really excited for you and can't wait to read your book.
Happy Writing.
That's very much what we're hoping for! Thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks so much, Kami. Appreciate your weighing in!
Thanks, boss. 🙂
He is, isn't he? 🙂 I'm lucky to be working with him.
Thank you! We're going to do our best to make it so. Thanks for the shout.
Thanks Mark! It's kind of surreal, really, because I've wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I always thought it would be novels, but then again, this works too. 🙂
Thanks, Eric! You'll be able to find out more in February, and we'll have lots of discussion and content in the meantime.
Thanks, Vanessa! Really appreciate the support.
You're so funny. 🙂 Thank you so much for being such a great support all this time. And for sharing all the great news. Now then. When is YOUR book happening??
Thank you, Sally. We're thrilled to be working on it, and I'm very excited about where it all can go. Thanks for being here.
Thanks for all the ideas, Joyce. The brainstorming is the hardest part in many ways, but it's quite rewarding when you get rolling.
Thank you, Beth! We just thought that we needed a book about what happens INSIDE business instead of outside for a change. We'll see if we can tackle that monster. 🙂
I do and thank you. 🙂 (We're never of the popular opinion, have you noticed that?). Thank YOU for your neverending support. You know that all the things I want to say are way too much for blog comments. So thanks will have to do for now. 🙂
Thank you, Pia!
Thanks so much. Looks like you're in the majority so far with the title preference. 🙂 I'm finding it really interesting to see which ones people like.
Congratulations!!! This is so exciting for you and Jay! I can't wait for the book to come out because anything from you and Jay will be amazing! Congratulations!
Congrats Amber! forget the month, you've had a phenomenal 2010!
Congratulations! I really like the Real Time (R)evolution. The other titles are clever, too, but for the people who need your book I think it is important to be more clear than clever. I know you and Jay will do a fabulous job with this project.
CONGRATULATIONS to both of you!
Congratulations! 2010 seems to be a fantastic year for many folks.
Titles are one of the most difficult parts of writing, and I wouldn't be afraid to let the choice linger until you're deeper into content of the book.
I also just had to add that the new look of the new site is fantastic! Love the logo, colors and clean feeling. Is that all created by you and Tamsen?
Two of the smartest people I know writing a book together. If you were creating a dinosaur, it would be an Awesomesaurus
Congrats! I look forward to reading it next year!
Kudos on the book deal, the rebrand/relaunch, and on always reinventing yourself. One side effect of The Realtime (R)evolution (oops…did I just reveal my vote?) is that ideas and patterns get old quickly. You've gotta be nimble, versatile, adaptable. Can't wait to see what you guys crank out!
Awesome news, Amber! We'll all definitely benefit from your collaboration with Jay – can't wait!
If someone doesn't make a porn called “Conquer the Firehose” by the end of next week, then we, as social media tastemakers, have failed.
Someone get on that.
Two of my FAVORITE bloggers collaborating on a book — wow! This should be a terrific read. Very excited for you both. Get ready to sweat blood and tears. It's no small feat giving birth to a book, but I'm sure you're up to it. **mad applause**
I voted “FASTER!”, but I think it should be combined with a subtitle. Maybe something like:
FASTER!: Taming The Expectation Epidemic
FASTER!: Conquering The Real Time Revolution
FASTER!: Doing Business While Drinking From The Firehose
FASTER!: Business On The Edge of Now (from ELevenser)
This will be a pre-purchase for me, one way or the other. Unless you pick one of these, in which case, I expect a review copy. LOL.
Good point – I should I have realized that as I have that book sitting on my
bookshelf right next to me.
Whatever the title, I'm sure you and Jay will kill it.
Congrats again
Thanks, Tina! Looking forward to seeing all you guys in a few weeks.
Thanks, Stephanie. We're pretty jazzed about it. Jay is such a blast to work with, and he really challenges me to be better. Which is awesome.
It's been a crazy year, that's for sure. One of these days I'm going to get up there so we can have a beer. Dammit.
Thanks mucho for that. It seems that so far, at least over here, that's the title folks like best. Will be interesting to see if the poll on Jay's site has similar results with a different audience!
Thanks, Lady. I'm expecting celebratory cocktails in Freddy in a few weeks.
Good advice, Emily. Believe it or not, we're nearly through with our first (rough) draft of the entire book, so the timing is good for us to put some thought into it.
And thanks for the thoughts about the site! We've still got a few tweaks to make but we really love it. We had the help of a fab graphic designer to develop the logo itself, and some web dev rockstars help us with the site design and implementation. No way we could have done all that ourselves. 🙂
You're pretty awesome yourself. And I can't wait to pimp YOUR awesome book when it comes out. But we have to fix the “no Chicago on the book tour” thing. I mean seriously. WTF?
Thank you! We're looking forward to seeing it on the shelves (both real and virtual).
Thanks, Scott! Stagnation sucks, right?
Jay is super awesome to collaborate with, that's for sure. Really appreciate your support and encouragement, Sonny. We're overdue for a beer.
You're the multimedia guy. I'm waiting.
Thanks, Connie! It's already been a CRAZY adventure – we've actually written a good bit of the book already – and it's truly a labor of love. But I couldn't be happier, and have a better counterpart for the project. Thanks for your support. 🙂
Thanks, Justin. All the titles will have a subtitle of some kind to go along with them. So no worries there. The subtitle is an important part of describing what's in the book, especially if the title itself is a bit creative. Thanks for weighing in, and we'll keep you posted on that preorder thing… 🙂
Congrats to you and Jay! You guys are the two I've learned the most from since jumping into social media — no lie. “Faster”, like DJ Waldow's, is my vote. It's punchy and I think everyone's been silently uttering the need to do that. Can't wait for the Facebook Page.
Congratulations Amber, that is fantastic news. I eagerly await your book's arrival. Your blog is one of my favorites as I rethink my career once my kids go to school, so I will be picking it up as soon as it is available.
Sounds great! Congrats and “break a finger?!” this summer. I like the Real-Time Revolution and here are a couple of suggestions w/sub-heads (I was on Justin's thought train):
#1 Faster!
Business agility in the real-time revolution
#2 It's About Time
A real-time business blueprint
Thanks,
Nona
Super excited for you, and can't read to see the finished book!
It's gotta kill you Amber that Scott has added the 801 to his #UnBookTour but not Chicago. Maybe The Windy City is not #UnBook enough?
dj
I need to sharpen up my writing skills, but would certainly love to write/co-author a book some day. Never really thought about it actually…
dj
Congratulations on your exciting new endeavor. Your ability to consistently tie social media concepts with bottom line business goals and objectives has made me a long time fan and reader of your blog. I'll be first in line for the book. All the best to you and Jay during the challenging and exhilarating writing process in the months ahead.
Dawn
Congrats! When I took that screen shot for you, I thought you were launching a new site – a rebrand hey!
Just voted on the book name (Real Time Revolution). The taming titles felt like too much of a struggle – like there's something to fight against, overcome whereas a real time revolution might feel big but it's empowering and re-energising.
I agree with what someone said about 2010 being THE year for many people. I'm in the middle of rebranding and growing my blog up as well, and I know many others who are too. Woohoo for us all! 🙂 @TiaSparkles
I'm excited for you! I discovered you through Third Tribe and I look forward to following your adventures.
Wow, congrats. I've posted some comments on Jay's blog as well; but this is great for you and reflective of the bad-ass talent Radian6 has on their payroll. I'm very ecstatic about your continued growth. Your pithy perspective will be one reason why these printed forms of legacy will fly off the bookshelves.
To your success! ::cheers:: ::swigs a shot of Patron::
Best of luck, Amber and Tamsen – can't wait to read the UK edition! Anything I can do to help – just ask.
congrats!!
Glad this news is finally out there — I've been forced to whisper behind your back. (heh.)
I can't wait to get an autographed copy with a side of hugs.
Love ya!
Without a doubt “The Real-Time (R)evolution”!
The legions of Amber and Jay fans, myself included, are thrilled by your news. We look forward to what's sure to be the best business book of 2011. I only hope I make it to next year's sxswi to get my copy autographed :-). Wishing you much continued success…
Ha, @djwaldow, on your reply on Jay's announcement post. I figure these superheroes are going to need at least TWO bumbling assistants tracking their rise to global stardom, so we're both covered (shotgun!). 🙂
How about FASTER!: Timing is Everything. Then again, I don't know the focus of this book entirely.
Who are you callin' a bumbling assistant? Ha. Love that you are moving this “comment conversation” from Jay's blog to here. Classic.
dj
When can I pre-order? 🙂 Congratulations!
Congrats, Amber and Jay! What an exciting venture and a great concept. I look forward to hearing more about it.
I have to say…I don't usually care for a lot of the books that come out of the bubble. This one though…can I pre-order it now?
I've learned so much from both of you to this point. I can't wait to see the amazing stuff you come up with.
Congrats and keep up the great work Amber.
Congratulations – I will look forward to reading and learning.
Congrat, Amber and Jay, looking forward to read the book. My vote goes to: The Real-Time (R)evolution and the Evolution of now.
Many thanks, Tim. Facebook page coming very soon, along with other shenanigans to be sure.
Thanks, PJ. I'm really glad we can be helpful around here, and hope very much you'll keep speaking up about how we can help and what you need.
Have already been typing my face off, so I'm in good condition! 🙂 Thanks for weighing in on the Great Title Debate. Appreciate it!
Thanks, Robin! See you in a canoe in a few weeks…
Thank you, Dawn! That's what we're after. A really practical, down to earth book that helps businesses understand what needs to evolve. We're just not the fancy theory types. 🙂
Yes indeed! It was time to switch things up a bit. It's been kind of a crazy year. And I appreciate the input on the title; I like your rationale. That title seems to be the frontrunner!
Hi Hans – welcome! Looking forward to having you here. The 3T community has been awesome and I'm really glad to be a part of it.
Thanks, Joe! I like “badass”. I can roll with that. 🙂 And I'm really fortunate to be working with Jay, because he's got enough pith for both of us, in spades! Cheers right back at you.
Thanks, Tim. Be sure to keep you posted when the UK version is making its way across the pond.
Thank you much.
This is new? 🙂 Can't wait to give you that copy and find many more excuses to hang out together and get an autographed copy of YOURS. Love ya back.
Thanks for voting…that one seems to be the popular one, for sure. Must have hit a nerve, which is a good thing…
Heather, don't you worry. Whether or not you're at SXSW, there's a signed copy with your name all over it, even if I have to drive it over there personally. Thanks for your support and friendship.
I uh… have no idea. 🙂 I'm guessing in a few months. We'll keep you posted, and thanks for the enthusiasm.
Thank you, Cara! We hope it's going to be something that's different and really useful, the kind of book you can dogear and underline and pass along to colleagues. What we're aiming for, anyway. Appreciate the support.
Thanks for that, David. Really. We didn't want to write “just another” book about social media gobbledy gook. Businesses need real, concrete ideas about what they need to look at inside their own walls, so that's what we're looking at. Hoping it's as useful as we intend!
Thanks, Rick. You've been a long time supporter and I can't thank you for that enough. Will look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Thanks, Ric! Those definitely seem to be the contenders. Thanks so much for weighing in.
Oh, Now it's ON!
Imagine what your next 6 months will look like. 😉
I contributed “Rigging the Main,” but you're going to need a subtitle, perhaps “The Business Plan to Adapt.” This should be a great book.
Really great news Amber (and Jay too). I enjoy reading both of your blogs and find your commentary and insight refreshing (and hugely helpful) so I can't wait for your book to be released. Sending along positive energy from a fellow Chicagoan. May your thoughts be free-flowing.
Amber, this is pretty awesome. Congratulations. I'm looking forward to following your journey. I know so little about what you have been doing, as I only came to know anything about this because of the thread on 3T. But I'm really excited for you and can't wait to hear more.
Sean
Wow Amber – congratulations. Finally a book about doing business in today's world. The world has changed and unfortunately a lot of businesses haven't.
Wow, I go away for a couple of weeks, and you go and change the world on me! Seriously, big congrats on the new collaborations with Tamsen and Jay … I'll keep following, digesting, arguing and coming back for more. Knock 'em dead, Amber!
PS: Your book is right up my alley … can't wait to read it!
You are full of awesome and brilliance and courage. Yes, that too. So not at all surprising that you are authoring a book! So happy for you Amber. You are a true inspiration:)
I kind of like….The (R)evolution in (?) Real-Time……….also congrats, great job!
Just a thought
Chuck Walters
310-384-1803
I kind of like….The (R)evolution in (?) Real-Time……….also congrats, great job!
Just a thought
Chuck Walters
310-384-1803