Book Title Vote

We would like to know more about your opinion on the below book titles. Once the book title is chosen we can start designing the book cover. You can comment here on the forum, but please also vote on the polling page to express your opinion.

Here the titles:
  • The Business Model Bible - a reference guide for entrepreneurs, managers, and consultants
  • Designing Business Models - a practical manual for sketching strategic alternatives
  • Business Model Innovation - a toolkit for designing strategic alternatives

Tags: book, cover, title

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alf Rehn on January 28, 2009 at 1:51pm
Hmm. Don't you think these are too generic, especially for a book that aims to be different and innovative? Personally, the only one of these I like is "Designing Business Models".
Permalink Reply by Steven Devijver on January 28, 2009 at 1:54pm
Yeah, I think these title are too safe.

Steven
Permalink Reply by Jeff De Cagna on January 28, 2009 at 1:54pm
Alex, I really much prefer options two and three. The Business Model Bible doesn't connect with me in the right way. I also think it buries the lead, which is about design. Between the other two, I prefer "Designing Business Models" because it is proactive. If I were doing the title for you, I would suggest the following:

Designing Next Business Models: The 21st Century Leader's Guide to Creating the Future

or something like this. Anyway, that's my two cents. It's very exciting!
Permalink Reply by Guilhem Bertholet on January 28, 2009 at 1:55pm
My 2 cents:

Visual Business Models - design and communicate your innovative business model without bla-bla-bla
Permalink Reply by David Edwards on January 28, 2009 at 1:57pm
A hmm from me too. Very conservative choice - Designing Business Models is the best of a bad choice.
Permalink Reply by paola valeri on January 28, 2009 at 2:12pm
Hi, two other cents... I would suggest avoiding Bibles and other sacred books, better to highlight key words with meaning such as: design, communicate, innovate.
XXI century or future could be a topic but I think that innovation already says a lot to people who are willing to buy and read a book on business model.
Combinations are almost infinite, most important I think is to ensure the two or three key concept are clearly expressed, for instance: Designing Business Models - build and communicate strategic alternatives
Permalink Reply by Bill Welter on January 28, 2009 at 2:36pm
Alex, of the three I like Designing Business Models. However, the subtitle is a bit bland. Put some emotion in this. Why shoudl a reader care about this book? How will it help her with her problems? What will it allow him to do that he's been wanting to do? "A practical manual ...." may appeal to our rational self, but buying a book may have more to do with emotion. OK, that's 2.5 cents.
Permalink Reply by Peter Jones on January 28, 2009 at 2:51pm
Alex - I"m with the others on this. I would stay away from reference or practical. Business readers expect that anyway, you don't need to say it. The title should stand out int he crowd. I wrote Handbook of Team Design in 1998 and changed it to Team Design: A Practitioner's Guide to Collaborative Innovation in 2002 when McGraw-Hill returned the rights and I self-published. Publishing is a tough business model itself.

Crowdsourcing the title is a great idea though - I'd consider something almost pop sounding if you are going mass market. (What would Jim Collins do?) Something like: Creating the Twentieth Century Business: Inventing new business models.
Or "Great Idea! But how will the business make money?"
And "Follow the Money: Transforming Business starts with the model."
Permalink Reply by Bruce MacVarish on January 28, 2009 at 3:06pm
I agree with the others.

Your work resonates with me because it allows me to Innovate, Design and Visualize business models. While helpful to characterize today's established businesses, I really want to apply it to new, emerging models that will drive new growth.

So, based on the above and the choices, something like the following might work for me:

Business Model Innovation - Creating, Designing and Visualizing New Growth Ventures

As always, thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Permalink Reply by Frédéric Sidler on January 28, 2009 at 3:17pm
The Business Model Bible, too presumptuous
Designing Business Models, it is more than that
Business Model Innovation - the definitive toolkit, your book bring a new way to invent, think and design innovative business models
Permalink Reply by Ray Guyot on January 28, 2009 at 4:03pm
I concur with all the other contributors.
The 3 choices are too conservative, generic and don't hint at the value proposition you are bringing to the market.
Try to articulate the uniqueness and dynanism of the approach.
I know...easy to say... hard to deliver.

I borrowed inspiration and structure from Bruce and Guilhem and started to play...

Business Model Innovation - Designing, Visualizing and Communicating New Enterprise Models
Business Model Innovation - Co-creating and Visualizing the New Enterprise Business Model

Key Concepts or Words:

Co-creation
Visualization
Innovation
New Enterprise
Design

I'll give it more thought....and visit again.
Permalink Reply by Dave Crowther on January 28, 2009 at 5:19pm
I agree that the titles are good, but not great and err on the side of describing what the book is rather than how it creates value for the reader.
I would like to think that we are all engaged in this project because it isn't about conveying just another incremental chunk of business knowledge, but instead enabling a much wider audience than has been the case historically to see what business model innovation can do for them and their opportunities and organisations.
In such a context I believe that the title has a dual function:
a) It should convert prospective readers into people who pick up the book or find out more online because a light goes on in their minds and they see why they should trade their attention for the chance to find out more
b) Serve as a "meme" a la Crowdsourcing, Blink, Wisdom of Crowds et al so that the "virus" of Business Model Innovation can be conveyed quickly by enthusiasts to the currently unknowing audience waiting to be "infected".
So to my mind the job is a wider one than naming the book and extends to finding something snappier then Business Model Innovation to encapsulate the whole idea.

And, in true style, I haven't got a better answer to the $64,000 question: only a different way of framing it.

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