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 Andra Larin-van der Pijl on January 28, 2009 at 10:48pm
For the title there are indeed three wide options - staying conservative however descriptive (a la business model innovation... ); sriking with the simplicity (let the book talk for itself) or verbal saturation.

Personally liked how Dave put it, a lot.
CHUNK is very good. Perhaps also THE MODELS.
And then again CHUNK. Could as well stop here...

Just read Alex' response - apparantly the "business models" will stay in. One thought though - perhaps a la "Business Model Innovation by Design" could be the subtitle?
Permalink Reply by Alex Osterwalder on January 28, 2009 at 10:59pm
Can somebody explain me CHUNK?!? I don't get it...
Permalink Reply by Mario Morales on January 28, 2009 at 11:20pm
I my opinion, I prefer the third: Business Model Innovation - a toolkit for designing strategic alternatives

To say this is the Business Model Bible is quite pretentious at this time, as this is an emerging field.

The second, Designing Business Models is not as attractive as the third.

Those are my two cents.
Permalink Reply by Jay Goldman on January 29, 2009 at 3:07am
Agreed with everyone else. These are far too "business book" for a radical tome out to change the world :)

I would think carefully about the verb. What's the end goal of the book? There's a big difference between "Designing" and "Innovating". Are you aiming for a volume that helps people design their new business (or re-design their existing one), or is it more an attempt to push people into an entirely new mindset about models in general?

It may sound trite, but I've been told that catchy titles sell books and book speaking gigs over and over by friends in the publishing and speaking industries. None of these three leap out at me in the same way as something like "Slideology" or "The World is Flat". Even something like "Your Business Model is Broken" has more of the right feel than the three you've proposed.
Permalink Reply by Alan Smith on January 29, 2009 at 3:58pm
Loving these Idea's. "Your Business Model is Broken" is totally in the right direction.

Jay's on point with this. I especially like how you have tied in the search value of "Business Model", and something catchier!!!!

Answer two questions as best i can:

It needs search-ability rather than shelf appeal, because people will be finding it mostly through online sales of existing sites like this one and alex's blog, and people looking to find out about business models via magic google searchbox.

It was broken down in our workshop that the focus of this book is on working with business models. This can mean re-organizing old ones and assessing something that's half birthed, as well as starting from scratch. It's about concrete tools to work with high level business strategy. Old model or new. It gives ways of creating alternatives to the old standard models which are currently breaking down.

Ok,
Permalink Reply by Patrick van der Pijl on January 29, 2009 at 4:10pm
What about the title "9" (referring to the nine building blocks), "Re-building business models that work"
Permalink Reply by Geert van Vlijmen on January 31, 2009 at 5:12pm
Hi,
I like this title a lot because it is simple and effective....you can hear people say...have you read "9" what? yes "9"...It makes you think and wonder, also I think you can make a good design around this number. The subtitle can perhaps be even shorter and perhaps a bit more direct.

my two cents based on Patricks idea:

"9" or NINE
Re-build your business models effectively

Generally I think a title should be short to be powerfull.
Permalink Reply by Design for Innovation on January 29, 2009 at 5:04am
I think the title should be innovative and live up to what you are trying to achieve: reinventing business with visual innovation tools
Permalink Reply by Alex Osterwalder on January 29, 2009 at 6:14am
I am currently at an airport waiting for a connecting flight and wondering how the final title will look like... One that just came to my mind:

PIMP YOUR BUSINESS MODEL
subtitle?

Probably doesn't really fit, but it definitely isn't conservative :-)
Permalink Reply by Patrick van der Pijl on January 29, 2009 at 7:59am
Alex, Pimp your... is a registered trademark from MTV... so that's not an option...
Permalink Reply by Craig Sadler on January 29, 2009 at 6:47am
Sorry Alex I agree with all those before, none of the three really stand out to me, and the comment about "…adding value" by way of the title is definitely not to be overlooked. Perhaps Innovation by Design: a creative approach to business modelling.

Even my title doesn't convey the value proposition of the content.
Permalink Reply by Sander Smit on January 29, 2009 at 8:38am
The titles are indeed on the safe side. I like the first one but think that the scope of the book is too narrow to justify such a title.
Maybe you can refer to the need of the intended reader who likes to learn how to become more succesfull in his/her business.
E.g. Craft your business - Visualisation and innovation of business models (I don't know if this is good English but it would be nice to have some reference to the creative process in the title)

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