Thinking NEXT to the Box: Business books

Aug 13, 2012 by Lona

Thinking inside the box is not something most people verbally advocate, but in actual fact, it’s required in many situations. Or at least, preferred. How many times have you been behind someone at a Starbucks who took an hour and a half to order? They’re thinking outside the box, and you’re muttering under your breath to “just get a frap and get out of my way, I’m late!”

But of course, when writing a book, you’re supposed to think outside the box. Except, of course, on those occasions when you’re not.

See, for a business book, it’s a bit of each. You want to convey the information in an easy-to-follow format. So think inside the box. But you want it written and communicated in such a way that it stands out from the multitude of other books on the shelf next to it. So think outside the box. But the cover needs to look professional. So think inside the box. However, it should also be eye-catching and different than all the others. So think outside the box. And the title needs to make it clear it’s a business book. So think inside the box. The title should also sound different and exciting and make a manager or CEO see that this book contains new and different ideas. So outside the box.

And if your head is spinning, so is mine, and I do this for a living.

The fact is, with business books, you should be both conventional and original, the same but unique, cohesive and yet just disjointed enough to make the reader turn the page to figure out what you mean. Once that page is turned, though, the idea needs to be clear.

Therefore, in essence, you need to think alongside the box just enough that you’re straddling the line and making sure both worlds are covered and the idea is both obvious and obscured.

But obvious.

But obscured.

It’s a delicate balance. When it’s perfected, I’ll probably write a book on it.