#098 – Bryan W. Mattimore, Author of Idea Stormers: How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs

Bryan W. Mattimore is Cofounder and “Chief Idea Guy” of the Growth Engine Company, a twenty-year old innovation and creativity training agency based in Westport. In his marketing consulting career, Bryan has managed over two hundred successful innovation projects, leading to over $3 billion in new sales for one-third of the Fortune 100 companies.

Bryan’s three best-selling books on ideation and innovation process include “Idea Stormers”, “How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs”. and “21 Days to a Big Idea.” A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth with a major in psychology, he is also an innovation and marketing instructor for Caltech, and on the Board of Advisors for the Global Innovation Institute.

Tips:

  • I wrote 35 articles. I know how to write an article. That’s how I wrote my book. Those chapters were excerpted in magazines. That was additional money.
  • What am I uniquely qualified to contribute. You have the freedom to write what you want. Once I realized I had freedom, I was off and running. I had been trying to be a… way in… I found my unique voice.
  • Publishers will do a fantastic job of editing, do a fair job on the cover and do a lousy job of marketing.
  • To find an agent, forget the slush pile. You want to find a way to meet them. I took a class on how to write a book proposal that was taught by an agent. She liked my topic and became my agent. You can find agents at writing conferences.
  • My agent asked publishers to give their best offer. That led to bigger offers than if we had an auction.
  • Book titles should be short. The tag line carries the heavy lifting.

Book: Idea Stormers: How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs (Amazon Hardcover)

Website: The Growth Engine Co.