The document describes the story of how the book Business Model Generation became a bestselling management book through an innovative approach. The authors decided to write the book in a new format that was more visual, practical and light. They also developed an innovative business model where they got people to pay to help write and design the book through an online collaboration hub. This unconventional approach led to over 120,000 copies in print and the book becoming a top 10 business book. The document discusses the learnings around managing co-creation openly and how distribution has become more of a commodity compared to attention.

1. #bmgen: The Story of a
Bestselling Mgmt Book
a tale of co-creation, social media and guerilla marketing
AlexOst
erwalde
r.com
@busin
ess_des
ign

3. some industry
context

4. # number of books
published exploding
[Steven Piersanti, President, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010]

5. 1,000,000
new book titles were
published in the U.S. in ʼ10

7. 11,000
new business books
appear every year

9. # book sales declining
(despite publ. explosion)
[Steven Piersanti, President, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010]

10. 12%
decline of sales in major
bookstore chains (ʻ07-ʼ09)

12. # average book sales are
shockingly small
[Steven Piersanti, President, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010]

13. 250
copies is the yearly sales of the
average U.S. non-fiction book

14. A book has less than a 1%
# chance of being stocked in
an average bookstore
[Steven Piersanti, President, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010]

16. 250,000
business books are fighting
for shelf space

18. buzz
group

19. ?
how would you create a
bestselling management book in
this context?

20. the traditional
publishing model

21. tomorrow?

22. from a an authorʼs
from publisherʼs
industry today
perspective!

23. BusinessModelGeneration.com

25. ?
do you want to know
how we did it?

26. 3 topics
how it all the global results,
started bestseller learnings, +

27. how it all
started...
1

28. I come from the
land of Heidi…

30. I have a PhD in
the field of…

32. as a book
author I was a…

33. a no-
name

34. but try
searching…

36. because of…

37. m y old
blog

38. because of…

39. Slideshare.net/Alex.Osterwalder

40. because of…

42. that led to...

44. where I talk
about...

45. how to design
& find new
business
models

46. we decided to
write a …

48. BUT

49. “ you can’t write about
business model innovation
without an innovative
business model
”

50. right?

51. the global
bestseller
2

52. ?
what is it that you donʼt
like about business or
management books?

53. we changed the
format

55. we listened to…

57. management
books are
often…

58. too
fat

59. too
light

60. too
unpractical

61. Pellentesque sed quam in eros ultricies fringilla. Aliquam posuere massa tristique lacus porttitor rhoncus. Cras nec felis sit amet magna suscipit consequat. Nulla id tincidunt
neque. Donec at nisl vel nisl varius dapibus et quis leo. Sed malesuada semper mauris vel aliquet. Nullam condimentum sollicitudin risus, eu porttitor arcu pulvinar id. Vestibulum
vel augue nibh. Praesent sit amet tellus placerat velit dictum accumsan at eu arcu. In semper, quam eu dignissim imperdiet, quam ante fringilla nisl, cursus porttitor ligula diam
eget nibh. Maecenas eget libero est. Duis pharetra justo eget diam accumsan at cursus nisl accumsan. Cras placerat purus eu sapien convallis ac ultrices augue suscipit.
Praesent eros metus, pellentesque et accumsan sed, accumsan id mi. Sed nec nisl ipsum. Vivamus imperdiet, leo eget commodo dapibus, nunc tellus vestibulum metus, vel
venenatis neque mi vitae tortor. Aenean dui neque, vehicula id dictum eget, interdum ut enim. In euismod consectetur ultrices. In nulla nulla, porttitor id iaculis ac, porttitor eu diam.
Morbi pellentesque ultricies lacinia. Duis sit amet ipsum risus, eu pulvinar diam. Vestibulum lacinia, elit et dictum sagittis, mauris tortor viverra augue, a vehicula libero sapien nec
arcu. Vestibulum bibendum dictum tellus at vulputate. Ut ut volutpat odio. Integer sit amet neque non nisi tincidunt consectetur. Praesent hendrerit tristique porttitor. Nullam in
ligula eget risus sodales dictum. Quisque sed nibh at ante volutpat venenatis in sit amet enim. Phasellus in mauris non purus gravida mattis nec ut augue. Etiam eget nisl id quam
volutpat facilisis nec quis arcu. Maecenas pharetra tristique urna, quis convallis odio dictum vel. Aliquam mi tortor, adipiscing non interdum eget, commodo et felis. Pellentesque
aliquam, ante vitae venenatis cursus, tortor neque ultricies tellus, aliquam adipiscing dolor ipsum eget mi. Donec eu mauris sed nibh egestas vulputate quis sed neque. Nunc
hendrerit tempor nulla mattis sollicitudin. Donec pulvinar est id lorem cursus elementum. Nunc condimentum dapibus libero a porttitor. Nulla id turpis metus. Morbi nisi lacus,
luctus sed ultrices pulvinar, fermentum eget diam. Aenean ante quam, mattis at commodo id, volutpat sagittis magna. Ut pharetra fringilla tristique. Donec feugiat, nisl ut sagittis
facilisis, tortor justo pharetra magna, sit amet euismod nulla justo et enim. Sed at elit id nibh feugiat viverra. Mauris mollis sapien id augue facilisis viverra. Curabitur eleifend
too text-
posuere eros, quis feugiat mauris viverra consequat. Proin ut arcu vel nibh suscipit placerat nec non neque. Maecenas lectus velit, egestas at molestie a, aliquam nec nulla. In in
lectus vel nisl porttitor eleifend et non mauris. Pellentesque imperdiet, felis eu laoreet feugiat, urna purus vulputate leo, a cursus nulla massa ac turpis. Fusce eu mauris in nibh
dignissim porta sit amet vitae nulla. Cras venenatis odio at enim iaculis aliquam. In rutrum ornare quam, nec ultrices justo euismod vel. Donec in ligula lacus. Class aptent taciti
sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Morbi feugiat elit a turpis ullamcorper scelerisque. Etiam ut tincidunt leo. Vestibulum quis ullamcorper
mauris Integer venenatis tellus a augue venenatis lobortis. Donec rhoncus nisi fringilla erat tempus pulvinar. Nullam eu erat lacus, ut sollicitudin massa. Nullam nulla nisl, posuere
id auctor ac, bibendum ac nisl. Vestibulum consequat ultricies risus, eu tincidunt enim feugiat interdum. Etiam cursus adipiscing libero, eu commodo metus imperdiet et. Aliquam
bibendum posuere mauris sit amet egestas. Aliquam mattis mi nec sapien condimentum et luctus ligula ornare. Donec eu lorem nisi. Maecenas ut mauris diam. Vestibulum vel velit
eu justo malesuada pellentesque. Donec enim orci, congue at sollicitudin eget, imperdiet in magna. Quisque sed velit justo. Aenean pulvinar erat id massa laoreet vitae sagittis
lectus aliquam. Maecenas tristique nunc eget sem tempus fringilla. Sed vel purus a mauris semper interdum. Pellentesque sed quam in eros ultricies fringilla. Aliquam posuere
massa tristique lacus porttitor rhoncus. Cras nec felis sit amet magna suscipit consequat. Nulla id tincidunt neque. Donec at nisl vel nisl varius dapibus et quis leo. Sed malesuada
heavy
semper mauris vel aliquet. Nullam condimentum sollicitudin risus, eu porttitor arcu pulvinar id. Vestibulum vel augue nibh. Praesent sit amet tellus placerat velit dictum accumsan
at eu arcu. In semper, quam eu dignissim imperdiet, quam ante fringilla nisl, cursus porttitor ligula diam eget nibh. Maecenas eget libero est. Duis pharetra justo eget diam
accumsan at cursus nisl accumsan. Cras placerat purus eu sapien convallis ac ultrices augue suscipit. Praesent eros metus, pellentesque et accumsan sed, accumsan id mi. Sed
nec nisl ipsum. Vivamus imperdiet, leo eget commodo dapibus, nunc tellus vestibulum metus, vel venenatis neque mi vitae tortor. Aenean dui neque, vehicula id dictum eget,
interdum ut enim. In euismod consectetur ultrices. In nulla nulla, porttitor id iaculis ac, porttitor eu diam. Morbi pellentesque ultricies lacinia. Duis sit amet ipsum risus, eu pulvinar
diam. Vestibulum lacinia, elit et dictum sagittis, mauris tortor viverra augue, a vehicula libero sapien nec arcu. Vestibulum bibendum dictum tellus at vulputate. Ut ut volutpat odio.
Integer sit amet neque non nisi tincidunt consectetur. Praesent hendrerit tristique porttitor. Nullam in ligula eget risus sodales dictum. Quisque sed nibh at ante volutpat venenatis
in sit amet enim. Phasellus in mauris non purus gravida mattis nec ut augue. Etiam eget nisl id quam volutpat facilisis nec quis arcu. Maecenas pharetra tristique urna, quis
convallis odio dictum vel. Aliquam mi tortor, adipiscing non interdum eget, commodo et felis. Pellentesque aliquam, ante vitae venenatis cursus, tortor neque ultricies tellus,
aliquam adipiscing dolor ipsum eget mi. Donec e mauris sed nibh egestas vulputate quis sed neque. Nunc hendrerit tempor nulla mattis sollicitudin. Donec pulvinar est id lorem
cursus elementum. Nunc condimentum dapibus libero a porttitor. Nulla id turpis metus. Morbi nisi lacus, luctus sed ultrices pulvinar, fermentum eget diam. Aenean ante quam,
mattis at commodo id, volutpat sagittis magna. Ut pharetra fringilla tristique. Donec feugiat, nisl ut sagittis facilisis, tortor justo pharetra magna, sit amet euismod nulla justo et enim.
Sed at elit id nibh feugiat viverra. Mauris mollis sapien id augue facilisis viverra. Curabitur eleifend posuere eros, quis feugiat mauris viverra consequat. Proin ut arcu vel nibh
suscipit placerat nec non neque. Maecenas lectus velit, egestas at molestie a, aliquam nec nulla. In in lectus vel nisl porttitor eleifend et non mauris. Pellentesque imperdiet, felis
eu laoreet feugiat, urna purus vulputate leo, a cursus nulla massa ac turpis. Fusce eu mauris in nibh dignissim porta sit amet vitae nulla. Cras venenatis odio at enim iaculis
aliquam. In rutrum ornare quam, nec ultrices justo euismod vel. Donec in ligula lacus. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.
Morbi feugiat elit a turpis ullamcorper scelerisque. Etiam ut tincidunt leo. Vestibulum quis ullamcorper mauris Integer venenatis tellus a augue venenatis lobortis. Donec rhoncus
nisi fringilla erat tempus pulvinar. Nullam eu erat lacus, ut sollicitudin massa. Nullam nulla nisl, posuere id auctor ac, bibendum ac nisl. Vestibulum consequat ultricies risus, eu
tincidunt enim feugiat interdum. Etiam cursus adipiscing libero, eu commodo metus imperdiet et. Aliquam bibendum posuere mauris sit amet egestas. Aliquam mattis mi nec
sapien condimentum et luctus ligula ornare. Donec eu lorem nisi. Maecenas ut mauris diam. Vestibulum vel velit eu justo malesuada pellentesque. Donec enim orci, congue at
sollicitudin eget, imperdiet in magna. Quisque sed velit justo. Aenean pulvinar erat id massa laoreet vitae sagittis lectus aliquam. Maecenas tristique nunc eget sem tempus
fringilla. Sed vel purus a mauris semper interdum. nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Morbi feugiat elit a turpis ullamcorper scelerisque. Etiam ut tincidunt leo. Vestibulum quis
ullamcorper mauris Integer venenatis tellus a augue venenatis lobortis. Donec rhoncus nisi fringilla erat tempus pulvinar. Nullam eu erat lacus, ut sollicitudin massa. Nullam nulla
nisl, posuere id auctor ac, bibendum ac nisl. Vestibulum consequat ultricies risus, eu tincidunt enim feugiat interdum. Etiam cursus adipiscing libero, eu commodo metus imperdiet
et. Aliquam bibendum posuere mauris sit amet egestas. Aliquam mattis mi nec sapien condimentum et luctus ligula ornare. Donec eu lorem nisi. Maecenas ut mauris diam.

62. so we looked
outside…

64. made it more
appealing…

66. we decided to
designed the
book …

68. BOOK
PROTOTYPE

73. what about the
business
model?

74. ld style
o

75. ld style
o

76. ld style
o

77. ld style
o

78. ld style
o

79. yawn

80. let’s forget
publishers and
break the rules

81. get people to pay to help
us write our book

82. buzz
group

83. ?
how do you get people to pay
to help you write a book?

84. we already
had…

85. new
style

86. we built a
Hub…

87. new
style

88. new
style

89. new
style

90. $24.-

91. $36.-

92. $54.-

93. $81.-

95. $250.-

96. why did people
pay for the
Hub?

97. be the first

98. be part of something
BIGGER

99. learn from
each other

100. what about
production &
distribution?

101. content, design
& coordination?

104. print &
distribution?

107. fulfillment by
Amazon

113. results,
learnings,
outlook
3

114. results

115. # 120ʼ000 #bmgen copies in
print (Feb ʼ11)

116. top 10 softcover business
# books year-to-date (after 9
months on the shelves)

117. # 17 #bmgen translations
planned for 2011

118. # Business Model Canvas
used around the world

119. learnings

120. co-creation and
# transparency =
increased vulnerability

121. # you canʼt control it so
you need to govern it

122. co-creation and open
# innovation is often
more work

123. distribution is a
# commodity / attention
is the new scarcity

124. most co-creators will
# be fairly passive most
of the time

125. outlook

127. 150.- USD

128. THANK YOU!
BusinessModelGeneration.com
AlexOsterwalder.com
BusinessModelAlchemist.com
Twitter: business_design