I need your help, dear readers, with the title of what I hope will be my next book. I won’t summarize the whole thing but the essence of it is this:
There are three responses to change: (1) Resist it, which is futile. (2) Complain about it, which is unproductive. (3) Find the opportunity in it. That is the only sane response. I’ll be writing about the fundamental and permanent change brought on by our shift from the mass, industrial economy to what follows, a new economy based on knowledge and abundance. Entire industries are collapsing — automotive, newspapers, banking, huge swaths of retail, and others will follow — and they will not rise again after a mere financial crisis. So I’m looking after the destruction to the opportunity to see what can be built and on what principles it will be built. I want a title that imparts the imperative and inevitability of change but the opportunity and optimism I see in it. (UPDATE: Since I see confusion in one comment and one blog post elsewhere, let me make clear that I’m not talking about all change, of course; I’m talking about this specific change from the industrial, mass economy to what is emerging now; there’s no stopping that.)
We’re stymied. That’s in part, I think, because What Would Google Do? was a bell-ringer. It’s also hard to get across that dual notion of destruction and optimism. And we don’t want to be tied to the current “crisis”; this is about something more, something bigger and more forward-looking.
I hesitate to list ideas for titles, because I don’t want to prejudice you and cut off any grand inspiration. So you may want to stop reading this post now. In any case, if we end up using a title you suggest, you’ll have (1) my eternal gratitude and admiration, (2) full credit in the book, and (3) a great lunch. I mean it, so please identify yourself with your name so I can thank you.
UPDATE: Here is a list of some of the titles I like so far from the comments and also Twitter and email (though comments are the best way to leave suggestions):
Damned if You Don’t – Alison Black (a favorite)
Doomed to Succeed – Karl Pearson-Cater (another favorite)
The Phoenix Paradox – John C Abell
Next – Steve Baker
Atlantis 2.0 – Joy Fulton
Ch-ch-ch-changes – Joy Fulton
Change is Good – Joy Fulton
The Future is Now (inspired by hers: Future Now) – Joy Fulton
The Leapfrog Economy – dlawless
Return on Innovation, the new ROI – Allan Hoving
CTRL-ALT-DELETE – Rob Holland
Shift Happens – Cem Basman
Shit Happens – id withheld
What Will You Do – Heather Staines
Yes You Can – Philipp
Bring It On – Howard Poon
From Grave to Cradle – Adam Eland
Clean Slate – Dean
The Dawn is Inevitable – Nikos Anagnostou
Renaissance 2.0 – Dan Brian
World 2.0 – Morten Langkjaer
Another Day, Another Way – Aalia
Apocalypse Yesterday – Laura O
Embrace! – Microkultur
Colbert – Kevin (pretty funny way to get publicity)
When Everything Changes, Change Everything – Wendell Wittler
From Ashes to Action – Steve Gorelick
Mind the Gap – Weltenweiser (pity it’d work only in the UK)
Break on Through to the Other Wise – John Grimes
Profit of Doom – (inspired by John Grimes)
Year Zero – Javier Z
Earlier…..
My working title was Reboot, but that feels inaccurate (rebooting only restarts what was before). I suggested Grave Dancer but, gee, my editor and agent didn’t like it. Wonder why. Other, more serious candidates — and if you like any of these, please come to their defense:
* Resistance is Futile (this is probably the leader at the moment)
* The Great Restructuring (title of my posts, where the book has been germinating)
* The Upheaval (thanks, Ben)
* The Day After (Will that mean as much to people too young to remember the movie?)
* The Phoenix
* Rise Like a Phoenix
* The Leap
* The Wrecking Ball
* The Link Economy
* What Follows the Fall
* The Rise of the Next Economy
* Stop Whining, Start Building
* Prophet of Bloom
* The Dawn After the Destruction
* The Day after the Destruction
* Build, Don’t Bail (Catchy, but probably too short-term)
* Building the New Economy
* Optimist Amid the Rubble
* Cause for Optimism
