While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, that’s all that I have for now…

In working towards the release of my new book, The Entrepreneur Equation, I was faced with the opportunity of either taking- or not taking- my own advice. My publisher conceptualized the cover and finally I can share the first look at the cover art for the book (note, the coloring is a bit off in the upload, but you can get the gist):

[Duplicate, since the first one wasn't showing in Explorer for some reason]

Some of the initial feedback on the cover was polarizing. Amongst those respected friends and colleagues that I shared it with, some of them absolutely loved it and some of them absolutely hated it. Actually, even the book’s cover designers and the publisher’s salesforce didn’t like it- all for the same reason- that I apparently didn’t “look” like that author of the business book. Some of the specific feedback- including from people that I very much respect- was that I “looked more like a model than an author” and that “some people may not take it seriously as a business book”.

This feedback solidified my choice to go with this particular cover for three reasons:

It Made an Impression: Nobody was so-so on the cover. They all either loved it or hated it, which meant it made an impression. To make the suggested changes would turn it into something that would be ignored instead of something that could be talked about. Those who didn’t like it had a strong aversion, which, as I have said here many times before, is more favorable than having something that elicits no reaction at all.

To Make a Point for Women Business Owners: Over half of all new businesses are now started by women, but there are few women providing credible business advice to them (just look at the “best seller lists” and you’ll notice that women popping up with business books are few and far between). Why shouldn’t modern women have someone to speak to them as well who looks like them and who they can relate to? Why can’t a woman wear a sheath dress and pink shoes and still be smart and credible? I can hardly imagine anyone telling a male business author that they were too good looking to be on the cover and to “ugly” themselves up. I wanted to face this double-standard head on.

It’s Who I Am: Authenticity is at the core of who I am and frankly, this is what I look like and how I show up for meetings, appearances and tv shows- in places that I am talking business. Why would I pretend to be something that I am not, when that is against everything that I stand for? Good content speaks for itself and I am confident that those men and women who know me and who review the content will be thrilled with the value that’s provided.

So, that’s it. While I would prefer that you love it, my second choice is that you hate it- either way, I just hope that you will remember it.

Oh, and if you are not on my mailing list to get information on the book (as well as newsletters) you can do so here:

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