Books

Scroll down to see all six of Berkun’s books – the only things for sale on scottberkun.com. Please buy some so he can keep writing more books and essays for you.

The Ghost of My Father

“A sobering, lucid memoir about the uncanny, precarious nature of family, masculinity and childhood.” Kirkus Reviews

From bestselling author Scott Berkun comes this powerful story about family, identity and self-discovery. A captivating and honest exploration of who we are, and how we must choose our own way forward in life no matter what happens to us. Berkun’s relationship with his father defined him, until he chose to try and define himself.

With thoughtful stories that explore the meaning of Darth Vader, the mysteries of Frankenstein and the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen, Berkun combines themes from his own life with famous films and legends, to help readers ask universal questions about the first adults we know in our lives.

Read the FREE chapter here.

“Ghost of My Father is a poignant example of the value of positive role models. ” – Amy Mack, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound

“Not only captivating, but also insightful… digs deep into many themes; family dynamics, forgiveness, grace, legacy, hope…” – Jen Moff

“Thought-provoking read, and highly recommended…” – Thomas Duff

“When I finished it, I felt more human and less alone.” – Heather Bussing

“Finished in one intense sitting. Intensely personal & gripping” – Michael van Lohuizen

“The author’s prose style is compelling, due in part to his interest in classical mythology and modern popular culture… Berkun’s memoir is ideally suited to an audience that’s similarly concerned with the challenges of adulthood and parenthood in the 21st century.” – Kirkus Reviews

The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & the Future of Work

An Amazon.com Best Book of 2013. This behind the scenes story of the 8th most popular website in the U.S., where everyone works from home, no one uses email and dozens of improvements launch to customers every day.

“The Year Without Pants is one the most original and important books about what work is really like, and what it takes to do it well, that has ever been written.”— Robert Sutton, professor, Stanford University, and author, New York Times bestsellers The No Asshole Rule and Good Boss, Bad Boss

“The underlying concept—an ‘expert’ putting himself on the line as an employee— is just fantastic. And then the book gets better from there! I wish I had the balls to do this.” — Guy Kawaski, author, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, and former chief evangelist, Apple

“If you want to think differently about entrepreneurship, management, or life in general, read this book.” — Tim Ferriss, author, New York Times bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek

Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds

This definitive best-of collection of Berkun’s online writings, provocative and entertaining, guaranteed to make you think & smile.

Essays include famous missives such as:

How to be a free thinker
The Cult of busy
Why smart people defend bad ideas
Street smarts vs. Book smarts
Hating vs. loving
How to make a difference
And more than 20 other provocations that will motivate, delight and inspire.

“The ideas contained in the essays are persuasive and it’s a fun, well focused read.”— Simon Moore

“What’s unusual about this book is the incredible directness of the author’s ideas… Scott Berkun in this book manages the art of speaking directly into my brain.” — James Fructerman

“Some great ideas here. Can be read from middle or end or anywhere in-between, i’m glad i got it. Written well and very motivating.” — Rory Gatfield

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

In the updated edition of this critically acclaimed and bestselling book, you’ll learn field-tested philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. Based on his nine years of experience as a program manager for Internet Explorer and lead program manager for Windows and MSN, Berkun explains what it takes to plan and ship a large software or web development project.

How to make things happen
Making good decisions
Specifications and requirements
Ideas and what to do with them
How not to annoy people
Leadership and trust
The truth about making dates
What to do when things go wrong

Complete with a discussion guide for reading groups and in-depth exercises to for each chapter, it’s the book you and your team need within arm’s reach. It will serve you well with your current work and on projects to come.

“I learned more in the first 100 pages of this book than from my years of experience in the industry.”— Blogcritic.org

“Reading this was like reading the blueprint for how the best projects are managed at Microsoft.” — Joe Belfiore, VP Microsoft

“Outshines its class.” — Slashdot.org

“Highly recommended for CEOs, project managers, and hackers alike.” — Matt Mullenweg, Founder and lead developer, WordPress.org

The Myths of Innovation

This updated paperback edition of the classic bestseller, takes you on a hilarious, fast-paced ride through the history of ideas. You’ll learn to transcend the false stories that deceive many business experts, scientists, and much of pop culture, with history based lessons on how to invent, create and deliver on your own ideas. You’ll have fun while you learn:

Where ideas come from
The true history of history
Why most people don’t like ideas
How great managers make ideas thrive
The importance of problem finding
The simple plan (new for paperback)

Since its initial publication, this classic bestseller has been discussed on NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, and at Yale University, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Amazon.com, and other major media, corporations, and universities. It has changed the way thousands of leaders and creators understand the world.

“Berkun sets us free to try and change the world.”— Guy Kawasaki, Apple Fellow

“Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about innovation.” — Don Norman, author of Design of Everyday Things

“Brimming with insights.” — Tom Kelley, GM of IDEO

“Thoughtful, often contrarian, and a great read.” — Richard Saul Wurman, creator of the TED Conference

“Insightful, inspiring, evocative and just plain fun to read.” — Steven Johnson, author of The Ghost Map and Where Good Ideas Come From

Confessions of a Public Speaker

In this hilarious and highly practical bestseller, Berkun reveals everything you need to know to speak well in front of any audience. It’s a uniquely entertaining and instructional romp through the powerful skills you need to have the influence you want.

Highlights include:

Berkun’s hard-won and simple philosophy, culled from years of lectures, teaching courses, and hours of appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and CNBC
Practical advice, including how to work a tough room, the science of not boring people, how to survive the attack of the butterflies, and what to do when things go wrong
The inside scoop on who earns $30,000 for a one-hour lecture and why
The worst — and funniest — disaster stories you’ve ever heard (plus countermoves you can use)

Filled with humorous and illuminating stories of thrilling performances and real-life disasters, Confessions of a Public Speaker is inspirational, devastatingly honest, and a blast to read.

“A fresh, fun, memorable take on the most crucial thing: what we say. Highly recommended.”— Chris Anderson, Wired

“Berkun tells it like it is… you’ll gain insights to take your skills to the next level.” — Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com

“Loved it! This is a very informative and entertaining look at the art of public speaking.” — Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen

“Packed with Invaluable tips and advice.” — Tom Standage, Business editor for The Economist