Become a Professional Inventor: The Insider's Guide to Companies Looking for Ideas

Stephen Key’s latest book has been teased for quite a while now. After a long wait, I’m happy to report that it is an incredible follow up to the current king of inventing books, ‘One Simple Idea’, also written by Key. I wondered what could possibly be added to this book which wasn’t covered in the previous. Well, upon receiving this mammoth 500 page book, it was immediately clear there was still plenty left Stephen had to say. As the title implies, the book really focuses on how to be a professional. The author makes it clear that going after a licensing deal with an amateur mindset or an amateur presentation, simply isn’t going to cut it. Through a series of real life experiences, along with nearly twenty interviews between Key and the heads of major companies, or potential licensees, as he refers to them, the guessing game as to what these companies are actually looking for is all but gone. The book really met my expectations and actually surpassed them in many ways. It’s an easy read, which for a non-reader such as me, is a relief. The author actually suggest skipping to the chapters which are relevant to where you currently are in your inventing journey. For those of you in this community, it’s widely accepted that Stephen is the Godfather of licensing. There isn’t a better representative of the topic and this book really satisfied my desire to continue to develop my craft. Bottom line: Get it!

Stephen Key did an amazing job of putting in everything you need to know to up your licensing game. If you haven't read his first book, One Simple Idea, and you are new to licensing, I suggest you start there.This book goes in to deeper aspects of licensing and has a bunch of fascinating interviews that will teach you how to build strong relationships with companies. This is such an important concept that many inventors need to improve. You also learn how to appropriately respond to companies' requests. Sometimes they ask for things because they don't know what else to do. It is up to YOU to guide THEM!Also learn about negotiations. I haven't read any other book that has anywhere close to the amount of information this one does on negotiating a winning contract. Hint: Royalty rate isn't everything!Stephen shares information about which industries are good to license in and which ones you should stay away from. He doesn't just tell you what they are, he explains why they are or are not a good fit for licensing.What I like the most is that this book is about educating you on the licensing process so that you can make more informed decisions, not just a cookie cutter guide that only works in some situations.If you are serious about licensing, you need this book.

This is a terrific book! To simply say that this book "pulls back the curtain" or "provides the inside scoop" into what it takes to achieve success with product innovation and licensing, risks it being dismissed as cliché.I've highlighted, underlined and learned sooo much from this book already and I've only read through it once! I'm sure I've missed a ton that I'll pick up the next few times through it. The insider insights from professionals like Bob Rugins (Hasbro), Lawrence Cruz (Conair), and Trish Dowling (All-Star DRTV) have been immensely helpful. One major takeaway I got, was that there is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to approach this. What's required by one company may not be needed by another. Most common scenarios simply aren't black & white and flexibility on my part is essential. Having read this book I can honestly say that I feel much more prepared and confident as I push forward with my dream of bringing my own inventions to market. Thank you Stephen Key for this truly useful information!

This book is really giving me that extra polish and confidence when dealing with licensees. To date, I've reached the point of having a licensee agree to work off of the first draft of a contract thanks to many of the learnings from Mr. Key and his team's other resources, which is no easy feat when you've ran into a whole lot of "No"s from companies. And this book has helped me realize things I still need to improve on and things I've unknowingly been doing correctly— that I should keep doing!For instance, I'm now more objectively evaluating and understanding why some of my product submissions have elicited more responses from companies than others, thereby, helping me focus my limited time, energy, and resources on submitting only those products/changes companies will likely (and have already been) more responsive to.Mr. Key has also taught me it's really about building quality relationships with the employees of companies you're submitting to because that's what paves the way for you to become their serial inventor and an asset to them. But, you can only do that if you learn how to conduct yourself professionally in the industry and what that really looks like.I also have a better understanding of how to identify and only approach companies well-versed in "open innovation", i.e., are "inventor friendly". And I appreciate the book promotes these two terms so companies not familiar with them might consider adopting their best practices, e.g., by clearly defining and streamlining their product submission processes, so everyone can profit faster. On that note, it was a very smart move by those companies to let Mr. Key interview their experts (thank you by the way!)—they're going to be receiving plenty of polished submissions their competitors will really be missing out on.The book further helps ingrain in everyone first-to-market is king, which is way more of a priority than losing precious time waiting on a patent to grant (if at all); especially, because knockoffs will still trail your successful product, but will always be seen by customers as knockoffs when following Mr. Key's pragmatic and modern protection strategy. Lastly, for those new to product development, the book teaches you to stop burying your ideas right out of the gate due to critical/easy-fix mistakes, e.g., asking companies to sign NDAs prematurely.I find this book to be essential in order to take my product development skills to the next level and with that, highly motivating!

Before you submit your invention to a company, you need to read this book. It contains important themes and inside processes from multiple industry experts. A great reference book and essential reading for understanding the process of licensing and the needs of your potential licensees. Reading through this book, I find myself saying “I didn't realise this step was extremely important” or “If I understood this particular Industry likes to engage with Inventors and Product Designers in this particular way, I would have significantly increased my chances of a successful agreement”. The author, Stephen Key, has put great effort to get at the heart of what makes successful licensing deals. I recommend this book to anyone who has an idea and wants to bring it to market.

This is a great book. It is an easy read. Simplicity isn't easy to achieve but those who master it, like apple, will be sure to please their audience. You have to know your stuff to make things clear and simple for others to follow. Mr Key certainly knows how to achieve success and this book is yet another example of that. Well done.

Wie alle Bücher von Stephen Key super erklärt. Vieles Kannte ich schon von vorherigen Büchern, doch guter neuer Imput

Book is original and contains innovative ideas.

Une tonne d'informations pertinentes!