A personal favor from Alan
I need 20 minutes on October 6.
After twenty-plus years of talking about writing a book, I finally did it. The Indispensability Trap is real. Now I need a little help from my people.
10:00–10:20 a.m. Eastern
Buy the book on Amazon in that window. That’s the favor.
Which button should I use?
Choose the one that fits your phone. You only need to save it once.
Android phone?
Choose Google Calendar. Also a good choice if you use Gmail or already use Google Calendar.
Click the button, add alerts for 10 minutes before and at the start time, then save.
iPhone?
Choose Apple Calendar (ICS) for the calendar that comes with your iPhone. The download also works with Outlook.
ICS just means a calendar file. Download it, open it in your calendar, and save. It includes both alerts; check them after saving.
Already use Google Calendar on your iPhone? Choose the Google button instead.
The two nudges: 9:50 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Please confirm both in your calendar; notification behavior varies by app.
A quick hand with the calendar buttons
Google: the button opens a filled-in event. Under Notifications, set one for 10 minutes before and use “Add notification” for another at 0 minutes before. Then save. Google’s notification help.
Apple / Outlook: download the ICS file and open or import it in your calendar. It requests both reminders, but some calendar apps may keep only one or use your defaults. Check the saved event and add the second reminder if your app supports it.
On a phone? If the ICS file only downloads, open it from Downloads or import it using your calendar’s desktop app. Make sure calendar notifications are enabled on the device you’ll have with you.
The calendar you use matters more than your email address. Gmail users already have a Google Account, but a non-Gmail address can work with Google too. If you already use Google Calendar, choose Google; if you use Apple Calendar or Outlook, choose the ICS file. Google Account help · Google Calendar on iPhone · Outlook calendar-file help.
Put it on the calendar now. “I’ll remember” has a terrible track record.
Buy on AmazonThe important part
Not yet. October 6.
Yes, the book is already available for preorder. For this particular favor, please wait and buy between 10:00 and 10:20 a.m. Eastern on October 6.
I’m trying to give it a strong launch-day push. No magic formula. No promise of a bestseller badge. Just my friends showing up at the same time to help me get this thing out into the world.
What you’re actually buying
A book about who
keeps the money.
Five great buildouts: the railroads, the telephone, electrification, fiber, and now AI. The question isn’t whether they change the world. It’s who gets to keep the money when they do.
I lived through the fiber buildout firsthand. I saw what happened when “this is going to be essential” got confused with “this is going to make us rich.” Those lessons stayed with me. This book is what happened when I went looking for the pattern.
My friend Daniel Newman wrote the foreword. He brings his own perspective on AI and where this all goes next. Having him at the front of this book means a lot to me.
Kindle is $2.99 on October 6. If you prefer paperback or hardcover, that’s fine too. Buy the format you’ll actually read, ideally in the same 20-minute window. Every genuine reader matters to me.
Amazon Kindle listing Save the link. Please wait for the window.And when you’ve read it
Please leave an honest Amazon review.
Reviews matter more than almost anything else on launch day. I’m asking you to post an honest one on the Amazon listing after you’ve read the book. It doesn’t have to be flattering or fawning — just your real take. What landed, what didn’t, where you think I got it wrong. Star ratings and a few honest sentences all count.
Immediate family: Amazon’s rules exclude reviews from close personal relationships, so please share your thoughts with me directly instead of posting. Everyone else — colleagues, industry friends, extended network — an honest review on Amazon is the single biggest help. Amazon’s community guidelines.
One more thing
Bring a friend.
Know someone in tech, someone who invests in it, or someone wondering where all this AI money ends up? Forward this page. The calendar buttons work for them too.
No pressure to buy a stack. One copy you actually want to read is plenty. More people showing up together is the whole idea.
I’ve been doing this for more than 35 years. Writing this book is a big deal to me. Having you be part of the launch would mean a lot.
Twenty minutes on October 6.
Thank you. Really.
Alan