The virtual book tour - FAQ for interview guests
Thanks a lot for joining our virtual book tour as an interview guest!
Here is some background information about the idea and how you can participate and also benefit from this.
Our book “The Innovator’s Dictionary” was published at the end of last year. With 555 methods and 1,157 pages, it will be the world’s largest collection of innovation methods and we are very excited to launch this work.
The research for this book is based on the Florence Innovation Project, in which we collected, structured and tested innovation methods over several years. Together with 9 other authors, we wrote the book ‘Das große Handbuch Innovation‘ in 2018, which sold very successfully in Germany. ‘The Innovator’s Dictionary’ now makes the results available to the international community.
The book was published by De Gruyter, an internationally reputed publisher, We choose De Gruyter because of its high standards and the good reputation in the innovation community.
We are also grateful that the book is officially recommended by ISPIM, the world’s largest association of innovation professionals.
Our goal is to reach as many people as possible in the innovation community with this book tour. We stongly believe that there is still not enough methodological knowledge applied in innovation projects.
Therefore we have started a virtual book tour, which will take us to more than 30 countries in this year. In each country there will be virtual live event of around 30-45 minutes that we will promote through all our channels, especially on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Here we have compiled the most important questions and answers. Please contact us at any time if you have further questions.
How does the book event work?
Yes, we have a basic schedule for each event, but don’t take these as set in stone 🙂
- Welcome and introduction to the book project (7 min)
- Where are we and what is innovative about this town? (8 min)
- Welcome of the guest (2 min)
- Interview with the guest (15-20 min)
- Thank you and goodbye (5 min)
Do I have to travel somewhere?
No. This is a purely virtual event. Still, we want to connect with people as if we were visiting where they live (just as we would have done on a regular book tour in non-Covid 19 times) So we will create a local Facebook event and we will talk about innovation in the guest’s city. The advantage is that you (and our viewers) can participate from anywhere. We will usually log in from our office in Düsseldorf, Germany.
What do I need to dial in?
At the time of the event, you log in with an access link and enter a virtual waiting room. You can listen to the introduction there and you will then be taken live by us for the welcome. Please be there on time as this is a live event.
We will give you a link to a schedule tool in advance, where you can easily choose the most suitable date and time for the event.
Do I need to prepare?
Nope. We want to have a relaxed and intuitive conversation about your view on innovation. No need to prepare anything. We would like to create an exciting connection between the topic of innovation, you as our guest and the event city. So it will be a home game for you.
But wait… there will be ONE particular question that we will certainly ask you, as a reference to the book:
What is your favorite innovation method?
What technology do we use and can I test it beforehand?
We use an online app to combine the connections for the LiveStream. You only need your regular equipment, which you also use for video conferences. Essentially, that is:
- a good internet connection
- a webcam
- a microphone (the built-in microphone in your laptop should also be enough)
- an updated Chrome browser (the dial-up link works best there)
We offer to test the dial-up process and briefly discuss the topics in a joint meeting beforehand – but this is not mandatory.
Will there be a recording?
We will record all talks and there will be a free registration option to access all events. After the tour, the videos will be also published on Youtube.
How can I make the most of it for myself?
We want the book tour to be a great success for everyone involved. We will create events on Facebook and LinkedIn and promote them appropriately. In addition, the book tour will be announced regularly in our newsletter with +10,000 readers. We are also happy to publish a link to your website and e.g. a book of yours under the video. You can increase the success even more if you share the event and invite your followers.
This book is a great opportunity to elevate your reputation in the community of innovation professionals and make your expertise internationally visible.
As a thank you for your participation, you will also receive a free one-year access to the Florence Innovation Project, the basis of the “Innovator’s Dictionary” (value: 399,- EUR).
Please let us know if you have any further questions. We are very glad to have you aboard.
Christian Buchholz and Benno van Aerssen