By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
For the past several months, I have been working on a book, and I recently sent the
manuscript to the publisher for final editing and printing. The book is titled “The
Entrepreneurial City: Building Smarter Governments Through Entrepreneurial Thinking”,
and the idea has been evolving for over six years. It all began as one of my columns
back in April of 2018. From that point on, I started paying close attention to examples
where I saw “entrepreneurial” thinking at work in local governments. I would jot down
my thoughts and collect news articles, filing them away in a box in my office. Soon, I
realized that if I ever intended to finish the book, I needed a more disciplined approach.
I began by outlining the book and slowly filling in the chapters. At first, progress was
slow, but before long, I found myself waking up at 6:00 AM and working late into the
night. Even with my busy schedule of traveling, Zoom calls, and conferences, I
managed to carve out time to write. On some days, I’d sit staring at my computer
screen, waiting for inspiration. On a trip to Annapolis, Maryland, I experimented with
dictating my thoughts into my phone. To my surprise, I found it an effective way to
capture my ideas while on the road. In just four hours, I had dictated dozens of pages.
When I returned to my office, I was excited to organize and develop them into coherent
chapters.
I’ve learned that writing a book isn’t about simply filling pages until you reach a target
number and adding “The End.” For me, the process involves editing and condensing my
material to make it both readable and engaging. I’ve written three books in my life, and
each has been a unique experience. Collaborating with my friend, Mike Conduff, on my
first book was a learning experience. Mike, a prolific author with over twenty books,
guided me through the process, and I felt fortunate to share the journey with him. For
“The Amazing City”, I took on more of the work, but still had invaluable support in finding
the right editor and graphic designer. With “The Entrepreneurial City”, I was on my own,
and it proved to be one of the most exciting challenges of my life.
My experience with “The Amazing City” taught me that much of the work of writing a
book happens after it’s complete—when the marketing begins. “The Amazing City” was
one of the top-selling non-fiction books on local government for several years and is
now in its third printing. I attended dozens of conferences and events to do book
signings and speeches, which proved to be an effective way of connecting with readers.
I’ve already lined up over twenty events throughout the country to promote “The
Entrepreneurial City”, and I am excited about the road ahead. Writing the book was just
the beginning; the true work lies in connecting with readers and sharing its insights.
With these events, I look forward to engaging with local leaders, discussing the book’s
ideas, and inspiring others to embrace entrepreneurial thinking in government. I’m
confident that, like “The Amazing City”, this book will leave a lasting impact on the
communities I have dedicated my career to improving.