I'm excited to share the first printed proof copy of The Mistakes That Make Us, my new (upcoming) book about learning, improvement, and culture, as printed by Amazon. It's still early in the process — and yes, the vertical alignment is off — but seeing and holding this proof for the first time makes the project feel very real.
Oh, the vertical alignment is off, but that mistake will be fixed for the real printing!!
Why This “Proof” Copy Matters
It's still going through final proofreading, but it's so exciting to hold a book for the first time!! Thanks to Don Coon for collaborating on a fantastic cover. Thanks to my editor Tom Ehrenfeld and my book coach Cathy Fyock for your ongoing help, encouragement, and support!!!
Special Pre-Order Price
For a limited time, through the book launch and a little beyond, you can now get the Kindle version for $2.99!
If you pre-ordered at the $9.99 price, you'll still be charged just $2.99.
A transcript of the video can be found below.
Some Images of the Cover
Click any photo for a larger view
From the Video
Mark Graban: Hi. It's Mark Graban here. I'm really excited today. I just received the first print-proof edition of my new, almost here, upcoming book. It arrived through Amazon. It's a proof that's why there is an ugly beige bar across the cover, but here it is, holding it the first time, The Mistakes That Make Us – Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
You can see how the cover is designed. Don Coon, thank you, my old friend and cover designer. Brilliant the way he has the design wrapping around the cover. If I can make sure the stupid ring light doesn't cast too much of a glare off of the glossy cover. Of course, I'm going to make a mistake in a video about the cover for a new book about learning from mistakes.
I hope this isn't going to bother anybody to have coffee stains on the spine of the book. My gosh, I'm not good with a camera and a ring light. There we are, The Mistakes That Make Us. The Kindle version is available for pre-order now at Amazon, The Mistakes That Make Us. You go to mistakesbook.com, you can sign up to get a free PDF preview of the book.
You'll be notified when the print editions are going to be available through Amazon, through my website, and eventually through other retailers. It's going to be available in paperback like we see here.
It's going to be also available in hardcover for a little bit more if you're interested. Then I'm going to be recording the audiobook version, The Mistakes That Make Us that then should be available in September or so. Again, thank you to Don Coon, cover designer. Thank you to Tom Ehrenfeld, my editor. Thank you to Cathy Fyock, my book coach. Here it is, wanted to share it with you.
If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.
Looks great Mark! Congratulations on getting another step closer! Can’t wait to read it.
Thanks, Karen! Have you checked out the PDF preview?
https://www.mistakesbook.com/chapter/
Asked on LinkedIn by Jim Samuel:
Quick question … What will you do if you find a mistake in the proofs?
My reply:
It’s not a what if.
We’ve found mistakes in the proof.
Some got through copy edited.
Some were created in page layout.
I know we won’t catch every mistake during the proofreading phase.
I think it would be a mistake to expect that a book would be perfect when it first launches.
The beauty of being the publisher and print-on-demand is that mistakes and defects can be corrected even after the book is released.