“The Unconventional Journey of Writing ‘Gamification for Product Excellence’”
You can find a condensed version of this article at: https://builtin.com/founders-entrepreneurship/want-to-write-book
You can find a condensed version of this article at: https://builtin.com/founders-entrepreneurship/want-to-write-book
Thesis: Writing a book isn’t just about writing; it’s a multi-faceted endeavor requiring a broad set of skills and an unconventional mindset to excel.
So I wrote a book. I have been writing for a long time but did not foresee this process unfolding. But I am an opportunist, and when the opportunity arrived, I jumped on it. And I’ll figure it out as I go. So that’s what this article is about how I wrote “Gamification for Product Excellence” while not only having a full-time consulting job but switching firms in the process, being a dad and a husband, and clinging to the moments where I can set my fantasy baseball lineups.
“Gamification for Product Excellence” is about the intersection between gamification and being a product leader. This book demystifies gamification, translating it into terms immediately applicable to product development professionals. It shows how game mechanics can effectively improve product performance and user engagement and provides a detailed plan for building a business case for gamification to secure leadership buy-in.
The unique selling point of “Gamification for Product Excellence” lies in its practical and customizable approach. The book begins by grounding readers in gamification’s history and foundational aspects and ties it into product development. The journey continues as readers are guided through building and launching a product, specifically focusing on where and how gamification fits in. It provides practical advice on selling the idea of gamification to leadership and offers invaluable insights on pitfalls to avoid.
Real-life examples and case studies are sprinkled throughout the book to illustrate concepts and best practices. By the end of the book, readers will have gained the ability to create and sell their game-based product approach to stakeholders. They will understand how to design practical game mechanics into their user experience and adopt the best product development processes to increase user engagement and retention.
My writing journey is unique. Many moons ago, I read many books about writing and would send short stories and articles to my friends. I have forgotten everything I learned in those books since. My history with writing includes a published paper on food deserts, a collection of short stories, movie scripts, and endless user journeys and PRDs. When I started this book, the publisher sent me a quick start guide to write the book. I tried and eventually disregarded the best practices the publisher sent me. I figured out what worked for me, and I hope it can work for you, too, or motivate you to find your own way to bring your knowledge and insights to the world.
A matter of chance:
So how did we get here? I get a healthy mix of actual LinkedIn messages and spam. And one bitterly cold day in early January, I questionably opened one, not expecting anything. When this initial LinkedIn message came through from Packt Publishing asking if I’d be interested in writing a book on gamification, my opportunistic instincts kicked in. This was the chance I’d been waiting for — the opportunity to share my years of research and experience with gamification on a broader scale.
For context, the timing was right. A few weeks prior, I created a pitch deck for my client, a large healthcare company, about the benefits of using gamification in healthcare technology. I studied the academic papers and the statistics lined up. I created use cases from medication adherence to weight loss to rehabilitation for cardiac arrest and pitched the concept to the stakeholders. Many think of gamification as a fad, so for this to work, I had a carefully crafted argument backed by multiple sources of academic research with crystal clear positive outcomes backing my points. So, gamification was on my mind, and I knew the research and potential about how to use it to benefit society.
So I looked up Packt Publishing, and they were legit. Yay! I met the team, heard an overview of what they were looking for, and asked how they found me. I had gamification listed as a skill on LinkedIn and have been using it for quite some time but never published anything publicly about it. So then I gave my pitch.
My journey into gamification started as I was developing a startup on using data and analytics to create healthy eating habits and making healthy food more affordable by creating meal plans based on what was on sale at your local grocery stores and rewarding you for making good shopping choices. Nir Eyal got me started on this path with his book, “Hooked: How to build habit-forming products.” And from there, I dove into behavioral economics with everything that Richard Thaler wrote, and as an economics undergrad, it resonated with me.
While the startup was short-lived lived, the impact was not. I went on to work at an international fitness equipment manufacturing firm and brought my gamification research and ideas to redesign their consumer fitness app and the gym management ecosystem. It’s here I developed as a product leader with a fantastic team. We were growing experts in our fields and lifted each other up, educated each other, and shared success and challenges. This is the best product team I’ve been a part of. I learned so much under the leadership of Amad Amin, who later would be a technical reviewer for my book, as he remained a mentor long after I worked for him.
After that, there was a short stint at a healthcare startup. I’ve been consulting for the last four years, primarily in healthcare, with some QSR sprinkled in — all ripe areas for studying, testing, and implementing game mechanics and gamification strategies.
So with that, we made a deal. I didn’t spend time thinking about if I was an author or not. I didn’t wait to take a class on how to be an author or brush up on my grammar. I didn’t ask my family or friends if I could be an author. I knew I could make time to fit this in because the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards would be worth it.
Intrinsic Rewards:
These intangible rewards, such as a sense of accomplishment or personal growth, come from within. They motivate people through internal feelings of satisfaction, mastery, or autonomy.
Extrinsic Rewards:
These are tangible rewards from an external source, like money, promotions, or bonuses. They motivate people through external incentives and are usually easily quantifiable.
That’s the unconventional mindset I brought to this book project. When an opportunity presented itself, I didn’t hesitate or make excuses about less-than-ideal conditions. I acted swiftly to take advantage of it, even if that meant enduring some discomfort or tackling things in an unorthodox way. This opportunistic attitude enabled me to juggle the book alongside a busy job and family life. It also paved the way for an exciting, if chaotic, journey writing my first book.
But wait, there’s more:
The publisher said they would like for me to have a co-author. I said I would work alone on this. I contacted a few other product leaders I knew who had gamification success, but their schedules or interests in writing a book didn’t align. I crafted the outline and synopsis, and we worked on the contract. Looking back, this was probably the time to get an agent, but as a first-time author, I had no negotiating power. And agents cost money, so I decided to move forward in an agile fashion. Being published was far from a sure thing at this point. I had to write three chapters first before the publisher would commit to the whole book. So off we go…
But they didn’t forget about me wanting a co-author and kept asking me about it. They wanted someone more ingrained in the gamification world and had video game development experience. I again reached out to someone I know in this area and again came up short. I finally gave in and received an email with Bret Wardle’s LinkedIn profile as a potential co-author. Skeptical, I reviewed and saw he did a TEDx talk on gamification. Whoa. Cool. We were introduced over video call and have been working together since; this book would only be as powerful and entertaining as it is with Bret’s contributions.
We conducted our collaborative sessions every week via Google Hangouts, owing to our geographical separation — I’m based in Illinois while he resides in Utah. In these meetings, we exchanged ideas, discussed our progress, and brainstormed new concepts. If you’re venturing into writing your first book, I wholeheartedly recommend having a co-author — especially if you have good synergy. The journey of authoring a book can be intense, and having a partner helps share the managerial load with the publisher and enhances the brainstorming process.
Additionally, a co-authorship can expand the network of potential readers and partners. Ultimately, the book becomes a more decadent, more complete offering, indeed more than the sum of its parts. This collaborative experience was a pivotal chapter in my journey as a writer.
Writing. Writing. Writing:
The traditional ways didn’t work for me, like writing a little bit every day. I couldn’t go through a full day of consulting work and have the mental capacity to be creative and insightful. I could pen an entirely different article about the challenges of being a product management consultant versus a product manager. So, part procrastination, part magic, I would block out times on the weekend to get into the zone.
The support from my wife and family, especially with childcare, was indispensable to my writing journey. Mornings were reserved for quality time with my daughter, engaging in activities like park visits, bike rides, or indoor games. Post-lunch until dinner was my dedicated writing time, conveniently aligned with my daughter’s afternoon nap to give my wife a much-needed break. My wife would tackle grocery shopping and other errands on Sundays while my mom babysat. After my daughter went to bed, I’d resume writing, pushing the boundaries of my stamina. Across the weekends, I typically clocked in between 8–12 hours of focused writing, sometimes less, sometimes more.
The publisher’s schedule and the complexity of each chapter dictated my workload, making some weekends more challenging than others. Winter offered fewer distractions, making writing more manageable, whereas baseball season and warm weather presented more hurdles. My workaround was simple: claim the early mornings for personal time, then buckle down for writing by 1 p.m. If I hit a creative wall, I’d switch gears by diving into research or changing my writing environment, like moving to the back porch. There were instances when I produced garbage work but stayed committed, either revising or scrapping sections as needed. The bottom line was my unwavering focus on creating content over the weekends.
Come Monday, I’d transition into editor mode. The first step involved running my weekend drafts through Grammarly to weed out basic grammar, punctuation, and syntax errors. This system set the stage for the actual work — fine-tuning the prose to ensure clarity, resonance, and impact.
During weekday evenings, I focused on meticulous editing rather than creative output. This process was more about refining existing ideas than generating new ones. I’d reshape sentences for greater clarity, select words for their precise meaning, and adjust the text flow to make it as engaging as possible. It was a balance between the creative freedom of the weekends and the disciplined editing of the weekdays that allowed me to produce my best work.
The initial writing of the chapters went on for six months without a break, and during the rewrites in the last two months, I have started to get some of my weekends back, where I didn’t have to write after my daughter’s bedtime. I took a weekend off too soon, and the amount of work I had to get done during the week gave me a high dose of anxiety that I would rather not repeat, as anyone else who deals with that knows how crippling it can be.
I should also mention that I didn’t drink while developing the book. I am the anti-Hemingway. The clarity and focus it brings are irreplaceable by any amount of coffee, Red Bull, or other magical supplements. I stocked my beer fridge with Heineken Zero, Stella Artious Zero, Athletic Brewing, and other local variations of NA that I could find at Binnys. Even though there was no alcohol in it, the psychological effect of cracking open a cold one relaxed my brain on the late nights when I had deadlines, and with no hangover effect, it was the perfect match.
The approach worked for me, but it took a lot of sacrifice to turn this around. I didn’t see my friends. I only went to obligatory family functions, and even then, I brought my laptop to edit. Writing a book is a commitment, and I wanted to finish it by October because it’s not ideal to launch something during the holiday season that doesn’t have something to do with Santa. When I signed up for this, I think I realized how much work it is, but you REALLY realize once you’re in it. And for me, once I start something, there’s no turning back.
The one benefit I had on my side is that I’ve been studying gamification and behavioral economics for around seven years. I have a folder in Chrome where I would save all the articles and statistical studies I found throughout the way. I have all the books on my bookshelf. I know the content well, and by living it in my full-time job, I had a lot of examples to pull from. Without saving all the information and direct experience in designing and implementing game mechanics, I would never have been able to get this done in the time I did so, If you are thinking about writing a book. Create a folder and start saving all of your research. It will come in handy later.
Collaborating with a co-author significantly influenced my writing process, making it distinctly nonlinear. Before delving into design and implementation, I first reviewed what Bret had written on the foundational elements of gamification — its history, theory, and mechanics. My writing started with Chapter 2, which concentrates on the vital skills defining elite product managers and how these skills harmonize with gamification techniques. Building on my experience with the Institute for the Future’s foresight certification, I took a future-focused approach in Chapter 12, using foresight methodologies to project what gamification could evolve into a decade from now. I designed this chapter to stand alone, giving me the latitude to work on it out of sequence.
The cornerstone of this flexible writing approach was an intricately detailed initial outline. And when I mean intricate, I mean that each chapter had a thesis and all of the sections listed. Each section had bullet points about the topics and examples I would write about. The highly detailed outline was my guide, enabling me to navigate between chapters without losing sight of the overarching narrative. While a decent amount of rewrites and frequent checks against the outline were necessary for consistency, this method offered a dynamic way to work, eliminating any bottlenecks in the writing process.
Speaking of revisions, I had yet to learn how many edits writing a book would involve. After submitting each chapter, it went through approximately three to five rounds of reviews with the publisher. Once finalized, an external copywriter would scrutinize it for one or two more rounds. The editing process was intense, varying from chapter to chapter. Chapter 12, in particular, was a challenge as I tried to interweave foresight, gamification, and product management. The draft swung between being creatively rich and overly dry.
Inspired one late Saturday night — after a full day out on the beach, somewhat dehydrated and fueled by a magical elixir — I decided to rewrite the chapter to make it more engaging by adding some humor to it because it’s about the future and anything can happen. Once I let go of the stress and adopted a more relaxed approach, the writing came naturally, and I was satisfied with the outcome. The key lesson here is that the quest for perfection shouldn’t hinder progress. You’re never going to have the perfect state of mind. Just get it done. Completing the book felt almost surreal, and that achievement alone was cause for celebration.
DIY Book Marketing:
Navigating the book publishing journey doesn’t end with writing; marketing is the next crucial step. Contrary to what some might expect, publishing companies these days are not one-stop shops that handle your marketing needs. Don’t expect them to fund expansive billboards or magazine ads, at least not for new authors like me. As I neared the completion of my book’s first draft, I realized that driving the marketing campaign was squarely on my shoulders. Seeking professional help, I contacted several public relations firms, only to find their fees ranging from $14,000 to $20,000 — a budget I hadn’t planned for and couldn’t afford.
Fortunately, I stumbled upon Kaye Publicity and discovered Dana Kaye’s book, “Your Book, Your Brand,” which became the cornerstone of my marketing and PR strategy. What I learned from Dana’s book includes:
The importance of crafting a personal brand that aligns with your book
How to leverage social media effectively for book promotion
Tactics for reaching out to local and national media
Creating a comprehensive PR plan on a budget
These insights gave me the foundational knowledge to kick-start my marketing efforts without breaking the bank.
The journey toward publishing my book gained significant traction when I received valuable advice from an agent and marketing specialist, a colleague from a non-profit board I serve on. I learned the importance of securing endorsements to boost the book’s appeal, prompting me to compile a list of 80 authors and influencers in product management and gamification. Beyond that, there’s the added complexity of creating a media list, formulating a social media strategy, registering on author-focused platforms, and crafting press releases and FAQs — the task list is extensive. Serendipitously, an old friend from my days volunteering at the Sundance Film Festival (2013–2016) contacted me to discuss her startup. This interaction led to me hiring Emma Norton of EGOxLESS to manage the book’s marketing and PR. The partnership proved mutually beneficial thanks to a friendly discount and a reciprocal advisory role in her startup. Utilize your network to find people with strengths that harmonize your weaknesses.
The challenge isn’t about understanding marketing; it’s more about finding the time. Crafting a marketing strategy for a book isn’t much different from developing a go-to-market plan for a product — a skill that, as Product Managers, we should already possess. The real issue arises in allocating the time for list-making, outreach, follow-ups, and content creation, especially while you’re still in the editing stages of the book. If I were to do it all over again, I’d begin the marketing plan concurrently with writing the book’s outline and seek external help much earlier. I’d even consider negotiating marketing support or reimbursements in the contract.
You can accomplish writing a book with minimal investment if you want to call yourself an author. However, if you aim to become a bestseller or generate significant revenue from your book, be prepared to invest time and money:
$3,000 for PR at the minimum for someone on Upwork, $14,000+ for an agency
$1,000+ for marketing and advertising to build a website, minimum ads, and tools
$1,500+ for travel expenses to speak at conferences unless you already have established yourself as a speaker and they are willing to cover your costs
That’s a lot of money, and the more I spend, the more I want to make; it’s just a core tenant in business. What could I do to capitalize on launching a book?
Product people doing product things:
So, remember I said I didn’t have time to do marketing because I was editing the copy? I left something out. I created a companion website for the book because how can you NOT create a product to accompany your book? Throughout the book, we use a fictional example of a social media platform called “Product Management Media,” or PMM for short. The whole concept of the example was to use game mechanics as a driving force to accelerate the skills and outcomes of product development professionals. As I was editing the chapters and looking at other authors’ websites for marketing ideas, I wondered, how am I not creating the example I use throughout the book?
Given my years of experience in consulting, I’ve learned the principle of “underpromise, overdeliver.” With that in mind, I set modest financial expectations for my book. Most authors typically receive commissions in the mid-teens percentage-wise, and as a first-time author, I’m on the lower end of that range. To supplement this, I decided to launch a companion website. The goal is to establish a community for product development professionals keen on enhancing their skills in product management, marketing, and strategy through gamification and game mechanics.
We didn’t just write a book; we elevated the entire reader experience. On our website, you’ll find our bios, links for purchasing the book, and a mysterious “secret code.” Naturally, we gamified the book — plug that code (if you can find it) into our website, and you unlock a treasure chest of exciting rewards.
The fun continues beyond there. Inspired by the book’s focus on gamification, we shifted our website from GoDaddy to Wix, which recently introduced gamification elements like points, badges, and rewards. Using our book as a guide, I launched the “Level Up Your Product” brand. Initially, that would be the book’s title before it was relegated to subtitle status by the publisher.
One of the core themes in the book is that you have to know your audience, your users, and what they want to get out of whatever you are creating.
So, when designing the strategy for the website, I studied the top three things that product managers are willing to pay for that we could provide:
Training and certifications
Career advice
Networking and learning from peers
Our website isn’t just a promotional tool; it’s a proof of concept. As we argue in the book, it’s vital to gauge interest in a concept before investing significant time and money into it. We’ve introduced various interactive options besides the essential features like bios and book links.
We offer a certification program in Product Gamification. Upon completing a comprehensive 180-question test based on our book, you’ll earn a certificate you can proudly display on your LinkedIn profile.
We also provide specialized learning tracks for a monthly nominal fee of $9. These tracks delve into subjects like crafting user stories for gamified products, exploring various game mechanics, and using Miro for gamifying product development processes.
Need more personalized help? We’re available for consulting, career advice, and hosting workshops.
And to be able to facilitate rewards, we added an online shop! Every purchase earns you points redeemable for discounts on ‘Level Up Your Product’ merchandise.
Finally, we’ve baked in a feedback loop to inform our next moves — whether pivoting our offerings or doubling down on successful ones. We created the proof of concept to be able to gauge the art of the possible. Because, as the world’s greatest basketball player said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Prepare for launch:
So, where do we go from here? We have some speaking engagements and webinars booked to provide our thought leadership. Gabe Zichermann, a renowned expert in gamification and behavioral design, wrote the forward for our book. We’re in conversation with some of the biggest names in product management and gamification for endorsements. That alone has made it worth it to me. The people I idolize in the product development and gamification space took the time to at least respond to my email and acknowledge my work.
Buckle up because our quest is far from its final level! My path has been full of twists, Easter eggs, and secret passages — nothing you’d find in a typical author’s guidebook. And who knows? The strategy might change entirely when it’s time to unlock Book 2.0. But for this round, my eyes are on the leaderboard — I’m going for that high score with my debut book. So, thanks for being a part of my ‘Player One’ audience. Here’s to hoping you’ll join the game, grab your controller, and help co-create this interactive narrative. Let’s see how many points we can rack up together!
Here are five key takeaways from my journey writing this book:
Writing this book required resilience, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. My nonlinear 9-month journey reveals the demands of becoming an author and the immense rewards. So, consider adding this ‘story” to your product backlog.
Mike