Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook

Author: Maurice Kanbar
List Price: $13.00
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ISBN: 0142000566
Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc. (15 February, 2002)
Sales Rank: 54,665
Average Customer Rating: 4.64 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5
Inventor's advice - shaken not stirred.
I flew through this book. Very easy to read (because my grandmother could read this type without her glasses). Very educational for beginners. Kanbar shares some wonderful stories to illustrate his points on inventing. He dishes out some great advice - that I plan on following. At the back of the book he graciously gives the reader many sources for every phase of the process.

I'm very surprised that this book doesn't have SKYY Vodka on the cover & and the BallsOff Brush on the back!! Since I don't know much about the subject, I really don't know what he left out - but for some reason I felt he was holding back the good stuff & skimming over the top.

Thanks Maurice, this was a good introduction to the world of inventing.


Rating: 5 out of 5
Lots of practical advice illustrated with real stories
This is an easy read, and it's hard to put it down.

His basic process is easily summed up: 1) Solve a Problem, 2) Prove Your Invention/Build a Prototype, 3) Protect Your Idea, 4)Manufacture or License?, 5) Market with a Twist. And, those are his 5 main chapters. He shows you how he has done this repeatedly. He's a serial inventor/business starter.

What I particularly liked was his detailed description of how he did "hands on" market research. He shows you how to prove out your invention early within the marketplace.

From an invention point of view, he works primarily from finding problems. He describes his personal experience in all the chapters. There is no college theory here.

I highly recommend this book for entrepreneurs and inventors. It's a fast read, but you'll probably come back and review it periodically.

John Dunbar


Rating: 5 out of 5
Bought on a whim, and...wow!!
I had no idea who Maurice Kanbar was when I picked up this book. I was browsing in my local bookstore, saw "Secrets..." on the shelf, thought it looked interesting, forked over my [money].

Kanbar says friends, co-workers, etc. have consistently badgered him over the years to write a book. I can see why. This guy is an amazing source of creativity and perseverance. Forget the "Inventors" title. Anyone with even a smidgen of entrepreneurial zeal can benefit from the chock-a-block common sense crammed into this small volume.

The range of this guy's impact is stunning. The innovations tumble forward, one chapter after another. Kanbar says it all stems from a simple principle - see something you don't understand, and ask how and why it happened. Then devise a solution that provides a real benefit and market it with a twist.

All the examples are compelling, but the SKYY Vodka tale - which Kanbar saves for the last chapter - brings everything together in a most impressive fashion. He lays it our very succintly:

The problem? He had headaches after drinking.

The reason? After study, scientists tell him that the distillation process leaves impurities, called 'congeners.'

Solution? A distillation process that eliminates the congeners.

The benefit? Drinking in moderation with less irratation.

The entire book reads just like that. Great takeaway lessons for anyone. Get this one on your bookshelf ASAP.

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