Warren Tuttle, owner of Tuttle Innovation and author of “Inventor Confidential,” served as the President of the non-profit United Inventors Association of America for 12 years. He is behind the launch of highly successful consumer products including MISTO, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, and SmartSpin Store Container System. He personally interacts with thousands of inventors each year and has initiated over 100 new consumer licensing agreements resulting in over one billion dollars in retail sales. He is a member of the National Pro Bono Patent Commission and the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s National Council for Expanding American Innovation.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
Directly out of college, I spent six years working for a New York City Department Store. Then I started a collection of upscale gourmet housewares and food stores in Southern Connecticut.
One day, I met an an inventor with a new product called MISTO, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer. I helped him with the launch and it went on to sell millions of units. Since then, I have gone onto help many inventors take their products to market without ever charging them.
“Inventor Confidential” is the inside story of what I have accomplished launching several corporate Open Innovation programs, reviewing over 100,000 product submissions, being responsible for signing over 100 license agreements and bringing to market many innovative products that have generated over one billion dollars in retail sales.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
“Inventor Confidential” focuses on what serious product development is all about, including hard work, prototyping and the pursuit of intellectual property. Readers will learn what questions naive inventors should ask invention industry marketers to learn the long odds in actually making money instead of just lining the marketers pockets as well as what is going on in Washington DC with innovation legislation and at the US Patent and Trademark Office. I highlight what we can all do to make America a truly innovative country where grassroots inventors can succeed.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
- 3M poster size Post It notes to outline and visually arrange the chapters.
- Harper Collins is my publisher and they have been terrific.
- Andrea Pass for public relations, lots of social media, and many, many podcasts.
What were the top three mistakes you made publishing your book what did you learn from them?
I don’t think I made any major mistakes, amazingly enough. What was critical though was: preparing the right promotional pieces to send to publishers which ended up being over 70 pages. Also, selecting the right agent to represent me was a blessing.
When will you consider your book a success?
When “Inventor Confidential” hits the market and is read by thousands of aspiring inventors and influences around the world and I get emails appreciating the inside lessons to avoid wasting time and money.
I have a chapter dedicated to failure and dealing with unforeseen disruption. I think it’s the best chapter in the book. I outline a personal code that I have lived by most of my life — SIAM: Stop, Identify, Address, Move On.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Editing, rewriting, further editing, further rewriting and never being quite satisfied. Eventually you have to relax and let it rip.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
I knew that writing “Inventor Confidential” would be a lot of work. The fact that it took me two years to get all of the words on paper and the chapters separated to be able to help the inventor community was well worth it.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
No. My career has developed organically and I have been able to adjust to the environment around me. I’ve always stayed open-minded and work hard. Trying new things keeps my career interesting. I highly recommend that inventors remain open-minded, work hard and try new things as they develop their products.
If you only had $1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Outreach and connecting with targeted audiences is key. I’d spend it on social media and podcasts to related groups and organizations.
What is your favorite quote?
“Look to the horizon and you’ll know where to go.”
– a quote I made up for my children.
Random Bonus: With the game on the line and 5 seconds on the clock, who takes the last shot? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James?
Michael Jordan. I’ve never seen him miss in a big spot. Trust in people comes from credibility which comes from knowing they’ve done it before and can do it again.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can contact via email wwtuttle@yahoo.com or you can visit my website InventorConfidential.com
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