Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
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.
My book, Inventor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Inventing, 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 is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Inventor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Inventing was inspired by my years and years in Open Innovation. I am able to highlight what serious product development is all about, including hard work, prototyping and the pursuit of intellectual property. I focus on 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. I am always inspired by what is going on in Washington DC with innovation legislation
and at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Most importantly, I understand what we can all do to make America an truly innovative country where grassroots inventors can succeed.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get writer’s block like many others. I’m a live-in-the-world get-it-down person. It is hard for me to settle down at a desk and force myself to write. I laid out the book in my mind, then purchased huge post-it notes and put it throughout the house. I wrote my notes so that I could stand in the middle and visualize everything and get better organized. That helped me organize and get back to writing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My wife and I are in a book club and we read five books per year, plus I read a lot on my own. My favorite book is “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on promoting “Inventor Confidential.” I’m excited to speak for a variety of Inventor Clubs affiliated with the United Inventors Association of America (501c3 non profit). I’m hosting virtual events so that others can learn more about my book and conducting press outreach to drive awareness.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’d have to say that LinkedIn is the best site for a business-to-business book such as “Inventor Confidential,” since the social media site is targeted towards businesspeople.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
It’s more work than you realize. It’s like remodeling your kitchen — always costs twice as much and takes twice as long. It’s twice as hard. Once you get into it, now you have to do a good job.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The advice I gave my children —-“Look to the horizon and you’ll know where to go” (a quote I made up for my children).
The best advice I ever got was from my high school graduation. Sydney Poitier was my speaker (his daughter was in my class). He said that hard work and dedication are the most important things in life. I hear those words every single day.
What are you reading now?
I just read “Caste” by Isabella Wilkerson, a definitive novel on racism in the U.S. It is brilliant. Everyone should be required to read this book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
At this time, I am focusing on Inventor Confidential. I’ll see where this book takes me. I know that I have other books in me. Time will tell.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My favorite books of all time. I’d re-read them:
“Love In the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez
“Catch 22” by Joseph Heller
“West with The Night” by Beryl Markham
Finally, I’d probably pick a crime thriller.
Author Websites and Profiles
Warren Tuttle Website
Warren Tuttle’s Social Media Links
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Twitter Account
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