Pre-order Releases Jul 6, 2027
Too Smart to Fail?: A counter-intuitive approach to staying relevant
From $11.77 / copy at 25+ copies; lower per-copy prices at higher quantities (see Volume pricing) As low as $9.78 at 1,000+
Volume pricing
The more copies, the less each one costs
Applied automatically in your cart. No code needed.
About the book
Too Smart to Fail?
How can a company with the smartest people in the world and access to all the resources they could ever need become irrelevant? If it can happen to Nokia, Kodak and Blockbuster, it can certainly happen to Apple, Google or Netflix. Who's next? In this book, alternative futurist, investor and entrepreneur, Gus Balbontin offers an alternative explanation for why this phenomenon keeps happening, and why it’s so difficult to avoid.
Gus’s explanation is counterintuitive; the future is arriving at our doorstep faster than we are able to let go of the present. Instead of pulling the future towards us, we are busy trying to hold on to increasingly irrelevant presents, creating a false sense of certainty with an obvious expiry date. Balbontin explores the power of engineering novelty into our lives, and focusing less on implementation and more on explementation (the opposite). If you can't let go of your wardrobe, it is unlikely you and your business will be able to let go of the process, the system, the product or the culture that is holding them back.
The world is becoming more and more unpredictable, and we all need to learn to succeed through uncertainty. Too Smart to Fail? offers an alternative view of the problem and an unexpected solution: embrace the discomfort of incompetence to increase your tolerance to change. Based in part on the author's own experience as Executive Director, leading the restructure that kept travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet afloat, this innovative and entertaining book shares a proven approach to avoiding irrelevance.
What readers are saying
Details
- Publisher
- Major Street Publishing
- Author
- Gus Balbontin
- Format
- Paperback
- Release date
- Jul 6, 2027
- ISBN-13
- 9781923748903
- ISBN-10
- 1923748904
- Pages
- 240
Who it's for
Made for teams that read together
Pre-order copies for everyone on your list, and they ship on release.
- Leadership development For new managers and leadership cohorts, a chapter per session. Get a quote
- Company book clubs A shared vocabulary for the whole organization. Get a quote
- Offsites and conferences A takeaway attendees will read, delivered to your venue. Get a quote
- Client and employee gifts One office or each recipient’s home. Get a quote
Before release day
Need them before Jul 6?
Books ship on release and usually arrive around the release date. Early delivery is common, and we arrange it often. It needs the publisher’s OK, so tell us why you need them early and we’ll make the request for you.
- Tell us the date and the reasonA class unit, an event, a program launch: one line is enough.
- We ask the publisherWe make the request on your behalf. It’s a routine part of what we do.
- We confirm with youYour specialist confirms the date by email before anything ships.
Other times a quote is the better path
- Several addressesOne order split across schools, branches, classrooms or homes.
- Signings and eventsTell us the venue and the date, and we’ll plan the delivery around it.
- Custom touchesBookplates, belly bands, gift notes or packaging for your copies.
- Purchase ordersSchools, libraries and agencies can pay by PO.
Too Smart to Fail? for groups: pricing
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart. No codes, no account needed.
| Copies | Price per copy | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 25 – 99 | $11.77 | 41% off list |
| 100 – 249 | $11.17 | 44% off list |
| 250 – 499 | $10.57 | 47% off list |
| 500 – 999 | $10.17 | 49% off list |
| 1,000+ | $9.78 | 51% off list |
Where can I buy 100 copies of Too Smart to Fail??
BookPal sells Too Smart to Fail? in quantity. At 100 copies the price is $11.17 a copy, against a list price of $19.95, and the cart applies the volume tier automatically. Free shipping on most orders over $95 in the contiguous US. A specialist can quote a larger or mixed order.
- New books only, straight from the publisher
- Volume prices apply automatically in the cart, with no code needed
- Order at least 10 business days before you need the books (11 from mid-November through December)
What does Too Smart to Fail? cost when I buy for a group?
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $11.77 (41% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $11.17 (44% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $10.57 (47% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $10.17 (49% off list); 1,000+ copies, $9.78 (51% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.
How fast can I get copies of Too Smart to Fail??
This title is not released yet. Pre-orders ship when it is, currently scheduled for July 6, 2027. Need them by a specific date? Request a quote and we'll confirm timing before you pay.
Can you ship to several locations or people's homes?
Yes. We ship group orders to one address, to multiple sites, or to individual recipients, in the US and internationally. See fulfillment options.
Can I get a formal quote for approval before ordering?
Yes. Request a quote and we'll send a PDF you can forward for approval.
Do you accept purchase orders and tax-exempt orders?
Yes. We accept purchase orders upon approval, as well as cards, PayPal, ACH, wire transfers and checks. BookPal is a tax-exempt supplier in all 50 states. See purchase orders and sales tax exemption.
What if I find a lower price?
Send us the link. We match prices from other booksellers and distributors on a new copy in the same edition, available to ship in the quantity you need. Clearance sales and pricing errors are the exception, and we'll tell you quickly if that's the case. Start a price match.
Turn this order into a program
Groups that order together often pair the copies with something more. We handle the extras so you don't have to.
Branded cover stickers on paperbacks from 100 copies, plus bookplates, inserts and belly bands. Your specialist confirms what fits your title.
Customization options Ship to every readerOne address, many sites or individual recipients' homes, in the US and abroad.
Fulfillment options Pair it with a branded journalJournals with your logo or each reader's name, for the same group.
Branded journals
Bring in a speaker
BookPal is partnering with Talezo to help you find and book authors, speakers and performers for your event.
BookPal × TalezoWrite a Review
Too Smart to Fail?: A counter-intuitive approach to staying relevant
Teams also order
A colleague asked you to approve this order
Your quote list
Add books as you browse, then request one quote for all of them.