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Paul Arden

It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be: The world's best-selling book by Paul Arden (DESIGN) Paperback – Illustrated, 31 May 2003

by Paul Arden (Author)

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It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be is a handbook of how to succeed in the world: a pocket bible for the talented and timid alike to help make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible.

The world's top advertising guru, Paul Arden, offers up his wisdom on issues as diverse as problem solving, responding to a brief, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes, and creativity - all endeavours that can be applied to aspects of modern life.

This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom - all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads. If you want to succeed in life or business, this book is a must.

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Product details

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press; Illustrated edition (31 May 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0714843377
ISBN-13: 978-0714843377
Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 1.6 x 17.8 cm
Customer reviews: 560 customer ratings
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 8,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Public Relations (Books)
- #3 in Business Studies
- #11 in Occupational & Industrial Psychology

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Review

"Talented but timid? This noted ad-man is here to tell you that ambition, not just mere ability, is the key to success in his world... Arden is punchy and memorable about failing better next time."―i-D

"Saatchi & Saatchi creative legend-turned-director Paul Arden has committed his considerable wit and creative thinking to paper in a handy-sized book on how to succeed. Not just in advertising but in business generally. Far from being one of those excruciating self-help guides favored by buttoned-down businessmen, It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be is a startlingly refreshing, unputdownable collection of thought-provoking pearls of wisdom."―Shots

"Chapters such as It's Right to be Wrong, Have you Noticed How the Cleverest People at School Are Not Those Who Make It In Life? and Do Not Seek Praise, Seek Criticism are accompanied by an entertaining collection of photos and illustrations. Get it and you'll never think the same way again."―Shots

"The former creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi teaches readers how to smash down life's impossible barriers using a fresh combination of wit, smart thinking, and horrific mistakes. Outrageously genius."―The Good Book Guide

"...A wonderful book by one of the most brilliant men I have ever met... I met him when he worked as creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi and he was simply inspirational - as is this practical, unpretentious little book."―Amanda Platell

"...Deliciously rich paperback..."―Chicago Sun-Time

"British adman Paul Arden's semi-parodic study in self-help is as funny as it is provocative..."―Radar

"Who is this guy Arden anyway? Please forgive my enthusiasm this month for quoting Paul Arden extensively, but his wisdom has recently inspired me. Arden was the creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi from 1977-1992, and his tiny new book out in May, It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be , packs a big punch. This magnificent little manifesto is for true creative types to read, savor and carry in their pocket. It should remind us all that nothing is impossible."―PAPER magazine

"I read this book regularly. It's like my little holy book that I skim through every now and then. It's about advertising and the workplace, but I find a lot of the content can be applied to just about anything."―Mozhdah Jamalzadah

"Essential reading for those who wish to live a more daring and creative life."―Chichester Observer

Synopsis

"It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be" is a handbook of how to succeed in the world - a pocket "bible" for the talented and timid to help make the unthinkable and the impossible possible. Advertising guru Paul Arden offers up his wisdom on issues as diverse as problem solving, responding to a brief, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes and creativity, all endeavours that can be applied to aspects of modern life. This book provides an insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom, packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads.

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Customer reviews

5 star		62%
4 star		17%
3 star		12%
2 star		4%
1 star		6%

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Sebastian

How to make a quick buck? Write a short book and fill it up with pictures every second page.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2018

Verified Purchase

The font size of letters are so big my review will be approximately equivalent of two pages in this book. I'm not sure what audience this book is aimed at because it talks a lot about creativity, business, advertisement and nonsense like this. It almost feels like the writer was writing from the top of his head and didn't bother to proofread his work, I found myself re-reading short sentences because apparently, we need to feel the writer and read his mind for what he tries to get across in this book. I finished the entire book in about 2 hours. I would've given one star to this book, however, I have learned one thing from it, therefore, it wasn't completely useless but still, I don't recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

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Jack B.

An buffet of motivation.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2016

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This book is a short one, at around 100 pages. But every page or two is a new chapter containing a new quote / paragraphs about different aspects of rating success. There are sections on business, work and many more. It is a good book to reference, when you are in a situation where you could utilise this book it can be seen as helpful. For example, if have just been given a new project to work on, you could open up the few chapters that are targeted towards gathering requirements, working in teams etc. to give you good advice towards the task you are about to undergo.

Overall, it is a good book and it is a good gift to give to someone as a motivational read.

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A short, concise, visually appealing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2016

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This book was recommended to me by the legend that is Casey Neistat, I think at least.

I ordered the book because the title is exactly how I think about success and I'm pleased to say that it arrived earlier than expected. The book is smaller than the average book, it has a really nice sheen cover to it and the layout is very nice. The book itself is excellent, the layout inside is very different to a normal book and that's why it works for me, it's not page after page of text, but rather it;s laid out into short chapters that usually last the length of the two pages you're viewing at the time.

It has different fonts, different images on each page and some pages are different colours. Overall, visually, the book is amazing to look at.

I would say that this type of book is designed for the casual on-the-go readers, if you're ordering this book expecting a 600-page dissection of the world's most successful people, you should look at another book.

I love it.

2 people found this helpful

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Gurminder

A fair bit of repetition but plenty of tips for everyone

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2012

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Paul Arden was a character of the advertising industry. As an executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi during its heyday, he was responsible for some iconic British advertising campaigns, including British Airways. Billed as `a pocket bible for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible', this book was written for advertisers, designers and marketeers; but in reality the wisdom in the book is applicable to anyone who wants to succeed.

Although the book is small (you could almost say unassuming), it's got plenty of tips. The book is organized into 8 sections, including the introduction and covers topics such as having ideas, solving problems, presenting, making a difference, and winning new business. The advice and ideas in the book are very widely known - there's nothing revolutionary here, and there is a lot of repetition, but it's not brainwashing; merely coming back to the main point the author wants to make (that you should be unconventional if you want to succeed). Tips are either a simple statement or a few paragraphs of text. You're not going to get any in-depth analysis or facts to back anything up. Everything in this book has come from the author's experiences in life.

This is not one of those tedious self-help books that claim to make you rich, and it won't tell you the secrets of the world. But what it will do is to make you think about what you want from your life and/or career and provide tips that could possibly help you to attain your goals and succeed in your endeavors. It's an easy read - lots of big text and pictures. I went through it in less than an hour. The reason for three stars is because although I may re-read the book again if I feel I need a quick fix of 'how to succeed', it's not a classic and it's probably not a book I'm going to keep coming back to.

If you know anyone who works in an advertising agency, this would make a great gift.

5 people found this helpful

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Lauren Heaver

good advice. Will conflict with all words from people ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2017

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Makes you think. Makes you question. Leaves you with an energy and determination that you're not quite sure what to do with.
Inspirational words, good advice. Will conflict with all words from people of authority in your life, unless you have a Paul Arden guiding you already.

3 people found this helpful

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G. Moreno

Platitudes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2015

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I am sorry to say that it disappointed me. A collection of platitudes. I had to check the publication date, because I couln't believe it contained sentences like "Don't take no for an answer" as a novelty. The comparison with the splendid "The war of art" is preposterous; it has nothing to do with it.

5 people found this helpful

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Pandrei

wonderful 1h read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2014

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I started reading this book being a bit sceptic about the usefulness about the advice in this book (I read a lot of self development materials). Everything in here might be common sense and you may have heard it or dead about it before. But it's a good summary in a small format.

It's very easy to read and the font is large even though the book is the size of a small notebook. The average reader would go through it in one or two hours.

I would definitely recommend reading this and coming back to it over and over. It's nothing new but I did find it empowering and motivating. Once you are done reading it you get the feeling you have been putting off important stuff for too long and it's time to take action.

One person found this helpful

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Jacqueline Heaton

Feel Good Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2017

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A feel good book bought as a gift. The chap I get it for absolutely loved it and took quite a lot away from the information in it. Might have to beg it back and read it for myself!

2 people found this helpful

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DynamikeB

Very good short book that gives a good kick to motivation

Reviewed in Canada on 17 April 2016

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Short but lively and inspiring read. Don't settle for just being normal, aim for better, always and keep trying even if you fail. That would be my way of giving the basic idea of this book.

I like the way it's written/edited/pictured. It breathes, it's fun, it lives and it's pretty much in your face. It's a about 120-130 pages, so don't pay a big price for it, get a nice deal, but it's a very good motivation and a nice kick in the rear to anyone who may hesitate to move forward.

It's not that is a new subject, nothing that original, but the way it's presented is really cool, catchy, and in your face.

Creativity and trying to always be better and keep trying is essential in today's business and creativity.

2 people found this helpful

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Paulus

Tja, etwas " schnell"

Reviewed in Germany on 9 September 2018

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Nicht ganz zufrieden über dem Buch. Ich hatte es liegen sehen im einen Geschäft und dachte als ich die ersten Blätter ansah: " Ziemlich gut. " Doch als ich das Buch kaufte standen nur Sachen drin, die für mich unendlich langweilig waren. Normale Gedanken , aufgeschrieben als ob er Erfinder einer neuen Welt sei. Das Buch was billig, ebenso die Inhalt.

One person found this helpful

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SpanglerS

Ein schnelles Leseerlebnis

Reviewed in Germany on 5 January 2020

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Wer will, hat das Buch in einer Stunde durch. Ich finde die kurzen Gedankenanstöße allerdings perfekt für die S-Bahn fahrt zur Arbeit oder nach Hause. Vieles ist bekannt, schadet aber nicht wenn man es sich ins Gedächtnis ruft. Dieser Redundanz bin ich leider in Phaidon Büchern häufiger begegnet, hier aber in keiner weiße störend!

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Amazon Customer

Purchased for my GF, she dumped me soon after

Reviewed in Canada on 24 July 2019

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I guess this book works, I got it as a stocking stuffer for ex-girlfriend and a couple of months later she dumped me.
Seems to work.

2 people found this helpful

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Riggs

Gran motivador!

Reviewed in Mexico on 26 April 2018

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Si usted esta buscando ese impulso motivador para aventurarse en el desarrollo de cualquier idea o proyecto.

Este libro es sin duda el aliciente ideal para reunir esa motivación requerida.

Considero que este libro debería ser una lectura obligatoria en las Universidades.

One person found this helpful

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Jamie Pagé

Inspirierend aber kurz

Reviewed in Germany on 18 April 2018

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Das Buch ist sehr inspirierend und bietet ein paar nette Ansichten, aber es ist wirklich viel kleiner und kürzer als ich anfangs gedacht habe. Wer also für einen kleinen Mmotivationsschub für zwischendurch sucht, der wird dieses Buch lieben, aber es ist keine Lektüre für den langfristigen Zeitraum.

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Ach Hadda

A éviter absolument. Des idées recyclé rien de pratique

Reviewed in France on 2 September 2019

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Il prend la vie facile, c'est des idées recyclé ya rien de nouveaux.

Genre pense différemment et etre faut certainement vrai etc... Etc...
Il donne des exemples qui fonctionnent 1 sur 2000 sans vraiment partir en détails pourquoi ça fonctionne.

Ce livre c'est très basique comme idée j'ai rien appris.

Il prend des idées des différents livres qu'ils sont au moins des guides comme "sell without pitching" et "start with why" mais avec que des briefs.

Je sais pas comment ce livre et réputé un best seller honnêtement. Je suis meme pas sur comment il a finis dans mon panier sans me rendre compte.

A éviter

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Roman Rodriguez

Libro de cabecera

Reviewed in Mexico on 28 April 2017

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Libro que dice lo que probablemente ya has leido en otras ocasiones pero por ahí dice el dicho

"Te bañas todos los días porque te ensucias todos los días" Es importante estar recordando lo que dice el título literal.

Es corto y tiene además de ilustraciones ciertas páginas con diseño. Buen libro para releerlo en continuas ocasiones ya que en una sentada puedes leerlo todo.

Libro enfocado a creativos

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Cliente de Amazon

Librazo

Reviewed in Mexico on 8 March 2020

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Un gran libro si te dedicas al marketing o a las ventas. Excelente, lo leí en un día. Recomiendo más la versión física que la digital por las fotografías.

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nitisha

Pages repeated in the copy.. disappointing

Reviewed in India on 17 August 2020

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Pages are repeated. There is something horribly wrong with the printing of this book. Page 32 followed by Page 65. Absolutely dissaponting. I wish the seller/ printer was more careful about this. Now I am unsure of ordering another copy :(

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Victor

Genial

Reviewed in Spain on 5 February 2019

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Casi me lo termino en un par de horas, me encanta porque te da bueno cosejos y aprendes mucho, es un libre que te lo puede llevar a cualquier parte. Lo recomiendo!

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McGillicuddy

Pithy Parables for your Presentations

Reviewed in Canada on 25 October 2012

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If you're like me and have to prepare presentations on topics that fascinate you, but that your audience needs to be convinced about, have this book on your desk.

This book is full of clever aphorisms about how to inspire creative actions and achieve goals, which is what every business is trying to persuade its people to do. Whether Paul Arden's advice is actually right or not, I've no idea (I think his heart's in the right place, but I don't think I've learned anything I didn't already know). But he does present his ideas well with compelling and unexpected turns of phrase, which I crib all the time now.

And the pictures are good too and a useful reminder that adding art to presentations around the office will make them more memorable.

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Melissa Cooke

It's not much more then a book of inspirational quotes

Reviewed in Canada on 7 February 2020

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Admittedly, I am a book snob and have high standards. It's not an exaggeration to say I read this in less then 20 minutes. I can't say there isn't a nugget or two of inspiration to be gleaned from this, but it wasn't anything of true substance or wisdom.

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Lana

Faszinierendes Buch, leicht zu lesen

Reviewed in Germany on 14 January 2019

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Das Buch an sich ist sehr leicht zu lesen, da viele Abbildungen den Inhalt des Textes unterstützen und untermalen.
Des Weiteren ist der Inhalt sehr präzise und es öffnet einem an manchen Stellen die Augen. Sehr interessantes und tiefgehendes Buch, wie man seine Ansicht und Motivation zu bestimmten Dingen verbessern kann.

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Sarah

The name is a great hook for hungry fish

Reviewed in Germany on 30 August 2017

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Unfortunately after 20 or so pages he sounds like a boring ad man who can't sell you a bread when you are hungry. The main idea is gone and the rest feels like a watery soup.

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