The next book I’m writing is about innovation: how and why new ideas develop the way they do. I’ve signed a deal with O’Reilly, publishers of my first book and work is well underway.

I’ve chosen innovation because it’s central to everything many of us want: for things to get better. But it’s also a misunderstood and violently misused term. It’s commonly abused in the tech sector, where you see it used as a filler word in naming and describing things: Innovation is the lorem ipsum of current bussiness and technology marketing filling in when people are too lazy to say what the mean.

The word even surfaces now in marketing literature for ball point pens and pizza, begging the questions:

• Have we forgotten what innovation is?
• How is innovation different from ‘good’ or ‘new’?
• What are the common misconceptions about how innovation happens?
• Can anyone innovate or just those born to do it?
• What can we learn from innovations of the past, if anything?
• Is the internet age that different in how innovations are found, developed and promoted than the work of Newton, Edison and Ford?

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and my aim is to explore these kinds of questions and answer them.

This blog post serves to invite all of you to participate in the development of the book. I’ll be discussing my ideas on this blog, linking and commenting to related findings along the way. I’m hoping you’ll chime in, give feedback and participate in the writing of a good book.

For starters:

• I’m looking for nominations for people to interview. Who is the most innovative person you know? Have worked with? Have ever heard of? Give me a link or an e-mail address and I’ll put them on my list.
• Are there other books, references or websites I should know about? What’s the best story of innovation you’ve read?
• Or just say “Go Scott! Looking forward to the book!” :)

(Update: get interviewed for the book online and share your innovation stories.)