How to Get Ideas (Paperback)

~ (Author), Larry Corby (Illustrator) "Before we figure out how to get ideas we must discuss what ideas are, for if we don't know what things are it's difficult to..." (more)
Key Phrases: old elements, James Webb Young, Los Angeles, Arthur Koestler (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Quite simply, the best book on creativity I have ever seen.

Review

How To Get Ideas answers the basic questions of where do ideas come from, why do some people get so many of them, and is there some secret technique to getting more of them. How To Get Ideas answers these questions and demonstrates that any reader, regardless of age or skill, employment or training, can come up with more ideas, faster and easier than ever before in his or her life. Author Jack Foster shows how to condition the mind and become "idea-prone"; how to make the child within us and our sense of humor work for us; how to develop our curiosity, visualize our goals, rethinking our thinking, combine different ideas, and overcome our fear of rejection. How To Get Ideas provides a five-step procedure for solving problems and getting ideas, a proven procedure that takes the mystery and anxiety out of the idea-generating process, a procedure that works. How To Get Ideas should be in every school, community, and corporate library across the country. How To Get Ideas is the ideal place to start for anyone seeking to make improvements in the world around them. -- Midwest Book Review

If I had money enough to buy only one book, it would be Jack Foster's How to Get Ideas. It is a quick read for a quick start, a motivator to make you more productive and more secure. This book should be re-read every four or five months as food for the rest of your life. -- Dennis F. Holt, Chairman and CEO, Western International Media

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 399 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1 edition (October 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157675006X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576750063
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #405,842 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was great. Ideas are flowing like never before., October 13, 1998

By A Customer

Jack Foster's book "How to get ideas" helped our company create the atmosphere that we needed to generate excitement and, of course, ideas. I didn't think it was possible to teach others how to get ideas until I read Foster's book. I used to think that ideas just happened or that some people were naturally more creative then others.

Foster suggests excercises and step by step instructions in a format that is fun and easy to read.

My biggest temptation was to rip through the pages without taking the time to stop and absorb what I had just read. So I read it twice. Make that three times.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has to get the creative juices going but just doesn't know how. If you're naturally creative but run into an occasional roadblock this book will suggest a detour to get you back on track. 5-stars.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, April 4, 2001

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's a shame that some readers might overlook this book as just another entry into the super-saturated and rarely enlightening field of creativity. Using quotes and examples drawn from the origins of well known - and even life-altering - ideas, creations and inventions, Jack Foster has crafted an educational, entertaining and inspirational book. He gets right to the point, makes you laugh and never descends to the level of psychobabble. He is aided and abetted by illustrator Larry Corby. We [...] recommend this book to all readers - Even if you aren't transformed into an idea fountain, you'll enjoy yourself, and probably learn something.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL IDEA IS RARE., May 26, 2000

By	Henry Caroselli (California) - See all my reviews

"I spent 6 years as the Advertising Creative Director for Disneyland and 20+ years in the advertising agency business. I can comfortably say that I know the power of an idea. I know that what most people call ideas aren't real ideas. A real idea is quite rare, very precious, and requires careful nurturing so it can grow into a powerful force. Jack's book outlines the process of what it takes to come up with a real idea - and how to persevere until that idea has a life of its own. Jack's book is a must read if you want to get in (or want to stay in) the idea business."