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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 Paperback – Illustrated, June 1, 2003

by Paul Arden (Author)

857 ratings

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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 to 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 notions that can be applied to aspects of modern life. This book provides a unique 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. If you want to succeed in life or business, this is a must!

Paul Arden began his career in advertising at the age of 16. For 14 years he was Executive Creative Director at Saatchi and Saatchi, where he was responsible for some of Britain's best known campaigns including British Airways, Silk Cut, Anchor Butter, InterCity and Fuji. His famous slogans include 'The Car in front is a Toyota' and 'The Independent - It is - Are You?'. In 1993 he set up the London-based production company Arden Sutherland-Dodd where he is now a commercials director for clients such as BT, BMW, Ford, Nestle and Levis.

Print length

128 pages
Language:

English
Publisher

Phaidon Press
Publication date

June 1, 2003
Grade level

8 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

4.75 x 0.63 x 7 inches
ISBN-10

0714843377
ISBN-13

978-0714843377
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Editorial Reviews

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

―-

About the Author

Paul Arden (1940‐2008) spent a stormy 18 years in advertising and then found his Alma Mater in Saatchi & Saatchi in 1977, where he worked for 15 years. During his tenure as Executive Creative Director he was responsible for some of Britain’s most successful advertising campaigns – including British Airways, Silk Cut, Intercity and Fuji – and famous slogans, such as "The Car in front is a Toyota" and "The Independent – It is. Are you?". In 1993 Arden set up the film production company Arden Sutherland‐Dodd and began a successful second career as a writer with a weekly column in The Independent and several publications including Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite (2006) and God Explained In A Taxi Ride (2007).

Product details

Publisher : Phaidon Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2003)
Language: : English
Paperback : 128 pages
ISBN-10 : 0714843377
ISBN-13 : 978-0714843377
Reading age : 13 years and up
Grade level : 8 and up
Item Weight : 6.4 ounces
Dimensions : 4.75 x 0.63 x 7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #30,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Advertising Graphic Design
- #42 in Advertising (Books)
- #114 in Sales & Selling (Books)

Customer Reviews:
857 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		14%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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isaiah brenner

... use the word "book" liberally - this reads more like a ransom note) is odious

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book (I use the word "book" liberally - this reads more like a ransom note) is odious. It reads like the fanatical platitudes of a priest of Capitalism. Maybe it has some value, if you buy into the American cultural notion that rich people are better than poor people, that your wealth reflects your worth. But regardless of your ideological leanings, this book has nothing to offer anyone with two brain cells to rub together. It is a cynical bit of trash that capitalizes on the genre of self help/wealth help without contributing anything to it. Also, there is a lot of borderline (perhaps outright) racist imagery used to make the author's point that rich, successful people are better and deserve better that poor people.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rob Kirk

Love it, love it, Love it

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

Sometimes you need to read a book that is short, sweet, and although it may seem simple... there is so much hidden meaning. This book is so cool and came to be at the right time in life. Yes, it's not long and it's got a lot of white space in the pages BUT a book should be about how it changes you, not how stressful it is on your eyes. Get this jewel and treasure it.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Short Read

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book has a couple of good life quotes, and some short positive affirmations to either make yourself feel better or inspire you, but I’m not sure I would call it “The world’s bestselling book.” If you are looking for short-read material you may find in a restroom or lobby table of a doctor’s office, this would be the book for you. Otherwise, I would give this one a pass.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

gerald cunningham

The Einstein "..of Advertising...

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

We are all in marketing and business of promotion...This author is a genius !!>>>most people can not figure him out...A simple read..yet How do you apply the knowledge and wisdom in today's world... Answer>>>> By realizing nothing has changed we still have call clients, buyers and sellers...The old fashioned basics of creative thinking still apply and always will...Its like....can you see the pony in the haystack ?....Can you understand..what his message is ?....I have read book over 11 times...and always ..get inspired..To look at things business a new way..best to you..gerald cunningham'..

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

IINDIGO

Nothing you haven’t heard before.

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

Subpar at best ...

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mark Fujiwara

Good but not his best work.

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

We know what we are getting when we pick up a Paul Arden book, it is going to be shorter than your normal book but packed with helpful quotes and stories. This one didn’t disappoint but I did feel some of it was a bit more rehashed content. I know there are some lower star reviews because you can find the quotes anywhere on the internet, true but the way Paul presents these in his form and delivery is key. Pick the book up and thumb to any page and you will get a bit of motivation. Good one but not his best though.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Tyler J. Harvey

Excellent Book on finding your profession and creative motivations!

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book has an outstanding amount of information, perspectives, and common sense directed at helping you find your motivation, all within a ~120 page book that's easy to knock out in an afternoon! Absolutely worth every penny, and a book that is quick to get through, and pass along to your friends!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

LYNZ

Loved it! Great insights in a witty manner!

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I absolutely love Paul Arden's writing for it's humor, wit and deep meaningful thoughts all in one! No matter what your goal is, from career to self-improvement, this book offers great insights for improvement and change in a way that's fun to read and engaging. All of Arden's short texts are full of fun illustrations and are good-natured quick reads. This was no exception!

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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 August 25, 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

Jack B.

An buffet of motivation.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

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

Amazon Customer

A short, concise, visually appealing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

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

Gurminder

A fair bit of repetition but plenty of tips for everyone

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

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

Lauren Heaver

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

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

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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