Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?
Any suggestions on fictional books about or related to startups? Fictional books related to the computer industry in general is also of interest.
30 comments
There are thousands of them. They're usually called, "the business plan."
"hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble", by Tom Evslin (pub. 2007).
Tom is a software hacker himself and a very well known serial startup entrepreneur, with successes in comm and graphics apps (both Mac and PC) and then a huge IPO for his company ITXC during the internet bubble. His fictional murder mystery is based on his insider view of startups, both the both technical and financial sides.
Go to http://hackoff.com (note that the fictional domain which is the title of the book is also a real domain to promote the book). You can read the entire book or listen to Tom read the entire book free, or receive all the text episodes by RSS or email, or receive all the audio episodes by RSS or podcast. You can order the hardback book edition from Amazon, or buy a Kindle edition.
Tom is a software hacker himself and a very well known serial startup entrepreneur, with successes in comm and graphics apps (both Mac and PC) and then a huge IPO for his company ITXC during the internet bubble. His fictional murder mystery is based on his insider view of startups, both the both technical and financial sides.
Go to http://hackoff.com (note that the fictional domain which is the title of the book is also a real domain to promote the book). You can read the entire book or listen to Tom read the entire book free, or receive all the text episodes by RSS or email, or receive all the audio episodes by RSS or podcast. You can order the hardback book edition from Amazon, or buy a Kindle edition.
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is pretty good. It is a business fiction book, so although it is not about startups, it applies well to start ups.
http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/08...
The book explains Theory of Constraints(TOC) in a novel. TOC is basically similar to profiling software, but instead of software, you profile a business. Find the bottlenecks in the system and work on them. Improving other things has very low return, and usually just waste of time. Improving bottlenecks improves the throughput of the whole system.
Here are my other recommended business fiction books: http://atank.interlogy.com/blog/?p=15
The book explains Theory of Constraints(TOC) in a novel. TOC is basically similar to profiling software, but instead of software, you profile a business. Find the bottlenecks in the system and work on them. Improving other things has very low return, and usually just waste of time. Improving bottlenecks improves the throughput of the whole system.
Here are my other recommended business fiction books: http://atank.interlogy.com/blog/?p=15
Startup book turning into thriller with light dose of sci-fi and compelling characters: "Press Send" by John McLaren (http://www.amazon.com/Press-Send-John-McLaren/dp/0671015702)
To me, "Press Send" run circles around "Microserfs".
Good luck finding it in the US (It's a UK book for some reason).
To me, "Press Send" run circles around "Microserfs".
Good luck finding it in the US (It's a UK book for some reason).
Non-fiction but I love "Showstopper" about Dave Cutler and Windows NT 1.0.
There's a great little story in there about a developer's months-long struggle to draw a Window onscreen for the first time from scratch. I loved the descriptions of how they coded up everything from bare metal. As you'll see, Dave Cutler is one of those rare firebrands.
There's a great little story in there about a developer's months-long struggle to draw a Window onscreen for the first time from scratch. I loved the descriptions of how they coded up everything from bare metal. As you'll see, Dave Cutler is one of those rare firebrands.
Hyperion Bay was an early WB program about a tech start up staring Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It wasn't very good though, only 17 episodes. I think I had watched only one episode all the way through. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166044/
Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure: Jerry Kaplan (Jerry is such a nice guy that he answered my email).
Another one, though this guy did NOT reply to my email, is about a publishing (not coding) startup, Burn Rate.
Another one, though this guy did NOT reply to my email, is about a publishing (not coding) startup, Burn Rate.
The Deadline by Tom DeMarco
jPod (not sure, too long ago that I read it)
jPod (not sure, too long ago that I read it)
Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out. They are sort-of about startups; the main character has to re-organize the Post Office and the Banking system.
Thanks for all suggestions! Looking forward to some good reading this summer.
I have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them. Also, the TV version of JPod is not that bad.
I have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them. Also, the TV version of JPod is not that bad.
Although not a book, I recommend watching "August" - a movie I discovered last summer on HN about the startup-scene in NYC during the boom. An interesting story and journey for sure.
Although not a book, I recommend watching "August" - a movie I discovered last summer on HN about the startup-scene in NYC during the boom. An interesting story and journey for sure.
Although not a book, I recommend watching "August" - a movie I discovered last summer on HN about the startup-scene in NYC during the boom. A fun watch for sure.
Not fiction, but I'm enjoying "What the Dormouse Said: How 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer"
Dreaming in code is a book about the startup life of the Chandler project.
Microserfs - they start as employees and create a startup.
This just occurred to me: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
microserfs
That's a great book. I think it's the only startup fiction I've ever read, and it inspired me quite a deal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microserfs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microserfs
He also wrote a more recent one called JPod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jpod which is more about a cubicle farm environment than startup.
There was a T.V. show based on that.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.
http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/00605...
http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/00605...
The First 20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson
http://www.pobronson.com/index_first_20_million.htm
http://www.pobronson.com/index_first_20_million.htm
Non-fiction, but the best tech startup story I know of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine
Seconded. Besides telling a familiar story in a very compelling way, Kidder has a genius for quotability:
One engineer, Josh Rosen, who burned out fighting nanosecond-level timing bugs was seduced by the attraction of commune living and left to live in the country. His resignation note declared, I’m going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season.
Gems like this one appear about once every two pages, give or take.
One engineer, Josh Rosen, who burned out fighting nanosecond-level timing bugs was seduced by the attraction of commune living and left to live in the country. His resignation note declared, I’m going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season.
Gems like this one appear about once every two pages, give or take.
Options by Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons): http://www.amazon.com/Options-Secret-Life-Steve-Parody/dp/03...
Although all the parts in it that I liked were already on the blog: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com
Although all the parts in it that I liked were already on the blog: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com
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If you want something a little different, "The Truth" and "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett both capture a sense of startupness.
Posted at ~1 AM in the Valley... would love for this to be bumped up during the daytime here. Then again the kinds of people who would comment are probably wide awake right now.
Nonfiction, but thought Fire in the Valley was worth mentioning. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is the movie based on it. Antitrust is also good.
Nonfiction, but thought Fire in the Valley was worth mentioning. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is the movie based on it. Antitrust is also good.