Why I Wrote a Murder Mystery Novel
Not for fame or fortune, that’s for sure. The Business Fiction genre is tighter than the T&E budget of a pre-seed startup. As Addie Morita complains in the story, “Nobody wants to publish startup fiction.”
Why write, then? While I take my writing seriously, I love my “day job” as a venture capitalist. For me writing is a classic “side project.” and I write to enlighten and entertain. (Even if my books sell, I’ve already committed proceeds to an amazing local nonprofit, FemForward, that promotes young women in tech.) My writing advances non-fiction topics of serious interest to startup and business folks, through mischievous fictional stories that any reader will (hopefully) find engaging and entertaining.
Murder at First Principles tells the story of “one of the most baffling homicide investigations in California history.” The plot revolves around unfolding murder and mayhem (occurring offscreen, there’s no overt sex or violence, sorry) that appears to be related to an iconic business strategy book, Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers.
If you are not familiar with Helmer’s book, then you are exactly the person for whom I wrote the story. 7 Powers has been called “one of the best business books in history.” Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, says, if you don’t read this book, your business is going to die a lot sooner. Many of the smartest investors I know swear by 7 Powers and it has certainly changed my professional life as a venture capitalist, yet I’m amazed at how many people don’t know it. And that’s why I wrote Murder at First Principles — to help, in a creative way, expose more readers to Helmer’s brilliant and fundamental strategy insights.
Some questions about this post
Q: Wait, Ben Wiener wrote a novel? Why did he do that?
A: So basically, you didn’t read the post. Were you on your phone the whole time?
Q: Something about murder and a business strategy book. He wrote a book about a book?
A: More or less. So you did read the post. Or did you just watch the Cameo video?
Q: The Cameo was EPIC!! Was that really the Old Spice Guy and The Most Interesting Man in the World?
A: Yes. Did you have any questions about Ben’s post, though?
Q: Oh yeah. How did he have the time to write a novel?
A: Have you ever read Tim Ferris’ The 4-Hour Workweek? He stole that concept from venture capitalists.
Q: Really?
A: You don’t encounter sarcasm much, do you? Listen, Ben reads a lot, and for the time he was working on the books, he didn’t read much and used that time to write. Even professional authors don’t write all day.
Q: Got it. Hey, why do you keep calling me “Q”? I have a name, you know.
A: This isn’t about you, OK? Like I told you, just ask a couple questions, make a quick five bucks, and you can go back to the Shake Shack.
Q: Right, right, whatever. Can I go now?
A: Sure. And don’t forget you promised to post a five star review for Ben’s book…
Q: Yeah, yeah. What’s it called again?
A: Murder at First Principles.
Q: Five star review, huh …? That’ll be another five bucks.
A: Arrrggh … Let me see what I have on me …. All right, here ya go.