The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Четыре Шага к Озарению) is now available in Russian.
Thanks to Denis Dovgopoliy for making the Russian version happen.
It joins the French version: Les quatre étapes vers l’épiphanie
and the Japanese version アントレプレナーの教科書 [単行本（ソフトカバー）
Now in Japanese
Pay It Forward
What’s pretty remarkable is these translations are not from a commercial publisher, but rather a labor of entrepreneurial love. All these translations have been crowd-sourced.
Entrepreneurs from Japan, France and now Russia believed they could help startups in their country if the Four Steps to the Epiphany was available in their native tongue. They translated it at their own expense. These are the first three translations and more are underway.
These individuals are “paying it forward” for their communities and country’s. Thousands of entrepreneurs are better for their efforts.
Blame it On Eric
We can blame it all on Eric Ries. When Eric was my student in one of the first Berkeley Customer Development classes, he suggested that I take my class notes, which until then had been printed at Cafepress.com, and offer it widely on Amazon. He said, “I bet there are a few people outside the class who might like to read it.” I photoshopped a cover for my notes, called it the Four Steps to the Epiphany, and bet him he was wrong. He won the bet.
What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been
I was going to end this post here, but it’s late at night at the ranch and the coyotes are howling in the distance and somewhere closer, out in the redwoods, there’s a barn owl hooting in the trees.
Seeing this book in Russian for me is more than just another translation.
As a child, my mother fled the Soviet Union smuggled out in a hay cart in the middle of Russian Civil war. Until she died, she reminded me that on the way to Ellis Island, her first view of the United States was the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor – and she never looked back. (As kids we memorized the poem inside the statue.)
When I was growing up the odds were pretty low that the Cold War war would end with a whimper rather than a bang. Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union trained daily to kill hundreds of millions of people. Entrepreneurship was a crime in the Soviet Union. In the 1970’s the Soviet military was on the ascendency and wasn’t at all clear that the 20th century would end as the American century (or with 15,000 targeted nuclear warheads, anyones century.)
I spent my late teens here and my early 20’s here next to the sharp end of the spear, and this was no videogame. (There’s equal part irony and satisfaction that Silicon Valley and semiconductor fabs had a role in the demise of the Soviet Union.)
When the Cold War ended I waited for the victory parade down Main Street.
We never did have a parade, but as a consolation prize there’s now a McDonalds in Red Square, entrepreneurship is trying to blossom in a place that had 60 U.S. nuclear weapons aimed at it, my book (a revolutionary manual for capitalism,) is in Russian, and I’ve been asked to give my Secret History of Silicon Valley talk when I visit Moscow for the first time in September.
Good enough.
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When, oh when, a Kindle version of this book? 🙂
Seriously, when? 😉
coming in 2012.
I’ll second that Kindle request.
Congrats Steve. Great work – this book is what got me started on my first (and now, second) startup, all while still in college. I’ve learned more through the book than any college course, and I’m thrilled that others in Russia, Japan and France can now do the same
I was also going to ask about the Kindle edition… Good to hear that I’m not alone with my request, and that it’s coming. 🙂
By far the best book I have ever read. Amazing. Im still digesting it two years after reading it for the first time.
History will remember this book.
If I had written it clearly it wouldn’t have taken you two years!
Hopefully the next version will be better.
steve
What a wonderful story you have told today Mr. Blank. You’ve said so much in so few words. Fantastic.
Hi!
That’s wonderful. When is it in Canadian? We’re dying up here!
Optomistically waiting,
Luke Gustafson
Great Article Steve!!!
The essence of it is truly inspiring….
Luv the English and Japanese version of the book. Use it (customer development methodology) heavily in my consulting practice and workshops in Tokyo for startups and large companies along with the ” Business Model Generation” and “Seizing the White Space”.
This is great news! Отлично!!! ))
Where/when will you speak in Moscow? Is the talk going to be open to the public?
This is great news. I am contemplating taking a stab a translating “4 Steps” into another language, and/or perhaps writing a smaller summarized version of it aimed at one of the BRIC countries.
Would you be willing to send me a private email so you and I can discuss this idea directly?
I have not finished reading your book entirely… but so far I am absolutely loving it and nodding my head in agreement!
Cheers,
Marcelo
steve…i’m betting it was a screech or a great horned…just sayin…
Just proving – what would I know 🙂
I wonder why that comment that you entered on the 22nd just showed up for me now…?
Russian, French and Japanese versions are nice, but are there any plans to release an audiobook?
I absolutely enjoy your podcasts and have heard lots about the book, but unfortunately I still cannot find the time to read the book. However, if you had an audiobook – I would have finished it in a day. I’m sure there are thousands of dedicated fans like me who are audiobook junkies and listen to dozens of books a months, but do not have the time to read even a single one 😉 It would be great to have an audio edition and I would be the first one to buy it.
Roman,
No Audiobook yet, but you can get my blog posts as podcasts!
http://www.clearshore.net
steve
[…] "Startup" mean can sink an entire country's entrepreneurial ecosystem. —— I'm getting ready to go overseas to teach, and I've spent the last week reviewing several countries' ambitious attempts to kick-start […]
Hi,
I would like to offer myself to make a Spanish translation of the book. I work in a University in Costa Rica, and I’m sure that I can built a team of students to work on this project.
Please let me know if anybody is already working in this translation.
[…] mean can sink an entire country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. I’m getting ready to go overseas to teach, and I’ve spent the last week reviewing several countries’ ambitious attempts to kick-start […]
[…] getting ready to go overseas to teach, and I’ve spent the last week reviewing several countries’ ambitious attempts to kick-start […]
[…] getting ready to go overseas to teach, and I’ve spent the last week reviewing several countries’ ambitious attempts to kick-start […]
Hello Steve,
I’m going to buy your book, russian version, and I use your link to prostobook, and I’ve seen error page because in your web site the link to prostobook has a mistake, in the end of the link has double ‘//’, please check it and probably will good if you fix it, people will see page with your book in russian language instead of error page.
Best Regards,
Roman.
We want to have all you books in German and other languages, too.!!!!!
Wrong link. Must be:
http://prostobook.com/product/11-871196/