At least, that’s what Dave Norton titled a recent Experience Strategy Podcast on The Transformation Economy that we did together with Aransas Savas, with the video version available here.
Dave – a longtime friend and colleague, founder of insights consultancy Stone Mantel – jumped the gun with that proclamation when he published it a couple of weeks ago.
But now it is actually true! The book is final; my editor at Harvard Business Review Press finalized the last part of the book – a closing afterword entitled “Reflection” – last Friday, June 13th! I, for one, am pretty excited, a little tired, and very expectant.
And I thank all of you who subscribe here to writing on Substack – some of you from the very beginning, fifteen months ago – because without you this would not have been possible. Without you as the catalyst for my writing I’d still be toiling away at it, and without you it would not be nearly as good a book as it has turned out to be.
Thank you!
The one bit of writing that’s still outstanding doesn’t really count, as it’s the Acknowledgements, which can wait for another month or two. But I am in fact 75% done with it or so, and intend to finish it next week at the latest. And you are already in it! Collectively as my Substack subscribers (thank you again), with many individuals mentioned by name who have particularly given me a lot of feedback through my forms at the end of many posts and the occasional Zoom calls (the next one is June 20 for any paid subscribers who would like to join), as well as many discussions outside of these channels.
Then there’s a long process of line editing (grammar/syntax/word choice/etc.), formatting, reviewing, promoting, printing, etc. etc. etc. The official publication date is again February 3, 2026, which simply means that every bookstore in the world that wants it will have physical copies. Actual books will be available around the beginning of 2026. (And remember – readers who start or maintain their paid subscriptions from the end of June through the end of December get a free signed copy!)
But the hard work is done, and I, for one, am very much looking forward to the final product!
The Path Forward
So what will I be writing about from here on out?
First and foremost, I will continue to share ideas from the book with some commentary, such as how things have changed since my first writing on Substack, how I came to think about it, or how it intersects with something in the news.
I’ll also share a few ideas that didn’t make it into the book and why, write about some ideas that are still formulating in my head, and work on some tools that will help readers develop ideas for their own businesses. I expected to do more of this before, but so far have come out with only two: Your Personal Progression of Economic Value and The Spheres of Transformation. I will focus on this more, as these will also help lead into a suite of programmatic offerings that we plan on offering with the book. (As with the Zoom sessions, only paid subscribers get the tools.)
I’ll also continue to share some podcasts I’m on (don’t forget to check out the one mentioned above!), my thoughts on news articles, book reviews, and exemplars from the book and outside of it. I won’t be asking for as much feedback as I did before, but there will still be some ideas, principles, and frameworks for which I would very much like to know your thoughts on.
So next week I’ll begin with the final annotated Table of Contents with commentary on what changed, which will provide you with a basic summary of the book.
I trust you will enjoy the rest of the journey!
Joe
© 2025 B. Joseph Pine II