Announcing “The PRFAQ Framework” book ✨
I wrote a book about the PRFAQ Framework. It launches on January/2025. Add your email to the list to be notified when it’s available. The book is for those who define, drive, or evaluate innovation—founders, product managers, executives, researchers, inventors, tech leaders, UX leaders, venture capitalists, etc. It’s a practical guide to help you transform a mediocre idea, or even no idea, into an amazing one that inspires others and improves your chances of success.
PRFAQ stands for Press Release + Frequently Asked Questions. It’s a framework invented and widely used within Amazon to discover, discuss, and decide strategy for all initiatives. I’m a firm believer that the PRFAQ Framework benefits professionals in startups, corporations, government, and academia. That’s why I adapted the Amazon’s framework to work for you, and to evangelize it through this book.
I’ve been an advocate of writing to gain clarity on what you are doing, will do, and on what has happened. The writing culture at Amzon fit me well. Different from previous organizations I worked in, at Amazon everyone learns and practices clear writing. The cult of PowerPoint and short-form writing brainwash professionals in the corporate world, which leads to shallow thinking, misunderstanding, and misalignment. Amazon (and other organizations) saw right through this curse and decided to not fall for it.
I will write an in-depth post about what it took to author and publish a book after the launch. If you are thinking about publishing one, follow me on LinkedIn or on Threads (@calbucci).
The idea for the book came to me more than a year ago while I was at Amazon and wondering why other companies don’t use the PRFAQ Framework. In February/2024, while plotting my next startup, I decided to first write the book to focus on it and get it done.
I thought the heavy work about authoring a book was the writing. The writing is challenging, don’t get me wrong. However, the reviewing and editing is the long pole. I took the long road of not using AI/LLMs for any of the writing, reviewing, or revising. I find LLM writing bland and average and I wanted to walk the talk as well. The book covers how writing is a form of critical thinking and the process itself is crucial to develop the skills to clearly articulate ideas.
I was naïve at the beginning to think that I could write the book and do a startup at the same time. Writing a book is not a full-time job. There was plenty of white space in-between the activities for the book. However, the headspace I needed to “hold” 60,000 words in my head prevented me from being effective in doing other deep thinking activities.
I decided to self-publish after talking with a dozen authors and learning about the publishing industry. I hired a team of professionals to help me. I love this part because I’m learning tons about this industry. As a companion to the book, I’m also building one of the best book websites out there, as integrated with the book as it can be. The bar for book websites is low, so it’s not hard to do something better than what’s out there.
The book is only available in January, but I’m launching four things today:
- Book’s website: www.theprfaq.com
- PRFAQ Newsletter: www.theprfaq.com/newsletter — join to know when the book is live.
- Reddit community for PRFAQ - www.reddit.com/r/prfaq
- (MVP) PRFAQ Chat GPT - www.theprfaq.com/chat — it helps you answer questions about PRFAQ and review them.
Now, I’ll be shifting my focus from the book to the startup. Yes, it’s AI. Yes, it relates to the book. Stay tuned.
