Books & Eduproducts - Bid-Writing Lessons from the World's Greatest Authors

Reader Reviews

• The wisdom of great writers such as Shakespeare or von Goethe applies as much to bid writing as to life generally.
  
  "Jordan Kelly has illustrated her valuable lessons on preparing and writing successful bids with apposite quotations from a range of authors over the last 2,500 years.

  David Asteraki Director - Infrastructure & Projects Group Corporate Finance Advisory KPMG, Sydney
  
  
  
  David Asteraki has spent the past two decades advising Governments on major infrastructure procurement. He both evaluates bids and now also advises bidders. He has worked in investment banks, within Government as Head of Partnerships Victoria, and is now a senior member of KPMG's infrastructure advisory practice.

• 'This book really works.'
  
  "This is a fascinating little book, and a hell of a lot of research and experience has gone into it.
  
  "It provides so much valuable instruction in such a simplified and absorbable, and really entertaining, manner. People give me business books all the time and to be honest, I rarely look forward to the read. They're so dry and boring.
  
  "But this book really works. You've brought to life the wisdom of these famous authors and philosophers etc to show us how to tell our story, as bid writers.
  
  "Bid writing is about getting your story across – and doing it in a client-centric and compelling way. This book provides real insight into that skill, and that's huge.
  
  "A little book like this, sitting alongside an engineer to help him confidently translate his knowledge on to paper, is a real power tool.

  Ron MacDonald General Manager - Northern Region Ebert Construction, Auckland, New Zealand

• 'A fascinating entertainment-educational hybrid. A delightful way to learn!'
  
  "This is a delightful book that provides insights from truly great writers into their craft. It's the sort of book that a reader can dip into at any time and come away with real pearls of wisdom that will assist in any writing assignment.
  
  "I love the way you've brought this wisdom and advice together in a way that delivers real and useable value to your reader, and the way you've built on them with your own knowledge and experience to create a fascinating entertainment-educational hybrid. What a delightful way to learn!
  
  "Jordan, these really are great books (with reference also to The Bid-Writer's Style & Grammar Guide). I have learned heaps from them. The test now will be to put the learnings into action.

  Henry van Dyk Partner Polson Higgs Business Advisors Dunedin, New Zealand

• 'The Greatest Minds in History Add Weight to the Learning Experience'
  
  "This a must-read, as well as a truly valuable check-list for any bid manager or writer.
  
  "The many references to some of the greatest minds in history (not limited to great authors, in fact) add considerable weight to the learning experience. My personal favourite - on the importance of a fluid strategy - is Mike Tyson's gem, 'Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.' Having been punched in the face more than once in bidding large infrastructure projects, I will value this and the many other lessons Jordan shares.
  
  "Powerful and highly readable in its simplicity, the book highlights well the key attributes of successful bid submissions. The style is original and provides effective illustration of its points, as regards the qualities inherent in the better-written bids.
  
  "For me, it reinforces all that is important in the preparation of a well-structured response e.g. a well-researched strategy to underpin the entire process, a proposal that fully acknowledges and addresses the prospect's situation, and the acceptance that Ernest Hemingway was largely correct when he said, 'The first draft of anything is shit'.

  Peter Este Commercial Manager Siemens Ltd Sydney, Australia