> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.philsimon.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Publication of Why New Systems Fail - URL: https://www.philsimon.com/celebrating-10-year-anniversary-why-new-systems-fail/ - Published: 2019-02-04T11:11:56.000Z - Updated: 2025-08-17T12:54:54.000Z - Description: A decade ago, my first book hit the shelves. - Author: Phil Simon - Tags: Project Management, Publishing, Agile, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Systems, Scrum, Why New Systems Fail, Writing On February 4, 2009, I released *Why New Systems Fail*. My first foray into long-form publishing started with a whimper, not a bang. For five long months, very little happened around the book despite my promotional efforts and those of my pricey PR firm at the time. To be fair, a book recommending ways to avoid failures on new system implementations from a relatively unknown independent consultant couldn't have come at a worse time. It's not like I had established myself as a reputable author in years past. What's more, the US was in the midst of its worst economic climate since the Great Depression. IT budgets were shrinking, not expanding. Brass tacks: I learned the hard way that, for oodles of reasons, selling books is exceptionally difficult. (Start with the fact that roughly one-quarter of all Americans zero books every year.) Put differently, writing is easy. *Marketing* is hard. Still, I kept at it. I'm [stubborn](https://www.philsimon.com/channeling-my-inner-bulldog-the-case-for-stubbornness/). ## Crickets No More Finally, things picked up on July 15, 2009\. A copy of my book had found its way to [Bruce Webster](https://brucefwebster.com/?ref=philsimon.com). He was a fan. His subsequent review on the über-popular site [Slashdot](https://slashdot.org/story/09/07/15/1255258/why-new-systems-fail?ref=philsimon.com) catapulted *Why New Systems Fail* to number ninety-freaking-one on the Amazon bestseller list. Not #91 for technology books. I mean #91—as in of all books sold on Amazon at that point. (Take *that* Malcolm Gladwell.) More than 600 people bought it that week—far more than all sales from the previous five months combined. That didn't suck. I often joke, though, that this was akin to [*Ten*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten%5F%28Pearl%5FJam%5Falbum%29?ref=philsimon.com)—Pearl Jam's first album. I had nowhere to go but down. In the time since, I penned an updated version of *Why New Systems Fail* as well as [seven other texts](https://www.philsimon.com/books). (It's amazing how book sales arouse the interest of traditional publishers) Those books have opened up many opportunities for me—most of which I did not see coming. Some of my income is even [*passive*](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/passiveincome.asp?ref=philsimon.com). ## What Has Changed Agile software-development methods such as Scrum have become far more prominent although Google Trends shows a decidedly mixed trajectory. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/2025/08/google-trends.jpeg) Popularity of Scrum Searches Over Time | Source: Google Trends New entrants in enterprise software typically rely upon cloud computing and its cousin [SaaS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software%5Fas%5Fa%5Fservice?ref=philsimon.com). (Both subjects in my follow-up text *The Next Wave of Technologies*.) Unlike 2009, it's no longer weird to suggest an off-premise computing solution. > Despite many advances and changes, ERP failure is alive and well. [On a personal level](https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/253809b5-49ce-427a-b120-10e77b81dd92?ref=philsimon.com), I like to think that I am a far better writer than I was a decade ago. The first edition of *Why New Systems Fail* certainly wasn't awful, but that book would flow much better if I sat down to write it today. If I've learned anything over the last decade, it is that writing is very much a skill; one must hone it to improve. This involves looking both inward and outward. With regard to the latter, the scribes behind [538](https://fivethirtyeight.com/?ref=philsimon.com), [Without Bullshit](https://www.withoutbullshit.com/?ref=philsimon.com), and [No Mercy / No Malice](https://medium.com/s/no-mercy-no-malice?ref=philsimon.com) have profoundly affected how I tackle the craft of writing. ## What Has Not Despite many technological advances and new alternatives, ERP failure is [alive and well](https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article223183180.html?ref=philsimon.com). I've had many conversations with folks since the book's publication about problems plaguing organizations as they attempt to adopt new technologies. Sure, occasionally the issues are technical in nature. More often than not, though, they're people-related. I suspect that this won't change anytime soon. As for book sales, I can say this much: They've become *easier* over time but they are certainly not *easy*. Foolish is the soul who believes otherwise. The publishing landscape is more crowded than ever. [Building a strong personal brand](https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/community/the-divi-nation-podcast-episode-5-building-an-effective-personal-brand-with-phil-simon?ref=philsimon.com) has helped, but make no mistake: there's no easy way to move a bunch of books. It seems to resemble the world of startups. You learn a little more each time but success is anything but guaranteed. [Phil Simon: AI’s Continued Lack of Transparency and ConsistencyAdventures in truly amazing, opaque software that makes basic errors.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/icon/cropped-newlogo-188.png)Phil Simon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/thumbnail/select-3.png)](https://www.philsimon.com/blog/ai/transparency-consistency/) ## Simon Says I doubt that I'll continue to churn out books at such a rapid pace over the next decade. I'm not lacking for ideas but [teaching](https://www.philsimon.com/services/teaching), speaking, and consulting take up a decent chunk of my professional time and energy. Here's to the next ten years of writing.