Questions
Before you claim
When is the book out?
On 31 October 2027, Halloween, and every Halloween after, with a new edition each year.
Does reserving the hardback cost anything?
No. Reserving the hardback is free and commits you to nothing. When pre-orders open in spring 2027, reserved readers are told first.
What will it cost?
The signed first edition, limited to 500 copies, is €69: €20 to claim your number, and €49 in October, before the gala. The hardback is €39. The Concise Edition, the pocket hardback, is €19. Shipping is added at checkout.
How does claiming a number work?
Choose a number from 002 to 500 and send the form. I confirm it personally by email, with a secure link for the €20 deposit. First come, first confirmed. If your first choice is taken, your second choice is next. The deposit is refunded in full if you change your mind before pre-orders close on 15 August 2027.
Why can't I claim No. 052?
No. 052 is never sold. It goes to the winner of Northstar, the Turnaround of the Year. Every Halloween, at the launch gala, I present it, signed and prepared by name, to the leader behind the year's best turnaround. The book is about how giants rise and why they fall. No. 052 honours the one who stopped the fall.
Is my number really mine for life?
Yes, for as long as you collect. Each year your number is held for you until 31 May. If you pass on a year, it goes back on the shelf for someone else.
Does the signed edition include the gala?
Yes. The €69 includes your invitation to the Max Noble Awards on Halloween, 31 October 2027, in Copenhagen: the book launch and the award show. You collect your copy on the night, and the first 50 to arrive have theirs signed and dedicated in person. If you cannot come, your copy is sent to you. More about the gala.
Can my company book a table?
Yes. A table includes dinner and a signed first edition prepared by name for every guest. Five Front Row tables at the stage also keep a block of consecutive numbers for your company every year. One company stands behind each honour, by invitation. Register your interest with how many seats you would like, and I reply with the details.
Who wins the awards, and who decides?
Seven honours are given each year: Northstar, the Turnaround of the Year, and The Watchman, The Hard Call, The Steady Hand, The Second Act, The Open Book and The Byline, for the business story of the year. Every winner also names five people who stood by them, and each receives an Honour Copy, signed and prepared by name. Readers of the Morning Brief nominate. A small jury, chaired by me, decides, on public facts only. Winners are announced on the night.
Is there a new book every year?
Yes. The 52 Laws of Business Power is an annual, out every 31 October, in time for Christmas. About half the cases in each edition come from that year’s news, so each edition is new. Each has its own signed, numbered first edition of 500, so the shelf grows by one every year. The International Edition is in English. A Danish Edition, in Danish, follows as its own book.
Can I read some of it now?
Yes. Every Law of Business Power is published as it is written, with the real case behind it. Start with the first 37.
Does it make a good Christmas gift?
That is the idea. It arrives on 31 October, eight weeks before Christmas. The signed first edition is prepared for its owner, by name, so it is made to be given. Write their name in "Prepared for" when you claim the number.
Can my company order copies for the team?
Yes. Choose "10 or more" when you reserve, and I will contact you about team copies. A keynote can be booked alongside: enquire here.
Is this investment advice?
No. The laws and cases are my analysis of how businesses succeed and fail, based on public sources. They never say what to buy or sell.
