The Total Inventor's Manual

This comprehensive guide from the editors of Popular Science covers everything a new inventor needs to know from starting out to running a start-up.

Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to be an ace electrician or a coding prodigy to develop your own game-changing invention. All you need is curiosity, a desire to fix a common problem, and the determination to see your ideas become reality. And it won’t hurt to have this book handy—a volume full of vital tips, skills, and strategies that will take you from zero to inventor.

Everyone knows about Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, but in TheTotal Inventor’s Manual, you’ll also learn from the examples of those intrepid inventors who gave us the first home pregnancy test, the Super Soaker, the Roomba, the digital camera, and many other products that have changed the world.

Here you will learn to turn your vision into a reality with a crash course in ideation, prototyping, and testing—including lessons in 3D-printing, coding, robotics, and more. You’ll discover funding strategies that range from running a Kickstarter campaign to making a venture capital pitch, plus tips on manufacturing, supply chains, marketing, and running—or selling—your new company!