Endeavour bags Gupta's guide to becoming 'backable'

Endeavour, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, has acquired Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You by Suneel Gupta with Carlye Adler.

Claudia Connal, publishing director at Octopus Publishing Group, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Laura Mamelok at Little, Brown Book Group US.

The guide is designed to assist entrepreneurs and those looking to accelerate their career, with Backable arguing the key to success is "not charisma, connections, or even your CV" but "your ability to persuade others to take a chance on you".

"Drawing from his own business experience, countless interviews with some of tech's biggest innovators, and compelling success stories like Lady Gaga, Elon Musk, James Cameron, Brian Grazer, LinkedIn, Airbnb and Pixar; Suneel Gupta breaks down the seven steps anyone can follow to make themselves backable," reads the book's synopsis.

"Backable pulls back the curtain on the elusive x-factor that some people just seem to have, and offers concrete tools like crafting the right pitch and scaling the vision for a project. Anyone from aspiring entrepreneurs to start-up stars can master these skills and jump-start their next big idea."

Gupta has been a leader at a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Sony Pictures and Groupon. He has been entrepreneur-in-residence at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and he is the co-founder of the mobile health company Rise, which was sold to One Medical. 

Commenting on the book, he said: “Being backable isn’t just for celebrities and c.e.o.s. Today it’s a required skill for anyone who is trying to make it in the world—from the mother of three who wants to re-enter the workforce, to the airline employee who has just lost his job. The good news is that anyone can learn how to become backable. And when they do, their lives completely change.”

Connal added: "Through compelling interviews with some of the world’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and canniest investors, Suneel Gupta shows us that you don’t need the most expensive education or the glossiest network of contacts to get people to take a chance on your potential. Backable provides the tools to help you hone the art of the pitch. I couldn’t think of a better guide than Suneel Gupta—a rising star in the business world."

Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You will be published in February 2021 in hardback.