When I first had the idea to write a management book, I knew one thing for certain: I didn’t want to write another dry textbook filled with corporate jargon and theoretical frameworks. After nearly 35 years in the IT industry and training countless managers, I’d seen enough of those to last a lifetime.

What I wanted was something different. Something that would actually be enjoyable to read whilst still delivering genuine, practical management lessons.

That’s when August was born.

Why Historical Fiction?

I’ve always been a bit of a history buff. Not in an academic way - more that I find myself drawn to stories about how people lived, worked and led in different eras. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that the problems I was helping managers solve today weren’t new problems at all.

A manager struggling to motivate a disengaged team member? That’s the same challenge a Parisian publisher faced in 1895. Someone trying to work out when to be directive and when to step back? Agatha Hartwell was wrestling with exactly that in Plymouth as the Spanish Armada threatened in 1588.

The fundamental challenges of management haven’t changed in thousands of years. We just dress them up in different language and pretend they’re modern problems requiring modern solutions. But they’re not. They’re human problems, and humans haven’t changed that much.

So why not learn from people who faced these challenges in genuinely high-stakes environments? Not through dry case studies, but through their actual stories?

Creating August

The protagonist is August - or rather, different versions of August across time and place. Augustine Mercier in Belle Époque Paris. Agatha Hartwell in Elizabethan Plymouth. Augusta Sokolova in the Soviet space programme. Augusto Zanetti in 18th-century Venice.

I wanted readers to experience completely different worlds and contexts, but with enough continuity that you’re not starting from scratch each chapter. Each August is their own person, facing their own unique circumstances, but they’re all learning the same fundamental lessons about leading and managing people.

It’s a bit unconventional, I’ll admit. But then, so is writing a novel to teach management principles.

I agonised for quite a while over how to handle the time travel element. Should there be some metaphysical device? A magical object? Some elaborate explanation for how August moves between eras? In the end, I decided against it. Any mechanism I came up with felt like it would distract from the real point of the book - the management lessons themselves. So I simply let each chapter stand on its own, trusting readers to accept the premise without needing it explained. Sometimes less is more.

The Writing Process

I won’t pretend this has been easy. Each chapter typically runs 12,000-15,000 words, and getting the balance right between entertaining storytelling and meaningful management lessons has required multiple drafts.

Take the Plymouth chapter, for example. My first version included a Spanish spy character that, upon reflection, wasn’t quite right. The revision focused more tightly on supply routes and the realistic threat of the Spanish Armada, which made Agatha’s leadership challenges - and her adaptation of leadership style - far more compelling.

Similarly, the California Gold Rush chapter went through a complete rewrite. Initially, it was a straightforward success story, but I realised there was more value in showing what happens when a manager is inconsistent in dealing with underperformers. The cautionary tale that emerged is far more instructive.

Research and Authenticity

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project has been the research. I’ve delved into Persian administrative systems under Darius I, the logistics of Drake’s fleet, the inner workings of the Soviet space programme and the intricacies of Venetian trading companies.

The goal isn’t to write a history textbook - it’s to create believable, immersive settings where management lessons can unfold naturally. I want readers to feel transported to these moments in history whilst recognising the leadership challenges they face in their own roles. That means getting the details right, or at least right enough that the story feels authentic.

Learning Through Story

The management lessons had to emerge through the story itself, not through exposition. That was non-negotiable for me. I didn’t want Augustine sitting through a lecture on motivation theory - I wanted her to discover through experience how different team members respond to different approaches. I didn’t want Augusto reading a white paper on delegation - I wanted him to learn by necessity when he inherits a trading company and realises he can’t do everything himself.

This is how we actually learn in real life: through experience, observation and sometimes failure. The book simply accelerates that process by letting readers witness these lessons play out across 2,500 years of history.

From Kickstarter to Production

In September 2025, I launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book’s publication. I’ll be honest - I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would people connect with this unusual approach to management development? Would they trust a first-time author to deliver something worthwhile?

The answer, thankfully, was yes. The campaign was fully funded, which was both thrilling and humbling. It meant that enough people believed in the concept to back it with their own money. That’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

Now the book is with the production team at Troubador Publishing, and I’m learning just how much work goes into turning a manuscript into an actual book. We’ve been through the copy edit stage, where every grammatical quirk and inconsistency gets scrutinised. Then came the style proof, ensuring everything is formatted consistently throughout.

Currently, the book is being typeset - the process of laying out the text on the page in a way that’s both readable and aesthetically pleasing. It’s fascinating to see how much thought goes into things I’d never considered: line spacing, chapter headings, page breaks and all the tiny details that make a book feel professional.

Still to come: cover design (probably the part I’m most excited about), converting to ebook format, printing and then promotion. Each stage brings its own challenges and learning opportunities.

What I’ve Learned

Writing a book is harder than I expected, but not in the ways I anticipated. The actual writing, whilst challenging, was the part I felt most equipped for. What’s been more difficult is the patience required. Waiting for feedback, going through multiple rounds of edits, trusting the process when you just want to see the finished product - that’s tested me more than crafting the chapters themselves.

I’ve also learned that publishing is genuinely collaborative. The team at Troubador have been excellent, guiding me through stages I didn’t even know existed. It’s made me appreciate every book on my shelf a little bit more.

Why This Matters to Me

There are countless management books out there. Many are excellent. But I genuinely believe there’s space for something that approaches leadership development differently - something that respects the reader’s intelligence and time by being both informative and entertaining.

If this book helps even a handful of managers think differently about their role, or gives them practical insights they can use with their teams, then it will have been worth every rewrite, every round of edits and every moment of self-doubt along the way.



Good management isn’t about following the latest trends. It’s about understanding what has always worked - and why. That’s what I hope August’s journey through history will reveal.