The Mom Inventors Handbook:
How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing
Tamara Monosoff

Expat Review by Andrea Martins:
Andrea is Australian.  She has lived in Jakarta, Indonesia and now lives in Mexico City, Mexico.  Andrea is a co-founder of ExpatWomen.com.

Would you love to be the next Julie Aigner-Clark (Baby Einstein™)?  I know that I would – and if you would to, then this could be the book for you. 

Having that inventing itch myself for a few years, I can attest from personal experience that until Tamara released her book in 2005, it took a lot of internet research and the purchase of several other books, to get as much information as Tamara offers, in her jam-packed informational how-to book for Moms who have a great idea that they want to turn into reality.  Your idea does not have to be anything supersonic – Tamara’s idea was the TP Saver™ - a toilet-paper saver.  Tamara’s idea was hardly a glamorous one, but that is exactly Tamara’s point – it does not need to be a supersonic idea, you just need to fill a gap in the market and then take action to fill that gap, with a good product and a good strategy. 

So what exactly does she talk about in her book?  The book’s back cover blurb explains it best:

“If you think the world is ready for your great idea, then this book will explain, in simple steps, how you can:

• Create prototypes and watch your vision come to life;
• Safeguard your products, including patent information;
• Locate reliable distributors and manufacturing sources;
• Market and publicize your product for free;
• Identify funding for your business; and
• Find a company to buy your idea or invention.”

Tamara, whilst being in that super-high-achiever category that many of us might never reach (she worked in the White House with Bill Clinton, invented the TP Saver™ and now runs a hugely successful internet site and Mom Inventing company), actually has a lot in common with expatriate women.  She lived and worked in Hong Kong for 18 months, plus, she holds a doctorate in International and Multicultural Education, with an emphasis on Women and Leadership.

To summarize, The Mom Inventors Handbook is very reader-friendly, but it is also very detailed and comprehensive.  So if you are looking for lots of how-to detail, it’s perfect.  However, if you’re looking just to read a story of how a Mom Inventor became successful, then this is probably not the best book for you.