Review of Skip The Line

by Hans-Jürgen John

Skip The Line by James Altucher – Ingenious, Simple Strategies to Propal Yourself to Wealth, Success and Happiness


The Author:

James Altucher is an entrepreneur, active angel investor, writer, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and chess master. He is the author of eighteen books, including the bestsellers The Power of No and Choose yourself!

The first time I heard and read about James Altucher was on LinkedIn – you can subscribe to his newsletter there: The James Altucher Idea List.

About a year ago – 2020/07/13 he published a post there about everything that was current … and the 30 day Book Challenge.

I was immediately fascinated. By the idea – and how he described it:

The definition of a book has changed. If you go into a book store, most books are … 250 – 300 pages … This is a relic of the past. A book can be any number of … pages, and about any topic you want.

If every book you write averages $ 500 a month …, and you write a book a month, then by the end of the year you will be selling $ 6,000 a month.

This was followed by the exact procedure / action guide from idea to publication and marketing.

I got curious, downloaded the ebook The Power of No. And learned that I should become an expert. In a subject area I love. Read 500 books and become an expert. James Altucher makes it all sound easy and effortless.

I decided to take small steps. Read books and review them. Here I am.

The Content:

This review is not a summary of the book. Let’s say it in the authors words: it’s time to skip the line, to explore the universe of possibilities that nobody else even believes exists.

Read it and Skip The Line to your personal success story.

That’s the promise of this book.


The book begins very much in the spirit of the title. 
Skip The Line means nothing other than interpreting some of the written and unwritten laws in business broadly.

It sounds logical. If everyone within a company follows the hierarchy and dutifully reports to their superiors – the one person who skips the hierarchy and presents an excellent idea directly to the leader – can go down or get noticed in a positive way.

It is an invitation – be bold! Leave the long line of those who wait patiently for success. Push yourself forward! Take what is rightfully yours!


The book is a hymn to initiative. And yet it begins strangely. It reminds us of painful moments – 9/11, stock crashes, and the pandemic. It reminds us of loss and pain. It picks us up in the deepest valley of social and personal crashes – and claims to teach in 152 pages what 100 % of the population wants and only a small percentage achieves. 


According to research many people who set goals never actually achieve them. Procrastination?


Does the book achieve its goal of teaching successful behaviors?

Time will answer that question. Those who have found do not look for more – the sales of the following business books of other authors would collapse – this is as unlikely as the city on Mars – and yet possible.


Nevertheless, I am not doing a book review on empty promises.


The beginning of the book is special. Steven Covey, author of business bestseller – The 7 habits of highly effective people – would recommend: Start with the goal in mind.


Claude Ribaux, Zürich – expert in flow and Active-Awake-Hypnosis and guiding numerous managers in Switzerland on the way to high performance – would link positive memories with ones goals.


Again, James Altucher breaks a rule.


What do the thoughts of unsuccessful people revolve around? Right. They revolve around problems like the thoughts of generations of scientists revolve around the abolition of gravity. So far, to no avail – in both cases.


Only a solution means salvation.


James Altucher picks people up where they are. He projects the lowest common denominators of failure – and inspires them to rise above the rubble of the past. Situational change means taking a new approach – changing behavior.


The problem with any self-help book is: how can advice effectively provide individual help to millions of readers?

Let me pick out one point. 
James Altucher talks about how he puts an idea into action. That innovation is a muscle that delivers through training what drives every successful person – ideas.


I was no longer depressed. I was writing down ten ideas every day. I started in June 2002. By September 2002 I felt like my brain was on fire. I couldn’t wait to get up, get to a café, read for a little bit, then start writing down my ideas. Ten ideas a day. Business ideas. Book ideas. Article ideas. Ideas for other people, other businesses.

A wonderful book. It is worth reading. It delivers what it promises. Help for self-help. Simple methods that promise personal success.

What sounds perfect has a catch. The implementation. The daily discipline of sitting down and putting 10 ideas on paper. Sure. I can love the idea. Actually doing it separates the successful 1% from the rest of the population. Whereas. You can also redefine success and lower the bar – for some, doing one thing a day is success.

I have not yet read all of James Altucher’s books. Great would be one on the topic of diciplin or procrastination. That would be another best seller.