Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Startup sci-fi novel that took me 5 years to write
It started after reading Stephen King's "On Writing" where he likened the art of writing as the unearthing of an archeological site after you stumbled upon a unique bone of a story. His advice was to choose a domain you are deeply intimate with. For me, I've been a struggling startup founder for 15 years—enough material to inspire a novel. A 1,000-word writing exercise turned into a complete 125k-word manuscript over the course of a year. In year 1, I learned the sheer joy of unencumbered creative flow and authentic expression. A similar flow I used to get from coding (and more recently vibe…
This is a science fiction novel written by a startup founder drawing on 15 years of entrepreneurial experience. The 125,000-word manuscript emerged from a writing exercise that evolved over five years, exploring themes… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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The complete book: A founder
Feb 2026 · derekyan.com · its alternatives →
- 2

This took me 3 years to finish. (It is 100% self-published, not endorsed by Google.) So… I wrote a book. It’s a different book with a unique approach. It’s not a novel or a technical book. It’s a biography, a company’s biography. My hope is that it serves two purposes: to inspire founders and to captivate interior designers. It all started three years ago. My wife and I were discussing interior design for our living room and she brought up what beautiful coffee table books should we have. After looking at her favorites I realized there’s nothing like this for tech startups. Digital products…
2024 · damaia.com · its alternatives →
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Hey HN, I'm an author and I spent 2+ years writing my first book and getting it published. After my experience, I realized that 99% of all business books follow the same structure. So, with the rise of AI solutions, we asked ourselves if we could simplify the process to help first-time authors achieve their dream of writing and publishing a book. Together with a friend, we created First Book ai. Now, we can create coherent, full-size books in hours, saving first-time authors years in the process. We hope this tool will be helpful for as many upcoming authors as possible. Would love your…
2024 · firstbook.ai · its alternatives →
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SourcePilot▲158It’s been a while since I’ve started to write a book . The process of creation of it has not been easy , first because I’m not a writer , I’ve created well though out internet posts here and there, which ended up creating my first book. It was a good experience , but then I’ve started to think that a book that just gathered my thoughts online it’s not entirely “writing” a book , I needed more. And than I’ve opened google docs and start typing. Then I started to figure out what I wanted to write: should it be a fantasy story, a self-biography, or an observation of the world? I believe most…
Nov 2025 · sourcepilot.co · its alternatives →
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A startup tell-all from a 10-year serial entrepreneur
2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
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Just about a year ago, the concept for a sci-fi book popped into my head. I instantly knew I have to see it through despite not having any writing experience (and a pretty demanding job). Over 2025, I attended writer circles, improved my writing, and structured the story. Here is the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it :)
Jan 2026 · docs.google.com · its alternatives →
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2013 · giveit100.com · its alternatives →
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30+ lessons on startup success & failure
2015 · baremetrics.com · its alternatives →
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How to put together a culture manifesto for your startup
2016 · baremetrics.com · its alternatives →
- 11
I made a few hundred million. I lost a few hundred million.
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
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Keep Going▲84A book on how to create award-winning apps in 12 months
2021 · mtrostyle.gumroad.com · its alternatives →
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Comic book to teach entrepreneurship to kids
2015 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →
- 16

How I built, marketed, and sold a side-project in 3 months
2020 · nscode.gumroad.com · its alternatives →
- 17

A visual guidebook for building your startup
2016 · startupequation.com · its alternatives →
- 18IC
2020 · docs.google.com · its alternatives →
- 19

From Idea to Launch in 40 Days, without knowing how to code.
2015 · 40daystartup.com · its alternatives →
- 20

How we went from 0 launches in 5 years to 9 in the last 2
2016 · hitreply.co · its alternatives →
- 21

Why do some startups succeed where others fail?
2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →
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Talking about product/founder fit.
2016 · startupsfortherestofus.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →