How Art Petty gets the most from the business books he reads.

I have not thought about my process, but I do have one. If this is a business book, I love to read the preface or introduction and strive to understand the author’s motivation and purpose for the book. Then in what is I am sure a violation of everything an author intended, I read the first and last chapters to understand the framework and conclusions. Then and only then do I dig into the meat of the book, looking for the examples, logic, and insights. Oh, and I annotate heavily on my e-reader, and capture key ideas in Evernote for easy reference.

If we are talking history or biography, I stockpile intriguing books and let them age a bit like fine wine. When I’m ready to consume a particular book, I dive in and read cover-to-cover (no short-cuts, no annotating) until I close the book a richer person for the experience. After reading it once, I double back and grab the snippets that inspired me or that I want to reference in my writing.

That’s how Art does it. Now it’s your turn. How do get the most from the books that you read?

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