“Edith G. Tolchin has spent her entire career working with inventors. In Secrets of Successful Women Inventors, Edith highlights some of the greatest top-notch successful women inventors and reputable service providers, all eager to share their stories and advice. In her easy-going, personable style, Edith has gleaned the 'cream of the crop' from each of these impressive women. It’s a gift to anyone who’s ever had a winning idea but nowhere to go and no roadmap to birth their vision.” —Barbara Corcoran, “Shark” on ABC’s hit TV show Shark Tank and founder of the Corcoran Group

"Secrets of Successful Women Inventors: How They Swam with the 'Sharks' and Hundreds of Other Ways to Commercialize Your Own Inventions by Edith G. Tolchin, a chatty, practical, user-friendly guidebook, amply delivers on the promise of its title." —Letty Cottin Pogrebin, founder of Ms. magazine

Until recently, history has tended to highlight male inventors—but why not women inventors as well? And where are the women inventors of color? Why have so many of these women not found their rightful places in history? Thankfully, over the last few decades—with increasing opportunities to shatter the “glass ceiling”—women have begun to achieve equal footing with men in careers and in salaries. Women worldwide have also made great gains with their inventions! While in the past, many of their inventions have been largely related to the improvement of household and child care items, things have changed. With women achieving influential positions in business, scientific research, and government—women’s creative innovations are limitless.

In her new book, Secrets of Successful Women Inventors, Edith G. Tolchin reveals the real-life stories of over twenty successful modern-day women inventors—stories that describe their hard work, frequent struggles, and relentless dedication to their ideas. Ms. Tolchin presents a look behind the scenes at their respective journeys—from their inventions first being sketched on napkins to the creation of multimillion-dollar companies—and offers sound advice to future inventors from several accomplished invention service providers. She also includes brief snippets of information on women inventors throughout history.

While this book is about women who had dreams and made them come true, it can also serve as a blueprint for any woman looking to turn her own ideas into reality.

Edith G. Tolchin has worked with inventors for the past thirty years. She has held a prestigious U.S. customs broker license since 2002 and has interviewed over 100 inventors for her column in Inventors Digest. Edith is also the author of several books including Secrets of Successful Inventing: From Concept to Commerce and a comedic fictionalized memoir in 2017, Fanny on Fire (www.fannyonfire.com). Her writing has appeared in the Kelsey Review.

Introduction
PART I
Personal Stories from Successful Women Inventors

1.   The Totes Babies Story * Lindsey Valiulis Fleischhauer
2.   The Click & Carry Story * Kimberly Meckwood
3.   The Pouches by ALAHTA Story * Athalia Monae
4.   The Squatty Potty Story * Judy Edwards
5.   The Rinseroo Story * Lisa Lane
6.   The Story of Squid Socks * Jessica Miller
7.   The Ta-Ta Towels Story * Erin Robertson
8.   The Nurse ‘N Go and GoGoVie Stories * Angelique Warner
9.   The SwiftPaws Story * Meghan Wolfgram
10. The Munch Mitts / Malarkey Kids Story * Melissa Hyslop
11. The Jenny-Capp Story * Jennipher Adkins
12. The Bug Bite Thing Story * Kelley Higney
13. Nixing the "Sharks"—The Busy Baby Story * Beth Fynbo
14. Inventor's Journey—The Panty Buddy * Kenya Adams
15. The Hairdini Inventive Products, Inc. TM Story * Bernadine "Denie" Schach
16. The Dreamland Baby Story * Tara Williams 
17. The Wad-Free Story * Cyndi Bray
18. The Story of POMM® Kids and POMM® Silver * Maryann Kilgallon
19. Growing from Inventor to Entrepreneur—The Curious Baby Story * Lizzy Greenburg

PART II
What You Need to Know—Advice and Resources

20. Traits of Successful Women Inventors * Maureen Howard
21. The Road to Offshore Manufacturing * Edith G. Tolchin
22. Promoting your Invention—PR Advice for Women Inventors * Dana Humphrey
23. Ten Quick Tips on Choosing a Reputable Invention Service Provider, * Joan Lefkowitz
24. Funding Resources for Women Inventors * Kedma Ough
25. Intellectual Property 101 for Female Inventors * Carolyn Favorito, Esq.
26. The nth Solutions, LLC Story—Advancing Innovation from Concept to Revenue * Susan L. Springsteen
27. Social Media for Women Inventors—Promoting your Invention * Elizabeth Breedlove

Conclusion
About the Contributors
About the Editor
Acknowledgments
Index

“[P]roves that America can indeed be the land of invention opportunities for women . . . includes inventing how-tos and remarks from experts on intellectual property, public relations, social media, funding resources, and the like. This inspirational tome on do-it-yourself inventing would make a great pairing with other related practicums.”

"This is an inspiring guidebook for women inventors—and, indeed, anyone interested in the spirit and sometimes slog of innovation. While there are lookbacks at the women throughout history who paved the way, the book focuses on women now—and that’s part of its appeal. This is a savvy book by an insider about savvy women who made it, despite plenty of obstacles . . . [features] a parade of success stories—all women inventors—told in first-person narrative . . . [Tolchin] has also gathered a set of secrets and strategies from women inventors that almost seems like a superheroine’s toolkit. There’s a wellspring of tips, from PR to funding to packaging, and accounts of how particular inventions made it all the way through the long journey from concept to revenue. Nothing is ignored here, and nor is the underlying message. Women deserve to be at the forefront of innovation. Armed with the knowledge presented in this book, and standing on the shoulders of the many women inventors who have paved the way, they will."

"[E]very page in this book has usable advice on it, and author Edith G. Tolchin makes it easy to understand. The profiles she includes – both those of modern-day inventors and those from the past – give readers a sense that there is no such thing as an idea that’s too small, and no dream not worth dreaming. Careful readers will see why it’s essential to hire right; the second section of the book gives creative types more solid answers to questions they may not have had yet; and the whole book is realistic, not fluffy. Look for the right information for you, and Secrets of Successful Women Inventors could be the best $19.95 you spend for your business."

“Edith G. Tolchin’s Secrets of Successful Women Inventors is a marvel of a book. Filled with fascinating case studies of women inventors, it entertains, educates, and inspires. I learned so much about how to patent my IP and how to go about getting it from concept to final manufacturing, including marketing. Anyone with an original idea for a product should read this very interesting and informative book!”

—Lisa Rojany, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The New York Journal of Books

"Secrets of Successful Women Inventors: How They Swam with the 'Sharks' and Hundreds of Other Ways to Commercialize Your Own Inventions by Edith G. Tolchin, a chatty, practical, user-friendly guidebook, amply delivers on the promise of its title." —Letty Cottin Pogrebin, founder of Ms. magazine

"[A] source of inspiration for anyone thinking of taking the invention journey . . . Secrets of Successful Women Inventors highlights successful women, their strengths, and how they made their products happen. It serves as an excellent how-to guide for all inventors."  —Suzanne Reinman, Library Professor, Government, Information/Patent and Trademark Resource Center at Oklahoma State University