"Dream Teams" For All: Why I'm Giving Away My Bestselling Book Now For Free

Thanks for reading along!

When does “one plus one” equal more than two?

It actually happens all the time in nature.

When elements combine into molecules, like hydrogen and oxygen forming water.

Whenever water and sunlight combine to make a tree grow.

When that tree combines with other plant and animal life to form a thriving ecosystem.

Anytime a baby is born, one plus one equals three.

This is the concept of “synergy,” a term popularized by the inventor-philosopher R. Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s and elaborated on by Steven R. Covey in 1989 in The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People. The theory goes that the right ingredients and circumstances can make things add up to more than the sum of their parts.

Now consider the opposite.

How many times in school did you get a group assignment and groan? (If you’re reading this essay, I’m guessing you were the kid in class who pulled more than their share of weight!)

As grown ups, the group-work experience is only marginally better.

How often do we gather a team of capable, accomplished people into a meeting only to have communication and decision-making go so much slower than if there were fewer of us?

How often do we feel like we have the right players on the team, but we have to fight inertia anyway?

As the saying goes, the bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn.

Reality is that when it comes to human beings, “synergy” is more elusive than not. We usually don’t add up to more than the sum of our parts.

More people means more human-power, but typically less efficiency.

And yet—we’ve all seen the movies where the underdog team wins the impossible game. We’ve read the stories of the ragtag armies that defeated their better-armed oppressors. And most of us have experienced that magical moment in our lives when a group of people we’re part of links arms and really does add up to more together.

What makes the difference between groups that exceed the sum of their parts… and those that don’t?

This question is the premise of a decade of research that led to my book Dream Teams in 2018. In the book, I explored the art and science of groups of people that achieve this elusive synergy. We start with detective partnerships, then graduate to rap groups, soccer teams, newspapers, ad agencies, armies, and social movements that changed the world.

I also wrote about a guy in Vermont who tried to build a geodesic dome over his town to save on heating costs. (Inspired by the very same Buckminster Fuller I just talked about…)

Seven years later, I’m happy to report that Dream Teams has just sold out its latest print run. And with that, I have acquired the rights back so I could release a 2nd Edition.

This means that I can now give Dream Teams away for free.

So here’s what I’m doing:

Once a month throughout 2026, I’m going to send a chapter of Dream Teams (2nd Edition) out in this newsletter. By the end of the year, you’ll have gotten the whole book for free.

Now if you don’t want to drag things out that long, I’m also launching an offer:

Become a Paid Subscriber to this Substack, and I will send you a signed hardcover copy of Dream Teams (2nd Edition) for free.

Technically, this means you could hack my system and get the book for $5 (if you subscribe for a month and then cancel). ;) But I’m hoping that you’ll consider remaining a subscriber and supporting my work here as I embark on more research and more writing for The Snow Report and my next book.

(I’ll be launching a bunch more paid-only content in 2026 as well—stay tuned!)

If you haven’t read Dream Teams yet, here’s what folks have said about it:

“A mesmerizing read for anyone looking to up-level their team skills.”
–Kathryn Minshew, CEO of The Muse

“A force of nature—and an important message.”
–Jane Chen, TED Fellow and Founder of Embrace Innovations

“An adventure that examines the very human science of making breakthroughs together — and why, so often, we break down on our own.”
–Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of The Power of Habit

“Truly amazing. The writing and storytelling is phenomenal.”
–Tom Rath, bestselling author of StrengthsFinder 2.0

If you have read Dream Teams already… consider writing a review on Amazon! (The 2nd Edition doesn’t inherit the reviews of the first, lol.) More importantly, consider taking me up on the free book offer and having me send the signed copy to a friend of colleague.

Here’s how to get Dream Teams:

1. Click the button below to become a paid subscriber.

2. You’ll get a welcome email with a button that says “Get Your Free Book.”

3. Enter the address you want the book sent to, and who you want me to sign it for.

Or just open up your Snow Report emails next year and you’ll get the book old school newspaper style, one chapter at a time.

I’ve got a lot of good stuff cooking for next year, so thanks for subscribing even if it’s for free. This is my life’s work, and I appreciate you.

–Shane

P.S. Can’t get enough of these free book deals? Get my friend Nir Eyal’s upcoming book for free as well here:

Win a Copy of Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal:

Why do you give up on goals even when you know what to do? Nir Eyal (author of Hooked and Indistractable) spent 5 years answering that question. His new book Beyond Belief reveals that the #1 reason people fail isn’t lack of strategy or discipline. It’s that they quit too soon. The book teaches you a science-backed way to leverage your beliefs to persist when most people give up.

I read an early copy and absolutely LOVED it. It completely rewired how I think about performance, pain, and perception. In fact, I like the book so much that I’m sponsoring 30 copies to give to you all. To stand a chance to win:

(Available to US residents only for the moment. Deadline 13 December 2025)