April 7, 2008
gapingvoid lands a book deal…
[UPDATE: My first book, “Ignore Everybody”, will be coming out in hardback on June 11th, 2009. Read below to find out more, and you can also order from the book sellers listed below. Thanks!]
Amazon.
800-CEO-READ. (great for bulk buys)
IndieBound. [to find an independent store]
1. Exciting News etc.
Four years ago, I wrote a series of blog posts, which went on to become “How To Be Creative”. Since then, it’s been downloaded well over a million times. The PDF version alone has been downloaded over ninety thousand times, and is the number one most downloaded manifesto on ChangeThis.com.
I am happy to report that I have just signed a book contract with Portfolio Books [a Penguin imprint] to develop it into a book. Portfolio, by the way, is the same imprint that publishes Seth Godin’s books. We even have the same editor, and I’m told the book will have the same graphic designer that designed Seth’s “Purple Cow”.
Of course I’m excited and happy. Not only do I have a book deal, I have a book deal with a second-to-none, blue chip publisher. Big thanks and kudos to Seth for introducing me to them.
2. West Texas
This deal might help better explain why I recently ensconced myself in Alpine, Texas. The move was not completely random. I needed to write more. Needed to be somewhere with lots of peace and quiet. At least until the final manuscript is signed off.
3. Change Is Good.
Yeah, it’s a terrific opportunity. But like it says in HTBC, “Keep your day job”. The book may become a bestseller, it may only shift a few copies. I have no idea. Nobody does. Some people dream of one day becoming a full-time book author. I feel fortunate to have never been smitten with the bug. I’m going to continue doing exactly what I’ve been doing for these last four years– drawing cartoons, blogging, writing, consulting etc etc.
4. “The Title Is Ironic, Stupid”.
Telling people “how to be creative” is a bit silly, when you think about it. Generally, people either are or they aren’t. When I wrote HTBC, I certainly wasn’t trying to slip into some sort of New-Age, “Unleash-The-Fire-Within-You-Creativity-Guru” schtick. All I was thinking about was a short, practical, real-world list of advice that would come in handy to somebody say, 10 – 20 years younger than me, somebody with the same “creative bug” I had when I was just starting out in the world. I was just trying pass along some valuable, pain-saving lessons to the next generation that I had learned along the way. No more, no less.
5. “Damn, I’m Old.”
It’s been over ten years since I came up with the “back of business card” cartoon format. It’s been nearly twenty years since I came up with my “squiggly” drawing style. Damn, if I new it would take THIS LONG to get the work “out there”, would I have bothered in the first place? Actually, yeah, I probably would’ve. Plus ca change…
6. What have I learned about “Being Creative” since 2004?
Very little, if truth be told. The first round of HTBC had 26 chapters, 10,000 words and took 6 weeks to write. Since then, I’ve added another 10 chapters– about 3,000 extra words. I’ve not had a lot to add to the original list, it seems. The good news is, there’s nothing in the original 2004 version that I’ve had to take out completely or hugely modify. Most of the stuff seems to have stood the test of time pretty well, which I take as a favorable sign.
If I had to condense the entire work into a single line, it would read something like, “Work Hard. Keep at it. Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Be nice. Be polite.”
7. Early 2009.
I have to get the final manuscript finished by August. We’re guessing early 2009 for its release date. I can’t wait!
8. Thanks, Everybody!
Loic Le Meur and I were having this conversation recently. The basic tenet of the conversation was, “The best thing about being a blogger is the people you get to meet.” I have found this to be true and self-evident. When I was younger, the people who inspired me the most professionally were famous, dead, or both. Since I become a blogger the people who inspired me the most became good friends of mine. We hung out. We drunk beer. We ate pizza. It wasn’t a big deal, it was just… lovely. Back in 2004, my blogging buddies and I knew we were onto a good thing. Something powerful and creative and earth-changing. But that’s not the main reason we liked it. We liked it because we enjoyed it, because it was interesting, because of the smart, passionate, fun people we were starting to hang out with.
A decade from now, maybe blogs as we know them won’t even exist. Maybe they’ll call them something else. Do I care? Not really. What matters, like Loic and I talked about, is the people you get to meet. That’s where the magic lies. Ten years from now, these people will still be around, geeking out on the internet at the latest WHATEVER that’s coming down the pike. They’re not going anywhere, and Thank God for that.
So Big Thanks to Everybody for reading gapingvoid over the years. I could not have done it without you, without a constant stream of bloggers and readers to make me think and to make me feel inspired. From the very bottom of my heart, Thanks Again. You guys rock.
Hey You… No-One deserves this more than you…!!! Congrats! and your single line for point 6 is fab..
All the very best… C X
Hugh:
I always knew that this day would come. There are a lot of us out here that have always had total faith in your talent and abilities.
Look at the good you’ve done for Thomas and so many others (including me). Good karma has come your way.
Follow this path without any question or doubt. This is your destiny.
God’s speed, mate.
Congratulations, Hugh! Look forward to seeing it print. I love the one-liner, by the way. Be well & enjoy your creative/peaceful time in Texas.
Congratulations! May you follow in the footsteps of many great writers … get up early, write ’till noon, and enjoy the rest of the day at the cafe.
Best Wishes,
Dave
Congratulations Hugh!
“Work Hard. Keep at it. Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Be nice. Be polite.”
Careful — people have been nailed to crosses for saying things like that!
Congratulations on the book deal Hugh.
Congratulations on the move to west Texas as well. It always seemed to me like one of the more intriguing parts of the US. After listening to Explosions In The Sky I imagined that’s what west Texas must *sound* like. I highly recommend them, by the way; great writing music!
For lovers of red:
Http://www.redle.it
Full red Google
That’s great news. Now get busy and set up a site to pre-order the book. I’m one of your million downloads and I’m ready to buy the book.
You rock man! Congrats.
Look forward to read it.
About freakin’ time!
Big congrats from all the Hughettes!
This must be book news week.
Just read that Darren at Problogger has a book coming out too.
I’ll have to expand my book shelves.
Congratulations on the book deal. I really enjoy your blog and art. Can’t wait for the book. Go work on it!
Hey,
Congrats! Also, congrats on the first-line mention in Wired.
We love you, Brad
Congrats; HTBC in list-form is one of the things that I have pinned on my cube-wall.
Regards,
Mark
It will be a bestseller
So…who you going to get to do the art work for the book?
Sir, I’m proud to be your fan. Congrats!
Good going Hugh.…you richly deserve it.
Hi Hugh,
~~~~~~~ YIPPEE!! ~~~~~~~
(flip this over for funny cartoon!) lol
I’m super happy for your book deal today! sweet!
You have lots of good info, advise and ideas to share … keep ‘em coming!
Susan Beebe — @smbeebe on twitter
Even though you don’t know me Hugh I am a HUGE fan of your work. Congrats! I tell as many people as I can about Gapingvoid. Great conversations, ideas, point-of-views, discussions and insight to the realm of marketing, branding, and life. Love, love, love it! Continued success!
Congratulations!!!
And in the words of Seth Godin (paraphrased), there’s really no such thing as an overnight sensation. Those that succeed have often been working very hard at it for quite a while.
This book deal makes total sense.
Hugh, Your messages sound a bit like Ebay, sell stuff for the sake of selling it, software for the sake of software, and yes Bloggin’ for it’s own sake.
There’s no content here, it’s an Ayn Rand style of survivalism. Let’s all go to Beijing, they’ll pay us.
AC
P.S. Resoundingly positive comments are underwhelming.
N.B.
Try reading “Against the Machine.”
Congrats!
there is not a big enough “yay” in the world to celebrate this news!
but YAY ANYWAY!!!!!!
Congrats! Here’s to the long form…
Ditto to the comment re: setting up a pre-order page. I’d buy it right now even if it were years from publication. Seriously.
#8 really got me. You rock Hugh and wish you all the best.
I have been reading regularly for about a year now.
Terrific stuff and the book deal is not much of a surprise, really. You have strong insights and a book makes sense to me.
I look forward to reading it, and when we cross paths (I am pretty sure we will, eventually) I’d like you to sign it.
Good luck! And enjoy the ride. Take care. mjl
P.S.
I hope that you are going to expand on the “social markers” and “social objects” theme. While I think a lot of your work is damn good, I think these concepts deserve further investigation, and are your best, most brilliant ideas. I would love to see these examined further.
Take care. mjl
Way cool!!!
But… Alpine, Texas?
Congrats from the bottom of my fan-heart. I too left office water coolers, etc to move to write my book in the middle of nowhere. It’s working fabulously well. Just don’t get wifi because if you can check email from the laptop you’re writing on, distractions swallow the writing hours. And don’t tell anyone your phone number. That’s all. Cut off from water cooler is bigger breathing space than the office people know.
A big inspiration. Always.
Put me on the pre-order list.
Hugh, after all these years, your voice has retained a clarity and integrity that will sing in book form.
I think you’ll sell at least a few (thousand) flats of HTBC!
Sincere congrats.
Shazz
Fantastic Hugh ! I was just blogging about your “smarter conversations” last night.
Work Hard and stay positive. Katie
Of course I want a copy! (email address included but not to be published)
Congratulations. I feel great about it, because once in a while one finds a set of words that mean “truth” and one hopes it will reach a greater audience. You –SHOULD– reap the financial benefits.
God’s blessings.
HTBC was the first blog post that really grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Can’t wait to read more.
Thanks for sharing, Hugh.
Congrats on the book deal! In my experience, whether or not the book sells well has as much to do with how willing you are to “get the word out” as to how much the publisher does to get the word out.
When it is ready, I would be willing to send a notice to all my people (my list isn’t huge, but I do have a list, at least.) You could probably get others to do the same, to get the buzz going.
In any case, GOOD LUCK with it!!!
Geoff