In a future post, I will explain exactly what I did in PR and marketing (including recordings and screenshots) to help it happen, but the reality is: you made it happen.
You all rock. For buying the book? No. For making this community what it is. For helping one another and sharing your stories and lessons learned. For teaching me more than I can ever possibly teach you.
This is my dream team.
I’m leaving for South Africa this week (first time to Africa!), but I wanted to try and express my thanks before I left. There are three things I’d like to start with:
1) Free signed books at Samovar in San Francisco
2) Free round-trip ticket anywhere in the world per the last post
3) 600 free books on Facebook (+ Facebook bankruptcy template)…Read More
I dislike shopping, but I love finding the perfect gift.
Finding that gift, though, gets harder with time. Those damn adults seem to already have everything. That includes me.
More salt and pepper shakers? Nah. Alternate versions of the shirts I got last year? No, thank you. In the eternal quest to eliminate clutter, I now give Santa a not-to-buy list instead of a wish list.
If you’re having trouble thinking up killer (in the good sense) gifts, here are 12 goods that deliver.
All of them have either changed my life or saved my ass… Read More
Roger Bannister broke the mythical 4-minute mile barrier in 1954. (Source: Guardian UK)
Dean Kamen is no stranger to innovation.
He’s also no stranger to doubters and skeptics. People said the Segway was impossible, but Kamen disagreed, and he was right.
“Don’t tell me it’s impossible,” he says, “tell me you can’t do it.” “Tell me it’s never been done. Because the only real laws in this world–the only things we really know–are the two postulates of relativity, the three laws of Newton, the four laws of thermodynamics, and Maxwell’s equation–no, scratch that, the only things we really know are Maxwell’s equations, the three laws of Newton, the two postulates of relativity, and the periodic table. That’s all we know that’s true. All the rest are man’s laws…”
My next book will be a hacker’s guide to the human body. The working title is “From Rapid Fat Loss to Strongmen: A Guide to Becoming Superhuman.” It has actually been planned for more than two years.
I’ve recorded almost every workout I’ve done since age 15, and my house looks like an ER, with dozens of gadgets and medical devices for capturing data. I’ve had hundreds of blood tests performed and have been doing this since 1996, with costs now totalling well over $100,000. I’ve taken my weight from 145 lbs. to 225 lbs. (lean) and back down, and I can remove or add 20 lbs. in 3-4 weeks on-demand.
So, what is the result of all this OCD madness?
I can show you how I safely do things outdated physiology textbooks tell you is impossible. This isn’t because I have some unique intelligence. It’s because I’ve tested the most basic assumptions of nutrition and exercise… and I experiment with outrageous alternatives that end up working.
Cut 2% bodyfat in two weeks? No problem. Increase muscular strength 30% in 48-72 hours, or drop 50-100 pounds of fat? Not an issue. I’ve done the guinea pig shotgun approach so you don’t have to. I’ll spare you the 10,000 pages of literature on a given topic and give you the one unusual 1-2-3 method that produced unbelievable results. That is not to imply this book will not be limited to me. I’ll attempt to include replicable results on multiple subjects (of both genders and including 60+-year olds) instead of “It worked for me, therefore it will work for you” in almost all cases.
Self-experimentation galore, cutting-edge labs from the Ivy League to the Middle East, interviews with superhuman athletes, and a guru-killing examination of results with some of the brightest PhDs and MDs in the world will form the backbone of this book. It will be equally designed for men and women.
And I need your help.
I am looking for research assistants to help with this book, as well as elite athletes (national level or above), trainers of elite athletes, case studies, MDs/PhDs/researchers doing interesting work, and anyone else who thinks they have something that could fit in human performance. Normal people who’ve made incredible progress or found an unusual method that works? Let me know.
The 4-Hour Workweek has been sold in 35 languages, has been on The NY Times business bestseller list for more than 2 years unbroken, and has hit #1 NY Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 BusinessWeek, among others. I expect this next book to be MUCH bigger. The names and findings of those featured will be launched worldwide.
Some of the topics I will address include: fat loss, muscular hypertrophy, and reversing injuries (acute, but especially chronic). There will be dozens more, but I have to keep them under wraps for now. I apologize, but trust me — you won’t be disappointed.
Can you help, or know someone who can? Please let me know here.
If there is one thing I’ve learned from this blog, it’s that the readers here — that’s you — have some stellar ideas and skills.
For the next book, tentatively titled “Becoming Superhuman”, I would therefore love to invite any designers out there to throw their hat in the ring for the cover design, especially talented beginners who might not otherwise have a chance to work on a project with international reach.
How would you like to light a fire perfectly and have it burn for 3-7 hours without touching it or putting on more wood? It can be done, every time, but it requires forgetting everything you’ve learned about starting fires… Read More
Leo Babauta has been a incredible model for me in the world of blogging.
His blog, Zen Habits, went from 1 reader — his wife — to being one of the Technorati top-100 blogs in the world in less than 12 months. Leo, who lives in Guam (how cool is that?), has built his audience by deconstructing his offline behavior as much as his online behavior… Read More
Training in horseback archery in Nikko, Japan. (Photo: David West)
2008 has been one of the most exciting years of my life. I did more dealmaking and met more people than in the last 5 years combined. This produced many surprise insights about business and human nature, especially as I uncovered tons of my own false assumptions.
Here are some of the things I learned and loved in 2008. I’ve linked to posts that I wrote when exploring some of the concepts in more detail… Read More
It’s a vastly superior book, and new material includes:
• More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point.
• Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating e-mail, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than $8 a meal
• Fully revised resources – the latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.
I wanted the launch for this new expanded edition to be as elegant and effective as possible, as I’m also on deadline for the new Becoming Superhuman guide to hacking the human body.
Instead of the usual 4-week launch plan with extended marketing and media, I decided to compress almost all of it into one week. This week.
To make it all work, I would have to combine pre-orders and sales from this week. Weekly New York Times lists are tabulated from Sunday to Sunday.
Alas, that’s when things got all screwed up, hence Plan B.
- Late last week, readers began to tweet that the book was already shipping, despite the official on-sale date of today. I’ve seen a few friends screwed in the past when their pre-orders were split between two weeks. They missed the NYT lists, which is critical for any snowball effect.
- Three national media spots were canceled this week due to scheduling conflicts and producer mix-ups.
Time to reset and bring out the big guns.
Plan B
Sometimes, size matters.
Now is one of those times, and I’d like to ask you a favor. Please consider the following.
This is for the next 24 hours only. It expires 2pm PST on Wednesday, 12/16/09.
If you’ve ever wanted to give The 4-Hour Workweek as a gift, or if you think you will, I’ll offer the following, with goodies attached and important details at the end:
Buy 1 copy (or use your older edition) – Participate in a 2-hour live Q&A with me on 12/22. It will focus at least 50% new material. No email receipt needed, but familiarity with book will be important.
Buy 4 Copies – Free signed, advanced copy of Becoming Superhuman when it comes out later in 2010. It will be one of Random House’s biggest releases, and you will see it even before most media.
E-mail Amazon receipt to bonus@fourhourworkweek.com with subject line “4 copies”.
Buy 10 Copies - The above signed copy of Becoming Superhuman and 1 full year ($120) of DropBox’s 50GB back-up and synching service for free, which I use and which appears in the book.
This makes the ten copies, in effect, free.
E-mail Amazon receipt to bonus@fourhourworkweek.com with subject line “10 copies” (we will have to confirm quantities, of course).
Buy 100 Copies (limit 20 spots) – Buy 100 copies here and get all of the above (Superhuman, 1-year DropBox), as well as a VIP invitation to a private bash I will be throwing in San Francisco on Friday, Feb 26th.
Dine and hang out with me and my best friends from tech and all over the world. It will be an evening to remember much like this, which was hosted on a functioning WWII warship, but even cooler and crazier.
Buy 1,000 Copies (limit 1 spot) - Buy 1,000 copies here and get all of the above (Superhuman, 1-year DropBox, VIP dine/party) and a full day of consulting with me on whatever topics you desire. I will fly you from anywhere in the world to San Francisco, where I will cover all meals and entertainment for 24 hours. One friend or business partner is welcome to attend if they cover their own travel and hotel.
Again, the above are valid for the next 24 hours only, ending at 2pm PST, Wednesday.
Some Details
What if I already ordered the new book?
No problem. Just combine the Amazon/online receipts in one email to bonus@fourhourworkweek.com with “4 books” (for the 4-book bonuses) or “10 books” (for 10-book bonuses) in the subject line.
What if I want the bonuses but don’t need 100 or 1,000 books?
Also no problem.
I’ll find a home for them, or you can sell them, or you can give them to a non-profit. There may well be a tax write-off if you do the latter, but you’d need to chat with a real accountant first to get it right.
Do Kindle and audiobook versions count for the Plan B bonuses?
Unfortunately, not for anything other than the live 2-hour Q&A next week.
Kindle and audiobook sales do not count for the New York Times list (f*ing ridiculous, I know), and this is an emergency list-recovery measure to compensate for the Amazon mix-up and cancelled major media.
Obviously, if you buy one of the formats that don’t count towards the list, have ever bought the book, or even read the blog, I’m still thankful!
[UPDATE: Please check www.history.com/schedule for future air dates or e-mail thc.viewerrelations@aetv.com! The chat is now finished, but there will be more. It was a blast. Thanks to all those who tuned in!]
