Now Ye're Talking - To a NYT Best Selling Author

#1 · 24-02-2015 4:09pm #1

Hello all,

This week, with special thanks to our member nozzferrahhtoo for making the introductions, I'd like you all to meet AJ Jacobs. By way of quick introduction (and I've stolen this from his website

)

A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help.

He is also editor at large at Esquire magazine, a commentator on NPR and a columnist for Mental Floss magazine. He is currently helping to build a family tree of the entire world and holding the biggest family reunion ever in 2015.

So what's this all about?

Well, first of all, just so we know this man is no slouch, AJ has 4 books to his name, is a contributor and editor for the likes of Esquire, LinkedIn and the New York Times, he's even given a couple of TED Talks. Taking on what might be called "Immersion Journalism" AJ throws himself completely into a project and documents his experiences - for example, for his first book, he decided to read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica as well as join Mensa in a quest to become the smartest person in the world...

His upcoming project is the Global Family Reunion where he attempts to create a family tree for the planet! That sounds, well, honestly, mad, but why not?!?!

So, ladies and gentlemen, please fire (your questions!) at will.

Tokyo · 24-02-2015 4:15pm

Welcome

Very much enjoyed The Year of Living Biblically when I read it, and how it put a very human and humorous face to religion, so thanks for taking the time out to join us here.

Other than the Global Family Reunion project mentioned above, are there any other immersion projects that you are interested in taking part in?? Are we going to see A year of being a Boards.ie Moderator in our bookstores any time in the future?

nozzferrahhtoo · 24-02-2015 5:39pm

Great to see the thread take off.

My questions would be how you came up with some of the ideas you entirely immersed yourself in. Notably the Encyclopedia project, the Bible project, and the life outsourcing projects.

And although you clearly engaged in those things for the purposes of writing a book, have you assimilated anything from them into your life and continued with them since each book or article went to print? Do you still engage in or practice anything you took up during those projects?

Adumbrate for us also the current project and its goals and idea?

24-02-2015 5:41pm

Wow - not long since I finished a book by this author and was just considering the purchase of my next one - the one on being healthy in body and mind. A big hobby of mine

Have you done many table quizzes since the Encyclopedias? Has any of it stuck or are you back to being useless at General Knowledge again?

Dozen Wicked Words · 24-02-2015 5:46pm

Channeling my inner Ryan Turbidy (actually, do you know who he is), what do you think of/about Ireland, do you have many Irish relations in your family tree and if not, do you wish you did?

Mars Bar · 24-02-2015 6:01pm

I have never heard of you

Sorry! But I recognise mental floss! Have you had the chance to work with the Green Brothers?

Brian Shanahan · 24-02-2015 6:38pm

Honestly, I've got nothing. I'm just writing to bookmark this thread and read all the responses to the good questions others think up of.

January · 24-02-2015 7:07pm

Ohhh there's a book recommendation, will be looking for The Year of Living Biblically tonight!

What made you want to become a journalist? Is it something you have always wanted to do or something you fell into? Same with regards to becoming an author.

shruikan2553 · 24-02-2015 7:09pm

What was your favorite project and which did you hate the most?

Also which did you find the hardest or easiest to do?

Shrap · 24-02-2015 9:14pm

Did you welcome your immersion into a project giving you an excuse to act in ways that you would never usually allow yourself? For example, in the case of The Year of Living Biblically, rather than be thinking "what would I do in this situation?" were you thinking "what does the bible say about what I should do?", and did that give you a sense of absolution when acting out of character because you had determined to complete this project? I suppose I am wondering if you felt any sense of relief at your actions being somewhat pre-determined by the remit of any of your projects, or was it very frustrating to be so constrained?

Edit: Sorry, more questions! I just watched your TED talk on The Year of Living Biblically, and now I want to know how your wife feels about your epic projects, considering she has to live with the "immersed" you! I thought it was hilarious that she sat on every chair in your house specifically because she was insulted by the biblical diktat that "thou shalt not sit in any seat after a menstruating woman has sat in it previously", and then you couldn't sit down any more :cool:. Are there any projects that your wife has vetoed because you'd be too impossible to live with?!

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 1:54am

Welcome

Very much enjoyed The Year of Living Biblically when I read it, and how it put a very human and humorous face to religion, so thanks for taking the time out to join us here.

Other than the Global Family Reunion project mentioned above, are there any other immersion projects that you are interested in taking part in?? Are we going to see A year of being a Boards.ie Moderator in our bookstores any time in the future?

Great idea! Let me pitch it to my publisher. The family reunion is taking up 114 percent of my time. But after that, I have plenty of projects I want to do. I'm interested in robots, for one thing. Either having a bunch of them at my beck and call. Or turning into one.

eternal · 25-02-2015 1:57am

Hi! I would like to know about getting a first book out. I'm published in poetry and it seems to be the norm to win competitions which then aid you in publishing a collection. Can you advise me on getting over this hurdle and how would someone know if they are on the right track with their writing?

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:02am

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

Great to see the thread take off.

My questions would be how you came up with some of the ideas you entirely immersed yourself in. Notably the Encyclopedia project, the Bible project, and the life outsourcing projects.

And although you clearly engaged in those things for the purposes of writing a book, have you assimilated anything from them into your life and continued with them since each book or article went to print? Do you still engage in or practice anything you took up during those projects?

Adumbrate for us also the current project and its goals and idea?

Thanks! And also thank you for using the word 'adumbrate,' which is a lovely word. I got the encyclopedia idea from my dad, who started to read the encyclopedia when I was a kid. He didn't quite finish, so I thought I'd try to remove that black mark from our family history. Other ideas I see what's in the culture and try to have a new take on it. Or take it to the extreme. I read about outsourcing and thought, what if I outsourced EVERYTHING.

Yes, I keep LOTS from every project. Just one example: From the Bible, I learned to be grateful. I try to be aware of the hundreds of things that go right every day instead of focussing on the three or four that go wrong.

The current project is one I'm absurdly excited about.
The Global Family Reunion. It's globalfamilyreunion.com

I'm helping to build the biggest family tree ever and also through the biggest family reunion. You're invited! The main one is in NYC but there will be dozens of satellite parties around the world. I'd love to have one in Ireland!

It's to remind people that we're all one big family. And it's going to be like a family reunion meets Woodstock (without the brown acid) meets a TED conference. We've got over 30 great speakers on all aspects of family. Plus we've got Sister Sledge singing We Are Family.
We'll have a livestream of the talks and entertainment for the satellite parties.
If you're interested in setting one up, email me at aj@ajjacobs.com
They can be small or big!

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:03am

Deleted User wrote: »

Wow - not long since I finished a book by this author and was just considering the purchase of my next one - the one on being healthy in body and mind. A big hobby of mine

Have you done many table quizzes since the Encyclopedias? Has any of it stuck or are you back to being useless at General Knowledge again?

About 1 percent has stuck. But still, 1 percent of 44 million words is a lot better of than I used to be.

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:04am

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Channeling my inner Ryan Turbidy (actually, do you know who he is), what do you think of/about Ireland, do you have many Irish relations in your family tree and if not, do you wish you did?

I have tons of Irish relatives (mostly through marriage, but still, that counts!)
I'm a big fan of Ireland -- I went on vacation there (or holiday, as I believe you say). Gorgeous. Rained every day, but it was Irish rain, not New York rain, so it was more interesting to me.

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:43am

Mars Bar wrote: »

I have never heard of you Sorry! But I recognise mental floss! Have you had the chance to work with the Green Brothers?

Ha! Well, I haven't heard of you either. No offense! I know John Green but not his brother. We talked about famous last words quite a bit. He's an expert.

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:45am

January wrote: »

Ohhh there's a book recommendation, will be looking for The Year of Living Biblically tonight!

What made you want to become a journalist? Is it something you have always wanted to do or something you fell into? Same with regards to becoming an author.

It was partly because I had no other marketable skills. And partly because it's a good way to get paid for being curious (or sort of get paid, I should say)

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:48am

shruikan2553 wrote: »

What was your favorite project and which did you hate the most?

Also which did you find the hardest or easiest to do?

The hardest was radical honesty, where you have to say everything that's on your brain. No filter. Not good for marriages, work or pretty much any other sphere.

AJ Jacobs · 25-02-2015 2:54am

Shrap wrote: »

Did you welcome your immersion into a project giving you an excuse to act in ways that you would never usually allow yourself? For example, in the case of The Year of Living Biblically, rather than be thinking "what would I do in this situation?" were you thinking "what does the bible say about what I should do?", and did that give you a sense of absolution when acting out of character because you had determined to complete this project? I suppose I am wondering if you felt any sense of relief at your actions being somewhat pre-determined by the remit of any of your projects, or was it very frustrating to be so constrained?

Edit: Sorry, more questions! I just watched your TED talk on The Year of Living Biblically, and now I want to know how your wife feels about your epic projects, considering she has to live with the "immersed" you! I thought it was hilarious that she sat on every chair in your house specifically because she was insulted by the biblical diktat that "thou shalt not sit in any seat after a menstruating woman has sat in it previously", and then you couldn't sit down any more :cool:. Are there any projects that your wife has vetoed because you'd be too impossible to live with?!

Great question. Yes, there is a sense of liberation. It's a paradoxical freedom FROM choice.
As far as my wife, yes, she's vetoed a few. Some readers have suggested I do all the positions in the kama sutra. My wife said no way. Which is actually a relief. I don't have that kind of flexibility in my back anymore.

Turtwig · 25-02-2015 3:05am

Hi A.J,

Really cool to have you here. What are your most frequent inexplicable typos? For example, I constantly type "does" instead of "those". Maybe you have none? If so, what's your secret?

Do you have any quirky, almost superstitious, pre-writing rituals?

Finally, if you had the power to rewind time, is there any literary regret you'd wish to fix?

Thanks,

orthsquel · 25-02-2015 3:58am

Hi AJ, so sorry a load of questions!

You appear - from both your website and wiki - to be quite accomplished and recognised for what you do, you've done all the PR and general marketing of yourself and your books.... do you get many people who only recognise the label of NYT Best Seller and cling to that aspect of interest and overlook what you do and miss the point? Are you treated differently because of that accomplishment? has it opened doors for you in life or in journalism that if you hadn't achieved that list that wouldn't be open to you? Or does it make no difference in your life, or to you personally?

If you were in the shoes of your younger unpublished, unknown self would you envy what you have now, or be glad of whatever your life is like?

Do you worry about running out of ideas?

If the internet went back to how it was in the 90s - minus the dial up aspect - but with the anonymity of fields of usernames rather than real names, do you think it would be a better place, a better internet for practical purposes (e.g. learning and communicating, cultural understanding, exploring and sharing ideas, satisfying curiosity) without today's interpretation of social media platforms (i.e. facebook, twitter) and how they are used? Do you think about how social networking could be or should be better conducted than it is now?

If you could invent a genre of fiction, what would it be called?

Do you hope that what you do sparks an idea in someone's imagination and leads to something more?

Thank You!!

Tokyo · 25-02-2015 8:40am

Hi A.J.

Thanks for answering all of the questions so far. It's been a few years since I've read and enjoyed 'The Know It All' and I remember reading one particularly scathing and highly personal book review from Joe Queenan in the NYT Book review (I think it may have been mentioned in a footnote of the book, which led me to follow up on it) where he labelled you as 'a jackass' and 'a poor man's Dave Barry'. A review that became famous as much for your reply to it than anything else.

Your humorous response to the review aside, your writing has been labelled as 'stunt journalism' at times - are reviews such as this easily shrugged off as just par for the course when you write a NYT best seller and diluted down by the more positive ones, or have they ever caused you to question your own writing style and approach, and have you picking apart your own writings? And perhaps even impact future projects?

nozzferrahhtoo · 25-02-2015 9:45am

Every time I use the word Adumbrate someone tells me they love the word. I learned it from Christopher Hitchens. Sad loss to the world of Books and Journalism wasn't he?

A good friend of mine is a Jewish girl who left Frankfurt to live in Passedena with her Canadian now Husband. She has always wanted to go into journalism. Alas the qualifications she got at University in Germany in Journalism and Politics and History were never really fully recognizes in the States. So she went into further education in the States too. But I suspect she still has an eye on Journalism in her life. Any random advice you might have off the back of this throw it out there and I will pass it on to her

I watched the video on your Global Family project on your website. You seem quite passionate about it indeed. You seem to be ONE part fun about the whole thing, just into the idea for the pleasure and the enjoyment. But also ONE part lofty goals. You seem to see it as a way to further the science of things like Medicine and Genetics.... while also undermining, much like the Human Genome Project, the basis for Racism and so forth. Some lofty goals. What will the satellite parties involve? Will there be any kind of link up between them or do time differences preclude anything of that measure?

scudzilla · 25-02-2015 10:32am

What is your favourite type of cheese?

Gloomtastic! · 25-02-2015 11:27am

Thanks for this AJ.

What do your kids think of your projects?

MRnotlob606 · 25-02-2015 6:20pm

I'm sorry I didn't recognize the name immediately but somebody mentioned the Ted Talk (One of my favourites , up there with Zefrank) about when you lived according to biblical precepts for over a year. My question is, was there something you learned from the bible that you have incorporated as part of you lifestyle now ?

Benny_Cake · 25-02-2015 9:29pm

Hi AJ,
It's a few years since I read "The Year of Living Biblically" but I really enjoyed it (I like Ecclesiastes as well!).

Have you tried growing an Old Testament style beard since you wrote the book? More seriously, much of your writing has revolved around documenting your various lifestyle experiments, so I'd imagine that you are extremely disciplined a keeping a diary or journal? Do you have any advice for someone who has tried and failed to start a habit of writing something every day?

Thanks for doing this and every success with the Global Family reunion, it's for a great cause.

kupus · 25-02-2015 11:26pm

AJ Jacobs wrote: »

Ha! Well, I haven't heard of you either. No offense! I know John Green but not his brother. We talked about famous last words quite a bit. He's an expert.

Excuse me, you've wrote books, read the encyclepia ( I cant even spell the feckin thing) and talked to ted, but you've never heard of a mars bar.
I call shenanigans...

evolving_doors · 25-02-2015 11:38pm

Do you listen to music whilst writing, or do outside stimuli annoy you?

AJ Jacobs · 26-02-2015 1:08am

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Thanks for this AJ.

What do your kids think of your projects?

It's mixed. They want me to do "The Year of Eating Nothing But Candy" next time, and they said they'd join me in that adventure.

AJ Jacobs · 26-02-2015 1:10am

scudzilla wrote: »

What is your favourite type of cheese?

Great question. I'm a big fan of cheese in general. When I was a kid, I ate wine cheddar because it made me feel very grown up. Now I tend toward the really stinky blue cheese types.

AJ Jacobs · 26-02-2015 1:13am

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

I'm sorry I didn't recognize the name immediately but somebody mentioned the Ted Talk (One of my favourites , up there with Zefrank) about when you lived according to biblical precepts for over a year. My question is, was there something you learned from the bible that you have incorporated as part of you lifestyle now ?

Thanks! I've incorporated lots from that year. I think I mentioned gratitude in an earlier question. I do like the Jewish rituals, like Passover and Hanukkah. I'm still agnostic, but I like the rituals and the community and the starchy foods.

eternal · 26-02-2015 1:15am

eternal wrote: »

Hi! I would like to know about getting a first book out. I'm published in poetry and it seems to be the norm to win competitions which then aid you in publishing a collection. Can you advise me on getting over this hurdle and how would someone know if they are on the right track with their writing?

Why am I not being answered.

AJ Jacobs · 26-02-2015 1:15am

Benny_Cake wrote: »

Hi AJ,
It's a few years since I read "The Year of Living Biblically" but I really enjoyed it (I like Ecclesiastes as well!).

Have you tried growing an Old Testament style beard since you wrote the book? More seriously, much of your writing has revolved around documenting your various lifestyle experiments, so I'd imagine that you are extremely disciplined a keeping a diary or journal? Do you have any advice for someone who has tried and failed to start a habit of writing something every day?

Thanks for doing this and every success with the Global Family reunion, it's for a great cause.

Thanks! I do write stuff in my journal every day. (I don't want to use 'journal' as a verb, though I suppose people do nowadays).
For me, the key is to keep the expectations of yourself low. Just tell yourself you're going to take notes, nothing fancy, just write down impressions and other details so you don't forget. If there's no pressure to write something great, it's easier.

AJ Jacobs · 26-02-2015 1:16am

eternal wrote: »

Why am I not being answered.

I wish I knew more about poetry publishing. I know nothing!
And the publishing world is changing so fast, it's hard to know what is the best way to get a first book out.
Nowadays, it seems that getting a popular blog or huge twitter following is actually the best way to get a book deal. For better or worse.

thelad95 · 26-02-2015 1:19am

A quick read of your biography in Davs post tells me some of your books contain elements of 'self-help'. In general, in what way do you think self-help books are beneficial? I always felt that these can be simply be money spinners for publishers as opposed to being of any real tangible value to the reader. This is parodied in an episode of Family Guy where Brian writes a book called 'wish it, want it, do it' in a few hours and it sells millions of copies.

eternal · 26-02-2015 1:20am

AJ Jacobs wrote: »

I wish I knew more about poetry publishing. I know nothing!
And the publishing world is changing so fast, it's hard to know what is the best way to get a first book out.
Nowadays, it seems that getting a popular blog or huge twitter following is actually the best way to get a book deal. For better or worse.

For some reason Twitter hates me. I suppose it's the competitions or nothing then. Alright, thanks

pug_ · 26-02-2015 12:45pm

How do you feel about people who download your work without paying for it?

Gits_bone · 26-02-2015 1:39pm

Brian Shanahan wrote: »

Honestly, I've got nothing. I'm just writing to bookmark this thread and read all the responses to the good questions others think up of.

Why didn't you just follow the thread?

Anyways, my question. Does your hand ever get sore from all the writing?

Gits_bone · 26-02-2015 1:40pm

eternal wrote: »

Why am I not being answered.

Careful now, they're under no obligation to answer lol

cyning · 26-02-2015 4:50pm

I started reading The Year of Living Biblically because of this thread: enjoying it so far! You mention that you spoke with a Southern twang for a month at the age of 12, the encyclopaedia project, this one: have you always completely immersed yourself in projects? I can't imagine you half doing anything!

Also if there was one project your wife would have you take on what do you think it would be?

AJ Jacobs · 27-02-2015 1:10am

thelad95 wrote: »

A quick read of your biography in Davs post tells me some of your books contain elements of 'self-help'. In general, in what way do you think self-help books are beneficial? I always felt that these can be simply be money spinners for publishers as opposed to being of any real tangible value to the reader. This is parodied in an episode of Family Guy where Brian writes a book called 'wish it, want it, do it' in a few hours and it sells millions of copies.

I try not to be overbearing w/ the self-help. I just write what has worked for me, and people can try the strategy to see if it works for them. Also, I'm a fan of evidence-based self-help. There is such a thing! On the other hand, books like the Secret are just bunkum.

AJ Jacobs · 27-02-2015 1:10am

HugsiePie wrote: »

Hey

So I have to admit I have never read any of your books but following this AMA I decided to do a little research on you

I came across this video on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7IF6OSuUoE
You say you "gained great respect for it [The Bible]"
Can I ask, what in particular caused you to 'gain respect' for it?
You've also mentioned John Green on this thread earlier, can I ask how did you find him as a person? Is he nice, mean, funny, etc.?

Very nice man! At least to me. And also very funny, of course. I knew him before he was super-famous, when we were both writers for Mental Floss magazine

AJ Jacobs · 27-02-2015 1:11am

cyning wrote: »

I started reading The Year of Living Biblically because of this thread: enjoying it so far! You mention that you spoke with a Southern twang for a month at the age of 12, the encyclopaedia project, this one: have you always completely immersed yourself in projects? I can't imagine you half doing anything!

Also if there was one project your wife would have you take on what do you think it would be?

Yes! I'm a fan of total immersion, even as a kid. And I think she'd want me to spend a year eating at all the restaurants in NYC. Though actually that would take several years.

eternal · 27-02-2015 2:31am

Gits_bone wrote: »

Careful now, they're under no obligation to answer lol

ok, so it's normal to answer about poxy cheese but when an actual writer talks to them, no response? Us pen people gots to stick together. Anyway I got my reply so all is well.

nozzferrahhtoo · 27-02-2015 7:46am

There is an element of stand up comedy to your talks I have noticed. Like your "I am jewish in the same way the olive garden is italian", your glazed donut comment, and the "We live in a noisy world with planes, and trains and Bill OReilly".

Have you actually done stand up rather than book talks, and how did it go? Maybe a year of public speaking could be the next book

LizT · 27-02-2015 6:02pm

I'm curious, you say you're a fan of immersion, do you ever suffer withdrawal symptoms after immersion? Like when you finished the encyclopaedias, did you have big gaps in your day that you found hard to fill? After the year of living biblically, was it slightly anti climatic after it ended?

27-02-2015 10:12pm

Have you considered a language immersion project? A year of not speaking english any more. Where yuo have to learn and get by in a new language.

Would be interesting from a human interest side where you have to live the life of many US immigrants who show up with no english.

Be interesting from a linguistic side to see how proficient you can get in a language in that time if you solely rely on it.

There would be some great political angles on it too, highlighting many political issues in the US.

It CERTAINLY fits into your personal development motivation for your projects. And the "end all racism" angle your current project is taking.

And the potential for comedy is - as with most of your project ideas - endless.

I have spent some time since posting this post thinking about how you would show up home one day WITHOUT announcing the new project...... And you having a simple conversation about what you want for dinner

AJ Jacobs · 28-02-2015 1:12am

LizT wrote: »

I'm curious, you say you're a fan of immersion, do you ever suffer withdrawal symptoms after immersion? Like when you finished the encyclopaedias, did you have big gaps in your day that you found hard to fill? After the year of living biblically, was it slightly anti climatic after it ended?

Absolutely! After I stopped living by the Bible, I felt strangely unanchored. I'm a big fan of freedom of choice, but I've also learned there's something appealing about freedom FROM choice. Having a sturdy architecture within which you live your life.

AJ Jacobs · 28-02-2015 1:15am

Deleted User wrote: »

Have you considered a language immersion project? A year of not speaking english any more. Where yuo have to learn and get by in a new language.

Would be interesting from a human interest side where you have to live the life of many US immigrants who show up with no english.

Be interesting from a linguistic side to see how proficient you can get in a language in that time if you solely rely on it.

There would be some great political angles on it too, highlighting many political issues in the US.

It CERTAINLY fits into your personal development motivation for your projects. And the "end all racism" angle your current project is taking.

And the potential for comedy is - as with most of your project ideas - endless.

I have spent some time since posting this post thinking about how you would show up home one day WITHOUT announcing the new project...... And you having a simple conversation about what you want for dinner

I think it's a great idea. My wife might not be so feliz (that's another language. See? Getting into it already). One of my favorite books in recent years is called In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent. It's about languages like Esperanto and Klingon

AJ Jacobs · 28-02-2015 1:17am

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

There is an element of stand up comedy to your talks I have noticed. Like your "I am jewish in the same way the olive garden is italian", your glazed donut comment, and the "We live in a noisy world with planes, and trains and Bill OReilly".

Have you actually done stand up rather than book talks, and how did it go? Maybe a year of public speaking could be the next book

I've never done standup comedy. But I'm a big fan of the format. I like all the usual suspects: Louis CK, Mike Birbiglia, Jim Gaffigan, etc.

Now Ye're Talking - To a NYT Best Selling Author

Comments