Big Deal: A short excerpt
An excerpt from the introduction of Big Deal: On Being Famous to Fifteen People, which I intend to self-publish by the end of July:
For the past six years, I have been flown all over the world, put up in great hotels, fed great dinners, introduced to amazing people, offered a microphone, and paid for taking it.I know, it sounds great. And in and of itself, it is great. I won’t lie. But this microcosmic version of fame comes with baggage just like that other, much bigger kind, and it can mess with your head in equally lovely and tremendous ways. And because I’ve spent all six of those years surrounded by the precious few who care what I have to say, and doing it for all the wrong reasons, I have learned firsthand just how bad things can get when you claim a spot at the cool kids’ table for all the wrong reasons.
This book is not about how to develop your professional career, and not about the low art of self-promotion. It’s the story of my experience with nano-celebrity — hero worship in a professional context — and a reflection on what I learned in the process. It’s a story of professional success, personal failure, and soul-searching redemption. This is not a book of advice. While teaching a man to fish is certainly more valuable than giving him one, the real value is in the story of how you learned not to jab yourself with the hook.
This is the story of my jabbing myself with the hook.
I’ll post more updates as I get closer to publishing the book.
