Fab Fridays 96: Book Deal!
Update on Ms. Fab's book
Today is a big day: Announcing that I’ve signed a publication deal with Harriman House!
Look for Ms. Fab’s first book next fall 2023!
Here’s how it happened and what I’m cooking up:
In the book, I’ll map lessons we need to unlearn and challenge us to rethink education.
THE BIG IDEA: school should look like a startup lab, not a factory.
It's for anyone whose job involves learning and teaching: parents, educators, managers, coaches, entrepreneurs, and more.
For the past 2.5 years, I’ve written nearly 100 newsletters, but newsletters come with a big downside. It’s hard to find old articles and hard to share more than one link at a time. So, I decided to weave together all of my ideas into a single book on alternative education.
When someone chooses to write a book, they might have three different goals:
Money 🤑
Fame ✨ (aka New York Times Best Seller)
Reach 🗣
I’m totally dedicated to goal number 3. My passion is to spread new ideas about education to as many people as possible.
My first instinct was to publish the book myself.
That’s how I've built my audience since day 1: avoid legacy media, cut through the noise, speak directly to parents. Plus, I didn't think traditional publishers would be interested. But something surprising happened…
I started receiving inquiries from companies wanting to publish my book. And not just any book companies: members of the Big Five, like Penguin Random House.
At first I was skeptical, but after a few conversations, I realized they bring something powerful to the table: distribution.
Traditional publishers are the best in the business at moving huge quantities of books. But they also come with one huge downside: loss of control. Once they buy the rights to a book from an author, it’s their property. Ultimately, they make the decisions.
So, I faced a looming question:
How should I publish my book?
Should I sell the manuscript to a traditional publisher? Or publish it on my own?
At this point, I was leaning heavily toward the traditional route. It seemed like the best way to reach the most people……but David Perell wouldn’t let me do it! He advocated hard for me to keep the rights to the book and retain control of my message.
Then, my friend Sahil Bloom pitched me an idea: What if there was a third option What if there was a publisher that partnered with their authors?
Sahil connected me with Harriman House—and they’ve been amazing to work with. They give authors total control but also provide incredible distribution.
Example: Morgan Housel has sold 1M+ copies of “The Psychology of Money” with them (though he probably didn't need much help 😝 — if you haven’t read this book yet, it’s a MUST)
Throughout this process, I realized again the power of Twitter. It’s how I’ve fleshed out my ideas—and met many of you! It's why I now count David and Sahil as friends and advisors. And how I found Janis Ozolins and his amazing art for the book.
My book-writing journey has only begun. I can’t thank you enough for walking along with me. I want to write something unique that’s truly helpful, enjoyable, and insightful for readers.
So, tell me: what would you like to see in the book?
Until next week,
Ana Lorena Fabrega
P.S. Baby boy is growing by the second! I’m starting to feel better this second trimester. Thank you for all the love, good vibes, and tips you’ve sent over! My heart is full.
