Exclamations! Excitement! Loud noises!

We are two weeks away from How to Try Againhitting bookshelves around the world.

Today’s essay is much more visual than my past essays, but it’s all for good reasons:

• Early reviews of my book are rolling in!
• I just got my final copies of the physical hardcover.
• A foreign translation of my book (with fun cover) is coming soon!
• Last call for signed-preorder copies (before June 6th)

Plus, two comical videos of me operating at peak Steve joy.

If you want my eternal gratitude (priceless) and get a boatload of bonuses (slightly less priceless)…. there’s still time to pre-order my book!

Head on over to HowToTryAgain.com and I’ll send you the first two chapters to read right now! Pre-order in any version (digital, audio, hardcover).

Here’s your first hilarious Steve video of the day: MacMillan asked me to record a simple ad for my audiobook. It went… poorly. I tried, though:

Okay, onto the book itself, early reviews, and my first foreign covers.

How to Try Again Final Hardcovers are HERE!

I have lived an entire lifetime since I starting this book: 15+ drafts, three years of edits, and an upended personal and professional life.

But we got there, my friend.

Here’s the video of me seeing it for the first time on a pre-order party for pre-order superheroes last week:

And here are some still images that show you the detail:

The hardcovers are real, and they’re spectacular:

The inside of the book jacket is really fun (I’ve never had a book jacket before!):

And the blurbs on the back really pop (Mark Manson, Josh Kaufman, Vanessa Van Edwards, David Epstein, and Nir Eyal):

I’ve listened to a playlist full of 80s-inspired synth wave bands (The Strike, WOLFCLUB, and The Midnight) while writing this book, so this cover really puts me in the best mood every time I look at it.

I know they say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but people, myself included, definitely judge books by its cover.

Which is why I made sure this book does 3 things:

• Exactly who the book is for
• How this book will help you
• The style and humor you’ll find inside

Early reviews & praise for How to Try Again

How to Try Again was recently (and quite positively) reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly.

I love the last line in particular:

“Enlivened with plenty of personal anecdotes and a solid dose of self-deprecating humor, it’s an upbeat invitation to start afresh. (June)”

I was also recently interviewed by Business Insider about my book and its framework, though I had to chuckle at the headline and my job description!

I’d like to share a few more reviews that are less official and more personal.

I’m very fortunate to have supportive parents, but I was still surprised when my dad asked to read an early copy. I know this is the most biased review of all time, but it’s too damn wholesome and I just have to share it:

Here’s another review/endorsement from Zack Arnold:

“The perfect blend of humor, behavioral science, and compassionate forgiveness for the rest of us who struggle to maintain habits consistently, and for the perfectionists who always feel like a failure”:

This review made me cry: a middle-school teacher, who wasn’t familiar with my work, got the book early through Amazon’s advanced reader program:

“You don’t know me, but after listening to the book, maybe you do. It’s nice not to feel alone.”

This is exactly who I’m trying to help: people trying to live a bit better, want to help the people around them, but are also navigating a complicated reality and are burned out from doing too much.

And finally, here’s some early praise from Jay Papasan, author of the amazing book The One Thing, whose podcast I’ll be going on soon! I’m so glad my humor is resonating with people!

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How to Try Again UK and… Italian covers?!

How to Try Again has been acquired for publication in a BOATLOAD of foreign countries (15 countries and counting) before it’s even out!

Many of versions are going to have their own regional, designed covers.

The UK version will be available in the UK & Ireland, Australia & New Zealand, South Africa, and India on June 18th! Here’s the UK cover:

How to Try Again has also been acquired for translation in 6 OTHER languages already:

• France
• Brazil
• Poland
• Taiwan
• Slovakia
• Italy

Most of the time, foreign publishers will wait for a proven successful book and then acquire it. For the countries above, they enjoyed the book and concept so much they acquired the rights early!

One of those publishers, ON publishing in Italy, has made sure my book will be in Italian bookstores in two weeks too! Forza!

(Also, Ferrari is my favorite F1 team).

Here’s the Italian cover, complete with an Italian subtitle and Mark Manson’s translated endorsement. I think my subtitle roughly translates to:

“The method for starting over when things go downhill.” (If you are a native Italian speaker, let me know if I got the meaning wrong!)

I am digging the chaos spaghetti at the bottom.

I’ll be sharing more foreign covers and details as more languages come in, because this might be my favorite thing of all. Young Steve’s head would explode if he knew this. I mean, Current Steve’s head is exploding too, but it would also happen to Young Steve.

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How to Try Again: Final Call for Signed Pre-orders!

If you want a signed copy, Parnassus Books is taking pre-orders until June 6th, (and they will ship internationally too!).

So many amazing folks from this newsletter have already pre-ordered my book, and it means the world to me.

(If you’re one of them, thank you! And thanks for letting me talk about something you’ve already done!)

If you want to read the first two chapters immediately, get a secret chapter (coming in July), and access to a free book club about How to Try Again (hosted by me)…

Visit HowToTryAgain.com and pre-order your copy in any version from your country:

• Hardcover
• Ebook
• Audiobook (which I recorded myself!)

Whether you buy a copy, borrow one from a library or friend, or only read my free newsletter, thank you for the support. I am overwhelmed right now in the best way possible.

I feel like Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame:

Thanks for being you, and thanks for being here.

I can’t wait for you to read How to Try Again.

Two weeks to go.

Avengers…assemble.

-Steve

PS: I’m hosting my book party here in Nashville at Parnassus on June 17th! They still have room for a few more folks to join. It’s a free event, you just have to RSVP.

PPS: I can’t believe I have a book that will be on bookshelves in Italy. This is surreal.