SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
The official release date of
All the Humans are Sleeping

Blazing Reader,

I've settled on the official release date of my next novel, All the Humans are Sleeping: Wednesday, September 11, 2024

I know this is months from now. I know I had hoped to get it out before Christmas, then in February, and then in April (for my birthday). Now it's almost done and... I've decided to wait another four months.

There are many advantages to delaying the book launch until 9/11 but the main reason I've decided to wait can be summed up in the following five words (maybe six, depending on whether you deem a contraction as one or two words):

I'm obsessed with quality writing.

There. Now you know. I wouldn't call it an addiction, but it's an obsession.

I have often questioned whether this obsession over quality may be a mental disorder, but Cal Newport's new book, Slow Productivity, has reassured me that even if it is, I'm at least in good company.

Slow Producitivity is filled with example after example of super successful people who took their time. A lot of time. From Isacc Newton's taking years to notice apples falling from trees, to Jane Austin needing an insensible amount of time to perfect Sense and Sensibility, to Jewel turning down a one-million dollar record deal (while homeless) because she refused to allow a big label to rush her career.

Cal Newport's "slow productivity" philosophy is based upon three precepts:

1. Do fewer things.

2. Work at a natural pace.

3. Obsess over quality.

With AI being able to write a thousand novels per hour, human novelists don't have a chance if we want to compete on speed of output. The only thing left to us mortals is to obsess over quality.

So, September 11, 2024 is now the official publication date of All the Humans are Sleeping. Mark it on your calendar. Or have your AI assistant mark it on your calendar. They are good at that sort of thing.

John C.A. Manley

PS Cal Newport's books have changed my life, and his latest, Slow Productivity: The Timeless Art of Doing Less but Better, is one of his best. You can buy a copy through my shop.

PPS As I said, there are many other big advantages to me holding off until September 11th to release All the Humans are Sleeping. I'll share those with you in my next post — as well as explain why I chose 9/11 specifically.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/