The 4-Hour Chef’s Not So Simple Path to Buzz
The 4-Hour Chef’s Not So Simple Path to Buzz
Four Hour Ferriss has done it again!
Tim Ferriss (@tferriss), the author of The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body, may soon prove to be the sellingest banned author alive. His latest foray into the self transformation space is called The 4-Hour Chef, and Ferriss is quick to point out that it’s more than a how-to-cook book.
The 4-Hour Chef
Whether you want to learn how to speak a new language in three months, how to shoot a three-pointer in one weekend, or how to memorize a deck of cards in less than a minute, the true “recipe” of this book is exactly that: a process for acquiring any skill. The vehicle I chose is cooking. Yes, I’ll teach you all the most flexible techniques of culinary school using 14 strategically chosen meals, all with four or fewer ingredients, and all taking 5-20 minutes to prepare (literally, The 4-Hour Chef). But I wrote this book to make you a master student of all things. (fourhourchef.com)
A master student of all things! This, after all, is Ferriss‘ passion and strength. He loves to learn (and learn totally, efficiently and thoroughly), and his books are first and foremost toolkits for lifelong learners. Ferris who advises and teaches for the Singularity University “which focuses on leveraging accelerating technologies to address global problems“, is always racing the clock. Even in interviews, he sounds like he’d rather accelerate the Q&A.
The 4-Hour Bestseller
While I expect to enjoy and reference The 4-Hour Chef as much as the first two, what I’m really waiting for is the book he should write next: The 4-Hour Bestseller. It seems inevitable given the transformative forces at work in the publishing world. Ferriss has opined often enough on the present and future of publishing, and he’s a guerrilla master of self-promotion and book sales/marketing. Could his definitive guide to successful publishing in the digital age be far behind The 4-Hour Chef?
I’m anticipating a detailed, step-by-step guide to the art and science of book publishing focusing on the following:
- researching, niche targeting, writing and revising your book
- leveraging social media, etc. to build book/author platform
- editing, representing, strategic fine-tuning your manuscript
- publishing your book in the brave new world of 21st century publishing
- sequencing a book launch with high-impact, symphonic precision
- promoting and selling the heck out of your book!
If he’s not already working on The 4-Hour Bestseller, I’d be surprised. And disappointed!
The 4-Hour Chef Update
121126: True to form, Four Hour Ferriss is chronicling The 4-Hour Chef book launch through his blog, offering up a transparent glimpse of his strategy to peddle the hell out of The 4-Hour Chef despite being banned by 700+ bookstores nationwide! It’s a savvy PR move, effectively enlisting us, his readers and fans, to help fuel his publicity campaign by keeping us in the loop. Think of a grassroots political campaign. Think of community organizing. Damned effective. But not remotely exploitative because Ferriss is simultaneously sharing his process with anyone and everyone interested in learning how to roll out a successful launch. In other words, he’s offering us section #5 of The 4-Hour Bestseller for free! Whether he ever actually creates the book or not, it’s an example of Ferris’ value-added approach to community building, networking and marketing. His post “Marketing/PR Summary of Week One” reveals the staggering impact of his roll-out, listing bookstores, offline/online media and partnerships that would inspire envy among the launch gurus at any traditional publisher. Kudos!
Related articles
- Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Banning (janefriedman.com)
- The 4-Hour Chef Launch Summary, Week #1 (fourhourworkweek.com)
- Tim Ferriss’s new book about learning (boingboing.net)
- The 4-Hour Chef & Learning to Learn (drinkingoatmealstout.com)
- 4 Hour Chef (theunlimitedproject.com)
- Tim Ferriss Wants You To Learn More, Faster and More Efficiently (twistimage.com)
- Tim Ferriss: Even if I sell a million Kindle copies, some people will still call it a failure (paidcontent.org)
- With Help Of YouTube, Tim Ferriss Makes Book Trailers Go Viral (tubefilter.com)
- Tim Ferriss Announces Partnership with Bittorrent for 4-Hour Chef (zeropaid.com)
- I’m Tim Ferriss, and This Is How I Work (lifehacker.com)
climbed to the coveted top slot on The New York Times, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, and Sethi’s 
popularity continues to drive more than a quarter million readers to his blog 
