The Meaningful Universe

The Meaningful Universe: Our Pivotal Place in the Cosmos
By Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack

U.S. Publisher: Riverhead/Penguin
U.S. Editor: Wendy Carlton
UK Publisher: 4th Estate/HarperCollins
UK Editor: Christopher Potter

The Book: One of the world’s leading astrophysicists and a poet/historian of science present the first attempt to create a science-based cosmology that can begin to show us an accurate and meaningful picture of humanity’s place in the universe.

The Process: "We had been thinking about a book for years but struggling to figure out how to structure a book about the universe and its meaning," explained Nancy Abrams. "We did send out a proposal with a top science book agent in New York a few years ago, but he shopped it around for a week, got several responses of ‘too complicated,’ and dropped it immediately. He made no effort to help us improve it. We met Doug in late 2002, and over the course of a year, working over our ideas with him, we re-conceptualized the book and learned from Doug how an effective proposal is written."

The Submission: "Doug presented the proposal to publishers in mid-September 2003," said Joel Primack, "and just one week later a bidding war was on between two of the biggest publishers, and both were offering very high six figure advances. This was at least an order of magnitude more than we had expected. We realized we couldn’t decide between them on the basis of money alone. We wanted to meet the people behind the offers, so we flew out to New York with Doug. Both publishers treated us exceptionally well and brought together not only the editors but also the publishers and marketing teams to meet us, and the choice was truly difficult. With Doug’s brilliant negotiating skills in the end we were able to structure a deal where we got our dream publisher in the U.S. while the other publisher, who was our dream publisher for Britain & the rest of the English-speaking world, bought those rights." Doug adds, "Deciding between two such excellent houses was very difficult for the authors. In the end, I think the authors and the book ended up in an ideal situation with Wendy & Riverhead publishing the book in the U.S. and Christopher publishing the book in the U.K. & Commonwealth.

The Relationship: Nancy concluded, "We are tremendously impressed by Doug’s combination of talents: he is smart enough to understand whatever your book is about; he has a vision of how your book can help the world, and he helps you shape it so that it can; he is endlessly patient as a negotiator, never losing his cool, never forgetting a detail; and though clever and tactful, he is absolutely honest with everyone on all sides. We trust him completely, both in his business dealings and in his personal and artistic judgment. Meeting him has transformed us as authors, and we are very grateful."
Doug adds, "I treasure my work and relationship with Joel and Nancy. They have profound gifts to give us in learning to live at home in the universe and I feel privileged to help them convey their knowledge to the public. After our work together on this book, I will never look at the night sky the same again."

Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack at their home.

Light on Life

Light on Life: The Yoga Path to Freedom, Wholeness and Inner Peace
By B.K.S. Iyengar

The Publisher: Rodale Books
The Editor: Stephanie Tade

The Book: B.K.S. Iyengar, the world’s leading teacher of yoga, finally offers the millions of yoga practitioners and countless other spiritual seekers a way to discover the freedom, wholeness, and inner peace that comes from living a life that is based on the principles of yoga on and off the yoga mat.

Advance Praise: "Perhaps no one has done more than Mr. Iyengar to bring yoga to the West. Long before Christy Turlington was gracing magazine covers, decades before power yoga was a multimillion-dollar business, Mr. Iyengar was teaching Americans, among others, the virtues of asanas and breath control. He has trained hundreds of teachers who have spread his way of practicing….He is also one of the most penetrating writers on yoga, its physical practice and its more than 2,200-year-old philosophy, alive today," wrote Amy Waldman of The New York Times. An article in the April 2004 issue of Yoga Journal states, "The yoga world is eagerly awaiting the fall 2005 release of Light on Life, which is being heralded as the culmination of the life and work of B.K.S. Iyengar."

The Deal: "I was extremely pleased with the reaction from publishers," said Doug Abrams. "I submitted the proposal electronically and had an offer within twenty minutes. We were not able to go to auction because within days there were five preemptive offers. Stephanie’s commitment to the book was extraordinary, and she clearly had the support of the entire house." Publisher’s Weekly reported a seven figure advance for the book. Abrams added, "When I called to tell Mr. Iyengar the scale of the offer, he explained that he had just adopted the village where he was born and for which he is named (the ‘B’ in B.K.S. Iyengar is for Bellur). He said that this advance would help him support the schools and infrastructure for the entire village."

The Relationship: Doug explains, "My parent’s gave me a yogic book on breathing when I was in high school—I have had asthma—and I started doing Iyengar yoga in college. I was grateful to have learned of the life riches in the yogic tradition and was frustrated to see how often yoga is equated with exotic stretching. I have for many years wanted Mr. Iyengar to share with his millions of admirers the deeper wisdom that yoga offers for how we live and move in the world. I was immensely pleased with his recognition of the importance of sharing these teachings at this time. Getting to work together on the book and to do yoga with him in India was a great personal as well as professional joy."

At the Iyengar Institute in Pune, India.

Desmond Tutu
Audio CD

Idea Architects proudly announces the publication of the audio book version of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s
God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time.

"Dear Child of God, I write these words because we all experience sadness, we all come at times to despair, and we all lose hope that the suffering in our lives and in our world will ever end…" When Doug was working with Father Tutu on this book it became clear that there needed to be an audio version of this extremely personal and inspiring book. Hearing Father Tutu read these words in his rich and captivating voice brings it to life and creates and a profoundly intimate and potentially life-changing experience. When Random House decided that they did not have time to produce an audio book, Idea Architects joined forces with Maui Media to produce a 4-CD unabridged version of the book in less than two months. "It was always my desire to share Father Tutu’s wisdom and example with others," Doug explains. "Hearing him read God Has a Dream is like sitting in his living room and having him address the most important and difficult questions we face individually and globally."

To learn more about the audio, please go to
www.GodHasADream.com
To hear audio clips at CDBaby.com, please click here
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/desmondtutu/from/maui

Visiting South Africa

Doug also had the great pleasure and privilege of going to Soweto, South Africa to celebrate Leah Tutu’s 70th Birthday party and the completion of the book with Father Tutu. He also had the joy of sharing the trip with his nine-year-old son, Jesse. "What a marvelous country and a marvelous family," explains Doug. "Father, Leah and their children truly live from the belief that we are all members of God’s family. It was a supreme joy to meet them all and share in this joyous event."

Father Tutu, Doug, and Leah Tutu

Doug, Jesse, and South African friend