One of the joys of the holiday season is to say thank you to each member of our community and to wish you and your loved ones all the best in the coming year. We are so grateful for all the books we’ve had the privilege of working on this year and are excited about the impact they’ve been able to have.
At a time when we are struggling with divisiveness, we are inspired by the power of books to bring people together.
Some of our highlights from this past year:
- We were joined by new team members Katherine Vaz (Developmental Editor); Cody Love (Director of Community Engagement); Sylvie Rabineau (Film Agent/WME); Ty Love (Project Manager & Assistant Editor); Boo Prince (Director of Global Prospecting and Research); and Todd Lieman (Director of Branded Content and Strategic Partnerships).
- We’ve managed to figure out how our printer works.
- The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton was selected for Oprah’s Book Club—and was IA’s 10th New York Times Bestseller
- Stephen Hawking’s Brief Answers to the Big Questions became IA’s 11th New York Times Bestseller and sold half a million copies worldwide in less than two months.
- The Book of Joy sold over a million copies around the world.
- Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy celebrated its 132nd week on The New York Times list, and was also published in a Young Adult edition.
- We managed to keep (almost) all of our office plants alive.
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson has just finished filming, with an all-star cast including Michael B. Jordan (as Bryan), Brie Larson, and Jamie Foxx, and is set to be released in early 2020.
- Edie Eger’s The Choice became an international bestseller
- The Formula by Laszlo Barabasi also became an international bestseller
- We also got to help publish other amazing books this year that are transforming lives::
- The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
- The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D.
- Anticancer Living: Transform Your Life and Health with the Mix of Six by Lorenzo Cohen PhD & Alison Jefferies, MEd
- Run for Your Life: How to Run, Walk, and Move Without Pain or Injury and Achieve a Sense of Well-Being and Joy by Mark Cucuzzella
- Lara found out her spirit animal is a snowy owl.
- Doug found out his spirit animal is Lara.
Helping Hands
We understand the transcendent power of knowledge, and are especially proud to be sponsoring a School4Freedom in northern India that will help 165 villagers come to freedom from slavery. These children go to school for the first time ever, learning to read and write and become knowledgeable about their rights. The parents also learn how to access government programs their for support, gaining identification cards, food, and medical benefits.
In short, they learn how to grab freedom and how to stay free.
The School4Freedom had been operating for just seven months and already:
- 81 villagers have come to freedom
- 8 children who had been trafficked to other states have been found and reunited with their parents.
- 18 families qualified for new houses under a government program.
You can learn more about the village here.
We feel so honored and privileged to help support this journey to freedom and education.
And as we say farewell to 2018, we look to next year with excitement at the books that are coming in 2019:
- The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Some Children Struggle and How All Can Thrive: In Tom Boyce, M.D.’s extraordinary new book, he explores the “dandelion” child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the “orchid” child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who are more vulnerable, but given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. Coming January
- 31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great, and Transform Your World: Ocean Robbins (as in Baskin & Robbins) reveals the secrets the food industry doesn’t want you to know, how specific ingredients and methods could be making you sick—and what to do about it. And he shows you how—in just 31 days—you can use the power of delicious food to heal your gut, lose excess weight, and lower your risk for disease, all while contributing to a healthier planet. Coming February
- Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman Ph.D., Julie Schwartz Gottman Ph.D., Doug Abrams, & Rachel Carlton Abrams M.D: Whether you’re newly together and eager to make it work or a longtime couple looking to strengthen and deepen your bond, Eight Dates offers a program of eight conversations with your partner that the Gottmans world-famous research has shown can result in a lifetime of love. Coming Valentine’s Day.
- Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer Eberhardt. From the world’s leading expert on unconscious racial bias, a personal examination of one of the central controversies and culturally powerful issues of our time, and its influence on contemporary race relations, criminal justice, our organizations, and our own lives. Coming March.
- To Stop a Warlord: My Story of Justice, Grace, and the Fight for Peace by Shannon Sedgwick Davis: One woman’s inspiring true story of an unlikely alliance to stop the atrocities of a warlord, proving that there is no limit to what we can do, even in the face of unspeakable injustice and impossible odds. Coming April.
- How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results by Esther Wojcicki: The Godmother of Silicon Valley, legendary teacher, and mother of a Super Family shares her tried-and-tested methods for raising happy, healthy, successful children using Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness: TRICK. Coming May.
- Designing Your WORK Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans: A job-changing, life-changing, company-changing, and culture-changing follow up from the authors of the #1 NY Times bestseller Designing Your Life. Designing Your Work Life shows readers that you don’t have to be a passive cog in the work machine. You can use design thinking to design your dream job, drive value for your organization, and create work that is meaningful right where you are. Coming September
- Cured: The Life-Changing Science of Spontaneous Healing by Jeff Rediger: A Harvard doctor offers the first medical investigation of spontaneous remission, providing a new paradigm of healing that can benefit all who are suffering from chronic or incurable illnesses. Coming December
For 2019, we also have some New Year’s Resolutions:
- Doug hopes to have one hour of unscheduled time to relax (he’s looking to the end of Summer though because Spring is filling up quickly…).
- Ty is going to try to dress down for office morale and bust a move at more Thursday Office Dance Parties.
- Mariah vows to stop killing plants around the office.
- Julia’s resolution is to be at next year’s team meeting to decide resolutions.
- Lara resolves to stop working from the office couch (and finally look up the word “ergonomic”).
- Cody resolves to stop liking his own posts.
- Boo will try to spin the world around like Superman in order to get in the same time zone. We’re confident she’ll be successful.
We also look forward to the new year as we develop our Visioneers community. The Visioneer community is designed to help spread ideas and stories that shape the future of the planet. Together, we will teach, learn, grow, heal and share a narrative that inspires global conversation. And global action. If you’re interested in hearing more about the Visioneers, and whether or not you’ve got what it takes to be one (the desire to have the world be a better place is a must), you can click here to learn more.
