I Made It: AJ Jacobs" creative method to create bestseller books
Learn about AJ Jacobs' creative process to write the four New York Times bestsellers, such as how he comes up with ideas, researches, and writes his real-life quests.
There's plenty of actors who have a habit of staying at the same level on and off-camera during filming.
Although it may seem a little too devoted to not clocking out, the hard work pays off in terms of pay real, authentic, and the awards that are presented at shows for red carpets.
The writings of AJ Jacobs , popular speaker, author as well as editor at Esquire Magazine, is not anything else.
AJ is also a man who takes his job -- and role -extremely seriously.
For each of his six novels, AJ assumed the role as the subject matter engaged in a quest of his own as he wrote his books.
Being a character has been rewarded for AJ, too. The actor has been named a New York Times Best Seller a whopping 4 times in the past.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with AJ who shared with us his process of creation in writing his famous books.
Without further ado Let's get started.
How AJ thinks up book concepts
The first way AJ begins the process of brainstorming is drawing inspiration and ideas directly from his personal life.
It was how he came up with the subject for his debut book The Know-It-All Book: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person on the Planet .
The concept came from his dad who always enjoyed reading and researching. AJ's dad tried to read his through the family's extensive encyclopedia collection and reached the middle of the alphabet B. AJ decided to "finish his work and take the steam that was accumulated in our family's heritage."
And it was there was born his initial book concept was born an idea AJ is able to attribute to his father.
"I think that was an example of connecting with your family and what's around you as inspiration," he shares. "I wouldn't have ever thought of that idea by myself . . . It was really something my dad would do."
Another approach AJ comes up with new ideas (pun meant) is to think of numerous ideas as much as he can and then using the process of elimination.
For instance, when He came up with the idea of his book's sequel, the author sat down and brainstormed ideas that were ultimately dismissed.
"I had a lot of ideas for books, and I don't even recall them all, yet none of them came through," he divulges. "Either I turned them down and my editor did or my wife decided to put a stop on it, because it'd be too much of a nightmare."
He was still deciding on the concept of his next book "The Year to Live Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest in a bid to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible that was to live a life that literally followed the bible throughout the year It was not easy for him to commit to this.
Because of the controversial nature of the issue, AJ had a difficult time deciding whether or not to proceed with the project.
"It's very unpopular," he explains. "That was stressful and I wasn't sure if to do it and if I should."
AJ considered to himself "Do I really want to commit this crime? It could be frowned upon by both sides. Nobody will be thrilled in the event that you combine the two."
It wasn't an easy decision, at the end it was AJ's choice to be one that resonated with his viewers.
But, he kind of was aware of that, since AJ is doing something every artist should do frequently, does.
He confirms the book's concept prior to committing fully. For AJ He does this through speaking with the most people he can on his newest novel idea.
"One thing I do is to inform the most people I can about this idea," he explains. "I take a look at their eyes to see how they react . . . I can tell if they're asking additional questions, but sometimes they do not."
If their eyes do not "light up," AJ takes it as an opportunity not to not explore the idea of a book.
In order to preserve his unique creativity, AJ changes the subject matter from book to book which allows him to repeat a similar creative process across books.
"If you're able to tackle projects that you can think of as completely distinct from the subject, that allows you a little more freedom to have the same process." AJ coaches.
In light of his repeatable method, let's dive into AJ's next step: doing study.
How AJ does his research for the book
AJ conducts his book research through a complete immersion into the topic. He turns each book-writing period into a fresh personal journey and adapts his lifestyle to focus entirely on researching and writing about his experiences in the book.
In the case of "The Year to Live Biblically AJ did not break his commitment to complete an entire year of living by the Bible as closely as he could.
In order to record the experiences he has had throughout his journey, AJ keeps two journals, one for his personal journal and the other for the research of his project- a process that is still in use today.
"I continue to keep a record of the events within my own life as well as how it's affecting the project," he shares.
Though it can be a little overwhelming taking on all of his duties during the course of his research, AJ does it for an excellent reason. He calls it "steelmanning," a way to give a viewpoint that you do not agree with better than the other side could.
"I love the idea of steelmanning because I think that it will make this world a more beautiful place," He thinks. "That's the best way to advance."
Then "move ahead" He does this by creating multiple bestselling works. Let's dive into AJ's full creative method.
The process of creating AJ's work
AJ enjoys the first two aspects of his process most. These are the two parts we've already covered -- brainstorming and research.
"Coming up with the ideas, that's one of my favorite things," he pronounces. "Brainstorming . . . 100 books in which 99 of them are bound be a disaster, however one will hopefully be interesting."
"I am fascinated by the subjects," AJ continues as he reminisces on researching the most recent project, Thank A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey . "Interviewing the creator of a coffee lid and going for a visit to Colombia, South America to meet the farmers. It was amazing."
The final stage of the creative process -- actual writing process -is not his favorite due to its isolation and with an inexplicably slow reaction of the audience. "A big part of it is merely . . . Being alone, and not receiving feedback right away," AJ reflects.
"When I am talking in public, I just love . . . being able to see in people's eyes or the laughter in their faces that they're engaged," He says. "And with a book you've written that won't release for more than a year, it's very frustrating."
On top of that frustration In some cases, the process of writing a book is slowed down due to the subject matter, as it did with his book, It's All Relative: A Journey Up and Down the Family Tree of the World .
"Partly it took so long to write because it was about a idea of creating a global family tree, which will connect all people on Earth into one large family tree." AJ explains. "So, you, me, Barack Obama, Nicolas Cage, everyone."
In terms of creating his story, AJ starts writing with a general expectation of the direction he's heading However generally his style of writing is improvised.
"When I'm writing, have a plan that kind of tells me what I'm planning to write in," he shares. "But much of it is just improv. As I'm writing, I go on these little paths, and I try to figure out the direction I'll end up."
Prior to presenting his final product, there's one major process left to cover the editing.
Though it's an overwhelming task to undertake, AJ's editing process is straightforward. While editing, he asks his friends for feedback and takes the average of their answers as an indication about where to edit.
"I'll forward it to 10 friends, and I'll ask them, "What areas do you find the most interesting, and which parts do you find most boring?'" AJ divulges. "I'll use the median of that, cut off the dull parts and ensure that I keep the parts that you find interesting."
It seems simple enough, exactly like his view on hard work and luck.
How AJ considers his work ethic and the luck of the draw
In the case of success, AJ says that "hard work and persistence are absolutely necessary."
"You are not going to achieve success without these," he warns. "But they are not sufficient."
AJ thinks you'll also need a stroke of luck in addition to your hard work, which is something he (luckily) had in his latest book published.
"You are also dependent on luck and I believe in that . . . The same week in which my first bestseller came out it was possible that there were fifty other books out that were equally good and maybe even better than mine." He admits.
"But I was able to get breaks" AJ gives credit. "I got the person in charge of the publicity for the publishing house. I knew the person who runs "Good Morning America and I joined that. I think you need both."
And that's not all the tips AJ gives us this day. He imparts a few more words of wisdom to share.
AJ's advice for fellow creators
AJ gives us gems of wisdom that have a theme nestled in these two words: Be creative.
Why? A few reasons. One reason is that it helps you from a rut in your mind.
"The more adventurous you get and the more you experiment, the better" AJ advises. "I believe we all tend to do similar things, so that is why we create the . . . neural tracks, neuronal pathways that make us think in the same way."
This will provide you with greater variety in your life and, ultimately, will bring more happiness.
"The more that you are able to experiment -even if it's just a tiny thing that you do, such as testing a new toothpaste, or working in differently -- the better in terms of creativity and happiness," AJ urges.
If AJ had not heeded himself as a guideline, he might not have written such amazing imaginative works and research -- in written form.
In my opinion, we can all agree, would've been a shame.