Some many know of Richard Blakeley as an editor at Gawker but he is also the author of a new book called, This is Why You’re Fat (HarperStudio). The book is disgusting, revolting, and repulsive — in other words, I loved it.
We had the opportunity to interview the humorous author a few days ago about the new book.
For those who haven’t read your book, what is it called, and what is it about?
This is Why You’re Fat is a small paperback book, 6 x 6 inches, 140 pages and contains about 5 million calories worth of over the top
reader submitted food creations from all over the world.
What in the WORLD made you write this book?
There were several food trends on the internet around this time last year about everything from oversized foods, cupcakes, food that looked like other food, meat sculptures and—of course—bacon. However, no one had ever put all the best stuff in one place, and that’s how ThisisWhyYoureFat.com was born. From there it just took off and immediately became a trending topic on Twitter and had over 3 million page views within 3 days of launching. There were many agent and book offers on the table almost immediately.
How long did it take to put it together?
Thankfully, since the book was based off user submissions it only took a few months to put together. Most of the time was spent getting permission from creators and working on the design. HarperStudio was nice enough to let me use my art school background to help create the layout and cover design for the book.
What do you hope to achieve in terms of helping people or entertaining people with this book?
What I really hope people come away with is a renewed sense of creativity in the kitchen. Also, people usually only think of cooking as a solo endeavor, but most all of the submissions were made by groups of friends and hopefully This is Why You’re Fat will inspire more people to cook together.
Have you received any criticism from the health community from this book?
The only criticism usually comes from “the olds” who really don’t understand that it’s a joke or how the internet works. However, there has been a surprisingly large amount of positive response from dietitians who not only think the book is funny, but a great example of what not to eat everyday.
How well is it doing?
If this book changes just one person’s life for the better, then I would say it’s a success.
What have you been doing to promote the book and what has been working, what has not?
Most of the promotion for This is Why You’re Fat hit before the book was even published, and the majority of it was internet-based. Because it was a blog-to-book project, I think it is difficult to gauge what directly impacts sales.
Any plans for a new book? If so, what is it going to be about?
I’m currently working on a children’s book about the importance of sharing.