Here Are The Exclusive Bonuses For The “Barking Up The Wrong Tree” Book

Alright, time to make the “official” announcement…

My book, Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong, will be available May 16th on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks.

(Yes, there’s an audiobook version, read by a guy who speaks far more intelligibly than I do.)

This thing took more than 2 years of my life and 20 cc’s of my soul to complete. It contains the answers I wish I’d had many years ago about what leads to a successful life, all drawn from scientific research and expert insight.

Each chapter takes one of the maxims of success we’ve all heard (“Nice guys finish last” “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”) and gives it the Mythbusters treatment. Is it true? Is it false? Somewhere in between? And how do you use that answer to excel at whatever path you choose in life?

But this isn’t going to be some dry reference book…

Oh, no way. You’ll get examples from the most interesting of places — by looking at people who can’t feel pain and fear, from serial killers, Shaolin monks, pirates, Toronto raccoons, Genghis Khan, and even scientific research on how long you can be Batman.

But I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. Seriously, this is the thing I could not be more biased about. And I’m the guy who cites experts for everything, right? So why should my book be any different…?

What Do People Much Smarter Than Me Have To Say?

Dan Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive, says:

In this compulsively readable work, Eric Barker is your rollicking guide on a journey through the science of success. You’ll discover why some of us are orchids and others dandelions, what pirates and prison inmates can teach us about honesty and generosity, how to network like the world’s greatest mathematician, and much, much more. Barking Up The Wrong Tree is a brilliant kaleidoscope of a book. It shines with so many insights you might need sunglasses to read it!

Wharton Professor Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, says:

Delightfully puckish, evidence-backed and full of insight, this book answers questions about success that have puzzled us for far too long.

Stanford Professor and bestselling author Bob Sutton says:

Barking Up The Wrong Tree is a masterpiece.

(I’m still kinda stunned they said this stuff without me owing any of them my first-born child.)

But here’s the thing: I don’t want you to buy the book on May 16th. Yes, that’s right. I’m telling you not to buy the book when it comes out…

Please Pre-Order It Now

Pre-orders matter a lot. They really help me out. And if you’re gonna help me out, it’s only fair that I help you out. How? By offering you supercool exclusive goodies for pre-ordering.

Chances are, I read a lot more than you do. And, truth is, even I rarely pre-order books. But I’d love for this to be an exception. So let me make it worth your while. And if you wanna pre-order more copies to give as gifts, awesome — I’ll give you more bonuses.

So what are these supercool bonuses? Well, I’m flattered you asked…

Pre-Order 1 Copy:

You only gotta buy one copy. You were gonna do this anyway. But do it now instead of adding it to that junk drawer we all call a “wish list” and you get some pretty cool stuff:

Bonus chapter: Yeah, some cool stuff got cut from the book. But not for you. I had to remove a section about the trick that many experts from various fields all use to be super-confident when it matters — but one which makes sure they never get so cocky that they stop learning and growing.
My list of “Quake books”: A number of frighteningly smart people like Tyler Cowen and Ryan Holiday have talked about their “quake books” — the books they read that profoundly changed the way they saw the world and shaped their thinking. I’ve talked about a lot of books on this blog, but only a handful qualify as my “quake books” and I’d love to share that list with you.
“The Essentials”: There are over 5000 posts on this blog. Which ones do I use every day? Which ones have I battle tested in my own life and found indispensable? If you want to know how I motivate myself to write sometimes-way-too-long-blog posts, what methods I use to get through tough emotional times, the productivity tips that helped me get the book done… well, this is it.

Click here to pre-order 1 copy, then email your receipt to ebarker@ucla.edu with “Preorder #1” in the subject line.

Pre-Order 5 Copies:

So you want to give the book to some friends as a gift? Awesome.

Yes, you get all the previous goodies: the bonus chapter, my list of “quake books”, and all the blog posts I consider “essentials.” But you also get what’s behind Door #3:

Autographed Book Plates: Many people have already requested autographed copies. Shipping books back and forth is a pain for both of us — so I’ll send you autographed bookplates for all 5 copies.
Companion Workbook: The book is filled with insights and strategies you can use to be successful in most any area of life. But we all struggle with getting started. This workbook will make it simple to actually put things into practice and turn a good read into something that really produces meaningful improvements.
A Shout Out To You, Personally, On The Blog: My way of saying thanks for doing 5 times as much. (If you don’t want your name mentioned, say so. Otherwise I will make you famous against your will.)

Click here to pre-order 5 copies, then email your receipt to ebarker@ucla.edu with “Preorder #2” in the subject line. Include your mailing address and whether or not you want the shout out.

Pre-Order 15 Copies:

Want to get all your Christmas shopping done 8 months early? Or have you always dreamed of building a small fort out of my words? (Actually, no one has ever thought of that but me. And now my publisher knows what I did with all those advance copies they sent me. Crap.)

Anyway, pre-order 15 copies and you get all the previous goodies: the bonus chapter, the “quake books” list, the essential blog posts, autographed bookplates, the workbook, and the shout out. Plus…

30 Minute Skype Call: The first 20 people to order 15 copies get a 30 minute Skype call with yours truly to talk about whatever you want. Want to discuss the challenges you’re facing and have me pull research — tailored for you — that will help? Want me to speak to your company for a half hour? Totally up to you. I’ll even read the book to you if you don’t like that guy with the intelligible voice. Heck, I’ll even read you the mediocre poetry that my lovestruck 19-year-old self wrote for this insanely beautiful girl I dated in college. Totally up to you. Again, only the first 20 get this. (If I’m Skyping for the rest of my life, I can’t write more blog posts.)

Click here to pre-order 15 copies, then email your receipt to ebarker@ucla.edu with “Preorder #3” in the subject line.

Or Choose Your Own Bonus

Maybe you want to order 50 or more for your employees, your school, your book club, or you want each one of 150 lawn gnomes to possess their own copy. In that case, let’s get creative, shall we?

Email me and make me an offer. Choose your own bonus. Maybe you’d like me to come speak, or consult, or something even more interesting. (I also make great macaroni pictures and popcorn necklaces.)

So if you want to buy a whole mess of books and want a custom bonus, then email me at ebarker@ucla.edu for two reasons:

So you can make me an interesting offer.
So I can tell you how good-looking you are.

But time to get to the single most important thing…

Thank You

This book makes the blog possible. I don’t have banner ads and I’ve never bothered you before with sales pitches. So if you’ve ever wanted to help support the blog or to say thanks, this is your chance.

Okay, that’s enough shilling. Next week we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog post filled with interesting ideas, useful tips, expert insight, snarky jokes, and countless grammatical war crimes.

Thank you!

Eric

The Fine Print:

Yes, these apply to all versions of the book: hardback, digital, audiobook, or cuneiform on clay tablets.
If you already pre-ordered before this announcement, yes, you still get the goodies. Just email me your receipt, and you’re golden.
All goodies will be delivered (or shipped) by 5/16. Please be patient regarding replies. I’m a one-man operation. I don’t have a team or even an assistant. When you write to me, you hear from me.
For autographed bookplates or anything I have to send via postal mail, the offer is only valid for addresses in the United States.
Do not remove tag under penalty of law. Contact with skin may cause inflammation or rash. No batteries required. All employees must wash hands before returning to work. This post brought to you in part by Eric Barker, the letters X, Y, and Z, and the number 4. Eric Barker brought to you by Robert and Patricia Barker.

PS: Remember — May 16th deadline. After that, no goodies. (I’ve posted plenty about beating procrastination, so you don’t have any excuses, wiseguy.) Pre-order here. Thank you! :)