My New Book “Plays Well With Others” Is Now Available!
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It’s finally here!
My new book Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong is now available.
Grab it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Indiebound or Bookshop. (No, you cannot borrow my copy.)
And, yes, there’s an audiobook. It’s read by Roger Wayne in such dulcet tones that your ears will weep.
After the massive multi-dimensional quantum dumpster fire that was 2020 and the ensuing existential obstacle course of the pandemic, I was driven to write a book that would help us deal with the social deprivation we’ve all experienced. (An Instagram carousel just wasn’t going to cut it.)
With most relationship books, the word “nonfiction” should be in quotes. Many of them just tell you what you want to hear. Then you do what they say, it doesn’t work—and you blame yourself. After a while you start to feel like maybe you’re broken. Like you’re the problem. And that’s not fair.
Post-pandemic I felt we needed real answers from real science. The hard facts. The things most books don’t talk about. (Warning: the book may give a truth seizure. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading it.)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Dan Pink says:
An entire branch of social science can be summed up in one phrase: Other people matter. From our highest highs to our lowest lows, our relationships to other people determine our happiness and well-being. In this humorous and profound book, Eric Barker distills what we know about how to make our most important relationships flourish. “Plays Well With Others” will revitalize your life.
Here’s a glimpse at what’s inside…
What You’ll Learn
This is new content. Not just a rehash of the blog. In the book you’ll learn:
- What creates love, reignites love, and sustains love. There’s no Build-A-Bear store for a happy marriage but I’ll get you as close as you can get.
- The scientific secrets of deep friendships that last.
- The ethical and effective way to get your partner to change.
- The real deal on how to read people at first glance.
- How social media can actually improve relationships.
- A friendly method of lie detection from professional interrogators.
- The antidote to loneliness and why what we usually recommend doesn’t work.
- And I’ll even explain the meaning of life. (Let no one say Patricia Barker raised an unambitious son.)
And much, much more. I promise it won’t just assault you with stats until your spirit withers and dies – that’s what high school is for. It’s filled with actionable insights, narrative legerdemain and enough humor for a Netflix comedy special.
You can get your copy here.
Oh, and I have an update…
Bonuses Extended
History repeats itself. Just like with my last book, I offered preorder bonuses and set a deadline… and many people have already emailed me asking for an extension. (Now I know how my professors felt in college.)
I really don’t want to disappoint people who read my blog. And I sincerely believe this is a book we all need right now (including the bonus chapter). And I’m human too. (Heck, I’ve procrastinated on writing blog posts about procrastination.) So I’m extending the deadline to get the bonuses.
If you get the book and email me the proof of purchase by 5/16 you’ll get the cool extras, including the bonus chapter. That’s 25% more book.
Any version of the book, any retailer qualifies. You can read all about the lovely bonuses here. If you already pre-ordered and sent me your proof of purchase, you’re golden. Please be patient with questions or replies, I’m just one guy (no assistant, no chief of staff, no butler named Alfred) and, frankly, people have been so incredibly generous and pre-ordered so many copies, I am utterly overwhelmed.
But no more extensions after 5/16. Just like cremation is your last chance for a smoking hot body, 5/16 is your last chance for the bonuses. So if you would like the supercool goodies, you can get the book here.
Okay, one more thing I gotta do. And it’s the single most important thing, really. I write a lot about gratitude. Time to show you some…
Thank You
This book makes the blog possible. I don’t have banner ads and the only other time I asked you to buy something was 5 years ago with my first book. So if you’ve ever wanted to help support the blog or to say thanks, this is your chance.
But I really hope this results in something more. Our social lives are still not back to where they were. I’m concerned we have settled on new defaults, that the more solitary lives we lived during the pandemic will linger like bad habits.
We often use the phrase “learning experience” as a euphemism. But it doesn’t have to be. I am hoping this book will help us all live lives filled with more joy and happiness – together. We have much to learn and re-learn.
I sincerely believe this book can make a difference. Please check it out.
Thank you,
Eric
