The virtues of randomness and serendipity
In a world increasingly overwhelmed by the demands of social media, "Leave Your Smartphone at the Door: The Joy of OFFLINE" reaffirms the value of enduring and meaningful personal relationships and how to make the most of them.
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"Leave Your Smartphone at the Door: The Joy of OFFLINE" is the 21st c heir to “How To Make Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie and represents the intersection of networking and mindfulness.
The essence of "Leave Your Smartphone at the Door" is twofold. On the one hand, it is simply the antithesis of online. Not that online is all bad. On the contrary, online is rather good but what is not good at all is this latter day obsession with it, whereby all those skills you learned at your mother’s knee, like reading and writing and talking, are all becoming dying arts. Yet the curious thing about it is that man, and for that matter woman, is a social animal by nature and that physical interaction is a pretty fundamental part of our being. But there is another dimension to "Leave Your Smartphone at the Door" that is arguably even more important than that. Most people follow a fairly straight path through life - commercial exigencies, the demands of parenthood, all the usual suspects play their part - but what typically occurs is that we fall into a sort of comfort zone, an area densely populated by straightforwardness, by convenience, by familiarity and, I dare say, a hint of laziness. As a result, I believe it is very valuable and, indeed, very necessary, as you pursue that straight path through life, that you periodically veer OFFLINE. You can veer back on it, of course, but sometimes that deviation of mind, body and soul can yield some surprising consequences! This book reinvigorates the undervalued art of building meaningful and enduring relationships, all too often overlooked by society’s shift to an online world, and acts as a manifesto to lead a truly connected and fulfilled life.
We all communicated perfectly well face to face for thousands of years before digital media ever showed up and, although personal technology has its merits, it is not so transformational that everything else should be thrown out of the window. Yet a significant swathe of the population struggle with the very notion of direct contact and its consequences. There is an overriding fear about what may go wrong and this suspicion and negativity pervades other aspects of our lives. OFFLINE ethos is far more concerned with what may go right and acknowledges that the endless pursuit of perfection and excellence is overrated and potentially destructive. The book will embrace themes as diverse as The Charms Of Imperfection, Winning Kindly, The Joy Of Randomness, The Courtesies Of Life, Travels Of The Unexpected, The Art Of Sharing, How To Write So You Are Remembered, LOMO and Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone. I will share stories and anecdotes that reveal how our idiosyncrasies and frailties best define our individuality and should be celebrated as an accompaniment rather than an impediment to an enriched and satisfying life. OFFLINE will help readers to maximise their personal currency in both a business and social context, as the ability to develop empathy and rapport will be critical in a world dominated by algorithms and AI. The irony of social media is that it is deeply anti social and OFFLINE will enable those strangled by its grip to successfully reengage with real people in real time and real life.
Over many years, I have written numerous features on the vagaries of the human condition and the OFFLINE formula has been profiled by publications such as Forbes, Thrive Global and Meeting Professionals International. Although "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" is principally focused on nurturing great relationships, I have also composed articles on behaviour, attitudes, codes of conduct and cultural taboos. It has been partly informed by the OFFLINE dinners I have hosted over the past five years which always draw an eclectic audience, all ages, all backgrounds, boys and girls. I share a bunch of stories over the evening that touch upon aspects of the OFFLINE philosophy but it is all about the people. I watch entirely disparate attendees find points of convergence, often in the most surprising ways, and it is a constant reminder that there is far more that connects rather than separates us. Consequently, I have a keen appreciation of the quirks and sensitivities of life, honed by experience and observation. As I also have a background in the art world, I will share my insights on ways of looking, building trust and confidence in your counterparts and being prepared to change your mind. These themes are also relevant to my travels from Mexico City to Marrakech where I will demonstrate that, wherever you may live, we are all the same but different!
This book is accessible to everyone but especially addresses those in business and professional communities who struggle to achieve success through an inability to communicate face to face, cannot connect with those outside their immediate circle, can’t maintain a conversation or overwhelmed by the digital universe and wish to revisit and relearn the simpler pleasures of life. OFFLINE will hold the hand of even the most seasoned executives who wish to capture attention for all the right reasons!
I have received a wide range of testimonials from attendees at OFFLINE dinners and other events I have hosted and will review these in due course.
I am extremely openminded, read and travel widely and can draw upon a very diverse network globally. This book is the first collation of ideas expressed over many years and I believe it will cut through much of the nonsense imposed in public life by the excessive application of protocol, etiquette and political correctness. One of the reasons behind the success of the OFFLINE dinners is that I allow participants to be vulnerable and release their inhibitions. Nobody stands on ceremony there and nor should they routinely do so in everyday life. I don’t much care where attendees come from or what they may do but I care very much that they are givers, open to fresh ideas and perspectives, curious about the world around them and, most importantly, interested in the lives of others. Live life, live OFFLINE!
500 copies • Partial manuscript • Looking for fiction, memoir, and narrative non-fiction, as well as novelty and picture books from Aus/NZ authors only.
Odyssey Books is committed to publishing engaging and beautifully written books. Books that stretch the imagination, challenge pre-existing attitudes and beliefs, or take readers to far-flung climes. Books are always a journey. And as our name suggests, we invest in epic journeys, adventurous voyages and intellectual or spiritual quests. Readers are sure to find a book within our range of titles to challenge, inspire, and entertain. Odyssey titles are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Novella Distribution, and worldwide via Ingram.
250 copies • Completed manuscript.
Atlantic Publishing has been providing millions of readers information to jumpstart their careers, start businesses, manage employees, invest, plan for retirement, learn technologies, build relationships, and live rewarding, fulfilling lives. Our award-winning authors and publication staff strive to make our products the best and most up-to-date available. We go further than most publishers to get our customers the best products.
250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Ballast Books is a full-service hybrid publisher that handles all aspects of book creation, design, publishing, marketing, distribution, and platform building. We help our authors sell more books, secure more keynotes, do more consulting, earn more customers, and book more media appearances.
We want to work with the best of the best: Former Special Operations Forces, CEOs, big thinkers, industry-leading experts. Top-performing people with experiences worth sharing and skills that translate into a larger message and goal.
We've seen particular success with military memoirs, but we've also recently hired a children's book specialist, so we run the spectrum of genres. We're a small but growing team and take pride in dedicating more time and energy to all our authors than traditional publishers.
500 copies • Complete manuscript.
Blooming Twig is an award-winning boutique publishing house, media company, and thought leadership marketing agency. Based in New York City and Tulsa, we have represented and re-branded hundreds of thought leaders, published more than 400 titles in all genres, and built up a like-minded following for authors, speakers, trainers, and organizations with our bleeding-edge marketing strategies. Blooming Twig is about giving the people with something to say (“thought leaders”) a platform, walking its clients up to their own influencer pulpit, and making sure there is a like-minded crowd assembled to hear the meaningful message.
250 copies • Completed manuscript.
Boyle & Dalton was founded in 2014 and publishes works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The world of publishing is changing, we're changing with it. Our founder Brad Pauquette, conceptualized a hybrid model that balances the financial and rights model of self-publishing with the quality controls and production excellence of a traditional publisher. Our designers and editors produce exceptional books that are distributed in both print and digital formats to all major retailers, including Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Boyle & Dalton carefully consider all submissions for publication, based on manuscript quality. We do not accept erotica or children's books.
Looking for titles that teach, promote, and encourage understanding, tolerance, peace, environmental preservation, health, and wellness.
Brandylane is a small, independent press, founded in 1985, that publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, and children’s books. We publish under a traditional arrangement and also offer a cooperative track for emerging authors. We believe that books make a difference, that lives and the world are changed by the power of words and images, and that large publishing houses neglect a wealth of good writing. We are not looking for mainstream read-it-before self-help.
Under our cooperative arrangement, we invest a portion of the publishing costs and offer a stepped royalty structure from 30% to 60%--higher than the industry average. One distinguishing feature of our program is that our marketing effort includes a one-year launch, followed by two additional years of promotion through our social media, website, our seasonal genre, and subject matter email campaigns, and continuous support from our PR team.
250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Cranthorpe Millner operates a hybrid publishing model. This means, should an author pass our editors’ strict filtering system, we can offer different kinds of agreements depending on the author and the manuscript. With some authors, we work under a ‘traditional’ model, whereby we cover the full cost of publication and the author is offered industry-standard royalties (8-10%). To some authors, we offer what we call a partnership or contributory agreement, whereby the author is asked for a financial contribution so that we may share the risk and enter into a partnership together to publish the author’s book. In this case, the author receives around 60-75% royalties.
Elite Online Publishing is based in Utah & Texas, and will help put your self-published book out into the world to grow, become a #1 bestseller, and give you a foundation of credibility, powerful marketing appeal, and new contacts. We have been in business for over 6 years and have helped over 150 authors become bestsellers.
500 copies • Completed manuscript.
Emerald Lake Books is a hybrid publishing company that provides a unique blend of business coaching with publishing to help its authors succeed, whether it’s their first book or their fiftieth! Emerald Lake Books specializes in working with positive people who have an engaging, exciting, or entertaining message to share with the world. Using a unique, goal-oriented approach to publishing, we combine our business and publishing knowledge to help our authors set and attain goals for their readers, their brands, and their books. And many of those books have gone on to win international awards and recognition.
500 copies • Completed manuscript.
HigherLife allows authors to retain all your publishing rights and you pay no publishing fee. Your only cost is to purchase at least 2,500 copies of your book from the initial press run, and this cost typically amounts to a 60%-80% discount off retail. You benefit from a full publishing team of experts: editors, designers, publishing and marketing strategists, copyeditors, copywriters, who know how to take your message and craft it as well as any New York Times best-selling publishing house would do.
250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Hybrid Global Publishing is a full service Hybrid Publishing Company dedicated to helping authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs get their message out by writing and publishing a book. We offer developmental editing, publishing, distribution, and marketing services for independent authors who are interested in speaking on stage, becoming more visible in the media, and establishing more credibility. The team has a combined 80 years of experience in publishing and has held editorial, management and marketing positions at major publishing houses, including The Free Press, Crown, Random House, and Avon.
100 copies • Partial manuscript.
Inside Edge Publishing works with our writers every step of the way on their literary journey, helping to bring out the most from their work. From an idea and rough draft to editing and publication, Inside Edge Publishing helps our authors produce high quality, interesting and entertaining books. We are looking for innovative writing in just about any genre but love memoirs, thrillers, sci-fi, business, and motivational books just to name a few. Our books frequently appear on the bestseller lists and our authors are among some of the best known in their genre. At Inside Edge Publishing, we believe that every author has a story to tell and that every story deserves to be told.
250 copies • Completed manuscript.
Koehler Books is an Indie publisher based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Our team of dedicated professionals promises you a holistic publishing experience where you'll receive our full attention, collaboration, and coaching every step of the way. We offer two publishing models: a traditional non-fee model for the highest quality work, as well as a co-publishing model that includes creative development fees for emerging authors. Our titles are broad-based and include nearly every major non-fiction and fiction genre.
500 copies • Partial manuscript • Looking for business and entrepreneurship, personal development, and success psychology books.
Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press was founded by international best-selling author Jesse Krieger and focuses on personal development, healthy lifestyles, and entrepreneurship-focused titles. Our process starts with your nearly-finished manuscript, which we turn into a beautiful publish-ready book and launch up the best-seller charts. But it doesn't stop there, our most valuable work is in helping you use your book as a business development tool so you can build a thriving book-based business and brand.
500 copies • Partial manuscript • Looking for entrepreneurship, business, self-help, and personal growth.
Morgan James Publishing has revolutionized book publishing—from the author’s standpoint, earning 29 NY Times and over 100 USA Today and Wall Street Journal best sellers. We teach authors strategies to leverage their books and grow their businesses—adding value while staying out of the way. Evidenced by more Major Media best sellers than most publishers our size. Regularly ranked by Publishers Weekly as the most recognized and one of the fastest-growing publishers in the nation, Morgan James is reported to be “the future of publishing.”
Radius Book Group is a 360°, multiplatform publisher offering unparalleled support to entrepreneurial authors. With our deep industry relationships, expert content development, and broad market reach, we’re redefining what successful publishing looks like.
In addition to print and digital books, Radius Book Group has in-house audio production capabilities that can help you create, produce, and distribute premium audiobooks or podcasts. Radius can integrate the distribution and marketing of your audio projects with the book publication.
250 copies • Completed manuscript.
SOOP is a small virtual publishing company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, with a core team based in the US and additional contractors around the world. SOOP currently focuses on curating a small number of volumes for publication each year to enable its team to dedicate a great deal of time to working with its authors directly - not just on the manuscript, but also on platform-building and promotion.
Dear Author,
You worked hard to write your manuscript; finally, it's ready to release. You know that expert assistance is needed, but perhaps you didn’t realize that working with a publisher is no longer necessary—especially publishers who charge fees to produce your book upfront and "share" more of your revenue whenever a book is sold.
1106 Design is an author services company. We offer all the editorial and design services you’d expect from a publisher, transforming your manuscript into a market-ready book. But here's the difference: we help you secure print-on-demand printing and worldwide distribution in your name. This means you earn several dollars more for every book sold instead of a meager “royalty.”
We understand that your book is not just a passion project but also a potential source of income. That's why we offer a range of services tailored to your needs at affordable prices. Depending on your manuscript's word count and complexity, our packages range from $4,000 to $10,000. And here's the best part: after this one-time investment, every penny of net revenue from book sales goes directly to you, never to us.
If this sounds like a better way to publish your book, I invite you to browse our services, design samples, no-surprises pricing, outstanding customer reviews, and educational articles at https://1106design.com. You can download a free PDF of my book, "Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing and an Insider's Look at a Misunderstood Industry," and request a free, no-obligation consultation.
1106 Design has been in business since 2001 and is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. We are a “Highly Recommended Expert” at IngramSpark.com and rated "Excellent" at Alli, The Alliance for Independent Authors, at SelfPublishingAdvice.org, where you can find a "watchdog list" of the best and worst publishing services companies.
How can we serve you today?
Sincerely,
Michele DeFilippo, owner
250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Atmosphere Press is an independent publisher dedicated to author rights. We publish in all genres and have an exceptional editorial, design, and promotional staff. We stand for Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, and Kindness. We want our authors and their readers to be blown away when they first hold that book in their hands. It needs to look good inside and out, and feel good to the touch. And, of course, the words need to be top-notch, and our editors are devoted to making that the case.
250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Authors Unite helps you become a profitable author and make an impact. We take care of printing and distribution through major online retailers, developmental editing, and proofreading with unlimited revisions. We take care of the entire process for you from book cover design all the way to set up your backend so all your book royalties go straight to your bank account. We can also help with ghostwriting if you prefer not to have to figure out all the steps on how to write a book yourself.
With our book marketing services, you don’t need to worry about figuring out all the steps on how to market a book or how to become a bestselling author. We’ve helped hundreds of authors become bestselling authors on Amazon, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. We take care of the entire book launch process for you to help you sell thousands of copies of your book and become a bestselling author.
View case studies here: https://authorsunite.com
Looking for all types of books, including fiction, children's books, health, memoir, business books, and cookbooks
Bright Communications LLC is a woman- and veteran-owned custom publisher in Hellertown, PA. Founding CEO Jennifer Bright is a Book Doula, whose passion is helping authors bring their books to life. Our team of expert editorial, design, and marketing pros help authors go from idea to completed books and retain 100% of the rights to their work. We also offer four custom publishing packages and a $1900 self-publishing assist program.
100 copies • Completed manuscript.
Happy Self Publishing has helped 500+ authors to get their books self-published, hit the #1 position in the Amazon bestseller charts, and also establish their author website & brand to grow their business. And the best thing is, we do all this without taking away your rights and royalties. Let's schedule a call to discuss the next steps in your book project: www.meetme.so/jyotsnaramachandran
Looking for health, parenting, inspiration, and children's books.
Momosa Publishing LLC is a woman- and veteran-owned custom publisher in Hellertown, PA. Founder and CEO Jennifer Bright is a Book Doula, whose passion is helping authors bring their books to life. We are an efficient, effective, excellent team of editorial, design, and marketing pros.
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Thanks to your generous preorder and collective support, the book attracted the interest of 14 publishers. I have sifted through them and there are 6 with whom I am …
The train is leaving the station imminently. Is that you I see flailing along the platform, tickets in hand?! I do hope so! The OFFLINE book will take …
I am delighted to announce that for the next 30 days only, you can pre order your copy of my forthcoming book, “Live Life, Live OFFLINE!” on …
$20
226 readers
1 signed copy of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. (Value $50)
Includes:
$50
25 readers
3 signed copies of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. They will come in very handy when you are scrabbling around for an original birthday present. As a bonus, bring your friends to meet me for an hour over a coffee and a sticky bun so I can share the background to the OFFLINE story in person. (Value $200)
Includes:
$120
8 readers
6 signed copies of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. If you buy 6 copies, I will invite you to the fabled OFFLINE dinner as my guest and seat you next to me.(Value $400)
Includes:
$200
6 readers
10 signed copies of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. If you buy 10 copies, I will invite you and a friend to the fabled OFFLINE dinner as my guests. (Value $600)
Includes:
$750
0 readers
25 signed copies of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. Not only will I invite two friends with you as my guests at the OFFLINE dinner but I will throw in a half day consultation so you can learn how applying the OFFLINE philosophy can enhance your business. (Value $1,500)
Includes:
$2500
0 readers
50 signed copies of "Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. Take this option and you will be gracing the OFFLINE dinner with four friends as my guests. Additionally, I will provide a half day consultation and speak for free at a charity event of your choice to share the OFFLINE philosophy. (Value $4,500)
Includes:
$5000
0 readers
100 signed copies of"Leave Your Smartphone At The Door" plus an invitation to the book launch. One of the key elements of the OFFLINE philosophy is to demonstrate a generosity of spirit so, if you take this package, you can bring six friends as my guests to the OFFLINE dinner, obtain a free half day consultation, invite me to speak at a charity event of your choice and, last but not least, spend a day with me wandering around art museums, combined with lunch at my club. (Value $7,500)
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