I have good news. We are going to be doing a new edition of our book with Scribner’s.
Last winter, Shou-Ching and I began exploring publishing options. We want to make a very professional cookbook; that project is very dear to Shou-Ching’s heart, and I am very excited about it too. It will be a “gourmet Paleo” home cookbook: delicious food that is extremely healthy, but can be made at home in 30 minutes or less. Recipes will draw upon cuisines from around the world.
Given the design and formatting issues associated with cookbooks, and the cost of printing in color, we began exploring the possibility of working with a major New York publisher.
At the same time, Scribner, one of the most prestigious New York imprints (home to Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, Edith Wharton, and many other great writers), decided to start a diet and health line. They wanted to have a Paleo book, and contacted us to see if we would produce for them a revised edition of Perfect Health Diet.
Well, long story short, we’ve reached an agreement; I’m reviewing the contracts today and we expect to sign them this weekend.
The new edition will be released in December this year, with prominent placement in bookstores in January. Scribner’s wants the new edition to have more of a weight loss focus: the tentative subtitle is Regain Health and Lose Weight By Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat. The cookbook will likely be released a year later, around the end of 2013.
There is good news for foreign readers. Scribner’s has bought worldwide translation rights and foreign language editions will probably begin appearing in 2013. A Hungarian language version of the current edition is expected from Jaffa Publishers later this year.
We are extremely excited about the opportunity to work with Scribner’s. We see this as a tremendous opportunity to help bring Paleo, and the many health improvements that come with a Paleo diet, into the mainstream.
Given the timelines Scribner’s works under, the new manuscript has to be completed in June. This is an extremely tight deadline. We had plans for significant changes to the book in our second edition, and also plans for a separate book on obesity and weight loss. Weaving that material into the new Scribner’s edition, while also making the book more accessible to a popular audience but not lengthening it, is a big task.
In order to produce the best possible book by the June deadline, I need to focus my energies solely on writing. Until the manuscript is complete, therefore, I will probably do little or no blogging.
I do have one request. We would like to sprinkle “reader success stories” through the manuscript. If you’ve had success eating our diet, and haven’t left your story on the Reader Results page, please consider doing so. If we do use your story, I will contact you for permission and perhaps for edits or further information.
Thank you so much for your support. Publishing the original edition of Perfect Health Diet has been great fun, and we hope for even more excitement when the new edition comes out.
PaleoFX DVDs
PaleoFX has compiled a DVD set of the entire conference. The video is of extremely high quality, as you can tell by the highlight video below. The complete DVD set costs $197 before June 1, $247 after.
Keith and Michelle Norris did a tremendous amount of work organizing a great conference. To date, they have lost money, but hope to break even with good DVD sales. If you’d like to support Paleo gatherings, and see what you missed, this is a great opportunity to get professional-quality videos of your favorite Paleo speakers.
via this link:
love the new blog format!! (and the video, of course!)
Thrilling news! It couldn’t happen to two nicer people.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple! Congrats and we can say we knew you when.
Yes, congratulations Paul and Shou-Ching. I hope the new format does not dumb things down too much!
Hi Jeremy,
In order to dumb it down too much I would need more time!
Congratulations. Looking foreword to the book which I believe will have great chance of finding a publisher for a Hebrew version.
Congratulations and what wonderful news! I’m a Germa reader and with each turning of a page I was hoping that a German version would come out soon, so I could recommend it to my friends or get it as a present for them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Congratulations to the smartest, kinder and helpful (and one of the least weird!) couple of the paleo/ancestral world! You certanly deserve the best!
Congratulations. Also, I like the design update.
Congratulations! Really looking forward to the cookbook.
Awesome.
Paul, can’t wait to see my favorite paleo/health book reach even a wider audience. Great news and well earned. I know you’ll knock it out of the park!
The above applies of course to Shou-Ching as well. I know she played and continues to play a critical role in contributing to the great book, blog and future projects to come.
Mazel tov! This is awesome news. The PFD is a great book and a cookbook is a perfect compliment. I am an athlete who modified my diet based on the PFD and it has worked brilliantly for me. I wish both of you success and kudos to Scribner’s for understanding the very high quality of your work.
Hi Dave,
Thank you! Leave us a results story, it would be great to include an athlete!
Congratulations! Very well deserved.
I have to say I’m disappointed to hear that Scribner wants more of a focus on weight loss. I know obesity is a huge issue, but one of the reasons I liked your book so much is that it seemed more relevant to a skinny, sickly person with no weight to loose.
There’s no shortage of people out there with autoimmune and other health issues, I think many just have no idea that diet could be involved (whereas with weight loss it’s a little more obvious…)
Hi Charlie,
They believe that’s what sells. I don’t think it changes the book dramatically, since we believe the causes of obesity are not dissimilar to the causes of other diseases.
I totally understand. I just look forward to the day when publishers realize that there is a market for diet books beyond the obese.
I’ll continue recommending your book to everyone who I talk to about my diet!
I am also naturally very slim and was a little disappointed to see that the focus will be weight loss. At the end of the day thats not what eating like this is about. Weight loss and the overcoming of disease is a side effect of eating like this. I was also hoping you next book might contain a section with modifications and scientific based advice for athletes and those wishing to gain muscle. Is this something you might ba able to blog about in the future. Plenty of us would appreciate it 🙂
Ditto
Im a sickly thin person 🙂
I’m glad you’re writing and research will continue to progress with a new book. I understand the weight loss focus will give the book a broader appeal, but I must agree with Charlie and Holly. I enjoyed Perfect Health Diet for its focus on health, instead of weight. I’ve been trying to teach my six year old niece that skinny does not mean healthy, which seems to be a common misconception about health.
Congratulations on your much deserved success. The Perfect Health diet has greatly improved my health and I am working(long distance) on improving my dad’s health using your recommendations – along with his copy of your book. I have been looking forward to your cookbook and am glad to know your no-nonsense approach to the Paleo diet will reach a world-wide audience.
Hope you’re planning a book tour so I can get my copy signed. 🙂
Where are you located, Jackie? We’ll find a way!
I’m in Virginia Beach, Virginia
C’mon down – looking forward to meeting both of you!
We passed through Virginia Beach a year ago: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/06/happy-father%E2%80%99s-day-and-pictures-from-our-vacation/. Could have met you at the beach.
Congratulations Paul and Shou Ching,
Bittersweet for us readers. You have so humbly and generously shared your knowledge. Your absence will be noticed! I personally am thankful to have come across this information and am looking forward to buying the new books!
I’d be so honored to have a book signed by you both! I’m in Ontario, Canada. Please 😉
Hi Heidi,
We’ll look for chances to get up your way!
Congrats, Paul and Shou-Ching! You’ve made the big time 🙂 I knew when I first saw this blog and your book that they would blow up eventually and reach the wide public. I’m sorry to hear the publisher is insisting on such a strict deadline and that will cut short your blogging, but I know a lot of people will benefit by hearing about your work. Thanks for all the help you have given me and other readers.
i like the idea of cookbook!
as i find your recipes more appetizing & liveable (for me) by allowing dairy & starch.
cheers,
Congrats Paul and Sou-Ching! That is great news!
Excellent news. I’m really looking forward to the new addition of the book. I know some of your recommendations re supplements etc. have changed a bit–it will be nice to have all the updates in one place. Good luck!
I too have been looking forward to your revisions on your supplement recommendations – I hope they’re in the new book!
Wonderful news, congratulations! I like the new format & I’m looking forward to the release of the new edition & the cookbook. My Christmas gift giving is all taken care of for the next couple of years!
I second the request for a German translation as soon as possible.
There are some rather questionable titles occupying the Paleo field at the moment; your book could easily become the most recommended one.
best news this weekend! i can’t wait for the new edition of the book! congratulations, paul and shou-ching 😉
Congrats. I’ve just reread your book – it’s really great, level-headed, intelligent information on nutrition. Best book on nutrition I’ve ever read. Looking forward to the second edition and cookbook.
frequent flashing of bright light made vid unwatchable. I will not stare into a strobe.
congrats on book deal.
Congratulations! This is fantastic news for you two and for the many soon-to-be PHDers.
Yes, congrats! I’m looking forward to the new edition!
Congratulations Paul and Sou-Ching! Great news – this will ensure even more people benefit from your message – looking forward to ordering the new book.
Congratulations! I look forward to enjoying the new version. I just lent my copy of PHD to my mother yesterday for Mother’s Day!
Aww, this news makes my heart feel all warm. I’m so happy for your personal success, Paul and Shou-Ching, and ecstatic your message will gain a mainstream audience. I won’t stop my person-by-person marketing efforts, though. 😀
Add the Gulf Coast or Nashville (we’re moving soon!) to your list of places to book sign. I’ll bestow upon myself the honor of buying y’all congratulatory glasses of wine.
Best to you both.
I’m really glad to hear that your amazing work (which is the best of its kind, and which I have recommended to tons of people) will be taken on by a major publisher and potentially reach a much wider audience. This stuff needs to get out there!
I’m not really bothered by the weight loss focus… if that’s what it takes to get more people familiar with PHD, it’s worth it. Come for the weight loss, stay for the health and deliciousness!
Congrats guys and I hope this becomes the blockbuster it deserves to be…
Wow! Congratulations, well deserved.
Wow, great news! 🙂
Super good news! Wishing Sou-Ching and yourself lots of strength the coming period with writing editing etc. But we will miss your blogs!
In the meantime spreading your book & website in the Netherlands.
Hi Paul:
Congrats on new book and best of luck in meeting your deadlines.
Question: In looking at tab above, i note carb calories of 400 minimum. I was under the impression from some of the blog posts that 200 carb calories(50grams) might be ok. Was this lower carb level with regard to certain health conditions, personal preference/liking, athletes looking to build muscle, or am i just mistaken.
Thanks.
Hi Steve,
200 calories is sort of a rock-bottom minimum. It is enough to avoid short-term issues, but you have to eat extra protein at that carb intake, and long-term effects aren’t well understood. Unless you have some therapeutic purpose for being low carb, like gut dysbiosis or ketogenic dieting for neurological disorders, I would suggest eating 400 calories a day.
Thanks Paul:
Only issue for me is CAD;otherwise healthy at 60+
Should the carbs still be at 100 in light of this?
Also, 1lb of potatoes about 400 calories or 100 or so grams?
yes, and yes
This is good news! I’m looking forward to reading it 🙂
I really hope the book becomes a best seller!
btw love the new web design. The recursive comments are a big improvement!
Hi,
I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could email me?
Jillian
Hi Paul and Sou-Ching, I’m very pleased to hear this fabulous news! Your book is such a tremendous resource, and such a great gift to the world! I don’t know where you find the time and energy but it is very greatly appreciated. I adore that you site evidence alongside all of your thinking while explaining how you came to the conclusions you did. I’ve read it at least 3 times now and your blog from beginning to end. I continue to reread both the paper and Kindle versions and can hardly wait to get my hands on the second edition. Thanks so very much! ❗ Take care.
Thanks Randy! It’s fun to write, especially because we’re still learning and refining our ideas. We hope to approach perfection asymptotically.:)
Hello were you till looking for examples of Paleolithic humans who (are estimated) to have lived past 50?
Very excited about the new book – CONGRATULATIONS!!! Wooohooo!!! Really looking forward to it and so happy many more will learn about the PHD!!!
I love your book.
While most books about food and health are written by food fundamentalists who are certain that this or that food or food group is the key to curing every malady, you are saying “here’s what the research seems to show at this point in time” so for me, your suggestions seem more likely to pan out than the books written by people who are sure they are right about everything.
Since you’ve spent most of your work lifes involved with research at the top places, I can’t help but imagine you can read about what we know and what we imagine a lot better than I can, as I flunked my high scool chemistry final.
Good luck with your new book!!
Quick question: I’m about to have a fecal transplant but I’m reading conflicting info on how to maintain a healthy gut flora. Do you think it’s important to get alot of soluble fibre from vegetables, in order to feed the bacteria? Or should I avoid it for some time in order to let my gut heal? How do I best maintain my new gut flora?
Awesome! Thanks for all your awesome work!
The first edition of PFD was excellent and I highly recommend it to others.
The one major flaw is the lack of an index.
The biggest improvement you can make to the next edition is to index it.
Looking forward to it.
Index is on the PHD website. http://perfecthealthdiet.com/errata-index/
Shickalee
Thanks for the pointer. I was unaware of the existence of this file.
Hopefully with funding from the new deal, a professional indexer will be engaged to fully index the revision and it can actually be included in the book!
I can hardly wait, Paul! Cookbooks are notoriously hard work. This couldn’t have happened to two more deserving people.
I greatly enjoyed The Perfect Health Diet. I modified my diet somewhat based on your recommendations by reducing intake of grains and legumes and increasing intake of coconut oil. Only minor changes were needed as I have been on a high fat diet for a decade with relatively low carb intake. A subsequent VAP test of LDL particle size showed that the percentage of type A particles increased to 73% from 50% two years ago. My HDL went from 80 to 88. I don’t think it gets any better than this.
I have a minor issue with the information which you present regarding the relationship between carbohydrate intake and the % of people with atherogenic phenotype on page 37 (your reference 37). You imply that the response to carbohydrate intake of LDL particle distribution is consistent whereas the reference indicates that only about 70% of the population experiences an improvement in lipoprotein profile with reduced carbohydrate intake. You Should clarify this in the next edition. Jack Cameron
Paul…did you meet your June deadline on the book or was it extended? Just wondering, as it’s still awfully quiet here.
Hi SC,
Sorry, I’m still working on the book. Turns out the deadlines are a bit flexible, which is a good thing for me.
The book should be finished next week.
Good to hear…
Yay! We’ll have something to look forward to this winter.
I just preordered 2 copies
Thanks for your hard work.
Hi Paul, I hope that all is going smoothly with the book, and that when it is completed you will then take a much-deserved rest or vacation! When you get a chance, I would like to know your thoughts about kombucha. I know that you are pro-fermented foods, and I have been reading a lot about kombucha and I think I will give it a try. I really respect your opinions, and I know you will not fall into the hype and always give things a fairly reasoned, well-backed-up review. This is not in any way a rush request! I thank you for all the time and information that you share, and I look forward to the new edition of the book!
Hi Paul, will the book be available in Chinese?
I’d like to get a few for my relatives overseas when the book is released. They think I’m nuts for eating coconut oil and animal fats so I want them to understand why I’m eating this way.
Hi Pete,
Simon & Schuster owns the Chinese translation rights. I’m sure they’d like to publish a Chinese edition but not sure when it will happen.