Chapter Content
Okay, so, you know how sometimes you start a project thinking, "Oh, this will be a piece of cake," right? And then, halfway through, you realize it's, like, a *completely* different beast? Well, that’s totally what happened to me with this book.
There’s this quote by the economist Albert O. Hirschman, and it really sums it up. He said, and I'm paraphrasing a bit here, that creativity always surprises us. Like, we can never really count on it, and we kind of don't even believe in it until it actually happens. Which basically means we wouldn't even *start* something if we knew it needed a ton of creativity, you know? So the only way we actually tap into our creative side is by, well, misjudging the task, thinking it's gonna be easier and more routine than it actually is.
And that’s exactly what happened to me! I initially thought I was just gonna, like, give The Tipping Point a quick little update, since it's been out for so long. You know, a simple refresh. I was like, "Oh, this will be easy-peasy!" But then, boom, halfway through, I realized I wanted to write a whole *new* book. So, I guess I brought my "creative resources fully into play" only because I totally underestimated what I was getting into. So, thanks, Albert O., for, like, always figuring out how things really work.
So many people helped me along the way, it’s actually kind of crazy! First off, my friend Jacob Weisberg—he’s the one who suggested I even revisit The Tipping Point in the first place. So thanks, Jacob, for that little push!
And then, Tali Emlen, oh my gosh, she is amazing. She found, like, a million different things for me. I even have a little code in my email subject line when I need her help – I call it "Magic Powers" because that's basically what she has.
Nina Lawrence helped me out with a ton of interviews. She was, like, my barometer. I knew I was onto something good when I could see her nodding happily on the other side of the glass. That was always a great sign.
Adam Grant, Ben Naddaf-Hafrey, Eloise Lynton, Dave Wirtshafter, Mala Gaonkar, and Charles Randolph – they all read early drafts and gave me some seriously helpful comments. Really appreciate their insights.
And then there's Asya Muchnick, my editor at Little, Brown. She read the manuscript *so* many times, I honestly thought I was driving her insane. But, seriously, every time she did, the book got better and better. Jael Goldfine did an amazing job fact-checking everything, like, flawlessly, and Allan Fallow, my copyeditor, he really made everything make sense. Big thanks to them.
And I gotta thank Tina Bennett. She’s been my agent since the original Tipping Point, which is kind of unbelievable. You’re the best, Tina! And all my colleagues at Pushkin Industries who put up with me being MIA while I was buried in this project. Really, thank you all.
But most of all, I need to thank my family – Kate, Edie, and Daisy. You guys are seriously why I get up every morning, and you're why I can feel the sun, even on the absolute darkest days. Seriously, thank you.