Neil Pasricha

An Interview with Neil Pasricha (Aug. 2012)

Neil Pasricha never imagined that writing about the smell of gasoline,thinking it’s Thursday when it’s really Friday, or wearing underwear just out of the dryer would amount to anything. A self-described “average guy” with a typical 9-to-5 job in the suburbs, Neil started his blog 1000 Awesome Things, as a small reminder — in a world of rising sea levels, global conflict, and a troubled economy — of the free, easy little joys that make life sweet.

He certainly didn’t anticipate that his site would gain a readership of millions of people, win two Webby Awards (“the Internet’s highest honor” according to The New York Times), be named one of PC Magazine’s Top 100 Sites On the Internet, or become a place where people from around the world would come to celebrate the simple pleasures of daily life. His just released first book The Book of Awesome has become a #1 International Bestseller and The Book of Awesome 2 comes out in Spring, 2011.

"1000 Awesome Things might be described as optimism for the rest of us. Sunny without being saccharine, it’s a countdown of life’s little joys that reads like a snappy Jerry Seinfeld monologue by way of Maria Von Trapp." The Vancouver Sun

Courtesy of TED.com

BWG: For your blog, you write an AWESOME blog entry on a daily basis for over 3 years straight and counting. How did you manage the story development and the daily deadlines? Were you able to stockpile stories to help at times when the ever present danger of writers block occurred?

Neil Pasricha: Ha ha! Well, once all my friends and family knew I was writing 1000 Awesome Things, I couldn't stop the avalanche of awesome requests! Cold side of the pillow, smell of sizzling bacon, it just kept coming.

BWG: Your blog and book both revolve around essentially turning a negative into a positive or finding good in everything. It is a very uplifting story, has there been a discussion for a made for TV movie or feature film?

Neil Pasricha: Yes, the TV/Film rights are currently signed with a production studio in Hollywood.

BWG: In the early stages you joke how your blog doubled in membership when your mom forwarded your blog to your father, but did you do any type of activity to promote your blog to reach the level of phenomenal subscriptions that you enjoy today, 42 million and counting?

Neil Pasricha: Not really! I put a link to my blog in my email signature and told friends. They told friends who told friends and the hits kept coming. Believe me, I'm the most surprised of all!

BWG: You are currently on AWESOME # 30 entry of your blog which means you are winding down towards #1 and the end. Will you mourn the end of your journey or celebrate the beginning of a well-deserved vacation?

Neil Pasricha: Ha ha, yes! I'm going to take a long nap after I hit #1. After that I plan to keep working on my current book project which is tentatively titled "How to live an awesome life"

BWG: You must have a personal favorite AWESOME story. Which one and why?

Neil Pasricha: Well, when I started writing 1000 Awesome Things my biggest fan (who wasn't my mom) was probably my friend Chris. Very sadly, he passed away before the blog won all those awards and got the book deals. He didn't get to see the blog get big but he was behind it in many ways. I think my favorite awesome thing is the one I wrote about him. See:

http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/02/16/829-smiling-and-thinking-of-good-friends-who-are-gone/

BWG: In this digital age and ever changing world of publishing, the traditional form of getting a book published has drastically changed. Can you look into your crystal ball and give us a picture of what you see ten years into the future?

Neil Pasricha: Well, I think the Internet really flattens the playing field. Anybody with an online connection can publish anything they want... for free... anywhere. If they're passionate, and they love it, and they send it around, they can get feedback in the form of hits and comments! From there they have more options -- self-publish a book, go with a big publisher, do a mini-ebook, give away their writing and speak about it, etc. But I do think that in ten years there will still be bookstores and still be books. I know I'll be buying them!

BWG: I love the quotation in your book that you also used in your lecture: "Over the past year the website grew into a warm place where people around the world came to curl up under a blanket and think about the small joys we often overlook. With so much sad news and bad news pouring down upon us, it’s fun to stop for a minute and share a universal high five with the rest of humanity." Do you have any websites that you turn to for comfort or high fives?

Neil Pasricha: I'll try! There are so many great blogs out there but a couple of my favorites are PostSecret.com, Happiness-Project.com, and Raptitude.com

Interview by BWG member Jeff Baird