11.11.07 Working for the Man by Jeffrey Yamaguchi
For anyone frustrated with the soul-killing monotony of a nine-to-five job, this quirky collection helps beat the office blues, inspire creativity in seemingly dead-end situations, and preserve a bit of integrity in a conformist corporate culture. Among other things, you will learn how to:
- Survive long, boring meetings
- Plot out a “sick day” calendar to maximize time off
- Write your novel on company time
- Create the most pro-worker cubicle to instill a false sense of your total commitment
- Anonymously send your boss a Happy Secretary’s Day bouquet
Overall, the book aims to turn the daily grind on its head, so that instead of feeling overwhelmed and disgruntled, you will foster fun and creative ways to make the workplace work for you.
About the Author: Jeffrey Yamaguchi threw himself a retirement party at the age of 26. No, he had not won the lottery or benefited from a stock options windfall. It was just wishful thinking, which continues on to this day. More of his schemes can be found at workingfortheman.com and 52projects.com. His new book, Working For The Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land, has just been published by Penguin.
The author will be joining the show at 6:00pm. Want to score a free copy of Working for the Man? Leave a comment for the author here, and if we use it on the air, you’ll win a free book!
Erin Hennicke is back to chat about books and books to film! Join us at 6:40 as we chat all things books & film! Erin Hennicke started her career in the Subsidiary Rights Department of Viking Penguin before segueing into the film industry as a story editor at Barbra Streisand’s production company, Barwood Films, where she oversaw development and production. In 2000, Erin joined Franklin & Siegal & Associates, the largest literary scouting agency in New York, where for the past seven years she has scouted books & material for Universal Studios, among others, a job that allows her to have a foot in both the film and publishing industries.
[…] will be joining the show at 6:00pm. Want to score a free copy of Working for the Man? Click here for more details! Tag Me:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web […]
Questions for Jeffrey: What is the project you have most enjoyed doing? Which was the least interesting? Do you always finish your projects or do you get bored with some half way through and give up? Some of the projects on the What’s Your Project area are pretty random (cups of soil for strangers; knitting sweaters for trees, etc) - is there such a thing as a worthless project?
I’m very much looking forward to this show!
I’m writing this while I’m on the clock (I should get extra-credit!) and I have a few questions (I haven’t read the book yet, so if the questions are answered there: sorry!):
What finally pushed you over the edge into quitting?
How did you support yourself after ‘retiring’?
I love the website for the book, a very funny time-waster: was this your idea? or your publisher’s?
Where did the idea for this book come from? Everyone has these frustrations and has encountered the various characters…but how did you put it all together for the book? Did you have a grand plan for what you wanted to include or did it come together after you started working on it?
Thanks!
[…] Jeff will appear on my live podcast show this Sunday at 6pm. Click here for more details & learn how you can score a free copy of his book! Tag Me:These icons link to social […]
As always, a great interview.
I especially loved the primer on how to write your novel on the dayjob–a proud tradition carried on from Faulkner to Ferris. Keep asking practical questions like that, I’ll keep listening.
Thanks, Jason!!!
I was so exhausted on Sunday night that I fell asleep before the show. Sheesh. The podcast was great to listen to (thanks for having those).
Absolutely!!
Lor, so glad you enjoyed! Book en route, foxy.
Thanks for the great interview, had a great time on the show, and thanks to all the folks who left comments/questions on this post!