In this edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Amanda Montell's The Age of Magical Overthinking (One Signal, Apr.), which examines the human mind, cognitive biases, and magical thinking in our current age of information.
Here's how the book came together.
Amanda Montell, Author
“This book was born out of a deep curiosity and urgent personal need to understand why, in the ‘age of information,’ the world only seems to make less sense. We’re living in a time of such intense delusion, from celebrity worship to conspiratorialism. I wrote this book for anyone who feels like it’s just incredibly hard to exist as a human in the world right now but can’t quite put their finger on why.”
Rachel Vogel, Literary Agent, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency
“It was immediately clear to me that The Age of Magical Overthinking would be Amanda’s most triumphant book yet, encapsulating everything she excels at: witty, razor-sharp observations about the human condition that are, above all, filled with compassion. Readers will walk away with a deeper understanding of the messy, beautiful ways our brains work.”
Kate Napolitano, Executive Editor, Atria Books
“Amanda Montell is an absolute force of nature: a truly dynamic thinker; a beautiful, engaging writer; and one of the best—and most authentic—promoters I’ve ever witnessed. Her energy is infectious; she brings all of herself to every aspect of the campaign, and she does so with a smile on her face and a whip-smart sense of humor.”
Laywan Kwan, Associate Art Director, Atria Books
“This was very much a group-effort project. I jumped in at first, focusing on a concept the author suggested of using a bust that was distorted in some way. We went a couple of rounds with this concept, and soon realized it wasn’t hitting the right mark for the visual identity of overthinking.”
James Iacobelli, Senior Art Director, Atria Books
“I jumped in trying to find a universal way to visualize our title. I came up with the crossed fingers idea, and was able to get our team and author on board. Then it was a matter of combining the right elements, fonts, and colors, which Laywan helped wrap up.”
