Thank You, Facebook Bankruptcy, and Late Christmas Presents

(Photo: source)

Thank you…

Thank you…

Thank you!

The last two blog posts have moved me more than any others, and the new expanded 4-Hour Workweek has hit #4 on The New York Times bestseller list and #3 on the USA Today Money list!

In a future post, I will explain exactly what I did in PR and marketing (including recordings and screenshots) to help it happen, but the reality is: you made it happen.

You all rock. For buying the book? No. For making this community what it is. For helping one another and sharing your stories and lessons learned. For teaching me more than I can ever possibly teach you.

This is my dream team.

I’m leaving for South Africa this week (first time to Africa!), but I wanted to try and express my thanks before I left. There are three things I’d like to start with:

1) Free signed books at Samovar in San Francisco

3) 600 free books on Facebook (+ Facebook bankruptcy template)…

1) Free signed books at Samovar in San Francisco

There are roughly 100 signed copies of the 4HWW–including both hardcovers and paperback galleys–available for free at all Samovar locations in San Francisco. Please ask the manager on duty, and there is a limit of 2 per person. Alas, once they are gone, they are gone.

2) Free round-trip ticket anywhere in the world per the last post

The winner of the video case studies from the last post is…. Chuck Holton!

Here were the top 8 most-voted videos:

I loved all of them and felt that it was hard to vote for one, as lifestyle design is — by definition — personal. That which impresses the most people might not be the best approach for you to emulate, if your circumstances are different. For that reason, I would like to mail a thank-you gift to each of the initial 15 case studies who were finalists. You know who you are.

If you were one of them, please e-mail Amy your mailing address with the subject line as “Video Case Study – [your name]”.

Use the e-mail address you used to post your comment (Chuck, please do the same for now). It might take a week or two, but I will send you a thank-you gift for taking the time to share and teach.

In a word: incredible.

3) 600 free books on Facebook

Not long ago, I declared Facebook bankruptcy and moved things around. In fact, I started over from scratch. 1,200+ unread messages required it. Information Chapter 11.

The catalyst was an e-mail I received from Paul Colligan, which inspired me to finally take the leap and get things under control. To tame the beast. Find his group e-mail here, which you can use as a template if needed.

Here’s what I’m doing as a belated Christmas giveaway: changing things up.

My Facebook peeps never get any love — it’s always my blog readers and Twitter followers. This time, I’m giving away 600 books using what Facebook does best: getting people in touch. The first 100 people to do the following will be mailed up to six books to share (1 for each of their friends, and 1 copy for them).

The three steps are simple and fast:

1) Step one: Take a picture of yourself holding a copy of The 4-Hour Workweek (old or new) and upload it to the Tim Ferriss fan page, so I can easily find the pics and contact you directly. There are more than 100 photos I’ve put nowhere else, and dozens of never-before-seen videos are coming. If it’s a Kindle or electronic version, just show it on the screen and you’re all set.

The link is:

http://www.facebook.com/timferriss

Having trouble uploading? Here is a tip from reader Cameron Hurd (Thanks, Cameron!):

…Try clicking on a fan photo, and then choosing ’see all photos’. The page will now have an ‘add photos’ link at the top. http://bit.ly/7rcbNE Or, once you’re logged in to facebook, click this linky-poo: http://bit.ly/8SQhnf

2) Step two: Tag 3-5 friends (no fewer than 3 friends and no more than 5) in the picture whom you’d like to give the new version of the book. They might be workaholics, travel lovers, recent college grads, people who hate the rat race, or even your parents or siblings. Be sure to tag at least 3 of your friends in the picture, but don’t tag more than 5 friends total. There are a limited number of books I can give away, and I want as many people to have gifts for their friends as possible.

3) Step three: Post reasons and a link. In the photo description, you need to do two things: explain to your friends why you chose them, and link to either the post of case studies or this Slideshare presentation. Feel free to write your own, or you can mix and match these templates:

1. I’m calling you guys out — you’re workaholics! In an effort to reduce your work hours and re-kindle our friendships, I want to give each of you “The 4-Hour Workweek.” More to come soon. If you don’t know what the book is about, here it is: http://bit.ly/7ntXSU [or http://bit.ly/87GkE5]

2. Hey friends! I want to give you all a copy of “The 4-Hour Workweek” (which is why you’ve each been tagged in this picture). More to come soon, but I should have a belated Christmas gift for you 🙂 If you want a sneak peek of the book, check this out: http://bit.ly/7ntXSU [or http://bit.ly/87GkE5]

3. Hello fellow travelers! I want to give each of you a copy of “The 4-Hour Workweek.” It shows you how to travel at 50% off, hire virtual assistants for next to nothing, and otherwise live like a king or queen overseas. The author is sending out a ton of free copies of the book. More to come soon. If you don’t know what the book is about, click here: http://bit.ly/7ntXSU [or http://bit.ly/87GkE5]

Unfortunately, due to logistics, I can only mail books to addresses in the US. Shikata nai and lo siento mucho!

There are 48 hours.

The three steps must be completed by 12 midnight PST this Thursday, 1/7/10.

What then?

Nothing — that’s it. One of my assistants will contact the first 100 people via Facebook in a private message no later than Sunday (1/10), and you’ll be asked for your shipping address. The books will be shipped next week.

In closing, and this applies to all of you international friends as well:

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.