Lose Well: False Starts, Beautiful Disasters, Public Humiliations, and Other Secrets to Success

“If anyone can get you to give your dreams an honest shot, it’s Chris Gethard, the king of somehow turning defeats into victories.” —Judd Apatow, comedian, writer, and director

A laugh-out-loud, kick-in-the-pants self-help narrative for anyone who ever felt like they didn’t fit in or couldn’t catch a break—comedian and cult hero Chris Gethard shows us how to get over our fear of failure and start living life on our own terms.

Setting flame to vision boards and tossing out the “seven simple steps” to achieving anything, the host of the eponymous TruTV talk show and the wildly popular podcast Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People illustrates his personal and professional manifesto with hilarious and ultimately empowering stories about his own set-backs, missteps, and public failures, from the cancellation of his Comedy Central sitcom after seven episodes to rediscovering his comedic voice and life’s purpose on a public access channel.

With his trademark wit and inspiring storytelling—a cross between David Sedaris and Jenny Lawson—Gethard teaches us how to power through our own hero’s journey, whether we’re a fifteen-year-old starting a punk band or a fifty-year-old mother of three launching an Etsy page. In the process, he shows us how to fail with grace, laugh on the way down, and as we dust ourselves off, how to transform inevitable failures into endless opportunities.

“Chris speaks inspirational life truths to the outsider in all of us. A pithy road map of the antiestablishment path by which one can succeed in comedy and life” —Nick Offerman

“Will change the way you think about failure. It’s funny, heartfelt, and full of advice that every creative person needs to hear.” —Hello Giggles

© 2024 HarperOne (Ebook): 9780062691439

Release date

Ebook: 21 May 2024