1. What's the purpose?
We shape inspiring people by sharing the books that shaped inspiring people.
2. What are the values?
We have lots! See our Values page.
3. What’s the format?
We are publishing 333 chapters for 1000 books total.
(Yes, we know 333 x 3 is 999 but you’ll need to listen for how we’re solving this.)
4. How can I listen?
You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Overcast, Spotify, or Youtube.
5. What is the publishing schedule?
We publish on the Lunar Calendar.
Chapter 1 was published on the full moon at 8:36AM on March 31, 2018.
New chapters are published the exact minute of every full moon until Chapter 333 is published at 10:37PM EST on April 26, 2040.
To check when our next chapter is coming out ... look up to the sky.
6. Why do you publish on the lunar calendar?
Because we don’t trust the Gregorian Calendar.
It was named after Pope Gregory XIII only 500 years old. It feels … ephemeral.
But the lunar calendar? It’s 30,000 years old. It’s up in the sky! It was here before us and it’ll be here after us.
We want 3 Books to evoke that same sense of groundedness, permanence, and steely resolve.
7. Why focus on books?
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one." George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones
"Of all people only those are at leisure who make time for philosophy, only those are really alive. For they not only keep a good watch over their own lifetimes, but they annex every age to theirs." Seneca, On The Shortness Of Life
"If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads." Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. How can you do this without ads?
We do it without ads. That’s how we do it without ads.
9. Well, how can you be successful without ads?
Success is the teachers who write us letters telling us how 3 Books is helping them teach literacy in Mongolia. Success is the Grandma who left us a gravelly voicemail sharing how she was embarrassed to admit all she reads are YA books until she began listening to our show. Success is the letter we got from a man who said our show helped him find a community after he moved from Indonesia to Switzerland. Success is the seventh grader who emailed us sharing how he used to hide his books in his locker until our show inspired him to start reading in the hallways at lunch with swagger.
10. Do you get your books for free from publishers?
No, we buy our books to support book lovers, writers, makers, sellers ... and librarians.
11. Why do you have a phone number?
We like listening to you, too.
Give us a call anytime at 1-833-READ-A-LOT.
For callers outside North America, dial 011 + your country code + our phone number.
If the number doesn’t work from your location (it should!) then record a voicenote and email it to us.
12. Are all your interviews done live and in-person?
We did all of our interviews live and in-person before the pandemic.
We believe there is a unique human connection in live conversations which you can't get over Skype interviews. We believe you can also hear the difference between a conversation on a balcony overlooking the Pacific ocean, one in an open bookstore with phones ringing and customers walking by, and a formal sit-down chat in an author's writing studio in their home.
Buuuuuuut: Once the pandemic hit we were forced to go virtual and now we are trying to embrace a hybrid model. We're aiming for 50-75% live / in-person but seomtimes virtual is best for a busy or faraway guest and we try to accomodate that.
13. Why does this podcast sound different? I really like / really hate it.
We record our shows in a "two-ear" format which means that if you listen on headphones the guest comes out one ear... and Neil comes out the other. The idea is we're picturing you sitting on the couch between us and we'd like you to feel like you're right there.
If you don't like the sound, feel free to change the audio using this advice from one of our listeners.
1. Download Audacity.
2. Go to http://threebooks.libsyn.com/
3. Click the download link for an individual episode
4. Upload to Audacity
5. Chose option "Split Stereo to Mono"
14. Who chooses the three most formative books for each guest?
The guests do.
We also have a secret checklist which helps them pull the books out of their memories.
Some use the checklist and struggle for days or weeks to ultimately pick their three books. They dwell on them, they wonder about them, they change them after they submit.
Others know in two minutes.
16. Who chooses the guests... and do you accept PR pitches?
Neil... and no.
We don't accept pitches because one of our values is "In an era of infinite choice, the value of trusted curated lists skyrockets" and we want 3 Books to be a trusted curated list.
17. How can I subscribe to 3 Books?
From Apple Podcasts: Click blue “View in iTunes" button, click "Subscribe"
From iPhone: Click purple Podcasts button (Or search for "Podcasts" if you can't find it.), search for "3 Books with Neil Pasricha", click logo, click “Subscribe”
From Stitcher: Search "3 Books with Neil Pasricha", click "Subscribe" on the show page
From Spotify: Search "Neil Pasricha" on Spotify, click “Follow”
18. How do I rate or review 3 Books?
From Apple Podcasts: Click "3 Books with Neil Pasricha", click "Ratings and Reviews", click "Write a Review"
From iPhone: Click purple Podcasts button (Or search for "Podcasts" if you can't find it.), search for "3 Books with Neil Pasricha", click the 3 Books logo, scroll down until you see "Ratings & Reviews", click "write a review"
19. Who composed the music for 3 Books?
The incredible Roberto Ercoli. Please reach out if you have music composing needs. We highly recommend him.
20. Who edits 3 Books?
The incredible Barry Orvin. Please reach out if you have podcast editing needs. We highly recommend him.
21. What are the three clubs for 3 Books?
The first is The End of the Podcast Club which takes places after a three-second pause at the end of each Chapter. This is the club where we talk directly to each other and play your calls to 1-833-READ-A-LOT, read your letters, and highlight a the “Word of the Chapter” — amongst other things.
The second club is The Cover to Cover Club. This was launched in the The End of the Podcast Club in Chapter 46. Members of the club have listened to every single chapter of the podcast. We would love to develop a fun way to track this if you have ideas.
The third club is the secret club. It is 100% analog only with all communication and packages sent through the mail. How do you get on that club? Well, if we told you, it wouldn’t be secret anymore. Listen for clues throughout the show. Only the hardest of hardcore 3 Books fans will make it into this club.
22. Who are the Cover to Cover Club Members?
Who are some Cover to Cover Club members? These are people who have listened to every single chapter of 3 Books AND let me know that they have.
Thank you to:
Patricia Ross, Bo Boswell, Grant Harris, Johnye Harriman, Jacky Roddy, Lisa Woodman, Robyne Quaintance, Dan B., Amanda Banker, Teresa Iles, Maxwell Girard, Deborah from Winnipeg, Karen Weissert, Jacky Roddy, Phoebe1207, Ketan Dedhiya, Nikki Willis, Emily Stephens, Chloetia Oswald, Sherry McDaniel and Oliver Harris.
23. I’ve noticed some Chapters of 3 Books end with the guest giving a “wordcloud” before the Word of the Chapter is revealed where 5-10 words are mentioned. Which chapters do this and why?
Yes! Nearly every chapter of 3 Books ends with a “Word of the Chapter” where we highlight a word that was unique or interesting. When a guest happens to use a lot of interesting words we give them a “wordcloud” with a little aural tapestry of their words presented.
Chapters that include wordclouds are: Chapter 14 with Rich Gibbons, Chapter 24 with Jonathan Fields, Chapter 29 with Michael Harris, Chapter 33 with Raj Haldar, Chapter 35 with Jen Agg, Chapter 37 with Malcolm Gladwell, Chapter 42 with Molly Bloom, Chapter 44 with Kevin the Bookseller, Chapter 45 with Rich Roll, Chapter 47 with Derek The Hype Man, Chapter 58 with David Mitchell, Chapter 59 with Jeff Speck, Chapter 62 with Myriam Gurba, Chapter 68 with Roger Martin, Chapter 69 with Cheryl Strayed, Chapter 70 with Brené Brown, Chapter 75 with George Saunders, Chapter 77 with Jonny Sun, Chapter 79 with Yuyi Morales, Chapter 82 with Quentin Tarantino, Chapter 83 with Douglas Rushkoff, Chapter 92 with Edward Packard, Chapter 95 with Bess Kalb, Chapter 102 with Susan Cain, Chapter 103 with Jonathan Haidt, Chapter 106 with Alok Vaid-Menon, Chapter 108 with Mohsin Hamid, Chapter 116 with Bryan Stevenson, Chapter 119 with Steve Toltz, Chapter 121 with Johann Hari, Chapter 134 with Susan Orlean, Chapter 137 with Jonathan Franzen, Chapter 138 with Maria Popova, Chapter 139 with Lewis Mallard, Chapter 140 with Amy Einhorn, Chapter 141 with James Daunt, Chapter 142 with Oliver Burkeman
24. I noticed on one chapter Neil mentioned a guest tried to pick a book that was already picked in The Top 1000. Can you share a list of every time this has happened and which books?
Yes! We will begin tracking this here. We will also put an asterisk on The Top 1000 page beside any book picked multiple times.
#998 Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Also picked by Andrea Serada (49)
#989 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin. Also picked by Brandon Stanton (63) and Ralph Nader (130)
#966 Animal Farm by George Orwell. Also picked by Ajay Agrawal and Gina Buonaguro (117)
#964 Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demnick. Also picked by Emily Kim Ae Sun Hunter (54)
#937 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Also picked by Chip Wilson (19) and Tim Urban (22) and Timothy Goodman (120)
#934 Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. Also picked by Nora McInerny (91) and Edward Packard (92) and Suzy Batiz (123)
#933 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Also picked by Brandon Stanton (63). Also picked by Doug the Bookseller (99)
#926 The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Also picked by Humble The Poet (73) and Angie Tomas (26)
#921 Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Also picked by Chip Wilson (19) and Adam Grant (72)
#903 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Also picked by Dave the CEO (96) and Light Watkins (114)
#888 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Also picked by David Mitchell (58) and Shane Parrish (60)
#887 Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Also picked by Vivek Shraya (53)
#879 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Also picked by Anne Bogel (57)
#874 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Also picked by Jenny Lawson (76)
#871 The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien. Also picked by Doug the Bookseller (99)
#869 The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Also picked by Humble the Poet (73) and Light Watkins (114)
#867 The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Also picked by Molly Bloom (42) and Brené Brown (70)
#866 Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M. Axline. Also picked by Lenore Skenazy (127)
#845 The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Also picked by Cheryl Strayed (69)
#835 Charlotte’s Web by E,B. White. Also picked by Mohsin Hamid (108)
#834 The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Also picked by Latanya and Jerry (107)
#817 The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Also picked by Dave Eggers (81), Nora McInerny (91) and Bryan Stevenson (116)
#793 All About Love by bell hooks. Also picked by Dr. Kristin Neff (80) and by Alok Vaid-Menon (106)
#788 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Also picked by Katie Mack (112)
#768 The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Also picked by Jenny Lawson (76)
#753 Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse. Also picked by Kevin Kelly (110)
#730 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Also picked by Lenore Skenazy (127)
#715 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Also picked by Maria Popova (138)
#710 The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. Also picked by Latanya and Jerry (107)
#674 The Holy Bible. Also picked by Jacqueline and Deneane (136)
#667 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Also picked by Lenore Skenazy (127)
25. How do you decide what to make the links go to on The Top 1000?
From the launch of the show to Chapter 51 the links went to a geni.us link that splintered into your local Amazon retailer. We used this not to make affiliate money — all our affiliate accounts are unplugged except Canada where we’re based — but because we wanted our global audience to find the most likely local retailer to order the book from.
However, beginning with Chapter 52 we decided this strategy didn’t support independent or regional bookstores well enough nor give readers enough depth to make an informed buying decision so we began a new approach: If the book is out of copyright or legally available free online we link to the full text. If it’s not, we link to the detailed Wikipedia summary of the book. If there is no detailed Wikipedia summary of the book, then we link to the author’s own landing page for the book. If absolutely none of these options exist, then we will link to the landing page on Goodreads. Yes, Goodreads is owned by Amazon, but at least it allows you to order from a variety of retailers.
26. How has the 3 Books logo changed over the years?
There have been four major versions (so far). They range from 2018 "opening" which was meant to evoke the feeling of a valuable conversation in an analog format. The feedback was pretty instant: nobody liked it. We then added a headshot taken in BMV Books, a wonderful used and rare bookstore in Toronto, which lasted for about 3 years. After that, the logo was 'cleaned up' to improve legibility, which was a common complaint. And, finally, on the occasion of Chapter 100, we made a number of changes to the show and one of them was the logo again. Maybe we'll change it again for Chapter 200.
27. Why do you have a final FAQ question all the way at the bottom here with no real point?
Just so we could say thank you for reading this entire FAQ.
Our favorite kinds of people in the world read the entire FAQ, the Acknowledgements at the end of the book, and the back of the shampoo bottle.
Thank you for being you.