Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Audible to Publish Guy Raz's "How I Built This"

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Oct 31, 2018, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Audible announced today that they acquired rights to NPR host Guy Raz's HOW I BUILT THIS: Lessons in Life and Business from the World's Greatest Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Idealists. Host of How I Built This, TED Radio Hour, and Wow in the World, Raz will teach readers and listeners to overcome every conceivable obstacle by giving them access to the wisdom and experience of the brilliant and determined people who made the journey before them.

"How I Built This isn't just a show that chronicles the stories behind some of the biggest companies and brands of our time," says Raz. "It's a show about human vulnerability and the sometimes wrenching choices and sacrifices people have to make to have an impact on the world. The book will be an invaluable collection of wisdom, advice, mistakes made and lessons learned from some of the most groundbreaking entrepreneurs in modern history. I couldn't be more thrilled to take this journey with Rick Wolff, the team at HMH and Kristin Lang and the team at Audible. Together, we will work to create a collection of stories and insights that will serve to inspire a whole new generation of builders and dreamers."

Rick Wolff, Senior Executive Editor at HMH, commented, "Guy Raz is regarded as one of the true shining lights to millions of listeners everywhere. Guy's uncanny ability to get highly-successful individuals to open up and talk about how they took their original idea and then grew and scaled it in a major way is not only educational and entertaining, but also inspirational. His book will capture the same sense of verve and excitement that all of his fans love."

Kristin Lang, Senior Director of Acquisitions at Audible, commented, "Guy Raz has demonstrated time and again how captivating and effective the vocal delivery of powerful words can be, so audio is a natural medium for this project. We look forward to bringing Guy's important insights to new listeners on top of his significant listening base."

Offering a unique collection of prescriptive lessons from this generation's most successful business founders, entrepreneurs, investors and CEOs, HOW I BUILT THIS will guide readers along the intimidating but rewarding arc of the entrepreneurial journey.

The deal was brokered by United Talent Agency. The print and Audible editions of HOW I BUILT THIS will be published in Fall 2020, with Raz performing the Audible book.

About Guy Raz
Guy Raz is the creator, editorial director and host of three programs for National Public Radio, including How I Built This, TED Radio Hour, and the children's program Wow in the World, which are heard by more than 15 million people every month all over the world. Launched in March 2013, TED Radio Hour quickly became the fastest growing program in public radio history and one of the top podcasts in the United States. Three years later, Guy did it again with How I Built This, which was named one of the top ten podcasts of the year by iTunes in 2016--the year of its founding. The following year, Raz became the first person in the history of podcasting to have three shows in the top 20 on the Apple Podcast charts at the same time. Guy is the father of two boys and recently relocated from Washington, D.C. to the San Francisco Bay Area.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade Publishing
For nearly two centuries, HMH Trade Publishing (NASDAQ: HMHC) has published some of the world's most renowned novels, nonfiction, children's books, and reference works. As part of a leading global learning company, it is uniquely positioned to offer educational and entertaining content for all audiences. Its distinguished author list includes ten Nobel Prize winners, forty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, fifteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Philip Roth, Temple Grandin, Tim O'Brien, and Amos Oz, and a celebrated roster of children's authors and illustrators including Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, and Chris Van Allsburg. HMH is also home to The Best American series®; The Whole30®, Weber Grill, Betty Crocker®, Better Homes and Gardens®, How to Cook Everything®, and other leading lifestyle properties; the Peterson Field Guides®; CliffsNotes™; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconic children's books and characters, including Curious George®, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. HMH Productions, its newly launched division, develops and produces media and licensed products related to brands such as Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail.

About Audible, Inc.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio content, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 450,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple's iTunes Store.

Contact:
Lori Glazer
SVP, Executive Director of Publicity
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(212)420-5840
[email protected]

SOURCE Houghton Mifflin Harcourt