Dave Asprey’s The Bulletproof Diet, a lifestyle title due this December from Rodale Books, is the result of more than 20 years of research. “I grew up with a damaged immune system and was always overweight,” Asprey said. “No one taught me the information I needed to perform at the level I wanted. So I started the Bulletproof blog three years ago to spread these ideas with the public, and the audience has been growing ever since.”
Since the blog’s start, Bulletproof has evolved into a national franchise, with Bulletproof Coffee—whose ingredients include Bulletproof coffee beans, Bulletproof “Brain Octane,” as well as one-two tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee—as its hottest product. “The buzz about Bulletproof Coffee had been percolating, no pun intended, by the time we saw the [book] proposal, so we were intrigued when this came across our desk. We were immediately excited about how unique and fresh Dave’s ideas about health and mental performance were,” said Yelena Nesbit, senior communications director of Rodale Books, which acquired Bulletproof Diet in April. “Dave also has a key attribute that we are always looking for in an author—one that fits into our own mission as a publisher—a heartfelt passion to help people live their best lives.”
Looking to capitalize on the current buzz for Bulletproof Coffee, Rodale plans to get the entire organization behind the book. “Our publisher, Mary Ann Naples, has been instrumental in generating excitement at the highest levels of the company, and making this book a success is a company initiative,” said Nesbit. In June, Asprey visited the Rodale offices and presented the Bulletproof philosophy, while drinking Bulletproof Coffee, to editors from its different publications—Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Organic Gardening—and websites, as well as members of the Rodale sales team. “While the brands’ content and audiences differ, they all recognized how the Bulletproof philosophy and plan would appeal to their readers,” Nesbit said, adding that Rodale intends to run full-page ads in its magazines to support Asprey’s pre-order campaign. Other initiatives include special product incentives through Asprey’s website, plus early articles on Rodale News and Fitbie sites—each receive close to one million unique visitors a month. Rodale will also give the book “strong social media support,” Nesbit said, with plans to send dedicated email blasts about the book to its lists. In addition, Rodale will integrate the book into Asprey’s Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in September.
Rodale is also counting on Asprey to show the same commitment to promoting the book as he did to finishing the manuscript. To hit his deadline, “I pulled five all-nighters in a row,” Asprey said. “I would drink Bulletproof Coffee at night, take some of my favorite smart drugs, and use cerebral electrical stimulation to put my brain in a gamma state. All of these things increased my ability to make the words flow.” Both Asprey and Rodale hope book sales will start to flow in December.
