Month: February 2024

 THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG: An Unhinged Guide to Everything That Sucks About Work is on sale September 10, 2024

(Nashville, Tenn.) February 22  — Harper Celebrate, a gift book imprint of HarperCollins Focus, has announced a forthcoming book with comedian, actor, former customer service employee, and writer Scott Seiss, creator of the viral “Angry Retail Guy” sketches. On sale September 10, 2024, The Customer Is Always Wrong: An Unhinged Guide to Everything That Sucks About Work (From an Angry Retail Guy) is a fully illustrated, hilariously cathartic ode to underpaid and overworked employees – and the customers who annoy them. 

Anyone who has ever worked in customer service (or any job, really) knows that everyone else—the customer, the boss, the company—is always right, and never the employee. The Customer Is Always Wrong expands on Scott’s ire-filled, laugh-out-loud viral videos, joyfully eviscerating not only overbearing customers, but every annoying aspect of work, including purposeless job interview questions, debatable brand values, phony mental health webinars, and the walking human trainwrecks that are our bosses. In The Customer Is Always Wrong, laugh (and maybe cry) at all the frustrating things that suck about work.

 “This is a literary rage room that people can flip through and laugh about in the back while their manager wonders where the hell they are,” said Scott. “I wrote it to celebrate the resilience and determination of workers everywhere—especially those in customer service who are often the hardest working (and most underappreciated) type of employee.” 

“Scott delivers the perfect combination of scorn, humor, and compassion in this book,” said Michael Aulisio, vice president and publisher, Harper Celebrate. “Anyone who has ever worked in an office, in retail, or had a day they’re not proud of as a shopper, will see themselves in these pages.”

Advance praise for The Customer Is Always Wrong includes: “Scott Seiss is a hilarious geyser of rage, cynicism and venom, all delivered with a Dundalk accent that could peel paint. I love him.” – New York Times bestselling author, comedian, and actor Patton Oswalt.

Scott’s signature rants, funny anecdotes, and absurd musings are paired with four-color illustrations in The Customer Is Always Wrong, a hilariously unhinged guide to all the things we wish we could say out loud at work . . . without getting fired. The Customer Is Always Wrong is available for preorder now. Find it wherever books are sold on September 10, 2024.

About Scott Seiss: Scott Seiss (aka “Angry Retail Guy”) is a comedian, actor, writer, and, of course, former customer service employee. He’s best known for his viral “Angry Retail Guy” sketches, which have garnered millions of views online. He’s headlined comedy clubs across the country, and, notably, has opened for Patton Oswalt, Joe Gatto, Roy Wood Jr., and Josh Wolf. He appeared in Cocaine Bear directed by Elizabeth Banks, as well as Randall Park’s directorial debut Shortcomings. Scott lives in Baltimore, Maryland, when he’s not on tour for his stand-up comedy. For more information, visit www.scottseiss.com. 

About Harper Celebrate: Harper Celebrate publishes projects such as daily readers; lifestyle books; cookbooks; journals; photography-driven books and anthologies; poetry; mindfulness; and occasion/holiday-focused books. For more information, visit www.harpercollinsfocus.com/harper-celebrate.

About HarperCollins Focus: HarperCollins Focus, LLC owns and operates a collection of publishing imprints that enlighten and empower readers to transform their hearts and minds, connecting through story, advice, mentorship, and community. The company’s mission is to inspire the world with content that equips people to lead lives of significance, integrity, and purpose. The company is based in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.harpercollinsfocus.com.

Contact:  MacKenzie Collier, Publicity Director, Harper Celebrate, [email protected]

The award-winning content creators share the ultimate survival guide to living with or loving someone with ADHD.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Penn and Kim Holderness are on a mission to reboot how we think about ADHD with their upcoming new book, ADHD Is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD.  The book will be released on April 30, 2024, with Harper Horizon.

Penn and Kim are beloved for their hilarious videos online. Now they bring their trademark uplifting humor, along with a wealth of research and personal insights, to share their experience with a condition that affects millions of people around the world: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Penn was in college when he was diagnosed with ADHD, although the signs of having a brain that worked just a little bit differently had been there since he was a kid. Rather than view the diagnosis as a curse or give into feelings of inadequacy or failure, Penn took a different approach, one that he wants to share with fellow ADHDers and the people who care about them.

Penn and Kim lay out what it’s like to have ADHD—or love someone who does—and how to (mostly) thrive with it. In this innovative resource specially designed to appeal to the ADHD brain, you’ll find an entertaining yet informative look at how ADHD works and tools to help you harness its unique gifts. You’ll learn how to tackle the challenges of ADHD head on and how to find humor in the hard times. And you’ll discover strategies and techniques that will improve your relationships and your outlook on the condition—not to mention quizzes, ADHD Bingo, top-ten lists, and an ode to cargo pants.

“If you have ADHD, I want you to know that you are not alone. You are not broken. You have no reason to be ashamed. We are energetic, creative, and fun to be around. We just live in a world that wasn’t designed for people like us,” said Penn. “My hope is that this book can help us better navigate that world without having to change who we are, because what we are is awesome.”

Along with the expertise of their network of doctors, researchers, and specialists, Penn and Kim draw from their often-hilarious, from-the-trenches insights and break down the reality of having ADHD into fun, easy-to-digest sections. ADHD Is Awesome highlights the challenges ADHD presents while also sharing how to tackle them with targeted tools and techniques that play to your unique strengths.

Take it from Penn: Having ADHD can be scary, but it comes with incredible upsides, including creativity, hyperfocus, and energy. You might even say it’s kind of awesome. Whether you have ADHD or want to support someone else in their journey, this is the guide you need to make the life you want.

ADHD is Awesome will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook with Penn and Kim narrating. You can pre-order today at https://www.adhdisawesomebook.com.

About the Authors:

Penn and Kim Holderness have been married for nineteen years and are authors of the bestselling book Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better at It? For the past ten years, they have been online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches. Their videos have resulted in over two billion views and over eight million followers across all The Holderness Family social media platforms. Penn and Kim were also winners on season 33 of The Amazing Raceon CBS.

Penn and Kim live in Raleigh, North Carolina, with their children, Lola and Penn Charles, and their dog, Sunny. For more on The Holderness Family, visit theholdernessfamily.com.

About Harper Horizon:

 Harper Horizon is a Nashville-based imprint of HarperCollins Focus focused on the stories, values and diverse voices of Americana and beyond, publishing authors such as Willie Nelson, Syd & Shea McGee, Zachary Levi, Meghan Trainor, Jenny Doan, Trae Crowder, and more. For more information, please visit www.harpercollinsfocus.com/Harper-Horizon.

Contacts:

Kevin Smith
[email protected]

Lauren Kingsley
[email protected]