Jonar Nader weathered the storm surrounding the opposition by the Dale Carnegie empire to his book called ‘How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People’. Jonar conducted his US-wide book launch. He returns to speak with Tracy Grimshaw. Further below is a transcript of the video.
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Here is the transcript:
Female: Our next guest is an Australian author who seems to be taking his own literary advice with strangely successful results. Jonar Nader is the man behind the bestselling book, How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People. And he’s recently infuriated publishers in the US, winning a legal challenge that would have forced his book off the shelves. Jonar is now back in Australia with big plans for the future and he joins us in the studio.
Jonar, good morning.
Jonar Nader: Hi, Tracey.
Female: Did you exactly win that legal – we should explain this legal challenge. This was the estate, the family of Dale Carnegie whose original book title, How To Win Friends and Influence People, you kind of borrowed from for your book. And that …
Jonar Nader: I hardly did borrow anything but they took exceptions.
Female: You didn’t.
Jonar Nader: They were jealous and they said that I was unfair competition which was the most flattering thing any big humungous publisher can say to me. So, they said, withdraw off the market and I engaged lawyers both here and in the US and we did our homework and realized they actually have nothing to stand on. They eventually I think found that out for themselves but the ball is still in their court. But under great threats, I still went to the US to launch the book.
Female: Okay. So, if in fact, they decide to revive legal action and if you lose, do you have to hand over every cent you’ve made out of this book potentially?
Jonar Nader: Oh well, yes sure. But if they lose, I’ll probably be earning me several million dollars too for the aggravation because then they’re just causing trouble. And our letter back to them said, this is nothing but frivolous and that’s the best word we could find in our legal terms.
Female: Alright. So, the book is doing okay then.
Jonar Nader: Well, brilliantly well and it’s doing okay not because of anything to do with Carnegie. Its doing okay because it stands well on its own and people love actually what it’s saying in this modern world.
Female: Alright. You’re going to do a new series of books, How to Infuriate Among Other People, Lawyers, Teachers, Fat People, and Women. Why do you want to do that exactly?
Jonar Nader: Well, I think the industry desperately needs good old-fashioned publishing values, which says, when you publish a book …
Female: How to really annoy people.
Jonar Nader: No, we’ve got to get the facts up similar with – similarly with lawyers. You know, if you ever dealt with a lawyer, you know how expensive it is and I have a lawyer writing a book called How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Lawyers or words to that effect, How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Teachers. Young people …
Female: Yes, how – how – why?
Jonar Nader: Why?
Female: How and why.
Jonar Nader: Well, let’s take young people and How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Teachers. I left school at 14 and I still mix with young people. They are tormented. They think HSC is the be all and end all. They’re committing suicide. They’re just depressed and then they go back to university and they say, ‘Oh, I’ll do a degree.’ And then they finished the degree and they’ll go and do an MBA. And I go, ‘What for?’ ‘Oh well, I don’t know.’ And the prime of their life is gone and they really still don’t understand what life is about.
So, there is a need out there for people to understand the truths and when you actually expose the truths that infuriates lot of people because there are two sides of the fence.
Female: So, are you going to tell young people not to bother with tertiary education? Is that basically what you’re saying?
Jonar Nader: Well, I’m going to say, follow your heart first and do what you know has to be done and don’t just go to school because, ‘Oh well, that’s the next thing to do. Oh well, I’m 18. I think I’ll go to uni.’ I mean whatever for? If you say I love this subject and I want to know more about it, sure go to uni but don’t go there because it’s automatic because the system says so because at the end of it, you come out, you’re 30 something at the prime of your life and you’re still a nobody. I think life can be enjoyed better than that.
Female: Okay. So basically, your publisher now.
Jonar Nader: Yes.
Female: And a professional stirrer of the possum.
Jonar Nader: No, I’m not a professional stirrer. I’m actually saying, ‘Excuse me people, there’s a life to be lived, there’s truth to be known. Let’s do it in this very fast-paced world.’ How do young people discern between right and wrong these days? How can they – unless we teach them to be critical.
Female: Okay. We’ll watch for those books.
Jonar Nader: Thanks.
Female: Thanks, Jonar.
Male: And then there will be How to Lose Friends and Infuriate TV Execs. Jonar Nader, and we’ve got more of Today after this break.
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