Howard Stern Comes Again

Howard Stern Comes Again is the third book by American radio personality Howard Stern, released on May 14, 2019 by Simon & Schuster. It is his first book in 24 years since the release of Miss America (1995).[1]

Howard Stern Comes Again
AuthorHoward Stern
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
May 14, 2019
Media type
  • Hardcover
  • eBook
Pages560 (Hardcover)
ISBN978-1-501-19429-0
Preceded byMiss America 

Background

By early 2017, Stern had been broadcasting his radio show on SiriusXM for eleven years and looked into the idea of writing a third book, following Private Parts (1993) and Miss America (1995). He entered discussions with Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Private Parts, who were keen to release it and assigned editor and publisher Jonathan Karp to collaborate with Stern on the project. At first Stern felt apprehensive about writing a third book because his first two had reached "crazy" levels of success.[2] Karp was determined to make the process easy for Stern, however, and in April 2017, having discussed the idea of printing a selection of celebrity interviews from his radio show, visited Stern's Manhattan apartment and presented him with a mockup book of 30 transcripts that he had chosen, complete with a book jacket. Stern was flattered over the gesture, which convinced him to go ahead with the project.[3] Shortly before the book's release, Stern revealed that a key reason to write a third book was his cancer scare in May 2017, after a growth was found on one of his kidneys which turned out to be a benign cyst.[3]

Writing

By the time Stern started on the book, he had decided to expand its initial concept and write not only commentary on some of his favorite interviews, but autobiographical chapters on his life and career in recent years. He decided against using the interviews that Karp originally chose and set about the task of picking his own, trawling through hundreds of transcripts until he settled on 40 and prepared an introduction for each one.[3] Stern also combined excerpts from interviews on a unifying theme, including sex and relationships and money and fame.[3] During this process, Stern decided to include passages from on-air conversations with Donald Trump throughout the book that date back as early as 1995. Stern had planned to complete the book in one year, but this editing process took time which delayed the project by a further year.[3] Stern had to remind Karp to remain patient for him to deliver and dedicated most of his weekends and vacation time to write it, something that he had done on his previous books and vowed "would never do again."[2] Upon completion, Stern said: "I put my heart and soul into this book and could not be more proud of it."[2] The worldwide publishing rights were acquired by Jonathan Kara and Sean Manning from Stern's agent.[2]

Announcement

In June 2018, Stern revealed on his radio show that he had started on a "secret project" and was looking through old photos of himself to use for it. Two months later, the book appeared in the upcoming titles section on Simon & Schuster's website with an initial release date of September 25, 2018.[4] The incident generated some media interest, including from Artie Lange and John Melendez, two former staff members of The Howard Stern Show who speculated what the book was going to be about.[4]

After the initial release date was pushed back, Stern formally announced the book on his radio show on March 12, 2019, revealing its title and front cover.[5] Within hours of the announcement, the strength of pre-order sales made the book number one on Amazon's best seller list.[6] A rift developed between Stern and talk show host Wendy Williams, who discussed the book on her show and alleged Stern had lost his edge from his past shock jock days and had become "so Hollywood right now". Stern retaliated on the air the following morning, feeling insulted and told Williams to "keep your opinion to yourself".[7] Two months later, Stern apologised to Williams for his reaction: "If 'Hollywood' means that I've evolved in some way and the show has changed, then yeah, she hit the nail on the head."[8]

Content

In addition to the celebrity interviews and Stern's commentary on them, the book details Stern's departure from terrestrial radio in 2005 and his move to SiriusXM the following year, his life and career since then.[2] The Hollywood Reporter described his introductions to the celebrity interviews as "like a series of love letters to his subjects."[2] Celebrities that are featured in the book include Madonna, Mike Tyson, Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jerry Seinfeld.[9] Stern revealed that his 2015 interview with Conan O'Brien as his favorite of his career.[10]

Release and reception

The book was released on May 14, 2019 in hardcover and electronic formats.[1] Stern embarked on a media tour to promote the book, granting press, radio, and television interviews.[11][12] Prior to the book's release Stern hired Leslee Dart as a publicist.[13] On the day of release, the book entered Amazon's best seller list at number one.[12] An excerpt from the book was exclusively published online by Rolling Stone.[14] The book entered The New York Times Best Seller list at No. 1 under the hardcover and combined print and e-book categories.[15][16]

In a review for Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Melissa Ruggieri thought the book is "a gorgeous compendium" of interviews and praised Stern's interviewing style with a voice "always prominent as a narrator and guide through these engrossing dives into the lives of others."[17] A more critical review from Maureen Callahan appeared in The New York Post who considered it a "drag" to see Stern promote a book that contains "just 17 pages of new, personal material – and if you've seen any of his interviews, you know exactly what's on those pages."[18]

References
  1. "Howard Stern Comes Again". Simon and Schuster. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  2. Romano, Nick. "Howard Stern to release first book in more than 20 years". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  3. Rose, Lacy (May 8, 2019). ""All I'm Thinking Is, 'I'm Going to Die'": Howard Stern Reveals Cancer Scare, Trump Regrets and Details of a Dishy New Book". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  4. Johnson, Richard (8 August 2018). "What to expect from Howard Stern's upcoming book". Page Six. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  5. "Howard Stern Announces New Book". All Access. March 12, 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  6. "Howard Stern is No. 1 – on Amazon best-seller list". The Seattle Times. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  7. McDermott, Maeve (14 March 2019). "Howard Stern goes after Wendy Williams: 'Keep your opinion to yourself'". Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. Rose, Lacey (May 8, 2019). ""All I'm Thinking Is, 'I'm Going to Die'": Howard Stern Reveals Cancer Scare, Trump Regrets and Details of a Dishy New Book". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  9. Johnson, Richard (14 April 2019). "Andy Cohen's threesome highlighted in new Howard Stern book". Page Six. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  10. "Howard Stern Named His Favorite Interview Ever, And It's a Big Surprise". Maxim. May 8, 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  11. "Howard tells the world about his new book live on the Stern show". HowardStern.com. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  12. Levine, Jon (May 14, 2019). ""Howard Stern Comes Again" Debuts Atop Amazon Best-Seller List". The Wrap. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  13. Mohr, Jan (April 9, 2019). "Howard Stern hires power publicist ahead of book launch". Page Six. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  14. Greene, Andy (May 15, 2019). "Exclusive Book Excerpt: Howard Stern on the Beatles and Ed Sheeran". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  15. "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  16. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction". The New York Times. May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  17. Ruggieri, Melissa (May 14, 2019). "Book review: 'Howard Stern Comes Again' cements his legacy as ace interviewer". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  18. Callahan, Maureen (May 15, 2019). "Howard Stern proves he hasn't really changed at all". The New York Post. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
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