Wiley acquires Zahner’s social media critique
Wiley has acquired world rights to Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies by Alexis Zahner.
Drawing on the author’s own experience as well as psychological research and cultural critique, Real asks: “When identity becomes content, metrics replace meaning, and connection drives consumerism, what does it take to feel real again?”
“Real is the first book to fuse millennial-native humour with rigorous psychology,” said the publisher, “translating what research reveals about digital life into something practical and impossible to ignore”. “Where other books lecture about screen time, Alexis Zahner meets you phone in hand, offering a roadmap to reclaim who you are before the algorithm decides for you.”
Commissioning editor Jordon Lott said, “We all know that our addiction to social media is a problem, yet no one has found a real solution. […] What sets this book apart is its refusal to lecture from the outside. Alexis writes as a recovering tech addict, blending satirical wit with evidence-based frameworks. She doesn’t ask readers to quit social media – she teaches them to understand why they scroll, compare and perform, then offers practical tools for reclaiming identity and autonomy.”
Zahner said, “This book was the result of an existential crisis – a period in my life and career where I felt the burning need to answer 2 questions: Who am I? And what do I want to contribute to the world in this lifetime? In trying to answer both, I found I couldn’t, because I couldn’t decide between what really mattered to me and what was simply the influence of social media.
Zahner is an author, business psychology professional and communicator focused on the intersection of human behaviour, technology and modern work. She is a contributing author to Fast Company and Harvard Business Review and a former journalist with Fairfax Media Group. She also hosts the Live + Work More Human podcast, where she interviews leading thinkers on leadership, wellbeing and modern work.
Wiley plans to publish Real on 30 September.
Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions
