Turtles All the Way Down: announcement and publication of John's novel (2017)

project history · status: completed · last event: milestone (2019-06-11) · last mentioned: 2026-07-07

John announced his novel Turtles All the Way Down in June 2017 and it came out on 10 October 2017; it spent many weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was named a best book of the year by many outlets, with a paperback following in June 2019.

Told alongside: The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011)

About: Turtles All the Way Down

date	event	what	video
2017-06-22	announced	John announces he has written a book, Turtles All the Way Down, out October 10 and available for pre-order now.	My New Book 00:00:02
2017-07-25	looked back	John says that when he began the book that became Turtles All the Way Down he wanted to give form and expression to the experience of living inside thought spirals.	What OCD Is Like (for Me) 00:02:55
2017-08-15	milestone	John reveals the Rodrigo Corral cover of Turtles All the Way Down and reads the final manuscript before it goes to the printer tomorrow.	Very Hard to Desclibe 00:00:01
2017-08-29	milestone	John says the 200,000 signed sheets are now at the printer in Virginia being bound into copies of Turtles All the Way Down.	40 00:02:34
2017-09-05	milestone	John says this video is him reading the first chapter of Turtles All the Way Down.	John Reads the First Chapter of Turtles All the Way Down 00:00:02
2017-09-12	milestone	John says Turtles All the Way Down will be translated into Spanish and other languages, and shows the Spanish cover.	How Will the World End? Why Even Get Out of Bed? It's Question Tuesday. 00:02:53
2017-10-10	outcome	On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, from a New York City hotel floor, John announces Turtles All the Way Down is out in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries.	Turtles All the Way Down!!! A Reunion Video 00:00:00
2017-10-17	milestone	Turtles All the Way Down has reached number one on Amazon's bestseller list.	Look at Tiny Baby Hank 00:01:23
2017-11-07	milestone	John says the book has been number one on the New York Times bestseller list for three straight weeks, and thanks everybody.	Definitely Not A Pecan Orchard: A Pizzamas Question Tuesday 00:00:38
2017-11-09	looked back	The months before Turtles All the Way Down came out were difficult for John: overwhelmed by worry about its reception, the tour and publicity, and how to talk about his own mental illness.	The New Zealand Five Cent Coin 00:00:04
2017-11-28	milestone	In a mock-casual aside, John notes that Turtles All the Way Down is in bookstores everywhere and the New York Times just named it one of its favorite books of the year. (playful)	Let's Talk about Money 00:00:40
2017-12-05	milestone	John thanks everyone who has made Turtles All the Way Down a No. 1 New York Times bestseller for seven weeks straight.	On the Movies 00:03:28
2017-12-22	milestone	Turtles All the Way Down was named a best book of the year by twelve outlets including The New York Times, Time, NPR and Booklist, and is in bookstores.	Christmas Questions Answered (With Katherine and Hank) 00:02:17
2018-11-20	milestone	Turtles All the Way Down reached its 52nd consecutive week on the New York Times bestseller list.	Cause for Celebration 00:01:56
2019-04-23	looked back	John still likes the title Turtles All the Way Down, though it is slightly confusing for a book not about turtles but kind of about a different reptile.	untitled 00:01:27
2019-06-11	milestone	The Turtles All the Way Down paperback is published today in the US: cheaper than the hardcover, softer cover, a Q&A at the back and a couple of typos fixed.	Why I Haven't Written a New Book 00:00:16
2019-09-10	looked back	John says a Raymond Pettibon painting, when he first saw it, ended up taking over his novel Turtles All the Way Down.	Another Contender in the Room 00:01:27
2019-10-15	looked back	John did not make the show, but remembers waiting for Turtles All the Way Down reviews two years ago with constant nausea, so he is happy and relieved for its makers.	I'm Having a Lot of Feelings 00:00:58
2019-12-17	looked back	Stuck on the ending after a sleepless night, John called Sarah in tears; she suggested a time jump, and he wrote the last 15 pages in one go, joyfully, for Aza and himself.	The Best Days of My Decade 00:02:02
2020-01-21	looked back	John says that without that gift he might not have written Turtles All the Way Down. (hedged)	Gifts That Changed My Life 00:00:58
2020-02-11	looked back	In 2017, after exercising five or six days a week for 100 days, John could run seven or eight miles, slept better, his mental illness had improved dramatically, and he wrote much of Turtles All the Way Down.	1,100 Days: A Mental and Physical Health Update 00:00:00
2020-06-16 (said on 2020-06-07, implied)	looked back	In a comment John says the river is where he got some Turtles All the Way Down ideas: north of Wallet Island Aza and Daisy visit Davis Pickett's property, and their river island is one he calls Aza Island.	a cool place creator comment
2020-09-01	looked back	John says, as he discussed on the latest podcast episode, the three years since Turtles All the Way Down was published have been long and at times very challenging.	get the show on 00:03:24
2021-05-25	looked back	After a month touring for Turtles All the Way Down, published October 2017, John came home to Indianapolis and blazed a trail from his children's treehouse to the office, or shed, where he and his wife work.	The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated 00:00:00
2026-03-31	looked back	It is John's first novel in nine years: almost nine years have passed since Turtles All the Way Down came out.	I've Been Keeping a Secret… 00:00:00
2026-07-07	looked back	In Turtles All the Way Down John tried to accept the problem and talked about his own OCD alongside the character's, which made him feel squeamish.	On the Death of the Author 00:04:25

Dates are upload dates, which set the order. Where the speaker gives a different recording date in the video, it is added as "said on YYYY-MM-DD, implied" (derived from the date said in the video).

What is said about it

19 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).

2017-06-22 · My New Book — announcement: John: Amazon and Barnes & Noble have sold through their allocations of signed copies of Turtles All the Way Down; unsigned copies can still be pre-ordered there. — video description · also in: UNBOXING, Signing 200,000 Autographs
2017-06-23 · Reviewing Musicals from their Wikipedia Pages — Hank congratulates John on Turtles All the Way Down, saying he is really proud of him and very excited for it. — 00:03:44
2017-06-27 · UNBOXING — announcement: John will sign at least 200,000 copies of the book, hopefully slightly more. (hedged) — 00:01:08
2017-06-27 · UNBOXING — announcement: John: Asked whether all pre-orders of Turtles All the Way Down will be signed, John says clearly no. — 00:01:13
2017-06-27 · UNBOXING — announcement: John: Turtles All the Way Down has two ISBNs, one for signed books; bookstores, Target and Amazon will all have signed copies, and ordering that ISBN gives the best chance of a signature at no extra cost. — 00:02:08
2017-07-11 · Signing 200,000 Autographs — announcement: John: Turtles All the Way Down will be published on October 10th, so it has to be printed somewhat in advance. — 00:00:23
2017-09-05 · John Reads the First Chapter of Turtles All the Way Down — announcement: John says all you need to know is that the story is narrated by a 16-year-old girl named Aza Holmes. (hedged) — 00:00:06
2017-09-29 · What's This Video About? — Hank: Asked what Turtles All the Way Down is about, Hank thinks of its themes: relationships with people whose brains have problems, understanding people who experience the world differently, amid dramatic inequality. — 00:02:55
2017-09-29 · What's This Video About? — Hank says the book's plot is great too, very interesting and kept him hooked throughout. — 00:02:58
2017-09-29 · What's This Video About? — Hank is really proud of John and his book and can't wait for others to read it. — 00:03:52
2017-10-03 · Let's Talk about Books — announcement: John's new book, Turtles All the Way Down, comes out in exactly one week. — 00:00:00
2017-10-03 · Let's Talk about Books — announcement: John: In one week Turtles will be out and the brothers on tour; Nerdfighters can find out more at turtlesallthewaydownbook.com. — 00:02:56
2017-10-06 · The World's Largest Fruits — Hank tells John to be at peace: he will be fine, his book is great and people will love it. — 00:03:34
2017-10-10 · Turtles All the Way Down!!! A Reunion Video — recommendation: John points readers to a New York Times story about his own mental illness and the writing of the book, and quotes Booklist's starred review calling it challenging but richly rewarding and his most mature work. — video description
2017-10-10 · Turtles All the Way Down!!! A Reunion Video — announcement: John: Recording a later insert, John shares generous reviews: the Wall Street Journal called it tender, wise and hopeful, the New York Times wrenching and revelatory; Booklist and SLJ gave starred reviews. — 00:01:04
2017-11-09 · The New Zealand Five Cent Coin — announcement: John notes that tuatara play a role in his new book. — 00:00:23
2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — John: At a dead end, John asked Tuataria, the sleuthing community born of his and Rosianna's scavenger hunt before Turtles All the Way Down, to verify his findings and find the pictures. — 00:01:56
2021-05-25 · The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated — John: People assumed John shared his protagonists' worldviews or questioned him as if he were the protagonist; a famous interviewer asked whether he, like the narrator of Turtles All the Way Down, had panic attacks when kissing. — 00:02:29
2026-03-31 · I've Been Keeping a Secret… — John did not write it mainly in the last year: he has been working on Hollywood, Ending (with a comma in the title) since finishing Turtles All the Way Down. — 00:00:29