THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

2011-06-29 · announcement · John · 3:35 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing · mode: Announcements · tags: self promotion, community lore

John announces that his new novel is called The Fault in Our Stars and is #1 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, promises to sign every first-printing copy, delegates the Sharpie colour to a forum poll, and opens a Great Gatsby reading with notes on the made-up epigraph and a six-chapter assignment.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Title reveal: The Fault in Our Stars, from Julius Caesar; credit to a Nerdfighter

★★★ John can finally reveal the title of his new novel: The Fault in Our Stars. — 00:00:00 · The Fault in Our Stars
★★★ The title comes from Julius Caesar's 'the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars'; John says that's easy for Shakespeare or a Roman nobleman to say, and he doesn't fully agree. (hedged) — 00:00:00
★★ John says he kind of stole the title from a Nerdfighter, Miss X. Rojas, on YouTube, and thanks Nerdfighteria. — 00:00:00 · Rosianna Halse Rojas, Nerdfighteria

00:00:29 — #1 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble; pre-order link; every first-printing copy will be signed

★★★ The Fault in Our Stars is number one on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble; John thanks everyone who pre-ordered it. — 00:00:29 · The Fault in Our Stars, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
★★ John points to the pre-order link in the doobly-doo (dft.ba/tfios), where the book costs only about $9. — 00:00:29 · The Fault in Our Stars, doobly-doo
★★★ Every pre-ordered copy of The Fault in Our Stars will be autographed: John will sign every copy of the first printing himself, by hand, probably with a Sharpie. — 00:00:29 · The Fault in Our Stars, Sharpie

00:01:10 — Sharpie colour crisis at Target; poll in Your Pants

★★ In Target's Sharpie aisle John had an existential crisis over colour: black might look fake, blue or red ostentatious, green like a pun on his name. (playful) — 00:01:10 · Sharpie
★★ John delegates the Sharpie colour to a poll in Your Pants, linked in the doobly-doo. — 00:01:10 · Sharpie, in your pants, doobly-doo

00:01:39 — Nerdfighters' TFiOS covers shown with a Sing-a-ma-jig concert; summary

★★ In the last 24 hours Nerdfighters made hundreds of covers for The Fault in Our Stars, many really good, shown to a Sing-a-ma-jig concert. — 00:01:39 · Nerdfighteria, The Fault in Our Stars

00:02:13 — Great Gatsby: the invented epigraph, 'made up and golden', the green light, lyricism; six-chapter assignment and quiz; sign-off

★★ John starts talking about The Great Gatsby today, but only its epigraph and first sentence, so no spoilers. — 00:02:13
★★ Gatsby's famous epigraph is attributed to the poet Thomas Parke D'Invilliers, who, John points out, doesn't exist. — 00:02:13
★★★ The epigraph matters because it is made up and twice says 'gold': Gatsby is essentially a book about things that are made up and/or golden. — 00:02:43
★★ Readers of The Great Gatsby should also watch anyone wearing glasses and the green light, John's favourite metaphor in any book, except maybe Holden's hunting hat. (hedged) — 00:02:43
★★ John asks readers to notice the lyricism of The Great Gatsby: its rhythm can be heard from the first sentence, which he reads. — 00:03:12
★★★ John's assignment: read the first six chapters of Gatsby within two weeks from today, and there will be a quiz. (playful) — 00:03:12

Humor (significant)

John builds up to revealing his novel's title, then notices the video's title already gave it away. — 00:00:00

“Video title? You ruined it!”
Celebrating TFiOS at number one, John reaches for his exclamation for such occasions. — 00:00:29

“I have an exclamation to use in such situa- French the Llama.”
Delegating the Sharpie colour choice, John links a poll on the Your Pants forum. — 00:01:10

“There is a link in the doobly-doo to a pole in your pants. That sounds dirty.”
After showing fans' covers to a Sing-a-ma-jig concert, John reconsiders his career. — 00:02:13

“I don't know why I spent four years writing this book when I could have just made a hit sing-a-ma-jig album.”

Threads in this video

result reported · Hank asks John to reveal the title of his new novel (June 2011) — John finally reveals the title of his new novel: The Fault in Our Stars. (00:00:00)
restate · Do people get what they deserve, or do luck and privilege decide? — Of Shakespeare's 'the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves', John says it is easy to say for a Shakespeare or a Roman nobleman, and he doesn't fully agree. (00:00:00)
milestone · The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — With its title announced, The Fault in Our Stars is number one on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble on pre-orders. (00:00:29)
callback · 'French the llama': John's misreading of FTL as an exclamation of amazement (2009) — John greets TFiOS reaching number one with his exclamation 'French the Llama'. (00:00:29)
thanks · John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John thanks everyone who has pre-ordered The Fault in Our Stars. (00:00:29)
asked · John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John points viewers to the pre-order link in the doobly-doo, dft.ba/tfios, where the book is about $9. (00:00:29)
promised · John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John commits to signing every single copy of the first printing of The Fault in Our Stars by hand, so every pre-order is autographed. (00:00:29)
asked · Nerdfighters are asked to vote in a Your Pants poll on the Sharpie colour for John's signatures of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — Unable to choose a Sharpie colour for signing, John delegates it to a poll in Your Pants linked in the doobly-doo. (00:01:10)
reminder · John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — Summarising, John repeats that the pre-order link is in the doobly-doo and all pre-orders will be signed. (00:01:39)
rule change · Blurbing Book Club 2011: group reading of The Great Gatsby — John sets the first deadline of the Great Gatsby group reading: the first six chapters within two weeks, with a quiz. (00:03:12)
reminder · Nerdfighters are asked to vote in a Your Pants poll on the Sharpie colour for John's signatures of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — John signs off reminding Hank not to forget the poll in Your Pants. (00:03:12)
reminder · John asks Nerdfighters to read The Great Gatsby with him for the Blurbing Book Club (summer 2011) — John returns to the Great Gatsby reading ('I don't know if you've started reading The Great Gatsby') and starts discussing it today, epigraph and first sentence only. (00:02:13)

Where the stories that moved here went next

Nerdfighters are asked to vote in a Your Pants poll on the Sharpie colour for John's signatures of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — reported back; last: result reported, 2011-07-27
John points viewers to pre-order The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — promotion (not a request); last: result reported, 2012-01-27
Hank asks John to reveal the title of his new novel (June 2011) — reported back; last: result reported, 2011-06-29
John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011) — kept; last: recalled, 2024-12-31
The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-22
Blurbing Book Club 2011: group reading of The Great Gatsby — past edition (2011); last: milestone, 2011-09-07

Mentioned

Central: The Fault in Our Stars · The Great Gatsby

Also: People: William Shakespeare

Projects: Your Pants (“a pole in your pants”)

Works: Julius Caesar (play)

Organizations: Amazon · Barnes & Noble · Target Corporation

Terms: doobly-doo · French the llama · in your pants (“a pole in your pants”)

Concepts: close reading

Characters: green light · Holden Caulfield · Thomas Parke D'Invilliers

Products: Sharpie · Singamajigs

Only in the description or credits: Rosianna Halse Rojas

Also centred on The Great Gatsby: Froghoppin' with Gatsby · Question Tuesday! Paula Deen Riding Me (and critical reading) · Gatsby's American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1 · The Great Gatsby: Living the Dream in the Valley of Ashes · Our Capacity for Wonder: A Review · The Best Books Get Better

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