#248 ‒ OUTLIVE book: A behind-the-scenes look into the writing of this book, motivation, main themes, and more

42 snips

Mar 28, 2023

Bill Gifford, co-author of 'Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,' joins Peter to share insights from the book's six-year writing journey. They discuss the evolution of the book, key themes of longevity and health, and the importance of making science accessible. Gifford reveals the creative process behind the book cover design and the challenges of translating complex ideas for readers. They also explore exciting advancements in cancer treatment and the future of personalized medicine, all while reflecting on their personal experiences throughout the project.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Book Genesis

Peter Attia's book, "Outlive," took over six years to write and publish.
The podcast aided the book's development by forcing Attia to learn and translate complex science.

INSIGHT

Science and Art

The subtitle emphasizes the science-first approach to longevity.
Art becomes crucial for human application due to complexities.

ANECDOTE

Cover Design

Peter Attia's book cover design was a stressful process.
Co-author Bill Gifford insisted on hiring Rodrigo Corral, leading to a successful cover.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Order OUTLIVE

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode

Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content

After more than six years of research, planning, and writing, Peter’s book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, is officially available as of March 28th. In this episode, Peter sits down with co-author Bill Gifford to provide a behind-the-scenes look into the writing process, including the motivation for making it happen, how the book evolved over the course of the writing process, and why certain topics were chosen (and omitted). Additionally, they discuss how the book is structured and touch on a few of the book’s main themes to give potential readers an idea of what they can expect.

We discuss:

The meaning of the book’s title and subtitle [3:00];
Finding the right art for the book cover [9:00];
Who is Bill Gifford, and how did he get involved in the book? [16:15];
How Peter’s writing evolved over the six years it took to write this book [25:00];
The structure of the book and what people can expect to learn [29:00];
How the writing of the book and the podcast interviews have shaped Peter’s thinking and approach to translating science [32:45];
Making the book stand the test of time despite the constant evolution of science and medicine [36:00];
Objective, strategy, and tactics [39:30];
Exciting possible progressions in science and medicine over the next decade [42:15];
What is holding back “medicine 3.0” from being the norm? [46:00];
How the book compares to the podcast in terms of technicality and readability for the layman [49:00];
Motivation to write the book and insights into challenges around the writing process [57:15];
Peter’s decision to be the reader for the audiobook [1:10:30];
The many painstaking last-minute changes and edits that brought the book together and made it better [1:19:00];
Peter and Bill’s favorite parts of the book [1:27:30];
The incredible team of people supporting the book [1:31:30]; and
More.

Connect With Peter on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube