DK triumphs in three-way auction for Ali’s ‘hilarious’ debut

DK has won I’m Rich, You’re Poor: How To Give Social Media A Reality Check by chemistry teacher turned comedian Shabaz Ali.

Editorial director for DK Life Elizabeth Neep acquired world rights from agent Nora Millar at The Millar Agency and will publish the book simultaneously in the UK and US in March 2024.

The publisher says Ali, also named as “the Robin Hood of TikTok” by Forbes Magazine, has garnered a “huge, dedicated audience of over three million combined followers, which he delights with his comical take downs of social media’s ridiculously rich and those who package and present their ‘perfect’ lives online.”

In the book, he discusses all aspects of daily life (eating, dating, working) and the distance between their presentation online and the reality of how “the rest of us” live. Drawing on stories from his own life and those of his fans, he hopes to “help readers find the joy in our own often very normal and penny-pinched lives".

Ali said: “I wrote this book to remind people of how extraordinary it is to be ordinary, to take pride in the lives we have and laugh at social media instead of comparing ourselves to it. Anyone who spends time there knows that the perfect lives we see can make us feel imperfect, that all the exclusivity and wealth can make the rest of us feel excluded, that we are less.

“I wanted this book to change that. If we are all excluded from a life of online perfection, then we are a community. We may be a cheap, sweaty, messy one but at least we can laugh at ourselves and the show that people are putting on online. I have been shocked and pleasantly surprised at many points in the creation of this book. I was shocked by the buzz this idea created across the publishing world, and the auction that followed. I was pleasantly surprised that through it I met the perfect team for my book, DK.

“I always wanted to find someone who loved the idea as much as I did, and in Elizabeth and her team I found just the people I was looking for. I am excited for the release next year, and the start of a movement which helps us all to feel pride in what we have instead of looking over our shoulders or into our phones at what we don’t.“

Neep said: “Shabaz and his book are a breath of fresh air. As well as being genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, this book will prompt you to fall more in love with the only – sometimes extremely ordinary – life you have. It’s just the tonic we need for these trying times and I can’t wait for his fans and future readers to get their hands on it.”