Rick Rubin's 'timeless classic' signed by Canongate

Canongate has landed Grammy-winning music producer Rick Rubin’s debut non-fiction book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. 

The publisher acquired world rights, excluding North America, to the title at auction. Canongate chief executive officer Jamie Byng negotiated the deal with Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, who was co-agenting the book on behalf of Doug Abrams at Idea Architects. Canongate will publish in the UK and Commonwealth, excluding Canada, as well as handling all translation rights, and plans to launch the book in early 2023 in close partnership with Penguin Press in North America, where Scott Moyers has acquired.  

“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art," Rubin said. "Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.”  

Rubin founded Def Jam Recordings and, from 2007 to 2013, was co-chair of Columbia Records, the largest record company in the world, revamping its artist roster and helping transition from the traditional record business to the digital era. He is the winner of nine Grammys and has also received Spotify’s Legendary Genius Award, the Recording Academy’s President’s Merit Award and the David Lynch Foundation’s Lifetime of Harmony Award. 

He has collaborated with artists including the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Tom Petty, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Adele, Slayer, Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey, Kanye West and Black Sabbath, among others.  

"The musicians he has worked with describe his ability to develop a relationship of comfort and mutual trust that helps them access their deepest wellsprings of creativity and discover the music they wish to make, rather than manufacturing it," the synopsis reads.

"The Creative Act: A Way of Being is Rick’s distillation – seven years in the making – of the principles of creativity for creators of all kinds, including people in their everyday lives. In our world where creativity and innovation are more important than ever, everyone is engaged in the creative. It gives revelatory insight into the mysterious process of making stuff great; and it represents the sum total of Rick’s personal artistic observations, with the intention of supporting generations of creators all across the culture."  

Byng said: “Rick’s reputation as an innovative and bold producer is formidable but he is also a visionary thinker, and this wise, generous, and meditative book looks set to establish him on the world stage as an inspirational writer. During his long career working with dozens of brilliant musicians on many seminal records, Rubin has helped artists to unlock their creative potential and harness their talents. 

"His recognition and appreciation of living as an inherently creative act provides the starting point for this wide-ranging work that already reads like a timeless classic. I could not be more excited that Canongate will be helping to launch The Creative Act into the world and to be doing so with Scott and the Penguin Press team in New York.”