Dear Graduate is now published by Clarkson Potter!

I will admit we didn't tell a lot of people about this over the last few months as this was all coming together. My skeptical side didn't quite believe it and I was waiting until our book was available through Clarkson Potter and Penguin Random House before I would share the news! 🥳 🥳 🥳

Dear Graduate book was an idea inspired by conversations I was having with my children, Adacie McEnerney and Declan McEnerney, about how to decide what to do with one's life as they were graduating college and high school. Instead of asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" the book asks, "What will you do?" It turns out that leads to a lot more questions—29 in all—that would give a graduate (or anyone, really), some good food for thought.

After spending a couple of years printing and marketing the book ourselves, we kept hearing good feedback on it and had distributed it to more than 300 indie book shops and gift shops across the US. A big shout out also to Uncommon Goods for including us in their gift catalog, to Allsorted for distributing copies in the UK and Ireland, and to Faire for selling out of copies to gift shops and bookstores in 2024.

We were looking for an agent who could represent the book and pitch to publishers. I found InkWell Management, LLC and saw a photo of Kristin van Ogtrop, who, as Editor in Chief at Real Simple , I had worked with while at GBH (along with Jamie Haines, Nancy B., Dustin Smith, Kate Hathaway Weeks, and Bailey Snyder) on a Real Simple TV series for PBS.

Kristin had become a literary agent and we sent her a copy of the book, curious to see what she might think of the idea. She liked it and knew an editor at Clarkson Potter she thought might like it, too. They both saw the potential and Adam Larson and I are truly excited to work with them on bringing the book to many more retailers on April 29th, just in time for graduation season!

Thanks to everyone who read the book and gave us feedback and to Natalie Jackvony for her help along the way!

If you have any graduates in your life or know people who do, please let them know about the book. It can be pre-ordered on many sites–—and you can always ask your local book or gift shop to order it. If you see it out in the wild, please take a photo and send our way. 😎

Adam and I are looking forward to what's ahead and can't wait for more graduates to read it and hopefully help them as they take their next step forward in life.

Thank you.

First, we have to say congratulations to the graduate(s) in your life! We hope the ceremony was beautiful, the speeches were inspiring, the party full of laughter, and the dinner delicious at every bite.

Second, we’d like to say thank you! We had this idea last winter, worked on it and had it printed, and put it out into the world, and ever since we have been hearing positive feedback from so many! 

You took a chance and bought a book from two strangers, or maybe you know us and supported us through a purchase. Either way, we can’t quite fully explain how much your support means to us. 

Another amazing part of this experience has been working with more than 25 indie booksellers and gift shops across the country, from New England to as far away as Gilbert, Arizona! Each time we heard from another shop that wanted to carry copies, it was further affirmation that we were onto something meaningful. 

It’s been a real treat to hear stories about the gifting aspect of the book and what kind of response it elicited. Photos are also welcome, and we’ll only share with your permission. Or share online and use the hashtag #deargraduatebook so we can find them there, too. A photo of the graduate in our life is below! 

Should you (or your graduate) care to leave us a review on our site (on Amazonor your favorite book reading app, e.g., GoodReads, etc.), that would be greatly appreciated. Or leave comment on our site and we’ll add them to our growing Reviews page.

We’re working on another new project, which has evolved as organically as “Dear Graduate” did. It’s titled “Dear Citizen” and it’s about a very different topic that has long been important to us: campaign finance reform and political corruption. We are hoping to spark some conversations about how we can all come together to address some of America’s political issues.

We’re working towards a print version this fall. In the meantime, you can read an early, still-evolving edition of it at dearcitizenbook.com. Check it out and let us know your thoughts if you'd like. 

We hope that the graduate in your life was inspired by “Dear Graduate.” And we hope it continues to move them, helping to navigate their life to find satisfaction, pride, and happiness in whatever they do. 

Thank you again and we hope you have a great summer! 

—Charles McEnerney & Adam Larson

Where “Dear Graduate” Came From

Sometime last fall I kept thinking about the question we’ve long asked children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

We all go through school, taking classes and tests and trying to be good at as many things as possible. We might have counselors or be fortunate with a mentor or a parent that has the time and energy to guide you.

But I kept returning to the idea that maybe the question should be, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” 

It probably had something to do with that moment in time in a pandemic, in thinking about my two kids (now 21 and 18) and their futures and talking with them about how to choose a career that is a passion that can bring them pride and satisfaction. And I’m sure it had something to do with another in a long line of my own mid-life crises. 

It also connected with a cultural feeling I've had, the sense that a lot of people look down on other people because of the type of work they do, but also seeing how during a pandemic it took a lot of very different skills and abilities to keep the world spinning. Early on I could see how all some were getting to stay home on laptops while other whole industries were working even harder to keep us all going, from healthcare to teachers to food service. 

I wrote down some ideas quickly, then shared with my partner Adam, who was moved while reading it. 

We started to discuss the book as a whole and then each page, and what a reader would take away from the book. Adam helped to write, rewrite, and fine tune the language. We talked about what it should look like visually. 

Should it be illustrated, or should we put the questions out there plainly and let the reader visualize their own version? Adam is a brilliant designer (you’ll have to look at his website to see what he can really do), but we both loved the simplicity of color and text. 

Then, we started sharing the book with people and they each had strong emotional reactions. And it has led to a lot of conversation, and people saying, “I wish someone had asked me what I wanted to do…” 

We also found readers thought it would be impactful for graduates of every age, from elementary, middle, or high school—and even kindergarten or college.  

So, this is something of an accidental project that has taken on a life of its own and now has entered the world, hopefully helping graduates think deliberately about some of their road ahead. 

We've printed hardcover copies and we’re marketing the book online. We're also doing some guerrilla distribution to book stores, gift shops, and toy stores. If you have a favorite you recommend we reach out to, please let us know below.

You can see the whole book for free and to purchase over here. 

You can also purchase the book on Amazon, Etsy, and Ebay. It’s the perfect gift for a graduate this spring or beyond. 

We would love to hear your thoughts on it after reading it online as well!