May 16, 2024
Bob Eckstein (he/him) is an award-winning illustrator, writer, and cartoonist for the New Yorker, New York Times, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian Magazine, Atlas Obscura, and many others. His Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores was a New York Times bestseller and made many ‘Best Of’ 2016 lists and continues to be an ‘Amazon Most Wished for Title’ years later. He is also the author of The History of the Snowman, The Illustrated History of the Snowman, and The Complete Book of Cat Names (That Your Cat Won't Answer to Anyway).
His work has been exhibited in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, Smithsonian Institute, The Cartoon Museum of London, and many others. Eckstein has spoke in over a 200 TV and radio shows like Good Morning America and places like NYPL, Miami Book Fair, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and The Grolier Club. He teaches writing and cartooning around the world including School of Visual Arts, New York University, Pratt Institute and Yonsei University in South Korea. His new book is Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums.
In this episode:
How Bob started his unlikely career in writing
Advice for writing stories from a different lens
Pivoting in your career to discover new forums for your work
Bob’s live drawing process and how to learn, and grow, while remaining authentic
Emerging into a state of playfulness with your work
Bob and Estelle’s actionable tips for writers
Connect with Bob:
Website: https://eckstein2.wixsite.com/mysite-1
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Footnotes-Most-Fascinating-Museums-Memorable/dp/1797224395/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bob_eckstein/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobEckstein?lang=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bobeckstein1?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.eckstein
Substack: https://thebob.substack.com
Podcast: The Cartoon Pad: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cartoon-pad/id1561378159
If you purchase Bob’s new book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums this month (May 2024), as a thanks, you will receive a free lifetime subscription to his popular humor newsletter The Bob. You need to notify him by email you bought a copy at snowmanexpert@gmail.com—he is using the honor system.
FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at
https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.
Sign up for Estelle’s Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer’s Digest on May 23
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir
Sign up for Estelle’s online Editor-on-Call Event in Partnership with NYU on June 13
“Making the Cut” with editor for The Cut, Jen Ortiz
Sign up for Estelle’s Writing Parenthood Class for NYU
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/courses/WRIT1-CE9225-writing-parenthood.html
Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Connect with Estelle:
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/
Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
Episodes mentioned on the program:
Episode #79: Being Vulnerable on the Page and Finding Empathy in Your Heart Featuring Amy Ferris
https://estelleserasmus.com/79-being-vulnerable-on-the-page-and-finding-empathy-in-your-heart/
Episode #77: Writing Personal Stories with HuffPost’s Noah Michelson
https://estelleserasmus.com/77-writing-personal-stories-with-huffpost-personals-noah-michelson/
Episode #81: The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
Estelle’s Latest Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/
What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/