Working Titles, Volume 1

Brian Dooley

Book Summary

Working Titles, Volume 1 is a satirical collection of one-panel “book covers” that parody nonfiction publishing in all its earnest absurdity. Each page presents a fake book concept still in development—complete with a placeholder title, tagline, and visual gag—offering a layered joke that skewers everything from self-help culture to celebrity audiobook trends.

The humor spans a wide spectrum: intellectual puns, bathroom jokes, visual slapstick, raunchy innuendo, and surreal meta-commentary. Some panels feel like rejected TED Talks, others like bathroom stall graffiti with a marketing budget. It’s designed to appeal to readers across comedic tastes—whether you laugh at existential wordplay or fart jokes with footnotes.

The conceit of “working titles” is both literal and thematic. These are books that will never be published, ideas that are still in flux, and concepts that parody the way nonfiction is packaged, sold, and consumed. Titles like How to Monetize Your Inner Child (Without Talking to It) or The Five Stages of Grief, Ranked by Engagement Metrics poke fun at the contradictions baked into modern self-improvement and media culture.

Topics range from religion and holidays to mental health, marketing jargon, and the absurdity of celebrity narration. Each panel is a standalone cover, rich with design tropes and layered satire. Otto the otter, the brand’s mascot, occasionally appears as a silent observer or chaotic contributor.

Ultimately, Working Titles is a celebration of creative detours—a book about books that will never be written, and a reminder that sometimes the funniest thing about an idea is how seriously we try to sell it.