Susan Cain

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Quiet, Quiet Power, and Quiet Journal

Cain, a self-described introvert, had grappled with her own introversion as a Wall Street attorney before writing Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. In contrast, she described the time of creating Quiet—seven years of reading, researching, and thinking—as "total bliss". Initially concerned that the book would be merely a "highly idiosyncratic project", she found instead that New York book publishers engaged in a bidding war. Quiet was published January 24, 2012.

Cain wrote that her year of preparation before her February 2012 TED talk had unfolded in "three stages of accelerating dread", so she joined Toastmasters and scheduled a two-hour crash course with TED's speaking coach. But saying her butterflies had turned into "gut-wrenching knots", she worked for six full days with an acting coach immediately before the talk. Three months after the talk, Cain confirmed her April 2011 prediction that the ensuing year would be her Year of Speaking Dangerously, writing that she had metamorphosed into what she termed an "impossibly oxymoronic creature: the Public Introvert". The Atlantic's Megan Garber remarked that the ideas spread by TED are becoming defined by the persona of the speaker who presents them, citing Cain in particular as representing the idea of the power of introversion in an extrovert-optimized world. Chris Weller quipped in Business Insider that Cain had become "the patron saint of introverts".

Within one week of its publication, Forbes' Jenna Goudreau noted that Quiet was featured by several major media outlets and was shared extensively across the Web, Goudreau observing that readers said they felt validated and seen for the first time. Cain spoke at leadership, management, training and education conferences throughout the U.S. and internationally. By 2015, she had delivered more than 100 speeches, sometimes receiving five figures per appearance, in addition to her pro bono work. InformationWeek's Debra Donston-Miller had noted that the idea of introversion and extroversion was being widely discussed due in large part to media coverage of Quiet.

Within a year of her first TED talk, Cain had formed an online public speaking and communication class for introverts, said to emphasize authenticity over showmanship.

She collaborates with Steelcase to design office spaces to include quiet areas where workers can have privacy for a time, in contrast to open plan offices.

In 2016, Cain co-authored Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts, which focused on introverted children and teens, the book also directed to their educators and parents.

In 2018, she began co-curating the Next Big Idea Club with Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel H. Pink, focusing on books about psychology, business, happiness, and productivity.

On March 31, 2020, Cain published Quiet Journal: Discover Your Secret Strengths and Unleash Your Inner Power, a journal with a first section directed to self-assessment, and a second section for applying that self-knowledge and prompting action.

Awards and achievements

2012, February: Quiet reached No. 4 on The New York Times Best Seller list (hardcover non-fiction category).

2012: Cain's first TED talk video received its first million views faster than any other TED video, and within nine months had entered the 98th percentile (20th of 1380 videos) of most viewed TED videos of all time.

2012, July: Nathan Heller's Culture Desk piece in The New Yorker listed Cain's talk among five key TED Talks exemplifying the appeal of that lecture series, citing her presentation of a counterintuitive data-based argument as a miniature theatre piece.

2012, November: Cain was featured in the PBS-AOL Makers video initiative for recognizing trailblazing women.

2012, December: Quiet was named in numerous "Best of 2012" book lists.

2012, December: Cain was named one of five top Princeton alumni newsmakers for 2012.

2013, February: Harvard Business Review's Mitch Joel listed Cain's TED Talk among "10 TED Talks to Help You Reimagine Your Business".

2013, April: Toastmasters International named Cain recipient of its 2013 "Golden Gavel Award", given annually to an individual distinguished in the fields of communication and leadership.

2013, September: Cain received Harvard Law School's "Celebration 60" Award.

2014, March: Cain was one of the "TED All-Stars", with Cain presenting for a second time at TED's thirtieth anniversary conference.

2014, May: Cain was listed in Inc. magazine as being among the 50 most influential leadership and management experts.

2015, Quiet had sold more than two million copies worldwide

2016, May: Quiet Power started at #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list (children's middle grade hardcover category).

2018, November: Cain was included in LinkedIn's 20 "Top Voices" of 2018, a list of "influencers driving global business conversation".

2022, April: The New York Times listed Bittersweet as #1 bestseller in both "Hardcover Nonfiction" and "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction" categories.

2023, February: Oprah Winfrey selected Bittersweet as her 99th Oprah's Book Club pick.

2024, January: "A Quiet Life in 7 Steps" was #5, then #3, audiobook on Amazon Audible.

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