Apparently, it was Frank Norris who coined the phrase “I hate writing, but I love having written.” And for that, Frank Norris is my spirit animal.
Or kinda. There’s a lot about writing I do love. I love the plotting and planning, I love filling endless notebooks with handwritten ideas and snippets of dialogue, I love editing, and re-editing.
Really what I hate is typing. Going from a blank Word document to the first draft, with all the inherent risk that the idea in my head and in those notebooks falls flat on the page. Agony.
But having written? Hitting SAVE for the last time and sending it to my publisher? Fucking bliss.
And it is from that state of mind that I’m writing to you today. Because, after almost two years of work, the next book IS WRITTEN.
Just a quick update today to remind you that THE CONFESSIONS is out today in paperback with this fantastic new cover…
I think this is my favorite cover of any of my books, and not just because it has the words NATIONAL BESTSELLER at the top. The team at Atria absolutely nailed it.
For the benefit of new readers(hello!), The Confessions is my most recent novel, which I typically describe as “an AI thriller for people who would rather poke their eyes out than read an AI thriller.”
A better summary might be:
LLIAM is the world’s most powerful supercomputer, built to make the toughest decisions for its users. Where to work, who to marry, and even who should live or die. But when LLIAM suddenly goes offline with no explanation, the world is thrust into chaos, paralyzed by indecision. Stocks plummet, stores are shuttered, planes sit grounded on runways as humanity scrambles to re-adapt to an uncertain, analog world.
Then the first letters arrive…on every continent, in every language, mysterious envelopes arrive in the mail, exposing people’s darkest secrets, and most shocking crimes. All beginning with the same chilling words: “We must confess.”
With millions of people suddenly made to confront their past transgressions, and society fast unraveling, CEO Kaitlan Goss must track down the only person who can help undo the resulting violent chaos: Maud Brookes, an ex-nun who taught LLIAM what it means to be human. But when Maud receives a letter herself, revealing Kaitlan’s own unforgivable sin, the two women are forced into a deadly game of deceit as the world teeters on the brink.”
Which fortunately is the description the publisher actually used.
I heard the news about Tony Hsieh last night by text message. The latest in a years-long string of texts about Tony, sent by various mutual friends in Las Vegas.
Tony just bought the Ferguson Hotel.
Tony is turning Zappos into a Holacracy.
Tony is starting an airline.
Tony just turned Ferguson into a Airstream trailer park.
Hi, I’m Paul Bradley Carr, the USA Today bestselling author of THE CONFESSIONS, 1414° etc etc.
Before switching to fiction, I was the Silicon Valley columnist for The Guardian, senior editor at TechCrunch, co-founder of PandoDaily and founder and editor-in-chief of the infamous NSFWCORP in Las Vegas.
This is my “official” website where I publish things that nobody in their right mind would pay for.
“A terrifying window into the future.” – NEW YORK TIMES (BEST SUMMER THRILLERS)
“A superb and timely thriller grounded in relatable issues and horrifyingly plausible.” – THE GUARDIAN (BEST THRILLERS OF 2025)
“A top-notch technothriller, reminiscent of the best of Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy.” – LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Not since Michael Crichton entertained and thrilled readers with science-driven novels like Sphere and Jurassic Park has there been anything this frightfully fun.” – LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW)
“Hair-raising… With winning irreverence and a trunkful of surprises, Carr shrewdly grounds his apocalyptic premise in a human-scale drama.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“[An] alarming thriller… but it is the ideas that Paul Bradley Carr explores that make the novel so impressive.” – LITERARY REVIEW
“Required reading.” – NEW YORK POST
“Fans of Michael Crichton… will be hooked.” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
“Daring, exciting, and utterly unpredictable.” – KATHY WANG, AUTHOR OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME
BLURBS
“For a “For a cautionary tale, everyone cites Paul Bradley Carr.” – THE SUNDAY TIMES
“Uproarious and brilliant.” – WIRED
“One of the feistiest writers on the beat.” – THE GUARDIAN
“Not afraid of fucking with power” – ZDNet
“One of my favorite writers.” – KARA SWISHER
“Completely addictive reading.” – THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
“There is no keener observer of Silicon Valley sociopaths than Paul Bradley Carr.” – YASHA LEVINE, AUTHOR, SURVEILLANCE VALLEY
“A true Silicon Valley insider who would definitely know.” – KATHY WANG, AUTHOR, IMPOSTER SYNDROME
“Infamous in Silicon Valley. A real muckraker.” – ANDREW KEEN, AUTHOR, HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE
“Commenting on Paul Carr is beneath my dignity. He’s absurd.” – MATT TAIBBI
“I really don’t like Paul Carr.” – SAM ALTMAN, OPENAI
