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A Year of Nothing

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Pub Date Jan 22 2026 | Archive Date Mar 15 2026

Description

Foreword by JULIA CAMERON, author of THE ARTIST’S WAY

As heard on BBC Woman's Hour

After years of writing about work, wellness and productivity, Emma Gannon hit a wall: chronic burnout left her unable to get out of bed. Something had to change.

A Year of Nothing follows Emma’s quiet rebellion against the cult of doing. Over four seasons, she steps away from the noise and rediscovers joy in life’s simplest pleasures, from dog borrowing and dopamine dressing to relearning how to swim and embracing a child-free life.

This is a gentle, hopeful guide to what happens when you stop trying to fix everything and choose to feel instead.

'A Year of Nothing is a memoir, focusing on time spent doing nothing following a period of burnout: joys of slowing down, the beauty of cold water swimming, the power of slow news - and learning to say "no".' - Radio Times

'Emma Gannon's honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness to be vulnerable lays out a path for her readers to follow.' - Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way

Emma Gannon is the Sunday Times bestselling author of eight books, including A Year of Nothing and Olive, her debut novel, which was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel, Table for One, published in 2025 with HarperCollins. Emma also runs the popular Substack newsletter, ‘The Hyphen’, which has thousands of paid subscribers. She also hosts creativity retreats all over the world and was a judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.


Foreword by JULIA CAMERON, author of THE ARTIST’S WAY

As heard on BBC Woman's Hour

After years of writing about work, wellness and productivity, Emma Gannon hit a wall: chronic burnout left her unable...


Advance Praise

'A Year of Nothing is a memoir, focusing on time spent doing nothing following a period of burnout: joys of slowing down, the beauty of cold water swimming, the power of slow news - and learning to say "no".' - Radio Times

'Emma Gannon's honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness to be vulnerable lays out a path for her readers to follow.' - Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way

'The new bible for thirty- to forty-year-olds.' - ELLE Italy

'[Gannon] is determined to carry the lessons from her burnout, and her recovery, into a slower, more spacious life.' - BBC Culture

'You might imagine that escaping from your everyday life would involve relocating to a Hebridean croft or attending a series of rejuvenating retreats. But, according to Emma Gannon's new book project, A Year of Nothing, it could be as simple as staying at home.' - The Guardian

'Gannon explores what she learnt from her "burnout buffer".' - ELLE UK

'A book showing us how to recharge in smaller ways when taking time out isn't always possible.' - BBC Woman's Hour

'A candid account of Gannon's descent into that year of profound loss of self, personal reckoning and reclamation.' - The Good Life Project Podcast

'A Year of Nothing is a memoir, focusing on time spent doing nothing following a period of burnout: joys of slowing down, the beauty of cold water swimming, the power of slow news - and learning to...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781917523585
PRICE 11.99
PAGES 120

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