Funny, conversational, and relatable, Try Hard is for anyone looking to make sense of their own creative pursuit or bring more creativity into their life, offering a framework for how to do it and where to begin.

Let’s say you see a familiar musician from a globe-trotting, touring band hanging out at your local coffee shop, reading the newspaper and typing away on his laptop. This doesn’t look like a musician at work. He seems approachable enough, so you ask him what exactly he does all day. With a grin on his face, he admits the job might not be what you think. So you take a seat, and ask him every question you’ve ever had about how it all works: the nuts and bolts of writing a song, preparing for a show, marketing a band, and the day-to-day business of a creative life.

With each answer—none of it about talent—you realize this musician is a bit of a…try hard. And the mystery of being a creative person isn’t actually mysterious at all: it’s just exploring ideas with an enthusiastic and determined curiosity. Over and over.

Max is that musician in the coffee shop, and this is what reading Try Hard feels like: one-of-a-kind tales from a dynamic frontman, and a companion to your own creative work in progress. With a brick-by-brick attitude, Max explores his own growth in the craft of storytelling and performance, the pleasure to be found in collaboration, and the creative spirit required in sharing your art.

Max Kerman's profile page

MAX KERMAN is the frontman of the multiplatinum, award-winning touring band Arkells. Try Hard is his first book.

“Try Hard is a sharp, sincere guide to forging a life in the arts—a playbook for any kind of creative looking for a spark. With effortless charm and rare candor, Max Kerman hammers out a refreshingly honest book about his journey from ambitious college kid to fearless frontman of Arkells, excavating the ups and downs of a career in music with grace and humility most in his position have long since lost. He may be a “try hard,” but it takes real hustle to win in this world and he’s written a guide for how you can too.” —Tegan Quin, of multiplatinum duo Tegan and Sara and bestselling co-author of High School