Year of Nothing

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.

'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.' 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