Updates on A Path to Manhood
Some important milestones for my upcoming title, due early 2025
Good morning and happy Saturday! First, before anything else, I have to say it:
Go Bills.
There. Now, I’d like to share some updates about the publication progress for A Path to Manhood: Encouragement and Advice for Young Men. The book is scheduled for release in February 2025, with pre-orders available starting late November.
The book’s origins
As many of you know, I’ve been working on this thing for about six years. Most of my writing has been fiction. I realized around 2018 that many years of coaching, teaching, and mentoring teenage guys and young men had yielded a cache of material that I could probably mine selectively to offer something useful to that demographic, as well as to their parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors.
Like most projects, it started too broad. I found myself writing about everything under the sun, trying to say something about everything. The result was an incoherent mess, arranged more or less haphazardly within an overarching theme of pursuing moral virtue. Sounds like fun, right? Surely a page-turner for young guys, a demographic known for their enthusiastic reading habits.
Furthermore, I had an absolutely stunning title in store for these eager scholars: Aiming for Arete. It is quite possible that some of you are raising your eyebrows right now and wondering, “What the hell is arete?”
Exactly.
Yeah, so that’s why we didn’t go with that. First, (just so you have some trivia to discuss at your next philosophical roundtable), arete is a word from Ancient Greek. It’s a concept that means—basically—moral excellence, embodied in the physical world by the sharp ridge of a mountaintop. If you get that, you understand the title.
But.
To paraphrase the wisdom of my agent Sheryl, as confirmed by several prospective publishers: It wasn’t going to work.
I pushed back: It doesn’t matter! It sounds cool and it’s intriguing!
Still not going to work, the Voices of the Industry said.
But I’ll explain it in the first few pages! On the FIRST page!
No, they said. If you have to explain a title, it’s a bad title.
I stewed about it for a while. Then relented. I thought long and hard. I went back to the basics, and came up with a title that says what it means and means what it says. This—among many other reasons—is why authors have agents.
The cover
It’s the most visible part of any book, and without one, a work still feels abstract. Ever since we nailed down the design, the project has felt much more alive. Covers are tricky territory. It’s easy to overdo it; it’s tempting to try to do too much with a cover. Holding the line takes discipline—and it takes a professional with a keen understanding of visual aesthetics. Color, intensity, proportion, ratios, balance…it all works together, and for that you need a visual artist.
Fortunately, I know a guy.
Not every writer enjoys the privilege of having a sibling who is a professional artist and cover designer. My brother David has done all five of my book covers, and after he wraps up the finishing touches on this one, we’re planning to do an interview post about that collaborative process between writer and illustrator. Meanwhile, here’s the draft design:
Interior design
The manuscript has been finalized, and we’ve moved on to digital typesetting. This means I’m in conversation with the publisher about interior design elements like fonts, layout, and margins. It’s pretty invigorating, because that’s the kind of stuff that signals it’s getting real.
When you open a book you’re delving into a designed aesthetic. And if the interior designers have done their job, you don’t really notice it—you just get immersed in it. Just as a cover must present an initial impression, the interior elements need to create and sustain a visual environment that matches the genre, tone, and authorial voice. For A Path to Manhood, we’re aiming for a look and feel that echoes the cover. Straightforward, not overdone, a quiet steadiness that lasts the duration.
Foreword by Luke Russert
I wrote about this already in more detail in another post, but I’ll say it again: Luke Russert’s enthusiastic support has been a major boon to the book’s progress. Not only has he offered a great blurb that will show up in promotional stuff, but he’s penned the foreword. I can’t thank him enough for the genuine praise and heartfelt reflections that will kickstart the reading experience. It’s amazing how just a few brief pages—a concise warmup from someone else’s perspective—can expand a book’s horizons for the reader.
Advance reviews
As a book is gearing up for release, it’s already being circulated among a selected group of advance reviewers—media outlets, popular personalities, literary organizations, libraries, and other authors in the same sphere.
I’m really grateful for the support the book has earned so far. Here’s a sampling:
“A Path to Manhood is a valuable guide for young men coming of age in a culture struggling to understand authentic masculinity. Cumbo masters the art and science of ‘tough love,’ blending wisdom and wit to challenge and encourage the readers. A go-to for young guys, as well as their parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors.” – Michael Gurian, New York Times bestselling author of Saving Our Sons
“It’s no secret that boys are falling behind in today’s America, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A Path to Manhood is a quick-paced, engaging read full of relatable vulnerability, critical thinking, and robust explanations of the universal values that truly matter. Paul Cumbo provides a masterful blueprint for raising and engaging the ‘emerging men’ of today for tomorrow.” - Luke Russert, Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of Look For Me There
“A Path to Manhood offers a wealth of deep insight, no-nonsense advice and genuine encouragement for today’s adolescent boys and young men. It’s a compact, readable book that covers a surprising amount of ground, from self-discipline to spirituality. Paul Cumbo couples wisdom with good-natured humor, and his expertise from more than two decades working with this demographic shines through. But, even more importantly, so too does the patient, unassuming, encouraging voice of a true teacher.” - James Martin, SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
“With clarity, candor, and gentleness, Cumbo offers wise and down-to-earth counsel to young men navigating the unpredictable, challenging and joy-filled paths of adolescence and young adulthood. His counsel is not preachy, but comes from a place of deep respect, care and concern. A Path to Manhood is also a must-read for any educator or parent entrusted with the care of young men.” - Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ, Author of The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life and Seeing with the Heart: A Guide to Navigating Life’s Adventures
“Written with a desire to ease the hearts and minds of young men and those who care for them, A Path to Manhood addresses an array of challenges faced by boys and young men today. Paul Cumbo intertwines the wisdom gained through his own life’s journey with research across an array of pertinent fields in this timely, well-informed exploration of positive masculinity.” Ann Holmquist, PhD - Vice President for Mission, Loyola High School of Los Angeles
“Paul Cumbo has offered a great service to anyone involved in the adventure of raising boys--as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, or mentors. A Path to Manhood will offer dozens of conversation starters, inviting young men to think about the building blocks of a good life. Get a copy for yourself and another copy as a birthday or graduation gift for him!” - Tim Muldoon, Professor at Boston College and author of Living Against the Grain
What’s next?
We’ll be continuing to gather advance reviews over the next several months as we finalize interior design elements and the book goes through several rounds of proofreading. We’re aiming to make it available for pre-order starting in mid-to-late November.
Before you go: I want to take a quick moment to thank those of you who support my work through a paid subscription. If you’re a free subscriber and are enjoying what you’re reading, I humbly ask that you consider upgrading to paid subscription. It’s $5 a month or $50 for the year. You’ll have full access to everything I post, including some new work (e.g., some new short stories) that I plan to post soon for paid subscribers only. Thanks!