A behind-the-scenes look at
The New Yorker
cartoon caption contest, its history, how it's judged, and the secrets to writing a winning caption
Every week, thousands of people enter
cartoon caption contest in hopes of seeing their name and caption in print. But only one person has made it to the finalists’ round an astounding fifteen times and won eight contests: Lawrence Wood, also known as the Ken Jennings of caption writing.
What's Wood's secret? What makes a caption good or bad? How do you beat the crowd? And most important, what makes a caption
funny
?
Packed with 175 of the magazine's best cartoons and featuring a foreword by Bob Mankoff, former cartoon editor of
and creator of the caption contest,
Your Caption Has Been Selected
takes you behind the scenes to learn about the contest’s history, the way it’s judged, and what it has to say about humor, creativity, and good writing. Lawrence reveals his own captioning process and shows readers how to generate the perfect string of words to get a laugh. Informative, funny, and just a little vulgar, this book will delight anyone who doesn't have a personal vendetta against the author.