Those who use Slack or any other communications platform at work will relate to our "GMA" Book Club pick for September, "Several People Are Typing" by Calvin Kasulke.

Kasulke’s debut novel is a fast-paced read written entirely in Slack channel messages, emojis and gifs, and is perfect for fans of "Office Space" and "Then We Came to the End."

But even if you’re unfamiliar with Slack, Kasulke assures you’ll still enjoy the book.

PHOTO: Book cover for "Several People Are Typing" by Calvin Kasulke.
Michael J. Windsor/Penguin Random House
Book cover for "Several People Are Typing" by Calvin Kasulke.

"Even though the book is written entirely in Slack chats, you don’t need to ever have used Slack or to even really know what Slack is to read this book," he told "GMA." "If you’ve ever sent a text message or DM or been in a group chat, you’re totally gonna get this."

"It’s a pretty quick read," Kasulke said about his book. "Partially because it’s written in chat form. But I’ve also been fortunate enough to hear from some readers who said they needed to read it in a single day, or some people in a single sitting because they really just wanted to know what happened and they got caught up and wanted to get to the end."

The story follows Gerald, a mid-level employee of a New York-based public relations firm. When his consciousness is uploaded into Slack and finds himself trapped in his company’s workspace, he plunges into the surprisingly expansive landscape where he finds an unlikely ally in Slackbot, Slack’s AI’s assistant, who helps him navigate his new digital reality.

Gerald also learns about his PR team’s real-world problems and how they’re in danger of snowballing out of control.

"It’s not what you expect," Kasulke said about his book. "I don’t know what comes to mind when you hear that a novel is written entirely in chat form and I’ve also heard from some readers who didn’t know if they were going to like it and didn’t know what to expect, and they wound up having a really wonderful time, and I hope you do too."

PHOTO: Calvin Kasulke, author of “Several People Are Typing,” “GMA’s” Book Club pick for September 2021
Penguin Random House, Tony Tulathimutte, ABC News Photo Illustration
Calvin Kasulke, author of “Several People Are Typing,” “GMA’s” Book Club pick for September 2021

Get started with an excerpt below, or listen to the audio excerpt here:

Audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING by CALVIN KASULKE, read by MACLEOD ANDREWS.

You can also get a copy of Kasulke’s book here:

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Several People Are Typing

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Read along with us and join the conversation all month long on our Instagram account -- GMA Book Club and #GMABookClub

Editor's Picks

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    gerald, slackbot

    gerald
    help

    slackbot
    I can help by answering simple questions about how Slack works. I’m just a bot, though! If you need more help, try our Help Center for loads of useful information about Slack.

    gerald
    uninstall

    slackbot
    I searched for that on our Help Center. Perhaps these articles will help:
    • Change your time zone
    • Manage your password

    gerald
    please help me

    slackbot
    I can help by answering simple questions about how Slack works. I’m just a bot, though!

    gerald
    uninstall self

    slackbot
    I’m sorry, I don’t understand! Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords. Or you can head to our wonderful Help Center for more assistance!

    #nyc-office

    kerolyn
    so this spreadsheet

    gerald
    yes?

    kerolyn
    was it like, special?

    gerald
    not particularly

    tripp
    what were the contents of the spreadsheet

    gerald
    does that really matter

    kerolyn
    it must
    clearly

    Nikki
    Clearly it must, for all this to have happened.

    gerald
    coats

    tripp
    no comprende

    Nikki
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coats
    Coats
    Coats may refer to [read more]

    tripp
    thank you, Nikki
    unnecessary
    but thank you

    Nikki
    You’re welcome.

    kerolyn
    explain the coats, @gerald

    gerald
    it was a spreadsheet of different winter coats that I was considering purchasing
    broken down by price, probable warmth, and other deciding factors

    tripp
    “other deciding factors”
    such as

    gerald
    Predicted Attractiveness In Coat was a factor

    tripp
    lol
    huge

    Nikki
    You built out a spreadsheet for that?

    kerolyn
    no, I get that

    gerald
    it’s a big decision, financially

    kerolyn
    it’s a big purchase
    exactly
    jinx

    gerald
    is that what you think it is, maybe? a jinx

    kerolyn
    that’s not what I meant

    gerald
    maybe you’re right though

    Nikki, pradeep, Louis C

    Nikki
    Why do we have these calls? What is he even saying?

    pradeep
    I have no idea
    I tune out whenever this dude talks
    what’s his role over there again?

    Louis C
    He’s their comms director.

    pradeep
    if they have a comms director then why did they hire us?

    Louis C
    Because he isn’t a very good comms director.

    Nikki
    You’re both missing my point. I mean, *what is he actually saying*? It sounds like he’s taking this call from the bottom of a well.

    pradeep
    if he’s been stuck in a well for a while, that might explain his grasp of like the entire internet

    Louis C
    I believe their offices are located in the greater Tampa area.

    Nikki
    Is this what Tampa sounds like?

    pradeep
    please tell me this dude didn’t just say “myspace”
    please tell me I did not just hear him say that

    Louis C
    Yes. This is what Tampa sounds like.

    #nyc-office

    kerolyn
    which channel were you going to upload a spreadsheet about coats into?

    gerald
    #gents-only

    Nikki
    You’re joking.

    gerald
    you guys made a women-only one!!

    kerolyn
    not the same

    Nikki
    Not the same.

    tripp
    why was I not invited??

    gerald
    we’re getting off-topic
    point is that’s the spreadsheet I was trying to upload when I got stuck
    and now I’m just kinda, in here

    tripp
    @gerald invite me to #gents-only

    gerald
    I’m trying to explain why I’m not in the office rn

    tripp
    @gerald invite me to #gents-only, you coward

    doug smorin
    done

    tripp
    bless u

    doug smorin
    missed a lot of messages
    someone recap for me?

    kerolyn
    gerald says he can’t come in to work today because he uploaded a spreadsheet wrong, somehow, and now he’s stuck inside slack
    or smth

    doug smorin
    what

    kerolyn
    that’s what we were investigating

    gerald
    I know it sounds like bullshit

    tripp
    should file a ticket with google suite maybe
    would be a real significant bug
    I’m checking their troubleshooting page rn and it doesn’t look like there’s a section dedicated to users getting Tron’d

    gerald
    I don’t know how to get un-stuck

    tripp
    weird that they wouldn’t include that! if it was a real thing that happened!

    doug smorin
    okay, Gerald, just work from home

    gerald
    or like, back into my body

    doug smorin
    but send an email next time
    @here FYI please send me or kerolyn an email if you need to call out
    I don’t usually look at slack if I have calls

    kerolyn
    :thumbsup:

    lydia
    omg Gerald!! sry I’m so late to this!! get well soon!!!

    gerald
    help

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