Cry Till You Laugh — The Part That Ain't Art

Although music has been Terri Hendrix's primary artistic output through most of her career, her "Goatnotes" newsletters have long proven her to be equally adept at expressing herself via the written word. That side of the artist was fully revealed in "Cry Till You Laugh — The Part That Ain't Art," the combination essay collection/music-industry survival guide that she released in December 2010. As a trailblazing independent artist who lives by the motto “Own Your Own Universe,” Hendrix has spent two decades juggling both her art (making music out of life) and everything that goes into maintaining a “DIY” music career. So it’s only fitting that the award-winning singer-songwriter’s first book is two books in one: part companion piece to her latest album, "Cry Till You Laugh," with lyrics, photos and essays linked to the songs on the record, and part how-to guide for going-your-own way in the music business (that's "The Part That Ain't Art"). The essays dance from “cry” to “laugh” and back again, touching candidly on everything from hilarious road stories and stage-fright jitters to poignant matters of the heart and her life-long battle with epilepsy. It may sound like a crazy mix, but as any fan of Terri Hendrix’s music can attest to, that’s Terri … to a “T.” The book has been warmly received by both fans and critics alike, with the Austin American Statesman calling it "equal parts spiritual and practical, honest, funny, useful, revelatory and moving." Once she sold out of the first-edition run of 1,000 copies (within a mere six months after the book's release), Hendrix dove back into the original manuscript, revising and updating much of the "Part That Ain't Art" section, and also adding a handful of brand new essays. The second edition was released on Oct. 11, 2011.