Brandon Stanton's "Humans of New York" blog started out a simple idea -- to capture the people inhabiting the city of New York in portraits. Five years after, his photographs had gained a following of twelve million followers all over the world.
During the recent Book Con, St. Martin's Press announced that Stanton's newest "Humans of New York" book is set to be released this October 13, Publishers Weekly reports. The book, titled "Humans of New York: Stories," will feature the stories behind Stanton's portraits taken of his various subjects.
"The first book was all about the photos; it was an incredible photographic record. The next book, Stories, is different in that it reflects where HONY is today-it really goes in-depth into the stories of these people's lives. It's all about the stories," Michael Flamini of St. Martin's Press says. Flamini, who is a fan of Stanton, also serves as the book's editor.
According to the book's website, "Humans of New York: Stories" "presents a whole new group of people in stunning photographs, with a rich design and, most importantly, longer stories that delve deeper and surprise with greater candor."
"Humans of New York: Stories" marks Staton's third book release. His first book, "Humans of New York," released in 2013, features the portraits that he had taken since the early days of his blog in 2010. His follow-up, "Little Humans," published last year, shows the photographer's endearing collection of portraits of children together with the usual short narratives that accompany each photograph.
Stanton states that "the combination of intimacy and anonymity, paired with a very raw, very genuine, very honest disclosure" could be the reason behind the blog's appeal to his followers. "In a city like New York, we have very little time. Also, on social media, we tend to project a very manicured, egotistical image of ourselves. HONY tends to show people in an honest and vulnerable light," Stanton said.
Speaking to Crain's New York Business, Stanton says that his upcoming book will be more text-heavy. "The quotes and captions got longer and deeper. Humans of New York evolved from a photo blog to stories and its current form. The new book will have 10 times as much text," he said.
"I think that people are drawn to the stories. You think, 'Oh my-that could be me!' Or you see a photo that inspires you so much that you think about it-a lot. If I'm ever feeling terrible about my own life, I think of these pictures. He has a way of bringing people outside of themselves and showing what a community we all are," Flamini added.