Post by Fuck Yeah Dion on Jun 8, 2011 22:07:04 GMT -5
Every generation has a few moments that define it. The hippies had Woodstock. Generation X had the premier of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I don’t know what you’d call someone who came of age in the 80’s (probably tacky, amirite?), but they had the fall of the Berlin Wall. For my generation, the Millennials (or Generation Y, or whatever buzzword is most popular right now), our first defining moment came on September 11th, 2001. Although many of us hadn’t even hit puberty yet, we can still remember the days following the event: intense patriotism, a general feeling of optimism, togetherness, and forty American flags on every front porch.
Fast forward to 2011, and I’m sitting on my bed watching CNN one Sunday night. We’ve jut captured and killed Osama Bin Laden. I should be happy, but I’m not. I just keep thinking about those early post-9/11 days. The feelings of optimism have long since given way to general anxiety and fear, and our country is now only “together” in the sense that we all still share a continent, and I know plenty of people who would change that if they could. We’re all sad, scared, and angry, and no one seems quite sure what it is that’s frightening, depressing, and enraging us.
POLITICS could be the defining work of this highly political time American history. The book follows Dion ----, a liberal progressive writer with an unsure future, as he attempts to resolve his political passions with his personal ones, even when he can barely tell the difference between the two. He’s in love with a Republican, but can’t figure out why; his mother is a bleeding-heart liberal, but also an evangelical Christian; and, to top it all off, he must decide on a future career within a few short months, even though he’s not sure whether he should follow his heart into politics, or his brain into teaching. All at once a political guide to our fractured country, a work of cultural criticism, and the memoir of one young man trying to find his place in it all, POLITICS is the perfect book for my generation. It is full of witticisms about our culture and our lives, self-righteous passion coupled with practical knowledge, and, most importantly, it is funny at all costs.
POLITICS has several potential audiences. Obviously, the political-minded members of Generation Y will have an interest in reading a book that claims to represent their voice. They would be the core audience. Whether they love it or think it’s the ramblings of a communist who drinks too much, they’ll still talk about it, setting up potential for large word-of-mouth promotion. Plus, there’s always a market for works of cultural criticism, as evidenced by the success of writers like Chuck Klosterman The book will also be of interest to those heavily involved in the world of politics. Political journalists, analysts, campaign managers, and even politicians would read to book in hopes of better understanding the mindset of the political youth. It wouldn’t much surprise me to see a top political figure walking to his private jet with a copy of POLITICS under his arm.
As a member of that political youth, I feel as I’m a perfect representative of the highly complex, at times contradictory, mindsets of my generation. I’m a Millennial in every sense of the word. I have been heavily involved in politics since I was fourteen, advocating for my favorite candidates with near obnoxious levels of zeal. I currently publish three different blogs on politics, each with its own special purpose. These blogs attract a readership of over five hundred per day. As a nonfiction writer, I have won the Marjorie S. Blankenship Melton Creative Writing Award in Nonfiction, as well as the Queen’s University of Charlotte Freshman Writing Award for Personal Narrative. My fiction work has appeared in several independent literary magazines including The Six Sentences Anthology, Dew on the Kedzu, Thumb Smudge Java, Down in the Dirt, and Flash Party. The editorials I’ve published in my school’s newspaper have garnered me the reputation of a bit of a campus firebrand, sparking discussions throughout the student body. I say all that to say this: My writing is entertaining, accessible, and I know how to make people passionate about what I’ve created, regardless of whether or not they agree with me.
POLITICS is comparable to Jon Stewart’s works NAKED PICTURES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE and AMERICA (THE BOOK). Stewart’s style of funneling politics into concise writing meant to appeal to young people is similar to what my book attempts to do. AMERICA (THE BOOK)’s audio version won a Grammy award for Best Comedy Album, and the book itself won Publisher Weekly’s Book of the Year Award. However, Jon Stewart’s book is a bit more bogged down in its concept of being a parody of a high school civics textbook. Also, Jon Stewart and his writers are fairly far-removed from Generation Y, as most are nearing fifty year old. By including the narrative aspect to my book, I’ve crafted a work that appeals to the same market Jon Stewart does, but is easier to relate to, and thus, more accessible. Similarly, Stephen Colbert’s I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU) has captured this market, spending fourteen weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and its audio version being nominated for a Grammy. Like Stewart, however, Colbert’s book is bogged down with conceptualization. The narrative aspect of my book makes it akin to Dave Egger’s A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS, a massively successful memoir. Still, my book differs from Eggers’ work because POLITICS has very clear ideological intentions, but since I take a tongue-in-cheek approach to it, my book is more light-hearted and easily digestible.
To promote this book, one would have to go where the target markets go. The people who’ll be buying the book first (the first wave, if you will, or as I like to call them, “the trendsetters”) don’t pay much attention to traditional outlets. The Huffington Post and The Onion would be great starting points for advertisement. If I were set in a position where I could write a contributing piece or editorial for some political sites like the aforementioned Huffington Post or even CNN Politics, that would be enough to garner some real interest. Like I said, I know how to write in a way that inflames people. If I can get a chance to have an editorial on a major political site, I guarantee it will be intensely shared, promoting my name, and thus, the book.
Also, an interview with Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert would be incredibly beneficial. Again, I know how to self-promote through my writing, but I am also an intensely charismatic person who’s comfortable and funny when placed in front of crowds. That opens up a huge array of promotion not just through interviews, but through lectures as well. I’m prepared to drop everything and tour the country giving speeches to high school civics classes or collegiate political science classes. My book is entertainment (ideological self-righteous entertainment, but entertainment nonetheless), so the best method of promotion is to allow me to entertain people. Get me on TV to talk about any subject in politics. Put my head in one of those little squares the cable news stations use for round table debate (note: I look best in upper-left hand squares). I am prepared to participate with the necessary staff to manage these kinds of engagements, and if this book is accepted by a publishing house, I would definitely plan to use some of that advance (if there is one) to hire said staff.
Best yet, by representing this book, you have the opportunity to take part in the creation of a brand. If this books hits shelves and is successful, I then become the foremost authority on politics and youth in this country, a title that comes with the benefit of being the person someone would go to if they wanted to capture a youth demographic, and everyone wants a youth demographic. I could write a book on a different subject every few years and each one would be successful due to what will be a continued growth in influence and popularity. Additional books means additional interviews, which means additional publicity and success, leading to continued sales. Best case scenarios could include me founding an entire magazine about politics aimed at youth culture, and it’s not unimaginable that if some network decides they want to create a program to compete with The Daily Show, they’d want someone like me to host it. Am I dreaming big here? Yes, but that is how confident I am in the book I’m creating, in the message I have, and in my ability to make it as successful as possible.
Of course, with a book like this, I can’t really say exactly what will be in it. Since it’s a memoir that also follows a developing political race, it will change and develop on its way to completion, but below, I have attached a rough chapter outline. Again, it’s difficult to attach a narrative to one’s life, but as of now, this is the course the book is on. I’ve also attached the first two chapters of the book. I believe these sections demonstrate the narrative style, the political leanings, and my sense of humor, which is what holds the whole book together. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it, and see the financial and artistic potential this project possesses. If not, I will be disappointed, but undeterred. This book is the beginning of something huge, and it’s not right for you, I would appreciate being directed toward someone who might take interest in it, if it’s not too much trouble. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Dion ----
Fast forward to 2011, and I’m sitting on my bed watching CNN one Sunday night. We’ve jut captured and killed Osama Bin Laden. I should be happy, but I’m not. I just keep thinking about those early post-9/11 days. The feelings of optimism have long since given way to general anxiety and fear, and our country is now only “together” in the sense that we all still share a continent, and I know plenty of people who would change that if they could. We’re all sad, scared, and angry, and no one seems quite sure what it is that’s frightening, depressing, and enraging us.
POLITICS could be the defining work of this highly political time American history. The book follows Dion ----, a liberal progressive writer with an unsure future, as he attempts to resolve his political passions with his personal ones, even when he can barely tell the difference between the two. He’s in love with a Republican, but can’t figure out why; his mother is a bleeding-heart liberal, but also an evangelical Christian; and, to top it all off, he must decide on a future career within a few short months, even though he’s not sure whether he should follow his heart into politics, or his brain into teaching. All at once a political guide to our fractured country, a work of cultural criticism, and the memoir of one young man trying to find his place in it all, POLITICS is the perfect book for my generation. It is full of witticisms about our culture and our lives, self-righteous passion coupled with practical knowledge, and, most importantly, it is funny at all costs.
POLITICS has several potential audiences. Obviously, the political-minded members of Generation Y will have an interest in reading a book that claims to represent their voice. They would be the core audience. Whether they love it or think it’s the ramblings of a communist who drinks too much, they’ll still talk about it, setting up potential for large word-of-mouth promotion. Plus, there’s always a market for works of cultural criticism, as evidenced by the success of writers like Chuck Klosterman The book will also be of interest to those heavily involved in the world of politics. Political journalists, analysts, campaign managers, and even politicians would read to book in hopes of better understanding the mindset of the political youth. It wouldn’t much surprise me to see a top political figure walking to his private jet with a copy of POLITICS under his arm.
As a member of that political youth, I feel as I’m a perfect representative of the highly complex, at times contradictory, mindsets of my generation. I’m a Millennial in every sense of the word. I have been heavily involved in politics since I was fourteen, advocating for my favorite candidates with near obnoxious levels of zeal. I currently publish three different blogs on politics, each with its own special purpose. These blogs attract a readership of over five hundred per day. As a nonfiction writer, I have won the Marjorie S. Blankenship Melton Creative Writing Award in Nonfiction, as well as the Queen’s University of Charlotte Freshman Writing Award for Personal Narrative. My fiction work has appeared in several independent literary magazines including The Six Sentences Anthology, Dew on the Kedzu, Thumb Smudge Java, Down in the Dirt, and Flash Party. The editorials I’ve published in my school’s newspaper have garnered me the reputation of a bit of a campus firebrand, sparking discussions throughout the student body. I say all that to say this: My writing is entertaining, accessible, and I know how to make people passionate about what I’ve created, regardless of whether or not they agree with me.
POLITICS is comparable to Jon Stewart’s works NAKED PICTURES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE and AMERICA (THE BOOK). Stewart’s style of funneling politics into concise writing meant to appeal to young people is similar to what my book attempts to do. AMERICA (THE BOOK)’s audio version won a Grammy award for Best Comedy Album, and the book itself won Publisher Weekly’s Book of the Year Award. However, Jon Stewart’s book is a bit more bogged down in its concept of being a parody of a high school civics textbook. Also, Jon Stewart and his writers are fairly far-removed from Generation Y, as most are nearing fifty year old. By including the narrative aspect to my book, I’ve crafted a work that appeals to the same market Jon Stewart does, but is easier to relate to, and thus, more accessible. Similarly, Stephen Colbert’s I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU) has captured this market, spending fourteen weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and its audio version being nominated for a Grammy. Like Stewart, however, Colbert’s book is bogged down with conceptualization. The narrative aspect of my book makes it akin to Dave Egger’s A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS, a massively successful memoir. Still, my book differs from Eggers’ work because POLITICS has very clear ideological intentions, but since I take a tongue-in-cheek approach to it, my book is more light-hearted and easily digestible.
To promote this book, one would have to go where the target markets go. The people who’ll be buying the book first (the first wave, if you will, or as I like to call them, “the trendsetters”) don’t pay much attention to traditional outlets. The Huffington Post and The Onion would be great starting points for advertisement. If I were set in a position where I could write a contributing piece or editorial for some political sites like the aforementioned Huffington Post or even CNN Politics, that would be enough to garner some real interest. Like I said, I know how to write in a way that inflames people. If I can get a chance to have an editorial on a major political site, I guarantee it will be intensely shared, promoting my name, and thus, the book.
Also, an interview with Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert would be incredibly beneficial. Again, I know how to self-promote through my writing, but I am also an intensely charismatic person who’s comfortable and funny when placed in front of crowds. That opens up a huge array of promotion not just through interviews, but through lectures as well. I’m prepared to drop everything and tour the country giving speeches to high school civics classes or collegiate political science classes. My book is entertainment (ideological self-righteous entertainment, but entertainment nonetheless), so the best method of promotion is to allow me to entertain people. Get me on TV to talk about any subject in politics. Put my head in one of those little squares the cable news stations use for round table debate (note: I look best in upper-left hand squares). I am prepared to participate with the necessary staff to manage these kinds of engagements, and if this book is accepted by a publishing house, I would definitely plan to use some of that advance (if there is one) to hire said staff.
Best yet, by representing this book, you have the opportunity to take part in the creation of a brand. If this books hits shelves and is successful, I then become the foremost authority on politics and youth in this country, a title that comes with the benefit of being the person someone would go to if they wanted to capture a youth demographic, and everyone wants a youth demographic. I could write a book on a different subject every few years and each one would be successful due to what will be a continued growth in influence and popularity. Additional books means additional interviews, which means additional publicity and success, leading to continued sales. Best case scenarios could include me founding an entire magazine about politics aimed at youth culture, and it’s not unimaginable that if some network decides they want to create a program to compete with The Daily Show, they’d want someone like me to host it. Am I dreaming big here? Yes, but that is how confident I am in the book I’m creating, in the message I have, and in my ability to make it as successful as possible.
Of course, with a book like this, I can’t really say exactly what will be in it. Since it’s a memoir that also follows a developing political race, it will change and develop on its way to completion, but below, I have attached a rough chapter outline. Again, it’s difficult to attach a narrative to one’s life, but as of now, this is the course the book is on. I’ve also attached the first two chapters of the book. I believe these sections demonstrate the narrative style, the political leanings, and my sense of humor, which is what holds the whole book together. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it, and see the financial and artistic potential this project possesses. If not, I will be disappointed, but undeterred. This book is the beginning of something huge, and it’s not right for you, I would appreciate being directed toward someone who might take interest in it, if it’s not too much trouble. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Dion ----
