Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Samuel Johnson once said, "No man but a blockhead would write, except for money." I'm about to flout that wisdom with a FREE book offer.


Clearly, Mr. Johnson would not approve of my FREE e-book promotion for JESTERS' DANCE available at https://www.amazon.com/author/rbrucewalker

 

But here’s the deal. Just under a year ago I published my very entertaining, albeit black-humored novel about the advertising business.

While not exactly a roman à clef, it captured the soullessness of my nearly 25 years experience as a copywriter, creative director and senior executive with several leading agencies.

It is fiction of course. Names changed to protect the few innocents that I have encountered in the business -- a remarkably short list, I might add.

Imagine three agencies locked in mortal combat to win a coveted pharma account with the client who has organized the review teetering on the very edge of sanity.

Okay, so not much imagination is required. Still, it’s a rollicking tale with plenty of twists and turns, and a couple of nice little surprises at the end.

Big Celebrity Endorsements

Ken Roman, the former Chairman & CEO of Ogilvy likened it to “ … the gin and vermouth of an adman’s martini …  its wit served up dry.”

Former McCann Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Sean Fitzpatrick, offered his own generous praise. “Finally, an advertising novel that’s actually about advertising. I’m jealous.”

Arlene Dickinson, President of one of Canada’s hottest independent shops was even more encouraging. “If you like Mad Men, you’re going to love JESTERS’ DANCE.”

The result of all this adulation? Not much. I’ve sold a thousand books or so, impressed family and friends, and managed the kind of catharsis that few admen ever survive long enough to achieve.

But you know what? I’m not at all satisfied with my market penetration. Not by a long shot.

The Death of a Dream?

I penned my little labor of love … all 440 pages of it … with big dreams of launching a second career as a novelist. Grand dreams, in fact. The kind I used to reserve for the night before awards shows.

And while I stopped short of purchasing a villa in Provence ala Peter Mayle, I just assumed that it was only a matter of time before I would be the newest old darling of the e-publishing world.

But sadly, it hasn’t happened … yet.

And that’s where you all come in. Apparently, the key to success in the brave new world of electronic publishing and book selling is social networking; the digital dance; the old binary two-step, as it were.

And, in that regard, I have come up woefully short. But all of that is about to change … with your kind assistance.

I am hoping you might help me get the book in the hands of everyone you know who truly loves or is curious about the business.

And I’m hoping to make it very easy to do this.

Jesters’ Dance Available FREE for Two Days only.

That’s right, I’m giving away my e-book absolutely free -- Mr. Johnson’s observation about blockheadedness notwithstanding.

The weary instructor who taught me copywriting way back when once said that FREE was the most powerful word in advertising. I might have even repeated this tired old trope a few times myself.

But June 27th and June 28th, I intend to test whether this trusted adage remains true. You see I intend to give away JESTERS’ DANCE away FREE to anybody who is willing to go to https://www.amazon.com/author/rbrucewalker and download it.

Just scroll to the JESTERS’ DANCE cover. Make sure that the Kindle price is showing as $0.00 and order the e-book. It is downloadable to any Kindle-enabled e-reader, computer, tablet or smart phone.

I want to give away FREE books until the server at Amazon.com is giving off steam. Or smelling vaguely of a potential electrical fire.

Please Let Me Give You My Book

Why would I do this? Let’s just call it my gift to you. And, to some extent, that’s truly what it is … an early Independence Day present with absolutely no strings attached.

The benefit to me? Perhaps it will earn me a brief turn on the Amazon Indie bestseller list … plus the satisfaction of knowing that there might be a platform for my future work.

Go ahead click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/author/rbrucewalker. It will take you directly to Amazon where there might even be a handsome, very author-like looking photo of me.

Better still, if you could text … tweet … re-tweet … or otherwise launch this link into your universe, I would be forever in your debt.

Who knows? It might even make for a fairly interesting case study on the power of social marketing in the early portion of the second post-millennial decade.

And seriously, I really do hope you'll enjoy the read. That’s the discussion that I would like to start with this group.

Has anyone else out there attempted to capture the full horror and majesty of the business in a novel lately?


Sincerely,
R. Bruce Walker


R. Bruce Walker is a former Senior Vice President with Ogilvy & Mather West and was Executive Creative Director at Venture Communications. He has been a copywriter and group head, respectively, with two BBDO-owned agencies. He is the author of two novels -- JESTERS’ DANCE and the recently released eco-thriller, THE LAST CANARY. You can read more about his work at www.rbrucewalker.com  

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