Calling all authors — time to exceed Age of Conversation!

Votebutton Yup, you heard it here.  We want to make our second book even bigger and better than Age of Conversation.  No small task.  But we’re confident that together, we can do it!

A year ago, we hadn’t even conceived The Age of Conversation.  (Read about its creation) So Gavin and I are feeling pretty good about this early jump.  Here’s the skinny.

If you want to be an author for The Age of Conversation’s kissing cousin (our 2008 version), e-mail me and say you’re in.

We’ll get into a lot more detail in a week or so — but for now, here are some basic rules for authorship:

  • You will sign over all rights to your chapter
  • You understand that all proceeds of the book will be donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity
  • You will promote the book, throughout the process, on your blog if you have one
  • You’ll embrace the cooperative, collaborative spirit that defined Age of Conversation
  • You’ll honor deadlines so Drew does not have to be a nag
  • You’ll honor word counts so Gavin doesn’t have to be a nag

But what’s the topic, you ask?  Ahhh, here’s a new twist for 2008.  In the true spirit of collaboration, we’re going to decide together.

Your choices are:

  • Marketing Manifesto
  • Why Don’t People Get It?
  • My Marketing Tragedy (and what I learned)

You’ll note that we were purposefully vague to leave the authors plenty of room for interpretation and the readers plenty of variety.

To vote….the one and only way is via our SurveyMonkey survey:  Click Here to take survey

You DO NOT need to be an author or potential author to vote.  We want everyone’s take on this year’s topic.

We’ll close down the survey at the end of the day January 31st, February 3rd, so help us get out the vote.

Please help us make this an incredible experience and book of value.  Point to this post.  Talk it up.  Join us.  I think the Age authors will tell you — it was well worth their time and talents.

UPDATE:  Thanks to everyone who voted and who has stepped up to be an author.  We have now closed the survey and have a full roster of authors.  We’ll be announcing both within a week!

51 comments on “Calling all authors — time to exceed Age of Conversation!

  1. Sounds great! The topics are yes, a bit vague…but perhaps good too, since with a single topic the common themes and expressions could tend to become trite.
    I look forward to it πŸ™‚

  2. Hey Drew,

    Fantastic news! I respond “present” to the call, with great pleasure. Let’s move things forward. Thank you for the boost. Here also if you need help. : )

  3. Bobbo says:

    Madness never sleeps, eh, Drew? πŸ™‚ Thanks for sounding the bell! Onward!

  4. Karl Long says:

    Sounds great, my only request is please please please don’t do “why don’t people get it?”.

    My only other suggestion is how do we make this more conversational? the last book was actually 100+ monologues. Is a book really the best format, or could this be done as multiple formats? how can we build something that might grow and evolve over time?

    Just some thoughts, keep up the good work πŸ™‚

  5. Glad to see the two of you got the energy for another round. (There’s usually a ton of behind the scenes work that nobody every sees.)

    My suggestion: (this may sound flippant, but it’s serious) Last year’s theme was about conversation. Why not have this year’s be deal with things we should keep to ourselves or be silent about. It would be interesting to hear what deeply held beliefs people would only reluctantly discuss.

    Also: how about a different charity recipient?

    My two cents. Good luck!

  6. Drew,
    Sorry to double comment here… but this perspective is really insightful. Re-reading the second topic I thought about : “How can we help the skeptical get it?”, or how can conversation have an impact on reality. In other words this book could be like a focus or transition guide : “From Conversation to Action”.

  7. Drew, thanks for letting us know about this next edition. I would be very interested in helping write a chapter. I’ll email you this eveningβ€”meanwhile, please consider this post to be evidence that I’m interested, and I’ll fill out the survey. πŸ™‚

  8. Well, you are certainly a glutton for punishment, but Round 1 was so much fun…why not Round 2?

    One of the most interesting “reads” is a story, so I’d lean toward the third topic, though it might be interesting to allow authors to write on either tragic failures, or colossal successes (maybe even moderate successes) – it’s nice to provide learning from both perspectives.

  9. Mack Collier says:

    Couple of questions/thoughts:

    1 – Are we still doing a ‘Bum Rush the Charts’ for The Age of Conversation when it goes to Amazon?

    2 – So are you wanting this new project to be Age of Conversation – 2008? I think the main appeal of AoC was that it had never really been done before. We’d never really had 100+ bloggers come together to write a book. Sounds like this new effort is going to do the same thing again. IMO, that really hurts the ‘unique’ quality of the first AoC.

    And I agree with Roger, what about a different charity? Nothing against Variety at all, a very worthy recipient.

  10. David Armano says:

    You guys are gluttons for punishment. πŸ˜‰

    OK, Here’s an idea. How about this for a topic:

    The Accidental Marketer

    I think the title speaks for itself.

  11. This is a great project, I hereby declare my interest in participating.
    >David Armano, great idea for the topic. Not everyone realizes that everything is marketing, all the time.

  12. Nathan Snell says:

    I would love to participate again, especially since this time around I will have many more ample opportunities to get involved.

    @Karl Long: I second the idea of making it more conversational in some form. Making it as living a document as possible.

    What of opening more communication lines. If we pulled David’s thought, and I am just throwing the idea out there (the logistics of it may be too great) it could be neat to actually take skeptic questions from company CMO/etc and create a conversational book around that.

  13. Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm, participation and ideas. Rest assured — as always, Gavin and I will take into consideration all of your input.

    As you can imagine, Age (and now this book) was a huge undertaking — with countless hours. So we certainly want to learn from our virgin efforts and improve upon Age where we can — but please understand that we also have to be practical about what we can accomplish without losing our jobs or families.

    Be sure to vote for one of the three theme options in the survey, even if you suggested or liked one of the other suggestions. That way, no matter what we decide — you’ve had your say.

    As for the Bum’s Rush — we’re going to pull the trigger on that as soon as we work out the trouble with Amazon. So it will be several months ahead of the release of #2.

    Again — thanks for jumping on board!

    Drew

  14. Scott Monty says:

    You don’t need to ask twice – I’m in! But has nearly a year passed already? Wow.

  15. Truth be told — with getting a bit of an earlier jump, Gavin and I are hoping for a kinder, slower pace for the two editors in chief!

    But yes…it’s been over 9 months since we announced the project. Time flies!

    Drew

  16. Count me in! I only hope I can contribute in a valuable way.

  17. Hello Drew & Gavin: Congrats on announcing AOC 2.0. I can’t wait to be part of the adventure. πŸ™‚
    Arun

  18. CK says:

    You guys are tireless. It’s like we’re producing the Encyclopedia Brittanica of Marketing 2.0 through….2000.0? Love it!

  19. Shaping Youth is absolutely onboard, I’ll blog it soon! Also agree w/Karl on the ‘living book’ conversation. Maybe core AOC authors could write the first volume, then readers ‘add to it’ with their own chapters to create a Volume2 via open source blog, (eventually compiling it for resale) until the topic runs out of steam?

    Works well w/your #3 idea (mktg. tragedy/triumphs) as it’s a universal story starter.

    Here’s an e.g. of a lulu living book/nonprofit doing this. Topic? Stormy social seas of the schoolyard. (everyone can relate on some level) Here’s their link: http://canisitwithyou.blogspot.com/

    Thanks as always for your leadership & go power, and hey, I’ll toss our nonprofit into the hat for a beneficiary!! Shaping Youth is a 501c3 doing TONS of kids’ programs, why not support our own co-authors, eh?

  20. Glad to be a part for the second volume – my vote? Why People Don’t Get It!

  21. Sonia Simone says:

    Very exciting, can’t wait to hear more.

    You’re not calling for votes here, but in the interest of conversation, I find the manifesto most compelling as I really think this is the moment to show people how to take action.

    I (personally) wouldn’t get too hung up on why people don’t get it–put forth the action we can all take to make it more “gettable.” It’s less ephemeral and has greater long-term value.

  22. Janet Green says:

    Drew, Gavin, and all – I’m so glad this project is continuing on! I am no longer “marketing blogging,” but I am still blogging in several places so I would love to participate again. I will be honest, I LOVE the idea of making it an interactive/living document to some extend. The most obvious way to do that would be make the publication a blog – only each chapter would be a page instead of a post, so that every chapter would appear equally in the sidebar. (Or, they could be posts and all be linked from a single page rather than the sidebar… something to keep any from being more prominent, and to give all a chance for equal viewing.)

    Anyway, my real question this time is, are we seeking more than 100 authors, or still looking for about that many?

    Janet

  23. Drew, count me in! How exciting and energizing. You and Gavin rock big time. Happy 2008!

  24. Jon Burg says:

    Hey guys, I’m in!

    As for the book topic, I was thinking that this book may be best served by breaking it up into three sections, each on a different but related topic. In this manner you may be able to avoid repetition while giving bloggers a broader range of topics to write about, be it any of the three topics, or how they relate to one another (which would serve as intermediary sections between the three title sections).

    Personally, I would like this book to be about:
    1) Marketing Manifesto
    2) The evolution of change in business models
    3) Life in the fast lane – personal anecdotes and reflections on living, breathing and working in an ever-evolving industry.

    Looking forward!

  25. Tim Jackson says:

    I’m SO in on this thing (again)… just try and stop me.

    My vote goes for “Why don’t people get it” or “Marketing Manifesto”. However, I’m totally into whatever the majority wants- I’m honored to be involved again… assuming I make this year’s team!

  26. Sacrum says:

    I’m still feeling as though I is poorly so I say no this time. The Kaiser – he my boss – say yes this time.

    I send you all warmness.

    Sacrum.

  27. Dan Schawbel says:

    Drew, I’m in and just emailed you.

  28. Thanks everyone for jumping on board!

    A reminder — a vote via e-mail or in the comments section will not be counted. Please click on the link in the post and vote via surveymonkey!

    Thanks,

    Drew

  29. Phil Osborne says:

    I am a late adopter in the sense of this particular thread of conversation so these comments may have surfaced elsewhere…

    1. I voted for Marketing Manifesto mainly because ‘people do get it’. Its not people individually but ‘organisations’ that don’t get it, een when you talk to people in organisatiosn that don’t get it, the individuals do…

    2. why copyright and not creative commons?

    Anyhow great concept, and I’m in whatever the iteration…

    keep inspiring

    Phil

  30. Rob Mortimer says:

    Happy to be involved if you would like me to!

  31. Sean Howard says:

    Woot!

    I’m in.

    And, wow, someone raised Sacrum from the dead. That must have cost a pretty penny… πŸ˜‰

  32. Hi Drew, fantastic news that it’s on again. I’m certainly in again too. I can only imagine what an undertaking it was the last time around so if there is an opportunity to assist, let me know.
    Cheers,
    David

  33. Hey everyone….be sure to:

    E-mail me if you’d like to author a chapter.

    Vote by clicking the link in the post.

    It’s the only way we can be sure we don’t miss anyone!

    Thanks,

    Drew

  34. Sean,

    I keep telling you — do not doubt Gavin’s powers. He is nowhere near as mortal as you might think!

    Drew

  35. gemma says:

    Building on Karl Long’s comment, how about including some kind of conversation element so that those of us who don’t feel up to the challenge of contributing a whole chapter can still get involved?

  36. Drew, I am in. Wished I was in on the last one. Not sure why I wasn’t!

  37. Just back from India – I’m so excited to see this and will share it soon.

  38. Robyn says:

    Hi Drew, I’ve already posted a blog to share with readers! Wow, it’s great to be aboard. Thanks for all the work you and Gavin do to make Age of Conversation great!

  39. How about the following topics: “evolution of advertising” and “A new brand of creative”

  40. Reg Adkins says:

    Hello Drew,
    I’m Reg Adkins. I followed your call for authors link here from Sandy Renshaw’s site.

    If your panel isn’t full, I’d like to contribute to the “Why Don’t People Get It?” section of your book.

    I’ve been working in human behavior (especially maladaptive behaviors) for 20+ years and would love to share my perspective.

    I’ve written a section in Ted Demopoulos book (Page 90 on Adsense).

    If it’s not too late, I’d love to send you something.

    Thanks,
    Reg of http://www.elementaltruths.com

  41. Hope things are progressing well on the book. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help!

    (In case you missed it I’m excited and impatient!)

  42. Wayne,

    We’re pretty pumped about it too. We’re trying to wrestle through a couple issues surrounding the topic selection.

    Please be patient with us — we’re juggling all of this with our jobs and families, so sometimes it is a little slower going than we’d like.

    But it’s coming soon!

    Drew

  43. ::digs into his emergency supply of patience.::

    Am I the only one who notices the irony in the silence surrounding the Age of *Conversation*? πŸ˜‰

    The offer still stands. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. (With the book. I’ve got a family of my own!)

  44. Wayne,

    Send some of that stash over my way! I can always use a little more patience!

    Believe me, this little lull of silence will be drowned out with activity, e-mails, discussions and keyboards tapping very soon. You will long for these days in a few months!!

    Drew

  45. Chris,

    We’re scrambling to compile the master (HUGE!) list of authors and sorting out some sub topics under the topic. Sit tight…more to come hopefully later this week.

    Drew

  46. Sam Huleatt says:

    I have created a hashtag on Twitter called #ageofconversation2. I would love to start following fellow authors. Simply send a Tweet to @squasher98 reference the hashtag and I’ll follow you

  47. Jeremy Gregg says:

    Sounds like a great project! Would love to help any way I can.

    Jeremy Gregg, Editor
    The Raiser’s Razor
    http://theraiser.blogspot.com/

  48. Jeremy,

    Thanks — we’d love to have you help us promote the book once it’s all done.

    Drew

  49. My only other suggestion is how do we make this more conversational? the last book was actually 100+ monologues. Is a book really the best format, or could this be done as multiple formats? how can we build something that might grow and evolve over time?

  50. I respond “present” to the call, with great pleasure. Let’s move things forward. Thank you for the boost.

  51. I voted for Marketing Manifesto mainly because ‘people do get it’. Its not people individually but ‘organisations’ that don’t get it, een when you talk to people in organisatiosn that don’t get it.

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