Age of Conversation collaboration doesn't end with the writing

As we inch towards the official launch of the Age of Conversation tomorrow morning, I'm struck by the enormity of the project.  When Gavin and I conceived it, it was a bit of a "jump and THEN look to see if there's water in the pool" adventure.  But along the way, many people have stepped up to take on part of the load or to create a new aspect of the book.

This is my thank you note (otherwise, my mom gets very uptight) to all of them.  If I've missed someone, I apologize and would love to update my list.

The authors.  Without them, as we said in the very beginning, the book is just Gavin and myself.  While Gav's pretty entertaining and smart, I think adding the other 101 was very good thinking on our part.

Many of them have already posted about the book several times -- driving more authors in the beginning and now, more sales.

Some early buzz.  Arun Rajagopal took time to visit every author's blog and give us an introduction to their work and the person behind that work.

The dedication. Thanks to CK for allowing us to dedicate the book to her momma, a woman who understood the power and responsibility of conversations long before it was the rage.

The map.  Matt Dickman gave up a lot of free time to create a google map (it's included in the book) of all the authors' locations.

The cover. David Armano brought his vast skills to bear on capturing the essence of the book.

The printer.  Roger Anderson gave Gavin and I a "behind the scenes" tutorial on printing options and was very willing to get his hands dirty in the process.  He saved us a ton of time and heartache.

The official buzz.  One of the great things about writing a book with marketing people is there are lots of people with skills you can use.  David Reich has been a preeminent PR pro (say that 5 times fast) for years.  He wrote releases, made pitch calls, scored AdAge and other media's attention and is working with all the authors to identify who in their local market to pitch.

And of course....my biggest and deepest thanks to my friend Gavin Heaton.  He is about as rock solid of a human being as I have ever met.  He's brilliant, warm, giving and never got ruffled by any of the ruckus and workload that Age of Conversation brought along with all the good stuff.  I am honored to know and partner with him.  I lucked out.

Thanks to everyone who is a part of this in any way.  I'm honored to be in this with you.

Comments

[Arun Rajagopal]

Drew:
Participating in the AOC project was an absolute pleasure. Not only did I learn much from the conversations in the group, I've become friends with some wonderful people. I look forward to knowing the 'conversationalists' better in the days to come. Thank you for spearheading this magnificent community learning-sharing-caring initiative with Gavin.
God bless you!
p.s: I've updated the 103 author profiles and put them into a single page.
url: http://arunrajagopal.com/age-of-conversation/

[David Reich]

Drew, I am pleased and proud to be part of this project. I look forward to the many ensuing conversations the book is sure to generate.

Regards.

[Gavin Heaton]

Drew, you are such a gentleman! It has been my great pleasure to be involved in this project -- and I look forward to the day we actually get to meet up!

I would also like the thank everyone who has been involved. Not only have you all shared your ideas and energy, you have done so in support of a worthy charitable cause -- so that all our good work continues to make an impact into the future.

[Jim Kukral]

Honored to be a part of it. Thanks for all of your work.

[mindblob]

Drew,
You and Gavin do really deserve that badge on the right column of your site. "All Heart Award". Thank you!

[Robyn]

Hi Drew, what a phenomenal feat for all of you. I look forward to ordering a copy and seeing what I can learn. Thanks for all the good work you put in!

[Connie Reece]

And thanks again for the tremendous effort you and Gavin put into this project. A truly amazing collaboration, and I'm honored to be a part of it.

[Tim Jackson]

Drew, I really can't thank you enough for inviting me into this project. I am so flattered and honored... and terrified that I will look like an even bigger dork compared to the other authors... but I will live it.

You and Gavin both deserve some kind of blogging medal or something. Seriously- thank you!

[Marcus Brown]

Well done Drew. Battle well fought.

[Chris]

Gidday Drew, Just been reading about your book.
Congratulations on the launch and the bonus it will be for charity.

I have often visited the site and your motivation to do something positive in this way is a great encouragement.

[Drew McLellan]

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and your support for the Age of Conversation. The launch was nothing short of amazing.

Now, we just need to sustain the awareness and sales so we can expose as many people as possible to the remarkable authors and their thinking.

Drew

[Daniel]

Hi there Drew,

How did you develop the protocol for the collaboration?
ie, how did you avoid the 'too many cooks spoil the broth' syndrome?
Is is difficult, when you have lots of different writing styles, to make the prose flow?
How did you organise who would write what?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am fascinated in how such a project would work. The idea is brilliant, and I am very interested in logistics.
I am hoping to do a similar project with a group of particularly creative kids.

Any of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards
Daniel Jessop

[Drew McLellan]

Daniel,

Good to have you stop by -- thank you. The short answer is...it's a little like herding cats! :)

I'm working on an article for Marketing Profs on this very subject -- but would be happy to talk in great detail with you via e-mail or skype or ooVoo. I'd be glad to share all that we learned.

Watch for an e-mail from me!

Drew