Fund raiser to handout free copies of "The Revolution"??

[Jason726]

I'm not sure if this has already been said, but I was thinking about ways to get people to read Rp's new book. If we could set up some kind of money bomb to purchase a bulk shipment of the book at a discount and we could organize a way to distribute them across the US, handing out free copies to people would definitely grow this movement, IMO.

We would, of course, need to set up the money bomb, as well as the distribution process. But I don't think it will be too hard to find people across the US that will volunteer to hand them out. Maybe we could find someone in a meetup group willing to be in charge of their town/county.

I'm just throwing the idea out there, so, if you guys like it, lets get some more ideas going and discuss the best way to go about this.

[Bruno]

This is a great idea and there was mention of it on a few other threads, specifically to send copies to the national delegates.

At $15 a pop (w/shipping) it is an inexpensive way for people to donate and make an impact.

Other similar ideas have been suggested to donate a copy to your local library.

Or send a copy to your local talk radio program host.

Lend a copy to a friend who has not yet opened up to the message of freedom and liberty and challenge them to 10 minutes of their lives to begin reading the book. They won't be able to put it down! :)

[Jason726]

I would like to hear why someone voted no. I'm not being scornful, just want to hear your opinion on why it not.

[LibertyEagle]

Back when I was a child, John Stormer put out a book called, "None Dare Call it Treason". It was put out in paperback so that it could be bulk purchased at VERY cheap rates and distributed far and wide.

It seems to me that if Ron Paul wants that done with his book, the same arrangements should be made.

[Jason726]

This is a great idea and there was mention of it on a few other threads, specifically to send copies to the national delegates.

At $15 a pop (w/shipping) it is an inexpensive way for people to donate and make an impact.

Other similar ideas have been suggested to donate a copy to your local library.

Or send a copy to your local talk radio program host.

Lend a copy to a friend who has not yet opened up to the message of freedom and liberty and challenge them to 10 minutes of their lives to begin reading the book. They won't be able to put it down! :)

I think this is much more effective than sending them to the library(which should also be done eventually). When people go to the library they won;t know to look for it, but people getting a free copy would probably read the preface and keep going.

[Jason726]

I'm sure there are already plans to do that. That's the reason he wrote the book.

Edit: I'm referring to the paperback comment

[Tarzan]

I voted no because I think our money and efforts can be better spent elsewhere. At $15 a pop we could be donating to Ron Paul congressional candidates. With our dwindling numbers and ineffectiveness at raising money for "Ron Paul Clones" I think a book drive is not in our best interest. Electing some Constitutionally minded congressmen is and should be at top of our priority list.

I think this is a great idea... but our resources and ability to make real changes are limited. Promoting book sales for Ron Paul are way down on my list. I wish we could do ALL of these things... but the support just does not appear to be there. For example, take a look at how much was raised during Money Bombs for Sabrin, Sanders, Lawson and McKinley is just around the corner. These Money Bombs did not go well and these folks, and others, will not win without our monetary support.

We are also going to see money drives for all these "event" items... marches and such... again, way down on my priority list... but we have really important money drives right now (congress, etc.) and will have more coming very soon. Going to the National Convention is expensive... I expect we will see several potential delegates unable to go unless money is raised for the purpose.

So, that is why I voted no... because this is a low priority item in comparison... and we are working with very limited resources.

A really great idea... I wish we still had the supporters (and money) to do ALL of these things. :)

[Jason726]

Very good point, Tarzan. Perhaps it is best to try something like this after the election.

[Jason726]

And to resspond to your last sentence, Tarzan, I think the supporters are still there. They just don't know what to do at the moment. it seems like most people are just waiting to see what happens with the convention coming up.

[wgadget]

I would like to hear why someone voted no. I'm not being scornful, just want to hear your opinion on why it not.

I think it's good to target it to national delegates and to local public libraries. Most people who want to read a book for free should hopefully by now be aware of public libraries...and if we do our part in that department, the books will be available.

[Mckarnin]

I would like to hear why someone voted no. I'm not being scornful, just want to hear your opinion on why it not.

Because $15 a pop for a book is a lot of money to bet on someone who has not expressed interest and it will likely end up at the next white elephant sale they are asked to donate to. Ideally each copy would be given in such a way that it is likely to end up in many people's hands. If you are going to give out The Revolution I think it needs to be in the following contexts:


I don't think giving it to non-targeted individual people is a great bet. If they are interested enough in Ron Paul to read several hundred pages of his writing chances are they will buy the book themselves. It may be wise to offer the book at a discount to people who have been conversed with by RP supporters and shown a clear interest in him. They are then asked if they would be interested in a discounted book, say $7, and sold one if they are.

Contexts in which giving it away may be worthwhile:

~As a donation to public libraries.

~To freedom friendly bloggers (who seem scholarly or like they read) who may not already be familiar with Ron Paul (precious metal folks, natural health folks, just war folks, economists, etc...)

~To select members of the press who seem friendly to Ron Paul's principals..particularly those who study the economy and foreign policy.

~As an in office copy to doctors, beauty salons, chiropractors, midwives, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, etc... who are Ron Paul friendly for folks in their waiting room to read.

~To individuals who own an outlet for displaying/giving people the opportunity to read/promoting/selling the book like natural health food stores, diners, independent coffee shops, etc...


***Note: Every copy will need a bookplate in the front stating who/what Ron Paul group donated the book. It also needs to have web addresses where the person can find follow up information about Ron Paul and the freedom movement.***


Ok, ask me if that was confusing. Those are my thoughts right offhand.

K

P.S. I have some (limited) experience in the book selling industry and it is unlikely that you will be able to negotiate a better deal than the $12.60 it is currently selling for on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Manifesto-Ron-Paul/dp/0446537519/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209140145&sr=8-1) and if you buy 2 copies ($25.20) you get free super saver shipping. Basically, I don't see much benefit to doing this as a bulk purchase. In particular because there will be the logistical challenge of collecting the money, buying the books and then redistributing them all over the US (lots of money for shipping and packaging).

Why not start a book seeding campaign where you make a site where people can report how many copies of The Revolution they have bought and distributed and you can have suggestions as to good places the books can be given to and a running tally of how many books have been distributed through your campaign. Heck, you could even start a thread here on the forum that says "I bought "X" copies of RP's book and this is who I gave them to" and see if it catches on.

[NightOwl]

The people at www.ronpaulrevolutionbook.com (http://ronpaulrevolutionbook.com)seem to have negotiated some good bulk prices.

It's a good point that there should be a bookplate indicating who donated the book and/or where to go now (referring people to a website). That's one oversight I hope the publisher will fix next time. Although the book recommends a couple sites for people to visit, Ron Paul's website needs to appear on the last page, with something like: "Interested in these ideas? Then visit...."

[Mckarnin]

The people at www.ronpaulrevolutionbook.com (http://ronpaulrevolutionbook.com)seem to have negotiated some good bulk prices.

It's a good point that there should be a bookplate indicating who donated the book and/or where to go now (referring people to a website). That's one oversight I hope the publisher will fix next time. Although the book recommends a couple sites for people to visit, Ron Paul's website needs to appear on the last page, with something like: "Interested in these ideas? Then visit...."

Their website seems to do a bit of what is being discussed in this thread. They could use a longer list of distribution tips. I will note that whatever price they got their book is only .10 cents cheaper than Amazon and the free shipping doesn't kick in until you buy 1-2 cases. Doesn't seem like they make a profit unless you do the Freedom Rebate thing. Nice site though...whoever made it.

[Jason726]

McKarnin you make good points, but I think we need to target the audience of people that normally don't really read much. Not entirely target them, but we have to reach some of them. Many people do not go to libraries and are not interested in educating themselves. Plenty of people just go to work, pay their bills, and watch sports stuff/ oprah/comedy central, etc. Then they wake up and do it all over again.

But if those peopel knew how bad they were getting screwed, I'm sure we could get some interest from them and they would actually keep reading the book.

Even if half the people don't even read it, I think it is worth it. Let's say that we got $1 million, and let's assume that at a bulk discount, we could get 100,000 copies for $10 each. I'm willing to bet we could get them cheaper and buy more books. Either way, I would say that if we could get 10$ from 100,000 donors, which doesn't seem all that unlikely, it is not a waste if we could get 50,000 new supporters. And with a multiplier effect of the new supporters telling their friends, the number could be even greater.

We have to target people that are not normally interested in politics, and IMO, this is the best way to do it at the current moment in time.

[Mckarnin]

Jason,

I completely agree with your points about waking people who do not normally think about politics up. I actually started a new organization that is going to particularly target those people and deliver the freedom message in simple terms that can be assimilated quickly. I suppose my point is that in my experience people who don't read much rarely decide to begin doing so with a long book on politics. But, I would be ever so happy to be proven wrong. :)

K



McKarnin you make good points, but I think we need to target the audience of people that normally don't really read much. Not entirely target them, but we have to reach some of them. Many people do not go to libraries and are not interested in educating themselves. Plenty of people just go to work, pay their bills, and watch sports stuff/ oprah/comedy central, etc. Then they wake up and do it all over again.

But if those peopel knew how bad they were getting screwed, I'm sure we could get some interest from them and they would actually keep reading the book.

Even if half the people don't even read it, I think it is worth it. Let's say that we got $1 million, and let's assume that at a bulk discount, we could get 100,000 copies for $10 each. I'm willing to bet we could get them cheaper and buy more books. Either way, I would say that if we could get 10$ from 100,000 donors, which doesn't seem all that unlikely, it is not a waste if we could get 50,000 new supporters. And with a multiplier effect of the new supporters telling their friends, the number could be even greater.

We have to target people that are not normally interested in politics, and IMO, this is the best way to do it at the current moment in time.

[Jason726]

And to add to my last post, the best way to target people normally not interested in politics and that do not read books, is with FREE STUFF.You hand it to them tell them somethign like this book can save the country, and walk away.

[Jason726]

Jason,

I completely agree with your points about waking people who do not normally think about politics up. I actually started a new organization that is going to particularly target those people and deliver the freedom message in simple terms that can be assimilated quickly. I suppose my point is that in my experience people who don't read much rarely decide to begin doing so with a long book on politics. But, I would be ever so happy to be proven wrong. :)

K

This is by no means a long book. It took me 4-5 hours total to read it. I started on Atlas Shrugged a month ago and am about half way done it.

[Mckarnin]

And to add to my last post, the best way to target people normally not interested in politics and that do not read books, is with FREE STUFF.You hand it to them tell them somethign like this book can save the country, and walk away.

You are right, free is a better way of getting something into people's hands when they are not interested. But most of the time I see that scenario having a lot of resemblance to kids whose parents buy them new cars at 16 or pay their whole way through college...quite often they don't value it as much as they should and don't study hard. Sometimes forcing people to invest a little bit helps them to value and take advantage of what is being offered.

[Jason726]

Yea, that is very true, I just think that most of those people are so "lost" that they will never invest in these ideas without a little help.

[runningdiz]

I voted no because I think our money and efforts can be better spent elsewhere. At $15 a pop we could be donating to Ron Paul congressional candidates. With our dwindling numbers and ineffectiveness at raising money for "Ron Paul Clones" I think a book drive is not in our best interest. Electing some Constitutionally minded congressmen is and should be at top of our priority list.

I think this is a great idea... but our resources and ability to make real changes are limited. Promoting book sales for Ron Paul are way down on my list. I wish we could do ALL of these things... but the support just does not appear to be there. For example, take a look at how much was raised during Money Bombs for Sabrin, Sanders, Lawson and McKinley is just around the corner. These Money Bombs did not go well and these folks, and others, will not win without our monetary support.

We are also going to see money drives for all these "event" items... marches and such... again, way down on my priority list... but we have really important money drives right now (congress, etc.) and will have more coming very soon. Going to the National Convention is expensive... I expect we will see several potential delegates unable to go unless money is raised for the purpose.

So, that is why I voted no... because this is a low priority item in comparison... and we are working with very limited resources.

A really great idea... I wish we still had the supporters (and money) to do ALL of these things. :)

Agree completely...

[The One]

Audio book.....we would need to get the audio book.

People could listen to it in the car, while cleaning house, etc. Most people just won't sit down and read these days. Try randomly asking some people when was the last time they read a book.

[Jason726]

Audio book.....we would need to get the audio book.

People could listen to it in the car, while cleaning house, etc. Most people just won't sit down and read these days. Try randomly asking some people when was the last time they read a book.

Audio book would be more effective, but more expensive as well. You comment got me wondering , though.

Maybe it would be cheaper and more effective to make a dvdthat is interesting but informative. Something like the best and most informative vids of Rp and to hand them out for free.

[amy31416]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I voted no because the only time I've ever received free books from someone is when it was a weirdo religious group trying desperately to recruit.

[Jason726]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I voted no because the only time I've ever received free books from someone is when it was a weirdo religious group trying desperately to recruit.

Funny, and true. Maybe it isn't something we should be focusing on now.