Based on a 14-year career lobbying Congress, this novel unveils how Washington really works as seen by a jaded lobbyist. And it's a great read!
THE STORY
“Corruptions always start small in Washington.”
That’s what Ed Matthews learns when handed a new client, a trade association whose goals are nebulous, by his uncle, Pennsylvania Sen. Harrison Fuller. This seemingly innocent favor sets Ed on a perilous journey designing creative and effective legislative strategies for a series of abhorrent characters while simultaneously breaking down the last bits of self-respect and trust remaining in his life.
Corruptions is a first-person novel tracking the daily compromises and outright lies that make up Washington's political scene. Ed’s new trade association client provides him an opportunity to advance his career, but requires that he ignore the skepticism of colleagues and friends who question the client's legitimacy. The firm’s other clients – the despotic President of a small African country and a Middle East emirate seeking an air defense system – provide a realistic backdrop to Ed’s professional and moral crises, including a Capitol Hill sex scandal involving a close friend; the despot’s murder of his own Vice President; and Congressional horse trading over his legislative agenda. Ed’s dark, cynical humor permeates the novel, exposing the process by which lobbyists manipulate American politics and the large and small favors they use.
WHY THIS PROJECT?
This novel is finished and ready to go, so when I reach my Kickstarter goal publication is a certainty. And it's an important topic: we all know Washington is broken, and we all want to increase the pressure on our politicians to fix it. How will this novel help? This novel dissects the life of lobbyists, and the people they lobby, so that the reader can understand the day-to-day machinations of Washington, how money influences the system, how politicians let the chase for cash influence them, and the ripples that scandals leave behind in their wake. It's true to life, a fun read, and an opportunity to promote political change through the arts.
HOW THE FUNDS WILL BE USED
The novel is ready for publication, and I want it in the hands of readers well before the November 2010 elections. The funding will be used to self-publish through CreateSpace, using a mix of their Total Freedom package that will make it a professional published work. A strong copyedit, book and book cover design, and some minimal marketing and market-related costs will take up the full $3,600 I am asking for. Any funds received in excess of my goal total will be used to pay for book parties in various locations around the country; in planning those parties, I'll take into consideration the cities, towns and regions where Kickstarter support for the novel was at its highest.
Most of the marketing for this book will be viral – through my many friends still in Washington, through the contacts and supporters found here at Kickstarter, through book parties hosted by friends, through my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and through my long email list. This book will get read, and the story will resonate: it’s a powerful novel about the personal and professional corruptions that are the hallmark of Washington today. You can be a part of that!
FAQ
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Funding period
Mar 25, 2010 -
May 11, 2010
- 3 created · 3 backed
- Jim Shea 53 friends
- Website: corruptions.net
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0 backers
No prize, other than the personal satisfaction that comes from being part of the project. And my thanks, in my heart, for your help.
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8 backers
A thank-you email, sent on the day of publication, including a link to the novel on my CreateSpace web page letting you know how to get a copy. Be among the first to read the book! And in the meantime, I'll send you and anyone else who pledges $5 or more a PDF of chapter 1 -- so you can get a headstart.
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3 backers Limited (497 of 500 left)
A publicity postcard for the novel, printed as part of the publication process, with the front of the card showing the book cover and the back of the card describing the book. The card will be signed and sent to you by U.S. mail. You will also receive an email on the day of publication, letting you know that the book is available.
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7 backers Limited (413 of 420 left)
A single page from the 3rd pre-copy-edited manuscript version of the novel that was printed. Your page to be randomly chosen from the 420-page manuscript and signed by me; a publicity postcard will also be included in the envelope. So far, only three printed copies of the novel exist -- have a piece of it before everyone else gets a look. You will also receive an email on the day of publication, letting you know that the book is available.
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15 backers Limited (185 of 200 left)
Be one of a maximum of 225 people (including me) to own this t-shirt, memorializing the Kickstarter campaign to launch this novel. The t-shirt, still to be designed, will include the text "I helped to publish Corruptions" along with a photo of the book cover. If Kickstarter lets me, I'll list them too, with text along the lines of "supported through Kickstarter.com." You will also receive an email on the day of publication, letting you know that the book is available.
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2 backers Limited (10 of 12 left)
A copy of the post-copy-edited manuscript, with a dedication to you or to the person of your choosing (a great gift opportunity for the politics addict!).
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2 backers Limited (2 of 4 left)
A "Tuckerization," that is, your name will be used as the name of a character. You can choose whether the character is Republican or Democrat. I'll choose which character to use the name for: it could be a hero, it could be a villain, it could be a cabdriver -- that's totally at my discretion. You'll be listed in the acknowledgments and I will send you a signed copy of the book, including in the dedication a reference to the page you're on so you don't have to read the whole novel to find it.
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0 backers Limited (3 of 3 left)
My undying gratitude. Really. And a chance to meet over lunch (you buy) when I schedule a book party in your town -- or, if you want to host the book party at your home or office, we could do that instead of the lunch. Think of this as the perfect opportunity to dazzle your friends and colleagues by introducing them to your author friend. (If you live someplace like Juneau, Alaska, we'll have to compromise on where to have lunch -- somewhere halfway, like Boston or Manhattan.) You'll also get a t-shirt, a mention in the acknowledgments, and a signed copy of the book.
