In what may be a first-of-its-kind internet collaboration, 103 marketing professionals from around the world have joined together to write The Age of Conversation, a book that is now available in a downloadable e-version, in hardcover and softcover. All proceeds from book sales are being donated to Variety, the international children’s charity.
Since the book debuted in mid-July, more than 1050 copies have been sold and just over $10,000 has been raised for the children’s charity. “We had dreams of raising $10,000, and now we need to set a new goal!” said Drew McLellan, one of the organizers of the project.
The book has an unusual story behind it, involving online connections between people around the world who have never met each other.
McLellan, who heads McLellan Marketing Group, a Des Moines, Iowa advertising agency, has been writing a blog online since last September. His blog is among the 25 most-read marketing blogs. McLellan’s partner in this adventure is another marketing blogger in the top 25, Gavin Heaton, Interactive Director at marketing agency Creata, in Sidney, Australia.
McLellan and Heaton, through their blogs, invited other marketing professionals to commit to writing essays about conversation. They set what they thought would be an impossible goal– 100 bloggers. Within seven days they had commitments from 103.
“What began as a comment online has grown into a major collaborative effort by bloggers from 24 states and eight other nations,” said McLellan.
“We’ve been amazed at the variety of approaches that have been taken, and with hardly any duplication or overlap,” said Heaton. “This book explores the art of conversation and how it is changing the face of marketing from virtually every angle possible.”
