Thursday 3 April 2008

Book signing at UK Obama 2008 Meetup

At next week's UK - Barack Obama for President 2008 Meetup, I'll be signing copies of Why Obama Matters for members of the group.

A Meetup is typically a group that holds real-world meetings using the Meetup site to manage scheduling, invitations, comments and so on. It's basically "instant infrastructure" for people with shared interests and not much time to spend managing meetings. It's been used for sports, politics, socializing and much more.

Our Meetup was founded by Carole Bell, whose Americans Away From Home blog is a great dashboard for the latest Obama news and Carole's well-informed and warmly expressed opinions. Like so many meeting organizers before her, she's finding it a nearly full-time job, even using Meetup, Yahoo! Groups and Facebook to manage communications. The group has held 8 meetings already and has a busy schedule ahead.

The text of the press release follows. Comments welcome!

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NEW OBAMA BOOK SIGNING AT OBAMA MEETUP IN LONDON

Wednesday, April 9 2008 (London, UK) – Tonight’s UK – Barack Obama for President 2008 Meetup will see the launch of Why Obama Matters: 10 Reasons to Support Barack Obama for President. Group member Floyd Smith, million-selling author of more than a dozen titles about technology, the Internet and marketing, has written the booklet and will be signing copies in a fundraiser for the group. The booklet is 50 pages long and sells for £4.95.

Floyd Smith said, "The Obama Meetup and Why Obama Matters have the same purpose: to get people involved in helping make Obama President. The group has been a big success, with more than 250 members; I hope the booklet can be too. I’m very happy to see the booklet launch serve as a fundraiser for our Meetup."

Why Obama Matters spells out the elements of Barack Obama’s unique appeal and his program, with comparisons to the positions of Hillary Clinton and John McCain. It’s for those who want to understand how Obama will move the US forward before committing – and for those who are already on board and want to convince work colleagues, friends and family to join them in supporting Obama.

The book includes Stand Down Hillary, a light-hearted encouragement to Hillary Clinton to join Obama’s growing ranks of supporters, and In Obama’s America, an evocative description of more than 30 ways in which America will be different with Barack Obama as President. ("In Obama’s America, the young will participate in politics as never before.")

Why Obama Matters is part of a long tradition of pamphleteering in American politics going back to Ben Franklin, Thomas Payne and others. It’s also in touch with today’s concerns; not only is it in support of the Obama campaign, the most innovative candidacy for many years, but it’s “green”, designed for low environmental impact and easy recycling.

Why Obama Matters is available on amazon.co.uk (single copies) and in quantity from the author at yombook@gmail.com. Floyd Smith also has blog for the book, at whyobamamatters.blogspot.com, and a page on Facebook.

Floyd’s booklet is inspired by his active participation in the Meetup. Floyd helped organize a successful pro-Obama event for the group at Planet Hollywood in March and continues to contribute to phone calling, letter writing, making videos and other Meetup group activities.

Full details for the event are available in the Meetup group, “UK – Barack Obama for President” at http://barackobama.meetup.com/153. The group also recently added a popular page on Facebook.

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About the book: Why Obama Matters: 10 Reasons to Support Barack Obama for President is 50 pages long and sells for £4.95. It spells out the elements of Barack Obama’s unique appeal and his program, with comparisons to Hillary Clinton and John McCain, and includes Stand Down Hillary and In Obama’s America. The booklet is “green”, designed for low environmental impact and easy recycling. It’s available on amazon.co.uk (single copies) and in quantity from the author at yombook@gmail.com.

Why Obama Matters contact:
Floyd Smith
Author, management consultant
07912 171481
floydearlsmith@gmail.com

UK Barack Obama Meetup contact:
Carole Bell
Founder, UK Barack Obama Meetup
07786 605050
ChelseaWriter@aol.com
Blog: http://www.americans-away-from-home.com/

Event location:
The Patisserie
77A Gloucester Road, London
SW7 4SS
020 7835 1990
Tube: Gloucester Road tube stop, directly across road from exit

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Introducing the book

Why Obama Matters is my new booklet describing why Barack Obama is the candidate for President who can really make a difference in what America means to all of us.

Why Obama Matters gives ten reasons that Barack Obama should be elected President of the USA and deserves the support of people all over the world. The ten reasons include his appeals to hope rather than fear, to change rather than the status quo, and his positions on Iraq, the economy, immigration and the environment.

The book compares his positions to both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Its sections include Stand Down, Hillary; Yes, You Can (how to help the Obama campaign); and In Obama's America, a moving description of how America will be different with Obama as President.

Why Obama Matters is interesting, educational, topical and makes sense of the headlines - which should only increase in coming months as Obama moves toward clinching the Democratic nomination for President of the USA at the Democratic Convention in August. With Why Obama Matters you can be among those who really understand what Obama's candidacy means and how he may change America.

I'm a leading non-fiction author who has sold over a million books on a variety of Internet, technology and business topics. Ironically, I've become increasingly active in US politics in the six years since I moved to the UK. Based in London, I've recently taken a Master's degree from the LSE and have many years of experience in marketing, communications, consulting, and writing.

I have over a dozen titles on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk under my pen name, Bud Smith. I have one book under my "real" name, Floyd Earl Smith, on amazon.co.uk only: Why Obama Matters!

To contact me about this book, please email yombook@gmail.com. I will be launching it in bookstores in the UK soon, then on Amazon.com and in US bookstores. (If you are an experienced distributor interested in working with me on that, please write!)