Dear Ultimate
Player Amongst My Collection of Email Addresses.
It is highly likely that we know each other, being that you are in my address
book. At some point, we may have discussed the history of Ultimate, proper
shotgunning techniques and/or the weather.
Furthermore, it is likely that I have sent an email to you in the not-so
distant past that trumpeted my latest Ultimate endeavor, a book titled Ultimate:
The Greatest Sport Ever Invented By Man.
Background
Let me digress a moment here and tell you a small bit about this book. First,
unlike hundreds of projects I have designed in my head and never shared
with the world, this tidy 160 page book was a collaborative affair. The
people that helped create this book are numerous. The list may, in fact,
include you.
Second, the rumors are true: the book has a real, professional publishing
company and distributor. It can be purchased online. It can be plucked from
the shelf and read in the aisle of your neighborhood bookstore. It may even
be reviewed by the alternative and/or college newspaper in your town because
Breakaway Books sent out hundreds of copies to alternative and/or college
newspapers across North America.
And finally, in case you were not aware, this book is not dowdy. It does
not qualify for journalistic integrity. It goes out of its way to mock the
sport of Ultimate, the people that play and the silly clothes they wear.
Basically, this book is not to be trusted. You should know that. I would
not want you to be mislead.
Synthesis
Now that you know more about the origins and aspirations of this cheeky
book, and it has been established that we are friends, acquaintances, former
teammates and/or former interview subjects bonded by the fraterinty of Ultimate,
forever linked by email, let me quickly turn politician and ask your support.
The Pitch
Your support can be simple and hassle-free. For instance, you could create
a button or pin with the cover image of the book on it and you could wear
this pin at the next Ultimate tournament you attend. Please do not play
Ultimate while wearing this pin.
You could write a letter to your local bank, asking for funding of a library
to be devoted exclusively to books about Ultimate and/or Ultimate. And then
you could manage that library.
These ideas are great! But I think the best way you can show support for
this book is to give it some love.
The Sell
Actually, I am reluctant to make a sales pitch here. The reason being: this
entire email is probably quite obviously a sales pitch, and you wouldn’t
be so daft as to be swayed into purchasing multiple copies of an item simply
because an email showed up in your in-box.
Rather I would like to think that any attention this book receives will
in turn be attention for our wonderful sport. Promoting this book in ways
large and small can attract outsiders and mainstream sports enthusiasts
to Ultimate, and attract them in a good way, like how Brandi Chastain turned
people on to soccer.
Go to the nearest bookstore in your subdivision and/or gentrified urban
neighborhood and ask an associate there if they have copies of Ultimate:
The Greatest Sport Ever Invented By Man. If they say no, ask them,
when do you think you will be getting the book in? If they say
never, then perhaps you should have been wearing the pin.
Approach your friend and/or colleague who works for a local alternative
newspaper and tell him or her about how writing a story of this strangely
popular sport Ultimate can now be done, because look, there’s even
a book about the sport, so it must be popular enough to warrant a good 10,000
word article.
Tell your family that you’ve always wanted a book about Ultimate for
your birthday/ Easter/ Fourth of July and how that dream of yours can now
be turned into reality.
And always remember to order from the website because that's how the
author earns a living and affords his travel to faraway places like Kuala
Lumpur which other can live vicariously from.
• • •
go back to home page • order a signed copy
frisbee! disc! leonardo! ultimate!