Record Executive Brings Music's Marketing Savvy to Publishing with Free Download of his Debut Novel

Article By Brendan Peters
Submitted By Adrenaline PR

Ramsey Dean was thrilled when his debut novel, The CoolKids, was likened by publishers to a teen version of the John Kennedy Toole Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Confederacy of Dunces. That was until his own journey into the publishing world began to resemble the tragic author’s life. Within the praise for the epic comedy there were the calls for conformity that has turned publishing into Hollywood ’s farmers: “Could you dumb it down?”, “Could you make it shorter?”, “Could you make it more mainstream?”



When they said it would be a niche release because “teens don’t read”, Ramsey realized they didn’t know the demographic the way he did. By day he was one of the most noted music executives in the world of independent rock. He had held VP positions at the two largest labels in the business, TVT Records and Victor y Records, was currently heading up an elite artist development unit for EMI Music, and was well known for his innovative and sometimes unorthodox marketing strategies. He had seen the power of this audience grab onto million-selling artists like Taking Back Sunday, Hawthorne Heights , and Atreyu. Selling to this audience was his stock and trade.

That was when Ramsey Dean went to work, drawing up a marketing plan for the next artist he hoped to break: Ramsey Dean. While the publishing business frowns upon self-releasing, the music business thrives on it. The first thing he did was build a website where the entire book can be downloaded and printed in soft-cover format, right from a printer, absolutely free. While the traditional publishing model could never tolerate this, Ramsey knew that in music, where artists rarely see royalties, the album is more of a marketing tool, used to achieve fame and sell t-shirts and concert tickets.

With this in mind, the e-book goes where traditional publishing can’t, custom designed with links that go directly to a shirt store. Revolving around the fashion and music obsessed youth of today, The CoolKids boasts more t-shirts and songs than most albums. Once at the site, http://www.wearethecoolkids.com/ , the book takes on a life of its own, inviting readers to design and sell t-shirts, post songs, pictures, shoot YouTube scenes with their friends, chat, write reviews and suggest actors for the upcoming film. Yes, the concert tickets Ramsey Dean is out to sell are actually movie tickets, where he’s already attracted Hollywood ’s attention, including leading music video director Shane Drake, most famous for Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, to direct the film. 



By leveraging a career’s worth of music industry relationships, the author is aiming to set off a viral tsunami. One of the key assets in this well-established music executive’s arsenal is relationship marketing. As a new reading concept, aimed at a hip, young audience, and free, The CoolKids is the perfect value-added tool for bands, lifestyle companies, and media outlets that build their brand by delivering cutting-edge innovations to their fans first. There is a cache in introducing the next big thing, and The CoolKids allows anyone who can get the word out quickly to build an association with the upcoming film. The site even comes with banner ads, e-cards and flyers that can be tailored for custom delivery. 



With the music business going through such change, could the publishing business be next? Music executive and author Ramsey Dean just might be leading the way.

Looking for a good read? Check out http://www.wearethecoolkids.com/
For more information contact: info@wearethecoolkids.com