# 2.99 sale: Killing of an Author:#1 on NDTV "Never enjoyed a book as thoroughly."



## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR was No. 1 on premier Indian TV channel NDTV's "Books To Read Now" List in 2008, and received this comment from India's No. 3 newsmagazine: "A sense of humor from start to finish."

And: "You are funny and delightful . . . and nowhere are you too heavy to carry. I've never read anyone like you. I laugh, I ache, I smile, I cry - but never close the book without that smile surfacing."--Sheelagh Grenon, Canada

From Jesus (Jay) B. Torres, Commander, Marine Corps:
"Normally I'm a thin-skinned reader who winces at the thought of multiple consonant words which there are a myriad of, but I've never . . . enjoyed a book as thoroughly as I have with this one.....applause to Mr. Crasta for his hilarious breakthrough on what the hell it takes to get a book published. It almost cost him what's left of his soul....If I were a mutant, I'd give him three thumbs up. I can't wait to read his Revised Kama Sutra."......Jay Torres . He also added, ""I laughed so hard I coughed up my breakfast!"

Women have loved this book--can't say why, this literary and publishing memoir is me at my most vulnerable; a woman bookstore manager kept recommending it to her customers. Another reviewer described it as "an act of bravery."

Lots in here for writers & significant others to think about.

BLURB: Having spent nine long and hard years writing his novel, the protagonist is suddenly faced with a writer's dream--or nightmare. Three top agents suddenly want to be his agent, and he doesn't know whom to choose. From this point onwards, "The Killing of an Author," Crasta's 70,000-word memoir of publishing and writing, filled with a cast of memorable characters (a few of them famous in the literary and publishing worlds) is a roller-coaster ride, and has been described as a publishing thriller. An inside story of the publishing world.

It would be impossible to read this story without gaining some understanding of the publishing world.

"What comes out is his integrity."--Kuldip Nayar.
"Dares to be different . . . a sense of humor from the start to the end."--The Deccan Chronicle

Around 70,000 words.


N

The complete links:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WQAX4M 
http://amzn.to/eVghYU
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/killing-of-an-author-richard-crasta/1002873414?ean=2940014487528
http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Crasta-Literary-Punishment-ebook/dp/B007XG9SYS
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156727

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-killing-of-an-author/5118357

http://www.xinxii.com/en/the-killing-of-an-author-p-331455.html
Apple: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-killing-of-an-author/id443434428?mt=11
Nook: http://bit.ly/pIL074
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Killing-of-an-Author/126813497416387

Also in paperback at Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-crasta/the-killing-of-an-author/paperback/product-5118357.html


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## Markee Anderson (Aug 2, 2010)

Congratulations on publishing this book!  Here's hoping for tons of sales for you!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome again, Richard, and congratulations on your book!

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Don't forget to bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

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Please add to your existing book thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. We recommend you bookmark your post so that you can find it in the future.  You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html) for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Markee Anderson said:


> Congratulations on publishing this book! Here's hoping for tons of sales for you!


Thanks, Markee. I really care about this book, the price does not take into account even one-millionth of the pain and love I put into it. I was threatened not to publish it, but I did it anyway. It's about all the snake pits and traps in publishing, and in being a writer, and how to avoid them--besides being a personal story.

The book is now live, for $1.99, but only for a short time--it is around 210 pages in paperback.

Wishing you great luck with your books too.

Richard


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

I was busy with a book launch in Bangalore; I have now mentioned this link on Publishers Marketplace and have updated and simplified the book description. I hope some of you like it. There is much lightness in there in between the occasional dark spots, and one learns a lot about the publishing world from a writer's viewpoint.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi all, the book is back at $2.99. It is flawed, but blisteringly honest and as someone described it, "has a sense of humor from start to finish." Hope the price encourages some folks to try it.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Franz Kafka's powerful definition of what a book should be:

 I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we are reading doesn't wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for? ...we need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.


More than any of my other books, THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR fits Kafka's definition. If anyone on this board reads this book and then doesn't think so, I will refund their 2.99 in this manner: by issuing 3 coupons for three different titles from among my 99-cent books on Smashwords.

thank you for trying.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

If you are a lapsed Catholic, like myself, and won't be going to church on Good Friday and kneeling on hard surfaces and doing Stations of the Cross, this might be a nice literary substitute--an occasionally sad and funny story with insight and wisdom.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Women have loved this book. An unusual Mothers Day gift, perhaps?


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A book for anyone who is sophisticated, deep, compassionate--and for women.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hello, will be holding a quiz on this book soon . . . meanwhile, I hope you try it. thank you!
Richard


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

On sale for 2.99 for just a few days.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Still at 2.99. And 70,000 words, including the Publishing Taboos.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

In a last minute attempt to improve my sales numbers for August, this book is reduced to $2.99 for the next 3 days.

I hope you take a chance on it at this price.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Now also at Lulu.com (where it is also POD) and at xinxii.com

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-killing-of-an-author/5118357?productTrackingContext=author_spotlight_1174659_

http://www.xinxii.com/en/the-killing-of-an-author-p-331455.html


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

You wouldn't normally buy this book. I am sure of that.
So surprise yourself, buy it, and read it. An axe for the frozen sea.
My Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Killing-of-an-Author/126813497416387


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Multi-dimensional book loaded with riches for writers, including Breadloaf Writers Conferences, literary agencies, how it all works . . . and humor in the most unexpected places.

Richard


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

It's 2.99, going back up to 4.99 soon.

And I think it's worth it at that price too. It tells of how I lost $1 million on a single book. It's a sad as well as a funny story. Very personal.

Try it, if you don't like it, pm me, and I'll send you a coupon for a free book at Smashwords


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

I have included two excerpts in TELL YOUR SHEEP TO GO THE BLEEP TO SLEEP.

rICHARD


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi,
it will take me a few hours to do this, but I am reducing all my books to 2.99 for the last 3 days of January. 

I have received terrific reviews for some of my work, especially 

THE REVISED KAMA SUTRA ("very funny"--Kurt Vonnegut)
and 
IMPRESSING THE WHITES
and 
I WILL NOT GO THE F TO SLEEP

So I hope a few of you take this opportunity to buy a few (if price was holding you back)
Richard


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Still here, and includes funny stories about literary agents, and serious issues for writers.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

The latest person to tell me this book made him laugh: Jay Torres (Jesus B. Torres), US Army, Author, and Military Attache. It surprised me; and I hope the book surprises you . . . pleasantly.


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## John A. A. Logan (Jan 25, 2012)

I went to Amazon and had a look inside and was drawn in right away...fascinating stuff indeed!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

John A. A. Logan said:


> I went to Amazon and had a look inside and was drawn in right away...fascinating stuff indeed!


Thanks, John. It is a book written from the heart. I promised I would write and publish it no matter what. And I kept my promise.

I hope more readers discover it.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A great review from Jesus (Jay) B. Torres, Author: 


Jesus Torres
I am not an avid reader as I'd like to be but after having Richard Crasta over for a meal and conversing with him, I realized that one of the newly acquired goals I self-realized was to read that book. Normally I'm a thin-skinned reader who winces at the thought of multiple constanant words which there are a myriad of, but I've never, "And the Rock says NEVER" enjoyed a book as thouroughly as I have with this one.....applause to Mr. Crasta for his hilarious breakthrough on what the hell it takes to get a book published. It almost cost him what's left of his soul....If I were a mutant, I'd give him three thumbs up. I can't wait to read his Revised Kama Sutra.......Jay Torres


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

The Revised Kama Sutra: only for a few hours more at Amazon at 99 cents
The Killing of an Author: for 2 days more.

Details of my 3 day, 3 books for 99 cents sale:

THE REVISED KAMA SUTRA (usually $5.99 to $7.99 as an ebook)
(by far the best deal: 14 publishers, 10 countries, 7 languages, scores of great reviews)

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VYCARI
Nook: http://bit.ly/iHYeNM
(P.S. 8 hours later: On second thought, it really goes against my principles to sell this book, that took 9 years to write and publish, and that is really 4 books, for 99 cents--and it's also not fair to those who paid $5.99 and $7.99--so I may take this off the sale at any time, or increase the price to a more reasonable $2.99 for the remaining 2 days.)

THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WQAX4M
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/killing-of-an-author-richard-crasta/1002873414?ean=2940014487528
[Both the above books, and even the book that follows, have been popular with women readers; so a Mothers Day gift possibility?]

EATEN BY THE JAPANESE
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UBFXFC
and, as I don't have direct control over the Nook price of Eaten by the Japanese, I offer this book on Nook for 99 cents:

TELL YOUR SHEEP TO GO THE BLEEP TO SLEEP (anthology of humor and satire, presently available ONLY on Nook)
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tell-your-sheep-to-go-the-bleep-to-sleep-richard-crasta/1108197825?ean=2940013754133


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR 
is free on Smashwords,
and possibly soon on Itunes/Nook.

And LORD BUSH OF IRAQ is $1.99
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115571

Enjoy!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Still free on Smashwords, but feel free to pay. 
The essay at the end, "Tales of Shame from Benzo Land", is now a project:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1712202309/the-terrorist-in-my-life-my-life-with-doctors-and


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

In honor of Independence Day, please support this daring book, a report of a writer's struggle for freedom in the land of the free.

And the Freedom Trilogy, about which I write in my blog: http://richardcrasta.blogspot.com


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Made a Marine commander throw up his breakfast . . . laughing.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Still hoping, but wondering whether this book is helping me or not. Hope a few people decide to give it a chance.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi,
This thread is for The Killing of an Author,

but a new ultra-short book with a similar tone is:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/235567

and I am offering a coupon for 2.5 days only: NF69X

If you used the coupon and bought both books, your cost for two of my boldest and most thought-provoking books would be $5.50

thanks for trying them, and appreciate your support. This book took a lot of courage to publish.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

My 3 day sale on Smashwords includes the following 3 books:

The Revised Kama Sutra: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/26314
Promotional price: $3.50
Coupon Code: SS55S
Expires: September 30, 2012

IMPRESSING THE WHITES
Promotional price: $3.50
Coupon Code: AK47X
Expires: September 30, 2012

THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156727
Promotional price: $2.50
Coupon Code: TG76Y
Expires: September 30, 2012

thank you!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A unique book.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

The Don Quixote of Writing and Publishing . . .


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

More tragedy, richer, a bigger scale than the Petraeus "affair."


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A writer who won't give up


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

valid for 12/28-12/30: On Amazon Kindle, it's 3 books for 3 dollars each--reduced from $5.99--for my three boldest books: THE REVISED KAMA SUTRA, IMPRESSING THE WHITES, THE KILLING OF AN AUTHOR: http://richardcrasta.blogspot.com/2012/12/free-books-today-and-3-books-for-3.html

Enjoy!

The Killing of an Author has writing like this:
1. Why Rushdie, with his literary eminence and wealth, would want to do something so prosaic and academic and policeman-like as edit an anthology of Indian literature and function as doorkeeper, chowkidar, or San Pedro to the gates of his own profession, his own country as it were, beats me. Perhaps it is that Rushdie, even though he has one of the world's biggest pies all to himself, more pie than he, his wives, his mistresses, their ex-boy friends, and all of their children put together could ever eat, still wants to poke his finger into everybody else's pie. He wants more prizes (every prize in existence, including the Nobel Prize for Peace, and he'll angrily thump the table if he's denied even one). He wants more money, more posts (President of PEN America, U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Arab League if they would give him that), more chelas, more girl friends and wives (and this we have in common: we were both born to have a harem). Such a hugely gifted writer, a writer for the ages perhaps, reportedly a scintillating conversationalist and wit, and yet this greed for power and fame and accolades somewhat diminishes him . . . I wish it hadn't been so, I wish he hadn't taken this opportunity to reward his friends and keep out those he perceived as threats. For in doing so, His Cambridgness helped The Constipated Intellectual Brahmins of India, who have always been uncomfortable with an obviously Christian-named subversive Indian writer who does not confine himself to his allotted caste turf, because it hampers their attempts to position, sell, and milk the notion of India the Hindu Exotic Vegetarian Spiritual Yogic Maharajic country-and not, as is the truth, a boisterously diverse country that includes 200 million beefeaters and at least five million dog-eaters. (Arundhati Roy, camouflaged by her more "native" name and desi focus, doesn't face this problem.) Yes, exoticism sells, and like ghee or gold, fetches more if it is certified 100 percent pure. And the Islamic-Occidental-Agnostic Pope Rushdie's encyclical (fatwah?) had absolved them from including, in the Indian canon, a writer who makes fun of quasi-Hindu shibboleths (as in "Yoni Goddess") as well as Christian ones, though not as much as the latter.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

An axe for the frozen sea . . .


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi everyone, Happy New Year!
This to celebrate the Jaipur Literature Festival.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A book full of stories, for writers and human beings.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Just for your information, the story of "The Killing of an Author" is about my adventures in publishing "The Revised Kama Sutra", a few chapters of which are free today: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006FJNV9M


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

On sale for 2-3 days for $2.99


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A book of dark and light, humor and madness!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Also, a personal substory.
Enjoy! Thanks.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi all . . . Happy July!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

This book represents one stage of my life; I've moved on. But if you stick with it, I think you will be rewarded with insights into writing, publishing, and the universal human yearning for free expression.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Many of the reviewers have remarked on the humor that laces the book. The book is full of true publishing stories, including of my time at a literary agency.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Sample Chapter Titles:

Saul Bellow's Woman and the Pope's Man
Like the Vatican Welcoming Luther or, How Supergirl Irene Yanked India Out Of Its Shithole
The Intellectual Skinheads of Britain


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Free on iTunes for a few days:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id721104220

99 cents on Nook.

Enjoy!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

True story of a writer with an American Dream; laughter and understanding of the complexities of publishing, literature, and life.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

The long and winding road to literary success, literary legends, MFAs and are they for you? etc. etc.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Given joy and understanding to many readers.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

About much more than the blurb or title can convey.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Yes, No. 1 on NDTV''s "Books to Read" list in 2008. It's got a new Preface.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Book has been revised on Kindle, and a new, cheaper paperback from Createspace is out!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Hope you take a chance on this. Will surprise you.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

With a revised Preface ... possibly still one of my three best books.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Publishing, writers, books, publication, publishing intrigue, how-to, how Not to, what NOT to, literary mistakes, literary issues, what is literature? what is publishing? what is publishing ethics? What are THE RULES?


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Made me laugh and cry as I wrote it. (Not, usually, at the same time!)


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

A writer's quest, the secret laws and taboos of publishing, a literary adventure and thriller.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

For nearly 2 months, this book would appear at the top of a books to read list at an Indian national TV channel.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

For India's Independence Day (Aug 15), on sale starting NOW: $2.99 for a book that's a multifaceted story of publishing.
A book about freedom and resisting authority, doing the unthinkable.

Also on sale: the other 2 books of the Freedom Trilogy: The Revised Kama Sutra (A Novel) and The Killing of an Author.


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