[Air-L] My book, Twitter and Tear Gas, on networked social movements is almost out! And a plea!

Mon May 15 08:28:48 PDT 2017

Yes, non-library pricing was part of how it was all negotiated to try to
make the book as accessible as possible. Grateful to Yale University Press,
actually, and trying to make sure that they can do this for others.

On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 11:21 AM, Nathaniel Poor <natpoor at gmail.com> wrote:

> I’m impressed that the hardcover is under $US20 at Amazon! (Listed at
> $US26 at Yale.)
>
> Affordable, I was expecting library pricing for it. Nice!
>
> -Nat
> -------------------------------
> Nathaniel Poor, Ph.D.
> http://github.com/natpoor
> http://natpoor.blogspot.com/
> http://sites.google.com/site/natpoor/
> http://www.underwood-institute.org/
>
>
> > On May 15, 2017, at 10:39 AM, Zeynep Tufekci <socnetres at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Friends,
> >
> > My book, *Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked
> > Protest*, is officially out on May 16th! That is tomorrow! It is
> published
> > with an academic press, and has a lot of conceptual work and engages
> > theories social movements, public sphere and technology, but I tried to
> > write it with as much narrative structure as possible to make it readable
> > to broadest audiences.
> >
> > Some news: there will be a free creative commons copy of my book. It will
> > be available as a free PDF download in addition to being sold as a bound
> > book. This is with the hopes that anyone who wants to read it can do so
> > without worrying about the cost. However, this also means that I need to
> > ask that a few people who can afford to do so to please consider
> purchasing
> > a copy
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-fragility-networked/dp/
> 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > This is not just so that Yale University Press can do this for more
> > authors, but also because if it is not sold (at least a little bit!) in
> the
> > initial few weeks, bookstores will not stock it and online algorithms
> will
> > show it to fewer people. No sales will mean less visibility, and less
> > incentive for publishers to allow other authors creative commons copies.
> >
> > Another request I have is that, if you do read it  (and especially if you
> > liked it, heh!), please consider leaving a review on Amazon
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-fragility-networked/dp/
> 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > or Goodreads
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428749-www.goodreads.com/book/show/
> 32714239-twitter-and-tear-gas?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > This is not an attempt to inflate its reviews but a request to help me
> > fight back the inevitable attempts to suppress books like mine that talk
> > about about repressive governments and censorship and other hot-button
> > topics. (If you follow me on Twitter, you can see that I constantly do
> > engage with negative criticisms and welcome feedback, good or bad). Given
> > my topics, my book is likely to be targeted by a deliberate campaign to
> > suppress its visibility because the trolls who game algorithms know that
> > books that are negatively rated are shown to fewer people, and also that
> > even when people know that some reviews are just shills, the initial
> > impression means something. If you search for a book on Google, all you
> see
> > is the number of stars with no context whether a good deal of those are
> > one-star reviews that are purposefully malicious, and are not by readers
> of
> > the book. This has happened to other books like this, and I've already
> > started seeing a few signs targeting my book. A flood of actual reviews
> not
> > only fights that off and averages out the "one star ratings" of trolls,
> it
> > signals that it's not worth the effort to try to torpedo it this way.
> (On a
> > side note! What a world!)
> >
> > I negotiated the creative commons copy with my (wonderful!) publisher
> Yale
> > University Press because I really wanted to do what I could to share my
> > insights as broadly as I could about social movements and the networked
> > public sphere. If I make a penny more from this book because it sells
> well
> > by some miracle, I will donate every extra penny to groups supporting
> > refugees, and if I ever meet you in person and you purchased a copy of
> the
> > book in support, please let me know and I'll buy the coffee or beer. :-D
> > This isn't at all about money for me.
> >
> > Encouraging more free creative commons copies is especially important
> > people in developing countries for whom book delivery and cost is an
> issue,
> > and I was such a person until I came over to the United States. I was
> never
> > able to afford or find all the books I wanted to read. This also helps
> > undergraduate and graduate students help pay less for books that they
> need.
> > If some of you buy this book, publishers can feel more empowered to let
> > other authors also provide free copies online. It is not as easy as "just
> > blog your material." I do a lot of that, but writing a book that is
> > coherent and more readable takes a lot of effort and editing from the
> > publisher, and they can't just do that for free.
> >
> > So if you can afford it: please consider purchasing my book. Amazon link
> is
> > here
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428745-www.amazon.com/twitter-tear-gas-fragility-networked/dp/
> 0300215126?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>,
> > and Yale University Press link with other options for purchase is here
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428757-yalebooks.com/book/9780300215120/
> twitter-and-tear-gas?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>.
> > (Ordering it today counts as a "pre-order", a stronger signal to the
> > algorithms and bookstores!). I will announce the website and the creative
> > commons copy soon, on social media and on my next newsletter
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428761-tinyletter.com/zeynepnotes?c=ac41426a-
> ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > .
> >
> > Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and interacted with me
> > through the years. If you do end up reading the book, please do know
> that I
> > would love to hear from you. I may need to fight back trolls online, but
> I
> > truly appreciate feedback and consider it a gift.
> >
> > best,
> > -zeynep
> >
> > Review of Twitter and Tear Gas from Inside Higher Education
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428765-www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/when-
> internet-angry?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > If you’re interested in what’s happening in the world today, this book
> is a
> > fascinating read. Even if you’re not, it's an unusually informative book
> > about digital platforms usually examined apart from political life.
> > Social interactions in the digital world in the context of political
> > activity is insightfully explored through this wonderfully readable
> > academic study.
> >
> > Publishers Weekly
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428769-www.publishersweekly.com/9780300215120?c=ac41426a-ff61-
> 4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > This insightful and analytical account of mass protest in the 21st
> century
> > focuses on the “intertwined” power and weaknesses of new technologies
> that
> > can be used to galvanize large numbers of people. ... This comprehensive,
> > thought-provoking work makes a valuable contribution to understanding
> > recent political developments and provides a clear path by which
> grassroots
> > organizers can improve future efforts.
> >
> > Financial Times
> > <http://mail01.tinyletterapp.com/zeynepnotes/my-book-
> twitter-and-tear-gas-is-out-some-news-about-it-and-a-
> small-plea/8428773-www.ft.com/content/8eb634ce-2f36-11e7-
> 9555-23ef563ecf9a?c=ac41426a-ff61-4d79-bab6-4799c56fb03a>
> > :
> >
> > The author is also insightful on how governments and politicians are
> moving
> > from censorship, no easy task on social media, to attention-grabbing and
> > misinformation. “Just as attention is under-appreciated as a resource for
> > social movements, distractions and ignorance are under-appreciated as
> > methods of repression through denial of attention,” she writes. Sowing
> > cynicism is a powerful tool against protest: “If everything is in doubt,
> > while the world is run by secret cabals that successfully manipulate
> > everything behind the scenes, why bother?”
> >
> > Twitter and Tear Gas is packed with evidence on how social media has
> > changed social movements, based on rigorous research and placed in
> > historical context.
> >
> > --
> > ----
> > Zeynep Tufekci, Ph.D.
> > Associate Professor, University of North Carolina
> > Contributing Opinion Writer <http://www.nytimes.com/
> column/zeynep-tufekci>,
> > The New York Times
> > Faculty Associate Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
> >
> > Newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/zeynepnotes
> > Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@zeynep
> > Website: http://www.technosociology.org
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > http://www.aoir.org/
>
>
>
>

-- 
----
Zeynep Tufekci, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University of North Carolina
Contributing Opinion Writer <http://www.nytimes.com/column/zeynep-tufekci>,
The New York Times
Faculty Associate Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society

Newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/zeynepnotes
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@zeynep
Website: http://www.technosociology.org