In
> 1998 readers responding to a Modern Library poll identified Atlas Shrugged
> and The Fountainhead as the two greatest novels of the twentieth
> century—surpassing Ulysses, To the Lighthouse and Invisible Man. In 1991 a
> survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club found that
> with the exception of the Bible, no book has influenced more American
> readers than Atlas Shrugged.
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=support_atlas_shrugged_initiative
------------------ Initiative Details
Over the next year, ARI proposes to invest just over $2 million toward the promotion of Atlas Shrugged.
We are pleased to announce that a very generous ARI donor has offered to match every dollar donated to this Initiative—up to a total of $500,000.
Here are the key elements of the Atlas Shrugged Initiative:
Bookstore Promotion: We plan to launch a series of in-store promotions at major book retailers (Barnes & Noble, Borders and Waldenbooks)—totaling nearly 3,100 stores across the country. We also plan promotions at almost 400 stores in major airports—HMS Host, Hudson News, Paradies, Trofie and HDS. We will work with Penguin Publishing to promote hardcover and other editions of the novel in bookstores, using table displays. We will also invest heavily in advertising on Amazon.com and through other online booksellers.
Internet Promotion: The key elements of our Internet promotion efforts will include: expansion of our Web site, AtlasShrugged.com; providing online courses; reading-group support; and links to other helpful resources to promote study of the novel. We will create new Web sites—targeted to younger audiences—to promote readership. We will develop a much-expanded and more easily accessible presence on YouTube.com, Facebook.com and Twitter—all three being highly popular resources for our target demographic.
Media Promotion: Building on our already considerable media success, we propose to use our growing media profile as a cost-effective means of promoting Atlas Shrugged. Specifically, we plan to develop articles and press releases on Atlas Shrugged, and arrange media interviews that allow us to stress the relevance of the novel to today’s world. We plan to develop short articles by prominent Americans, including business leaders, as part of a series titled “How Atlas Shrugged Changed My Life.” We will promote Atlas Shrugged on radio talk shows—a huge and generally supportive market for us. Finally, we plan to launch a lecture series—both live and satellite-broadcast—and conferences based on promoting the novel.
Educational Promotion: ARI has a long and very successful history—dating from its earliest years of existence—in promoting readership of Ayn Rand among high school students through our high school essay contests and, more recently, through our Free Books to Teachers program. However, a great deal more can be done. We propose, over the next year, to offer Atlas Shrugged to all high school Advanced Placement teachers in government, civics, economics and related social sciences. We will expand the Atlas Shrugged essay contest. We will develop new and enhanced lesson plans, teachers guides and additional materials for classroom use, and organize an annual conference for high school educators interested in learning more about the novel. We will also develop resources for university professors to assist them in teaching Atlas Shrugged in their courses. And to support all of these activities we will purchase 100,000 copies of the novel ourselves each year for all of our student and teacher programs.
Promotion to Activists: In recent months, as demonstrated, for example, by the hundreds of local Tea Party protests and rallies across the country on April 15 and July 4, grassroots activists and concerned citizens have shown an unprecedented enthusiasm for the ideas presented in Atlas Shrugged. We plan to capitalize on this growing movement—promoting Atlas Shrugged to thousands of motivated protesters as well as a national media audience. At these events, we plan to offer printed materials: Ayn Rand Samplers and/or pamphlets of reprinted articles by Ayn Rand. We will maintain and expand ARC’s Tea Party Web page and produce downloadable, Atlas Shrugged-related materials for use by Tea Party organizers and participants. We will provide Objectivist intellectuals to speak at events, and will launch a targeted media campaign that stresses the parallels between the current political and economic malaise and the crises depicted in Atlas Shrugged. ------------------
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