This is a partial blog post that I'm planning to put on my website on January 1, 2015 in conjunction with the #ASOT2015 (Authors Supporting Our Troops) kickoff.
Hello, my friends, and welcome to a very special edition of The Writer’s Journey. Today I’m talking with author Armand Rosamilia. Armand is just a regular Joe, but he’s a regular Joe with a giant heart!
I learned about a wonderful program that he started in 2013 through a Facebook post. This program is called Authors Supporting Our Troops, and it provides author-signed books to soldiers overseas, in remote locations and “in the field” who have no access to TV, games, or any other form of entertainment. ASOT 2015 will begin January 1st and run through April 30th; however, they will continue to ship books even after this campaign is completed.
ASOT began with author Joe McKinney. Joe asked a group of authors to donate signed books for a soldier overseas that he knew personally. When Armand asked if they were going to do it again in 2014, Joe said that particular soldier was no longer overseas so there was no need to. Well, Armand wasn’t going to take that sitting down, so he “decided to take up the ball and run with it.” Their 2014 campaign was so successful that he will keep doing it until there are no longer soldiers out in the field who need this special diversion.
ASOT 2014 began with a goal of 500 books. By the end of their 4-month promotional campaign, they had collected and shipped 2,500 books! These aren’t already-read books, but are signed, new copies from the authors themselves. In 2014, ASOT shipped about 50 boxes of books to 25 different soldiers in remote locations like Kuwait and Afghanistan. All of this is made possible by the generosity of people like you.
I asked Armand how they get in contact with soldiers overseas, and he said they don’t go through the USO or a military contact. What they do is ask for addresses from YOU, those people out there who have friends or family members deployed in these remote areas. Then, he’ll contact these soldiers and get the ok to ship two boxes (around 100 books) for him or her to distribute to their unit.
ASOT doesn’t petition big-name publishing houses for books. Armand says this is because he didn’t want to get snowed under with books and take on more than he could manage. He told me that many small press publishers have sent books in the past and will again this year. Of course, if a big-name house were to offer signed books from their authors, he’d gladly accept them.
I know it must cost a small fortune to mail boxes of books out of this country, and when I asked Armand about this, he said that last year, the shipping cost alone was over $1,500, and as their goal has increased this year, he’s certain it will get even more costly this year. If you’re not an author but want to help, donations will be collected via PayPal, and these donations will go directly to offset the cost of shipping the books.
They will also be selling T-shirts again this year, as they did last year. They’ve added some new colors, and will give away prizes to people who purchase a T-shirt and then send in a picture of themselves proudly wearing the it. Even if you’re not an author or publisher, you can donate to this great cause by purchasing a T-shirt!
Change Jar Books in Flagler Beach, Florida is the place where ASOT ships all their books, and they are “selling” paper snowflakes for $1 to go toward the event. They also have a collection jar on the counter. Other authors are welcome to come up with their own ideas to raise money or awareness for ASOT, all Armand asks is that if anyone wants to do an event or collect money, to let him know in advance of your event.
ASOT has received a “positive and amazing” response from this program. Many soldiers have commented on how much they enjoyed the books and even found new authors to read once they got home. Remember, these are men and women who likely live in a tent and have nothing to do on their off time.
Most genres are acceptable, with the exception of extreme erotica, anti-military type books, and things of that nature. Even if you only write romance, keep in mind that there are women deployed in remote areas as well, and in any case, when there’s nothing to do but stare at four canvas tent walls, or pick up a romance novel, I’d be willing to bet a lot of the “tough guys” will pick up that book!
Armand himself has over 140 books released, with many more to come in 2015. He says he’s most known for his Dying Days ‘extreme zombie series’, but he also writes traditional horror, thrillers, contemporary fiction, and much more. You can learn more about his books at his website: http://armandrosamilia.com.
Help support this great cause and let’s exceed their goal of 3,500 books this year! Follow along on their permanent Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASOT2014/ and keep up to date on all the latest, including updates, pictures of soldiers receiving the books, and info on T-shirt sales. Use the hashtag #ASOT2015 to spread the word of this program through Twitter and Facebook.
Share with all your social media. Even if you don’t know any authors, pass this on, they may forward it to their sister’s cousin’s mother-in-law who knows someone who knows an author. You never know who might come across this program just because you took the time to click a share button. That’s exactly how I found it, after all!
For the address and information to send author-signed books for #ASOT2015, send an e-mail to Armand at armandrosamilia@gmail.com. You can also use that email address to make donations through PayPal. You can find his original blog post about #ASOT2015 here: http://armandrosamilia.com/2014/12/15/authors-supporting-our-troops-asot2015/.
