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1984 Books publishes hi-tech satire novel, ‘The Qwerty Man’

LONDON (October 30, 2017) – Dan Savery Raz, journalist and Lonely Planet author, has published his debut novel, a dystopian satire, titled The Qwerty Man.

The Qwerty Man published in October, 2017 by independent publisher 1984 Books, is available as both an ebook, priced $4.99, and paperback, priced $11.99, at online book stores such as Amazon.com.
Author Dan Savery Raz says:
“The Qwerty Man is set in the not-so-distant future, where all digital words can be bought and sold via a global marketplace called Qwertex. The novel takes place in one month, December 2034, as Qwertex releases the keyword ‘God’ for sale at an auction. This auction kicks off a vicious bidding war between CEOs such as media mogul Michael Mendlesohn and property tycoon Omar Gindi, followed by religious leaders such as Pope Luke Johnson (the world’s first African-American pontiff) and world leaders such as Prince Abdullah IV from Saudi Arabia and President Jimmy Chang (the first Chinese-American President).

“Our protagonist is CEO of Qwertex, Zach Webman, whose personal life happens to be falling apart at the same time as the world goes crazy. As I wrote the book, I realised that the centre of the novel was not the technology or auction but the relationship between Zach and his son, Ben, who dislikes his father’s company so much he attends anti-Qwertex protests.

“The idea basically stems from the simple concept of selling words. For many years I have been intrigued by the notion that much of what we do is actually ‘selling words’. Most of advertising is literally selling words. Copywriters sell words. Website domains are selling words. Religious preachers are selling words. And, of course, politicians are the ultimate ‘word sellers’.

“So I wondered what it would be like to live in a world where ALL digital words cost money, and came straight from your bank account? Then I thought, ‘which word would cause the biggest rush?’ And the answer was ‘God’. So I developed a story around how the most powerful leaders (or, to be more precise, idiots) in the world would react to such a sale. I assumed the sale of the word ‘God’ would cause at first outrage, then bribery and eventually downright violence.”

What they said about The QWERTY MAN:

“Like :)”
#Mark Zuckerberg

“A Godforsaken book that might just save humanity from technology.”
#Pope Francis

“Making people pay for words is not a bad thing. No-one reads better than me.”
#Donald Trump

Dan Savery Raz is a journalist who has co-authored a number of travel books including the Lonely Planet Israel & the Palestinian Territories guide and written for BBC.com and The Times of Israel. The Qwerty Man is his debut novel. See more at,  https://danscribe.com

The Qwerty Man is available as an ebook and paperback at Amazon.

Published by 1984 Books.
Contact:
1984 Books
Editorial desk
18 Weisel St, Tel Aviv 642410
1984ebooks@gmail.com
http://www.1984-books.com

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4 Quotes from Fahrenheit 451

“I saw the way things were going a long time back. I said nothing. I’m one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the ‘guilty’, but I did not speak and became guilty myself.”

“You could feel the war getting ready in the sky that night. The way the clouds moved aside and came back, and the way the stars looked, a million of them swimming between the clouds, like the enemy discs…”

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there.”

“We know all the damn silly things we’ve done for a thousand years, and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, some day we’ll stop making the goddam funeral pyres and jumping into the middle of them. We pick up a few more people that remember every generation.”

From ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury, 1953

Orwell’s 1984 is a Best-Seller in 2017

George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel is topping the sales list on Amazon

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The New York Times reported that 1984 (or Nineteen Eighty-Four) has topped the sales charts on Amazon following the inauguration of Donald Trump.

According to the New York Times, George Orwell’s classic book 1984 about a dystopian future where critical thought is suppressed under a totalitarian regime, “has seen a surge in sales this month, rising to the top of the Amazon best-seller list in the United States and leading its publisher to have tens of thousands of new copies printed.”

Craig Burke, the publicity director at Penguin USA, said that the publisher had ordered 75,000 new copies of the book this week and that it was considering another reprint.

“We’ve seen a big bump in sales,” Mr. Burke said. He added that the rise “started over the weekend and hit hyperactive” on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Since Friday, the book has reached a 9,500 percent increase in sales, he said.

While many are still trying to ask what the rise of Trumpism means to them, we at 1984 Books are thinking what the rise in 1984 means to Trump. Watch this space for more updates.

Trump era and dystopian novels

Nineteen Eighty-four in 2017?

According to the BBC Magazine, the election and antics of Donald Trump has sparked a sales bonanza for publishers of dystopian fiction.

The BBC recently covered The Trump era’s top-selling dystopian novels.

Here are the top-selling dystopian novels in bookshops:

1.It Can’t Happen Here – Sinclair Lewis
Sales: As of Friday, the eighth best-selling book on Amazon.

2.1984 – George Orwell
Sales: As of Friday, the best-selling book on Amazon. Since Donald Trump’s inauguration, sales have increased by 9,500%!

3. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Sales: Another dystopian novel that was not in Amazon’s top 100 sales chart two years ago but which is currently in the top 10.

4. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Sales: Currently tussling with Donald Trump’s book (see below) for the 15th slot in the Amazon chart.

It’s certainly an interesting trend for all of us at 1984 Books.