Taking the Course, written by 15-year-old Martin Rather of New York City, was released August 20, 2013 on the Amazon Kindle Store to speed delivery to market. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised the funds to publish the book.
NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Martin Rather has announced publication of the e-book, Taking the Course. He started the novel, which is based on a true story, just after his 15th birthday, writing a complete first draft manuscript of 55,000 words by himself and in secret.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130822/PH68041 )
The story follows a young Logan Moten as he is trying to discover who he is, as a unique individual, while navigating the shoals of the teen years. Part of his voyage of discovery involves the special advantages and problems of growing up in Manhattan, where his dream of trying to become a golfer is especially difficult.
While enough funds have been raised on Kickstarter to publish the e-book, the campaign continues as Rather seeks to reward those who have helped him in late stages of the project. He also will run promotional days on the Amazon Marketplace and to donate books to youth groups.
The book includes a forward written by Martin's grandfather, television journalist Dan Rather, who did not know about the book until Martin asked him to read the completed manuscript.
"People may be skeptical, but all I've done is read the book, marvel that Martin had quietly created it, then helped with some very minor editing and wrote a forward. This book is all Martin's," he said, "and so are the ideas for financing and publishing it. He's independent, likes to do things on his own even when the odds are long. Mostly we've tried to stay out of the way and keep this—as he has wanted—something he's doing on his own."
Martin's teenage friends also assisted with editing the completed novel. This group of peers went over the book sentence by sentence and also created a video to promote the project, seen on the Kickstarter campaign webpage.
Using Kickstarter to fund publishing the book was Martin's idea, but because of his age he was required to have an adult responsible for the financial arrangements. So Martin's grandmother, the painter Jean Rather, lent her name. But, as she has emphasized, "Martin's done all the work, handled all the details."
The goal of publishing Taking the Course, as stated by Martin Rather, is "see a young person try to get started as a writer and to be able to give back to my school and my friends. I would also like to help demonstrate that teenagers often are extremely capable of succeeding in today's literature and business climates."
For more information on the book and the author, go to www.takingthecourse.com.
Taking the Course was released on the Amazon Kindle Store on August 20, 2013.
About Martin Rather
Now 16 years old and about to begin his junior year of high school, Martin Rather completed his first book –a novel, Taking the Course—when he was 15. The book is a coming-of-age story about a boy and his dream to become a golfer. He was born in Manhattan and has lived in the heart of New York City all of his life. He enjoys writing, playing basketball and golf, and the company of friends. He is the son of Judith White and Dan M. (Danjack) Rather.
EDITORS/REPORTERS: For review copies or interview requests, contact:
Martin Rather
http://www.takingthecourse.com
Email
Tel: 646-202-3666