As mentioned yesterday, 14 authors took part in the first NFT drop for books, and today we have Matt Crisci telling us why he selected Call sign, White Lily. Take it away, Matt!
Why I selected Call Sign, White Lily as my first NFT collectible
offering.
By M.G. Crisci
I am the
Manhattan-born author of 16 books based on true stories and events across
multiple genres. My brand positioning
for the past two decades has been: Stories that entertain. People you will
remember. Literature that matters.
Despite my literary library, the first most frequently asked question at the majority of my speaking engagements is, “how did an American author with no Russian background come to write a best-selling book about the world’s first female fighter pilot?"
My response? Fate. In 1995, I attended a two-city museum exhibition
called World War II through Russian eyes. There I learned that more than 30
million Russians died helping to save the world from Hitler for the first time.
After some preliminary
research, I made a decision that changed my life forever. Instead of writing
some self-aggrandizing academic treatise, I decided to use the world’s first
female fighter pilot, the remarkable Lt. Lilia Litvyak, 18, as a metaphor for
Russian WWII sacrifices.
To develop the story, I took the bold step of contacting Vladimir
Putin at the Kremlin. People laughed. Amazingly, three months later, I received
an email explaining my request had been given “priority treatment.” I was instructed
to contact two women, Valentina Vaschenko and Yelena Sivolap, in a town I never heard of—Krasny Luch—who
were ready, willing, and able to help.
During the next three years, I not only spent hours with the women
in person, but I also took additional trips to parts of Russia and Ukraine,
little visited by Americas, with names like Donblass, Dmitrovka, and Mari’inka,
in addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg. I also interviewed over 100 citizens
and government officials (with not one single incident, I might add).
Soon, with a bit of creative fill-in, Call Sign, White Lily was born. It was positioned correctly as an epic story of woman’s
empowerment in a male-dominated society and a bittersweet tale of wartime love
story. I also was the proud owner of an extensive collection of vintage Litvyak
pictures and videos unavailable anywhere else (more about that later).
To my amazement,
the book, Call
Sign, White Lily. The world’s first female fighter pilot becomes Hitler’s worst
nightmare,
quickly became an Amazon No. 1 one best-seller in
historical fiction, as well as numerous other categories. And, almost nine
years later still sells robustly both in ebooks and print, and the reader
reviews are astounding.
Along the way, I
have also spoken at high-profile venues in New York, Washington D.C., Moscow,
and St. Petersburg, RU, including the United Nations, The American and Russian
and Ukrainian Embassies and Cultural centers, and Voice of America.
Like most authors, I know little about digital tags, blockchains,
and the rest. But I do know some of the largest auction houses in the world are
now offering special digital editions (NFT’s) of various works of art. Major
League Basketball and Baseball have also launched NFT memorabilia, so I said to
myself, we may be early, but let’s test the proposition against quality
literary works.
Also, given the tangible Call Sign assets I own, I thought Lilia’s unabridged story, with a robust
epilogue from individual Russian citizens, and an attractive 50-page picture
book of her life, times, loves, and friends, would make for a one-of-a-kind NFT.
Something someone might want to keep or one day resell. To make the offering
even more attractive, the NFT holder gets to see videos with me interviewing
Lilia’s last living friend, government officials, and my two collaborators,
Valentina and Yelena.
As for pricing, I
established a fair value price point of $25, knowing previously read hardcover
copies of Call
Sign, White Lily sell for $79 or more by Amazon
book resellers. Here’s a link to the NFT page.
What’s Next for M.G.?
This
summer we launched, volume 2 of Only in New York. 37 big apple
stories that span 55 years and 5 boroughs. The early reader and
editorial reviews are fantastic, and the book is selling nicely in eBook and
print formats.
This
fall, the Books Go Social Marketing Team will begin promoting another one-of-a-kind
book, The King of Violins. The extraordinary life of Ma Sicong, China’s
greatest violin virtuoso. The first activity is a major worldwide
multi-media presentation, sponsored by the Chinese-American Museum and San
Diego State University. The audience is expected to be 2,000 plus.
I’ve also decided to mimic American
author John Dos Pasos and his U.S.A. trilogy, by completing my N.Y.C. trilogy,
Only in New York, Volume 3. That’s 40% completed)
Finally, I’m working on another
amazing story in which I was intimately involved. Ms. Banker. No Rules. No Judgments.
No glass ceilings. It the true story of New York City’s most powerful
female banker in the 1980’s. That is 50% completed.
Stay safe and keep smiling. 😊
Matt
Thank you, Matt! To say I'm blown away by your literary adventures is underselling my awe. Good luck with your NFT, and happy writing!
No comments:
Post a Comment