Welcome Guest   |  Login   |   Signup
JG Logo
Thu, February 23, 2012
Archive Search

My Jakarta: Jed Revolutia, E-Book Entrepreneur
Aisyah Hamid | March 25, 2011

'Creating an e-book is just one way to get published,' says e-book entrepreneur Jed Revolutia.
Share This Page
8
83
0
4
Share with google+ :


Post a comment
Please login to post comment

Comments

twindoni
5:33pm Apr 16, 2011

Inspiring...

revolutia
8:06am Mar 22, 2011

Dear Endy,

Let's not forget that Mark Twain, Voltaire, Woody Allen, and Bob Dylan are all pseudonyms. The use of pen name is not something new in the world of arts.

The reason why I stick to use 'Jed Revolutia' is because it itself has become a brand, developed in cyber world. The reason why I kept on using the anonymity is simply because it sells.

Why don't you think what would you do if you were in my position back then. I was a nobody who lives in a small town. Would people buy my book if they know everything about me in first place? I wasn't working with a big publishing company, I self-published my book with no money at all. In fact, I do proud of myself after seeing the results it gets: I can publish a nationally-known book without having to have money in first place.

Talking about identity, my book is about growing up and self-acceptance. The reason I don't use my real name in my writing is simply because of business purposes.

Regards,

Jed

Peter-Link
11:08pm Mar 21, 2011

Good going mate. I like your attitude and forward thinking. Better you are the Pres. Cheers

endydaniyanto
6:52pm Mar 21, 2011

Dear Jed,

You say "If they knew me by my name and my profession, they might think I was just looking for attention."

Of all the best books that I've read, all of them are onymous. They too are bloggers who also use social media to promote their work. One personal favorite of mine is Gretchen Rubin, who also uses her personal experiences to write about her Happiness Project. In it she completely explains who she is, her background, her family, and even hinted where her in-laws live!

This is just providing another point of view about your statement; since your book is about identity after all.

Cheers,

Endy

  • Previous
  • 1
  • Next

Can people who publish e-books really be considered authors? Can free-to-download e-books save the publishing industry? Do guys like Jed Revolutia belong in the same breath as John Grisham and Pramoedya Ananta Toer?

Two years ago, Revolutia was a lecturer in Lampung who did a bit of blogging on the side. Today, he has more than 11,000 followers on Twitter and his third e-book has already surpassed more than 20,000 downloads. My Jakarta caught up with Revolutia to talk about the future of reading and why his nom de plume is one of his biggest selling points.

Why don’t you use your real name?

Because almost everybody knows me by my pen name. I use it for most of my online accounts, such as my blog and Twitter account. Before I published ‘You Are LIKEable’ online, I talked to some friends and they suggested I keep using my pseudonym, Jed Revolutia. The anonymity and mystery makes for good publicity, which means it’s good for business too.

What good does anonymity do for you as a writer?

‘You Are LIKEable’ is based on real things that happened to me, stuff I discussed on my blog before. The anonymity keeps people guessing and prevents them from judging me because of my background and profession. If they knew me by my name and my profession, they might think I was just looking for attention.

Your e-book is available to download for free. How exactly is it that you make money then?

No one would buy an e-book if it wasn’t really important or necessary. But if it’s available for free, you download it, you read it, you like it, you keep it and share it with your friends. Word spreads fast. If you don’t like it, you just discard it. You have nothing to lose. But that doesn’t mean writers can’t make a profit.

The problem came when I needed someone to design the e-book. I needed to pay the designer and of course I didn’t want to spend money without making some money myself. That’s when I came up with the crazy idea of selling some pages in my e-book for companies to advertise. E-advertisements in my e-book. I promised them 6,000 downloads in three months, and the e-book was downloaded by 9,000 people in two days and 12,000 people in less than a month. So everyone was happy [smiles].

Is this a concept you pioneered?

As far as I know, I’m the first one to put ads in an e-book. But I think they’re about to take off.

Tell us about ‘You Are LIKEable.’

It’s a psychology book based on my experiences in discovering my identity. Most people like my book because it’s not judgemental and it’s a personal journey that everyone can relate to. It’s about how you need to appreciate yourself first for people to accept you for who you are. It’s about self-acceptance. It’s actually the first of a trilogy.

Why did you finally decide to print and sell the book?

Creating an e-book is just one of the ways to go about publishing. I want my book to be available to the general public. Some people love to read e-books instead of tangible books, while for some people it’s the other way around. My book is available online but I also joined up with nulisbuku.com to sell the book in stores. They print the book based on demand. So if someone orders and pays, they print the book and send it out. Once again, nothing to lose. There’s no need to print millions of copies of the book without knowing if it’s going to sell or not.

Why don’t you partner with a big-name publisher?

Because they wouldn’t want to publish both my book and my e-book. They think if they publish my e-book for free, they won’t be able to sell the book. Which is actually wrong because now I’m doing it and I’m happy with the result. People buy my book for many different reasons; they don’t like to read online, they already read it online but still want the book for their collection or they want to give the book to relatives or friends who they think might need it.

How did you get people to read your book?

Tweeting and blogging. I was no one two years ago. I had no idea how social media like Twitter could actually shrink the gap between people. I was surprised by the fact that I could talk to Titi DJ or Fadjroel Rachman, the politician, on Twitter just like that. I have followers who think I’m into politics. I’m actually just an ordinary Indonesian citizen who’s concerned about the political situation in this country. By producing ‘You Are LIKEable,’ I’m trying to rebrand myself as a writer. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was a kid. And it’s such a pleasure when you know celebrities like Titi DJ and Luna Maya read your book.

Ever think about writing a book about Jakarta? If you did, what format would you use?

I would probably write essays outlining concepts for a better Jakarta. One solution, in my humble opinion, would be to have fewer cars and motorbikes on the streets by banning them from the main roads. But I don’t think the governor would have the nerve to do that because politicians always fight for the convenience of the rich. I would prefer to see more bicycles and becaks on the streets.

Besides for business purposes, how else do you think people can utilize their online popularity?

Social campaigns. I’m a volunteer publicist for the Indonesian Care for Cancer Kids Foundation [YKAKI], helping to raise awareness of donation and volunteer opportunities. I don’t have anything else to offer or give them but good publicity on my Twitter feed.



Jed Revolutia was talking to Aisyah Hamid.