Blurb “Man book” on sale to support Aussie men

Australia’s first “man book” raises money to lower suicide rates in Aussie men

10.26.2009 – A group of Australian men have banded together to create a book about some of the tough issues facing the average Aussie bloke.

The book, The Perfect Gift for a Man – 30 Stories about Reinventing Manhood aims to get men talking about their feelings in a bid to help prevent male suicide in Australia.

Touched by the mental health, drug and alcohol problems facing young Australian men, local bloggers Gavin Heaton and Mark Pollard appealed to their readers, friends and family to honestly share the intense emotions and experiences of being a man. This collection of stories has been published into a high quality book for the first time, using online creative publishing website Blurb.com’s unique self-publishing capability.

The Perfect Gift for a Man is available for sale via the Blurb Bookstore with the profits going to the Inspire Foundation, a national non-profit that delivers online programs that prevent youth suicide and improve young people's mental health and wellbeing.

“As bloggers, we have been talking about men’s issues such as depression, mental health and coping with loss for years,” Gavin Heaton, one of the books creators said.

The current suicide rate for men in Australia is more than three times the rate of women1. Developing a book to encourage young Australian men to feel comfortable sharing their feelings and reinventing the idea of Australian masculinity is an important step towards a generation of happier and healthier men.

“We had the idea to do a book for men, about men, but finding a channel that helps us design, compile, publish and sell the coffee-table type book isn’t straightforward. But with Blurb.com’s self publishing capabilities, average Australians who have a vision of how to make a difference, can create their own high quality books and have them be available for purchase around the world,” Mr Heaton said.

Tim Parsons from Blurb.com Australia said self publishing was an increasingly popular way to create a book for those who are finding it hard to get a book deal but have something interesting and important to say.

“Blurb.com is very pleased to help publish The Perfect Gift for a Man – 30 Stories about Reinventing Manhood . We encourage anyone with a story to tell to visit http://au.blurb.com and get started today.” Tim Parsons, Blurb Australia said.

An excerpt from The Perfect Gift for a Man – 30 Stories about Reinventing Manhood reads:

“If I’ve learned anything through all this it is that there aren’t any hard-and-fast rules for how to be a man
in this crazy and unpredictable emotional tornado we call life. The only thing we can really be assured of
is that life will continue to change for us all, regardless of how much we wish it wouldn’t. All I know is that how you grow and evolve as a man to meet the challenges that life will inevitably throw at you is what really counts. I’ve learned that no matter how alone or broken you feel there are men and women who care enough to be there for you, to help you feel less broken and alone.”- Scott Drummond

“We want men to read the stories of others and find strength in knowing that others have lived through the same issues and gone on to live rich lives. It was important for us to find a way for Australian men to share their life experiences and help young men realise that it’s ok to reach out and ask for help when it’s needed,” Mr Heaton said.

The Perfect Gift for a Man – 30 Stories about Reinventing Manhood is priced at $19.95 and is available for sale at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/915312.

1. Source info: ABS. Causes of Death. Publication 3303.0, Australian Government, Canberra, 2009.
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About Blurb
Blurb® is a creative publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb’s platform makes it easy to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, using our free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® software, or via the design tool of your choice. Use Blurb’s Bookstore and online marketing tools to market and sell your books, and keep 100% of your profit. Use Blurb’s social and community features to create and share Blurb books with your friends and colleagues with ease.
Blurb was founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005, and includes a team of design, Internet and media veterans who share a passion for helping people bring their stories to life. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London, and is funded by Canaan Partners and Anthem Venture Partners. For more info, visit http://www.blurb.com.. Blurb supports online community projects for Flickr, Google, Tate Modern, Saatchi & Saatchi and in Australia supports community projects at Australian Centre for Photography, McFarlane Prize for Best Australian Web Design and Concrete Playground. For more info, visit http://au.blurb.com

About Gavin Heaton & Mark Pollard
Gavin is the author of Servant of Chaos, one of Australia’s leading marketing blogs. He is the co-publisher of the ground-breaking collaborative marketing book, Age of Conversation. Gavin has worked in marketing agencies, but is currently holed up on the client side, for global software giant, SAP. He is fascinated with the way communities can create movements which transform the way we see and understand the world.
Mark Pollard is a strategy guy who loves to write. By day, he is a Strategy Director in a communications agency; the rest of the time he tries to be a good dad and husband. Unfortunately, too often, things are actually split like that, but he’s hoping that by writing about his experiences in a way that is both provocative and useful to other people – not purely for catharsis – the split will one day disappear.

About the Inspire Foundation (www.inspire.org.au)
Inspire is an Australian non-profit organisation established in 1996 with a mission to help millions of young people lead happier lives. By combining the power of technology with the face-to-face involvement of young people, Inspire delivers national online programs, www.reachout.com and www.actnow.com.au, that improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people. In mid-2009, to coincide with the re-launch of Reach Out, Inspire launched the #Manweek campaign to raise awareness of these issues.

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News Facts

The current suicide rate for men in Australia is more than three times the rate of women1. Developing a book to encourage young Australian men to feel comfortable sharing their feelings and reinventing the idea of Australian masculinity is an important step towards a generation of happier and healthier men.
A group of Australian bloggers banded together to gather and share the stories about what it means to be a man.
The book is self-published via online book publisher, Blurb.com.
All profits from the sale of the book and eBook go to The Inspire Foundation.