Historian Raises Funds Through Kickstarter for Alexander Hamilton Biography

PHOENIX - May 8, 2015 - PRLog -- Historian and independent author Michael E. Newton has turned to the Internet to raise funds for the publication of his newest work, Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years (AHTFY). After spending four years researching and writing what promises to be “a more comprehensive and accurate account of Alexander Hamilton’s formative years,” Mr. Newton launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of this new book. As of May 8, the Kickstarter campaign for Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years has raised nearly $7,000. The campaign runs until May 13.

When asked why he decided to use Kickstarter to launch his book, Newton replied, “The publishing world is changing. In addition to moving more toward e-books, independent authors now have access to more markets, including the largest bookseller in the world, Amazon. However, to get the best prices on printing books, which is important when Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years weighs in at 774 pages and will be hardcover with a dust jacket, one must print in volume. Raising funds through Kickstarter will enable the book to be printed at a reduced cost and therefore sold to readers at a lower price.”

Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years will have a cover price of forty dollars, but one can pledge thirty dollars on Kickstarter and receive a copy of the book (with free shipping and handling) when it is published in June. Or for forty dollars, the list price of the book, one can receive a signed and dedicated copy of the book. As of this press release, thirteen “backers” have chosen rewards that include one, two, or three unsigned books while twenty-one have selected one or two signed and dedicated books. But the most popular option so far, in terms of fund raising, has been the five-hundred-dollar option, which includes ten signed book and the contributor’s name in the acknowledgments of the book. Nine people have chosen to show their support in this way.

Reviews of the book from a number of Hamilton scholars, authors, and descendants has contributed much to the success of the Kickstarter campaign for Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years. Douglas Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton’s fifth great grandson, called AHTFY “a most exciting historiography of Alexander Hamilton.” Stephen F. Knott, Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College and author of the critically acclaimed Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, said that AHTFY is “the most detailed examination of Hamilton’s early life that I have ever read. . . This is an invaluable resource, a must have, for serious scholars and students who are interested in the life of Alexander Hamilton.” Rand Scholet, President & Founder of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, wrote that this book “represents a significant scholarly contribution to the literature regarding the first half of Alexander Hamilton’s remarkable life story and to our understanding of the American Revolution. . . Mr. Newton’s scholarly findings regarding Hamilton’s origins, youth, and service in the American Revolution surpass every book that has preceded it.” Leonard Zax, President of the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson, called AHTFY “a painstakingly researched and carefully documented biography of the most remarkable of our Founding Fathers.” Richard Sylla, financial historian and professor of economics at New York University, wrote in his review, “It is a pleasure to read such a deep, informed, and scrupulously documented volume, yet one that is so engaging and well written as to be something of a page-turner.”

To learn more about Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years and the campaign to fund its publication, visit the Kickstarter campaign page here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelenewton/alexa...

Contact:
Michael E. Newton
Michael@michaelenewton.com
www.michaelenewton.com