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• Geneve, 8 novembro 2010

To: Eduardo Spohr Dear Eduardo Congratulations for “A Batalha do Apocalipse”. For the first time in the Brazilian literature we see a book that uses such elements to tell a story. On a side note, I would like also to congratulate you for being in the Brazilian best seller lists for such a long period – knowing beforehand that you did not have any support from the press. It was basically word-

• f-mouth, which in my opinion is the best way to promote a book.

Wishing you luck in finding a publisher for this wonderful novel, Forte abraço

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1 - introDUCtion Brazilian pUBlishing sUCCess

The Battle of the Apocalypse is the first book from Eduardo Spohr, who became a publishing success after reaching the Brazilian best-seller lists and making the top ten. When the novel was published independently in 2007, it sold nearly 5,000 copies solely through a single online store. Its repercussion attracted the attention of Verus publishing house and Record Group who decided to invest in the project with targeted exposure and a media plan. The results were impressive. The Battle of the Apocalypse reached the best-selling lists during its second week of sales. In the first two months, around 45,000 copies vanished from bookstores. The success of the book attracted over 1,000 people keen on getting an autograph from the author at an event during São Paulo Book Fair. With 586 pages, the book is a more mature alternative for readers compared to vampire novels (Stephenie Meyer) and fantasy works (Rick Riordan). It captivates not only younger readers but those from all age groups. The Battle of the Apocalypse tells the story of the earth’s last days. The heavens are ruled by tyrannical archangels who usurped God’s power. Throughout the 586 pages, we follow the path of Ablon, a celestial general expelled from heaven after

• rganizing a rebellion against its oppressive leaders.

Condemned to roam the world of men, the hero becomes a fugitive and hides in cities where he follows closely the evolution of human civilization from ancient times until today. During this journey Ablon meets the sorceress Shamira and falls in love with her. Together they face numerous enemies, including magicians, gods and angels. When the moment of Apocalypse approaches, Ablon is invited to join the legions

• f the demon Lucifer, heaven’s biggest enemy, to defeat with him the archangels in

the great battle of Armageddon—a battle that will not only decide the fate of the world, but that of the universe.

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2 - Case stUDy

from self-pUBlishing to Best-seller

The Battle of the Apocalypse represents a success story in self-publishing, a method adopted more and more by first-time authors who want to promote and sell their works. The novel’s first draft was ready in 2005. To test and improve the text, Spohr decided to distribute the manuscript to friends and received excellent feedback. Among those friends were Alexandre Ottoni and Deive Pazos, the forces behind Jovem Nerd (Young Nerd) website, the biggest geek culture blog in Brazil. With the text finished, it was time to send the manuscript to publishers. To impress them, Spohr had the idea of printing some copies in book format with cover and spine. For this he used the only printing company in Rio de Janeiro that offered small-run print services. Although the unit price was high, the author believed in his work and had 30 copies printed. Moments before leaving the printer, Eduardo Spohr noticed a poster about a writing contest where the winner would get 100 printed copies of their book. He took a chance and entered the competition. Meanwhile, Ottoni and Pazos from the Jovem Nerd website opened a virtual store and proposed to Spohr that he used that channel to promote his work. However, Eduardo only had 20 copies left, not enough for selling online. As luck would have it, on that same day he opened his email inbox to find he had won the competition and now had 100 more copies of the book to sell at no cost. In the first week of September 2007, Spohr, Ottoni and Pazos announced the sale of the book in the website’s weekly podcast, NerdCast, which has an estimated audience of 120,000. The 100 copies available sold out in five hours, which led the three to invest in 500 more books. But Spohr still dreamt of winning a contract and seeing his work in bookstores. He waited a further two years for a reply from publishers. With no responses and an increasing online demand for a new edition of the book, in 2009 the author and his friends from Jovem Nerd made a major decision: to invest in a self-published printing of 4,000 copies. A total of 4,600 copies of the book were sold independently, an eye-opener for publishers from Record Group. The contract was signed in May 2010, and by the end of July the book was on the shelves of all bookstores in the country.

3 - aBoUt the Book

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3.1 – synopsis

A long, long time ago, heaven was the setting of a terrible battle. A group of warrior angels, defenders

• f justice and freedom, challenged the tyranny of the powerful archangels and fought against their
• ppressors. Banished from heaven, the renegades were forced into exile and condemned to wander

the world of men until Judgment Day. But then the moment of Apocalypse arrived, the time of reckoning. Only one survivor of the persecution, Ablon, the leader of the renegades, is invited by the demon Lucifer to join his legions in the battle of Armageddon, the final war between heaven and hell—a battle that would not only decide the fate of the world, but that of the universe. From the ruins of Babylon to the splendor of the Roman Empire, from the vast plains of China to the cold castles of medieval England, The Battle of the Apocalypse is not only a journey through human history, it is also a journey of knowledge, an exciting epic full of heroic battles, magic, romance and thrills.

3.2 – angels, Demons anD the enD of the worlD

Celestial beings are in fashion. According to author Anne Rice in an article published by British newspaper The Guardian (at the end), they are the “new vampires” in literature. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, angels are the bridge between the divine and the human, and that is what makes them

• interesting. “Being on the side of the angels, it feels much better than being on

the side of the vampires. Vampires were tortured, tragic figures”, Rice told The Wall Street Journal. Like vampires, angels are beings that exist in the folklore of almost every culture, exerting great fascination over us. Apocalyptic literature is another genre that has always been in vogue, and it is even more evident with the supposed prophecies involving the approaching year of 2012, that excites the imagination of the more curious among us and appears in many mainstream works.

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3.3 – mythology anD pop CUltUre

In The Battle of the Apocalypse, mythology meets pop culture. References range from the Bible to Japanese animation, from the Upanishads to the Star Wars saga, from the works of Joseph Campbell to superhero comics. The book retells elements presented in the myths and texts of many cultures: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and primitive religions from Western Europe. In addition to angels, pagan gods also take part in this cosmic plot, weaving a coherent web never seen before in literature.

3.4 – aCtion anD romanCe

According to the award-winning science-fiction author Larry Niven, action and adventure are essential themes for captivating the male audience. Women, however, are attracted by romance and emotional ties between characters. The Battle of the Apocalypse explores the perfect balance between these two types. Ablon (the lead character) is a renegade general, and during his travels he is chased by agents that want to destroy him, a situation that gives birth to an epic sequence of combat scenes. Love between Ablon and Shamira, on the other hand, is the center of the story. For over 5,000 years, the angel and the sorceress try to stay together, but this desire is repressed by the impossibility of the renegade staying in one place—he needs to be constantly

• n the move to escape those who hunt him.

3.5 – religion for yoUng reaDers

Drawing inspiration from several religions, The Battle of the Apocalypse can help young people know about the creeds of the world and study them in general instead

• f specific doctrines.

Entirely written in contemporary language, the work presents itself as a starting point for the study of spirituality and mythology by people who have never had any contact with this kind of knowledge.

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3.6 – history anD philosophy

The influence of thinkers such as Joseph Campbell and philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer appears in a subliminal way at various points in the book. Buddhist philosophy is especially present when the novel proposes that the power of divinity is not external, but inside each person. Set in various times during mankind’s history, Ablon’s adventures are described by flashbacks that detail scenes, habits and cultures from different ages. The Silk Road, which connected East to West, appears as the angel wanders through its routes. Ancient Rome is one of the highlights of the book, as well as the fall of Constantinople and the end of the Middle Ages.

3.7 – expanDeD Universe

Dubbed by some as “the Brazilian Tolkien”, Eduardo Spohr has created not only a story, but a complete universe with a mythology and its own rules, like J. R. R. Tolkien did in The Lord of the Rings. This opens the possibility of creating parallel stories, adapting other elements to different types of media that cross paths and creating a so-called “expanded universe”—stories that run parallel to the main plotline. The TV show Lost is a good example of how this expanded universe can be explored. Weekly episodes have always been the backbone of the story, but its extended material included web episodes, computer games and interactive websites.

3.8 – CharaCters

Ablon, the Renegade Angel – The lead character in the story is a cherub, a former

general of the celestial legions who was banished from heaven for organizing a rebellion against the archangels and their tyranny. Bound to earth, Ablon walks through many of mankind’s ages, escaping from those who hunt him and waiting for Judgment Day.

Shamira, the Sorceress of En-Dor – Inspired by the

Biblical necromancer hired by King Saul to summon his brother’s spirit, Shamira is saved from death by Ablon in the ancient city of Babylon. With the help

• f her masters, she develops a spell that enables

her to live for many years. Her greatest wish is to wait for the end of the celestial war so she and Ablon can finally stay together.

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Orion, the Fallen King of Atlantis – Ablon’s friend Orion had once been the angel who ruled

Atlantis, a city destroyed by the Great Flood. Unhappy with the archangels’ decision to order the cataclysm, Orion joins Lucifer in his rebellion and becomes a demon in hell. He is a character full of conflict, a remorseful devil with latent good in him.

Apollyon, the Terminator – One of the fallen angels and Lucifer’s ally, Apollyon is Ablon’s greatest

enemy and the main assassin of the angels who wander the earth. The rivalry between them goes back to the time when both were celestial generals.

Michael, the Prince of Angels – The most powerful among the archangels distorts God’s words,

turning heaven into tyranny.

Lucifer, the Fallen Angel – Like Ablon, Lucifer also planned a revolution against Michael, but his

punishment was far worse as he was cast into hell. He is the archangels’ greatest adversary and hopes to strike an alliance with the renegade angel.

3.9 – sUmmary of the Chapters

The Malakins’ Sacred Manuscript – Prelude that outlines some of the setting’s elements.

In the beginning: God fell asleep on the seventh day of Creation. This sleep lasts to this day. Michael rules in Yahweh’s “absence” and tries to destroy human beings because of envy. Today: The corrupt world is coming to an end.

PART 1 – SACRED AVENGER

Prologue

Today: Uziel invades Mount Tsafon, which is guarded by Michael, to verify whether Yahweh is really asleep, but he only finds the Book of Life and is killed by Michael, who realizes the end is near.

Chapter 1

Today: At the Christ the Redeemer monument (Rio de Janeiro), Ablon (leader of the renegade angels) meets Orion, who invites him to fight in the Battle of the Apocalypse as Lucifer’s ally. Orion gives him the rune of peace. Flashback: Wars in heaven 12,000 years ago, the Flood, a duel between Ablon and Apollyon.

Chapter 2

Today: In Rio de Janeiro, Ablon ponders over the apocalyptic signs in the world and consults the original text of St. John’s Revelations. He calls Shamira, who is in Iraq. The sorceress recovers Ablon’s sword (Sacred Avenger), which had been buried, and goes to Rio.

Flashback: Meeting between Ablon and Shamira in Babel in 2334 BC. They fight Nimrod, the king who built the Tower of Babel and kidnapped the sorceress. The tower is destroyed and Nimrod is defeated but not killed by Ablon, who loses his sword at the time.

Chapter 3

Today: Ablon and Shamira meet at a hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Shamira performs protection rituals

• n Ablon, including a rune applied to his arm.

Chapter 4

Today: At the Rio-Niterói Bridge Ablon takes a boat that takes him through the River Styx to hell. He meets Lucifer and does not accept the alliance proposal to go to the Zion Fortress (archangel Michael’s headquarters) in order to open the passage to hell. Despite that, Lucifer gives him the key to the passage.

Chapter 5

Shamira is attacked by Euzin and the Dark Angel. Returning from hell, Ablon fights Balberith and kills him, but cannot stop the Dark Angel from kidnapping Shamira and taking her to the Zion

• Fortress. The Berlin League drops a nuclear bomb on Beijing. Ablon interprets this act as the First

Trumpet and prepares for the final battle.

PART 2 – WRATH OF GOD

Chapter 6

Today: From heaven, Gabriel sends Aziel and Sieme to get Ablon and guide him to Sinai, where the great battle will begin. In Rio the three prepare to travel. Flashback: Shortly before the year AD 1, Ablon escapes from Rome and goes to China, where he is informed of the imminent birth of the Sacred Child and that he is being sent to protect the Savior. Ablon begins his trip, but confusing instructions make him decide to go first to Rome to save Shamira from death, which was foretold by the sorcerer Zamir. After a journey fraught with combat, danger and death, Ablon arrives in Rome as a slave in the final stage of his trip. Shamira rescues him from the slave market and together they kill Zamir. Due to an old poisoned wound, Ablon falls into a 30-year torpor. When he wakes up, he remembers his mission to protect the Savior and travels to Jerusalem, where he arrives on the evening of April 7, AD 30. Gabriel tells him the Savior has just died.

PART 3 – PLAGUE OF FIRE

Chapter 7

Today: Ablon, Aziel and Sieme hear the sound

• f the Second Trumpet (Beijing drops an atomic

bomb on New York), and Ablon throws the rune of peace into Guanabara Bay.

While the three of them travel on a plane to Tel Aviv, the Berlin League drops an atomic bomb on Moscow (the Third Trumpet). Flashback: The destruction of Sodom in 4000 BC.

Chapter 8

Today: The three of them arrive in Tel Aviv and travel to Jerusalem. Shamira remains imprisoned in Zion Fortress. Flashback: England, AD 1231. Ablon searches for Shamira, who lives in the Red Forest. She helps him to enter hell to try and save his friend Yarion. Yarion is killed before his arrival; Ablon is defeated by Lucifer and kept as a prisoner in Zandrak where Lilith and Orion release him. Back in the Red Forest, he finds a warning from Shamira, who has escaped to Constantinople. The two meet at that city, from which Shamira goes to Venice and Ablon to Spain.

Chapter 9

Today: In Jerusalem, Ablon, Aziel and Sieme hear the sound of the Fourth Trumpet. Ablon and Aziel continue towards Sinai. Sieme stays and manages to open one of the access points into hell, but is imprisoned and killed.

Chapter 10

Ablon and Aziel arrive at Saint Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai where they win the first battles against the enemy army and kill Euzin. Ablon meets Gabriel at the top of Mount Sinai and agrees to lead his army, which is camped on the plains in front of Horeb. Michael continues to prepare his legions in Zion Fortress.

Chapter 11

Leviathans (warships) approach Zion Fortress, and on the Sinai plains Ablon reviews his troops. When he returns to the top of Mount Sinai, Gabriel reveals that Yahweh is not asleep but instead his essence has dissipated at the end of the sixth day of Creation. Since then, he has been present in the world as unconditional love that has been demonstrated by episodes between Shamira and Ablon and in the life of the Savior. Gabriel gives his sword, Plague of Fire, to Ablon, and they hear the sound of the Fifth Trumpet. The army led by Ablon begins to invade Zion Fortress. In the Tower of a Thousand Windows, Ablon fights the Dark Angel and approaches the room that houses the Wheel of Time. There he is challenged by Michael, and at the start of the duel the Sixth Trumpet sounds.

Chapter 12

The armies clash and during the duel between Michael and Ablon Lucifer appears, revealing that he and Michael were in fact allies that had formed a coalition between heaven and hell against the

• earth. The infernal troops arrive at the battlefield

and Lucifer pulls back to observe the battle. Michael kills Ablon and prepares to finish off

• Shamira. Ablon is reborn thanks to the

rune that the sorceress put on his arm and finally defeats Michael.

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Lucifer dies on the battlefield, but now the Dark Angel (which in fact is Apollyon) appears to continue the fight. Ablon and Apollyon fly with their armies to Megiddo and face each other in a

• duel. Orion appears and immobilizes Apollyon, allowing Ablon to return to Zion Fortress while the

universe starts to disintegrate.

Chapter 13

Ablon, Amael and Aziel enter Zion Fortress, where they find Shamira is dead. Ablon realizes his mission to save the world has come to an end and that he can begin his “private life”. The three of them turn the Wheel of Time and go back to the past.

Epilogue

Estoril (Portugal), today: Ablon and Shamira walk along the beach. Ablon explains that the Apocalypse, which happens not through war but through evolution, is the start of a transformed and peaceful world. He throws the Book of Life (blank and untitled) into the sea and, while the two continue their stroll, the waves bring the rune of peace to the shore.

3.10 – referenCes anD inspiration

According to Eduardo Spohr, the primary inspiration for the book came from the movie The Prophecy (USA, 1995), starring Christopher Walken and directed by Gregory Widen. In the film, the celestial beings are creatures with human feelings, vulnerable to jealousy and envy. They hate mankind because God loved it above all else. But The Prophecy is just the first of a long list of sources. The second inspiration came from comic books under Vertigo brand, DC Comics adult

• division. Titles such as Hellblazer, Preacher and Sandman feature magic and

the supernatural as themes with a contemporary aesthetic and language. In Preacher, for example, Jesse Custer is a failed preacher whose spirit is fused with the soul of Genesis, a celestial creature who had escaped from its prison in heaven. Other less obvious influences helped the author to create his fantasy world. Writers such as Robert E. Howard, J. R. R. Tolkien and H. P. Lovecraft were fundamental in that aspect. Spohr also looked for sources in classic and religious texts, including the Hindu Mahabharata and the Bible itself, especially the Book of Revelation, to which he linked the passage about the Seven Trumpets. But while the content of The Battle of the Apocalypse has a classical vein, it would be nothing without the contemporary way in which the narrative is led. The speed of Kung Fu movies was crucial to the creation of the combat scenes. The study of Eastern tradition and martial arts also helped the author to mould his cherub angels’ personality, which is very similar to that of Samurai with their devotion to the sword and their commitment to honor.

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4 - marketing “nerDpower”

The Battle of the Apocalypse entered the top ten best-seller list in Brazil in its second week of sales. The project was a high-stake bet from the beginning, with a starting edition of 10,000 copies in a market where similar works are launched with a first edition of about 3,000 copies. The numbers are even more impressive considering that Spohr is a first-time author. The publisher’s marketing department opted for an aggressive campaign, using bus doors in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, billboards in Curitiba (Paraná state’s capital) and advertising trailers shown in movie theaters before adventure and sci-fi movies. Meanwhile, aggressive online promotions were also undertaken. The company sent review copies to the main literature blogs in the country. The NerdCast podcast on the Jovem Nerd website, which has an estimated audience of 120,000 listeners per program, produced a special edition about writers in which Eduardo Spohr participated and mentioned the work’s arrival at bookstores. Through the podcast, the geek/nerd public felt they were part of the success and spontaneously helped to promote the book in blogs, Twitter and other social networks (mainly Facebook and Orkut). Many listeners who had already purchased the independent edition bought another copy of the book, this time the version published by Verus/Record. The spontaneous efforts to boost sales by Spohr’s fans, who knew him from the book’s original edition and his participation in NerdCast, gained momentum, giving birth to the phrase “nerdpower”. The online success repeated itself at bookstores. The first edition of 10,000 copies sold out in less than a month, forcing the publisher to print more copies of the book and placing The Battle of the Apocalypse on the country’s main best-selling fiction lists. Word of mouth guaranteed that the book remained on the best-seller lists. The booksellers themselves, who also fell in love with the story of the renegade angel, helped too. By September, two months after the first printing, the total number of printed copies of The Battle of the Apocalypse had reached almost 55,000.

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5 - target aUDienCe tolkien anD Cornwell

Primarily, The Battle of the Apocalypse captivated the nerd/geek audience, appealing to their taste for learning more about certain subjects, fantasizing and dreaming. These are mostly men ages 14 to 30, who buy books such as The Lord of he Rings and Bernard Cornwell’s books. Surprisingly, the novel also reached a larger slice of the market. Women became great admirers of the book, as well as adults and elderly readers. However, young adults and adolescents are still the work’s target audience.

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aroUnD the worlD in 25 years 6 - aBoUt the aUthor

Eduardo Spohr was born in 1976 in Rio de Janeiro. The son of a pilot and a stewardess, he had the opportunity to travel around the world, learning about different cultures and peoples. His passion for literature and fascination for historical studies led him to get a BA in Media Studies. He started working at advertising agencies but gradually migrated to journalism. He graduated from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in 2001 and specialized in digital media. He worked as a reporter and editor in several online publications. Today, in addition to developing graphic projects, he works as a script consultant and teaches the course Literary Structure: The Hero’s Journey in Cinema and Literature at the Faculdade Hélio Alonso (FACHA) in Rio.

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7 - press

Canal: Veículo: Tipo de Clipping: Publicação:

Impresso 9/8/2010 Época

• Ed. Record

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ÉpoCa (magazine)

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Seção: Página:

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Seção: Página:

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111 a 114

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Mente Aberta

Vampiros, cuidado com os anjos

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• estaDo De s.paUlo (newspaper)

Canal: Veículo: Tipo de Clipping: Publicação:

Impresso 20/8/2010 O Estado de S.Paulo

• Ed. Record

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E-book fomenta debates

Canal: Veículo: Tipo de Clipping: Publicação:

Impresso 20/8/2010 O Estado de S.Paulo

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• estaDo De s.paUlo (newspaper)

Tipo de Clipping :

No reino dos best- sellers

Seção : Veículo :

• Ed. Verus

Canal :

Espaço Aberto O Estado de S.Paulo

Página : Data : 4/9/2010

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Tipo de Clipping :

No reino dos best- sellers

Seção : Veículo :

• Ed. Verus

Canal :

Espaço Aberto O Estado de S.Paulo

Página : Data : 4/9/2010

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hoje em Dia (newspaper)

Tipo de Clipping :

Livros /Lançamentos

Seção : Veículo :

• Ed. Record

Canal :

Cultura Hoje em Dia

Página : Data : 27/7/2010

8 Impresso 1