University of Death

A rock'n'roll rollercoaster of a novel

My novel 'University of Death' satirises the music industry and is named after the band at the centre of the action.

It takes a slice through the music industry: from the boardroom to the stage; from the studio to the record fair.

The story explores how fans relate to their favourite bands, how businesses use technology to manipulate consumers, and what would happen if the music industry disappeared overnight.

In this modern conspiracy theory, a record label plots to sell computer-generated music to fans by hacking in to their computers. But when the software isn't up to the job, the future of the whole industry rests on one man: Dove, leader of University of Death. Start reading the sample chapters now.

'University of Death' is exclusively available through Lulu.com. Order your copy, read the great press reviews or download the sample chapters now.

Reviews

	"McManus keeps the action moving at a good crack, and the ideas trip out lightly in snappy dialogue. All round, the novel is a great genetic splicing of ideas and action, culminating in an incendiary showdown almost worthy of a Bond movie. Along the way it slips in telling observations about taste and commerce, culture and technology, creativity and consumption." - David Jennings' blog for his book Net, Blogs and Rock'n'Roll (March 2010) .
	"Raising a number of surprisingly sophisticated issues, this book is enjoyably cynical about the seemingly cold-hearted and impenetrable nature of the record industry and peppered with a number of highly comical cameos from the cream of rock'n'roll, which ensures that it never feels like heavy going." - Lewis Heritage, books reviewer, Record Collector magazine issue 350 (June 2008)
	"A fun novel about the problems faced by musicians in making their mark on a music industry that's falling apart. A bitter satire that works its way up to a memorable finale." - Metal Hammer magazine (September 2008)
	"The novel satirises the music industry and the clichéd types that populate it, the lead character an affable fellow who you can't help but like - his meditations at his monitor screen, desperately trying to sort ideas, will be familiar to most of us who create music either for a living or for love. Amusing and well written." - MusicTech (November 2008)

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About the author

Sean McManus has over ten years' experience as a professional writer. He has written for magazines including Making Music, Melody Maker, Future Music, Internet Magazine and Business 2.0. His previous books include Small Business Websites That Work and The Customer Service Pocketbook (co-authored). 'University of Death' is Sean's first novel.

Go behind the scenes with this author interview

How to order

'University of Death' by Sean McManus is only available through Lulu.com. Your copy will be professionally printed and despatched to you when you place your order. The book is 380 pages in 6x9" Royal format and priced at £9.99. You can pay by credit card or Paypal using a secure server.

There is also a PDF ebook available for £2.99, which you can read on portable devices or print out.

Order your copy today

Start reading for free now!

Read the first two chapters of 'University of Death' for FREE now. In the first chapter, we meet Jonathan who has invented the perfect pop song and needs to infiltrate Bigg Records if he is to share it with the world. In the second chapter, Fred and Simon achieve notoriety with their performance on 'Pop Goes The Weasel', a quiz show where the prize is a gig on BBC TV.

Click here to download a printable PDF containing the first two chapters. Feel free to put that PDF on your website or email it to friends, but please don't link to it on this server without asking first.

Online press coverage

• Interview at Mass Customisation blog
• Author interview at Commodore Free