Support the Publication of Sympathy for the Devil: A Reporter’s Memoir From Inside Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge

Your Financial Support is Needed

Support and donations needed for the publication of “Sympathy For the Devil: A Reporter’s Memoir From Inside Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge”

Please excuse, in advance, the insufferable self-promotion seeking funding. Believe me, it mortifies me more than it will annoy you.

This is a pitch for funding to bring to fruition my campaign to publish my book and related accompanying data and documents and videos of interviews with the Khmer Rouge leaders and and observations of the Khmer Rouge and modern Cambodian political history.

The new realities of journalism are that individual investigative journalists must seek independent financing and engage in self-marketing as the institutional support of large media companies has evaporated. I, and my colleagues who share my belief in in-depth, long term investigative journalism, almost universally no longer have institutional backing or other means of income to pay for the considerable costs of our genre of investigative journalism. It is, indeed, expensive and time consuming and requires considerable resources. It is also, in my opinion, both endangered and vital.

Two weeks ago, I posted this video clip as a preview to the impending launch of my Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of my book “Sympathy for the Devil: A Journalists Memoir from Inside Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge.”

http://https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=649003698476193&l=3047620387800001174

That campaign will be officially launched soon. It was delayed after I sought and was denied permission to use the soundtrack of the Rolling Stones song of the same title–Sympathy for the Devil–as a soundtrack for the campaign.

All fair enough, save it requires the remixing and editing of the video. That, and a few other minor, routine bureaucratic glitches, has meant the launching of the project may take as much as two more weeks to commence, but will be launched this January.

In the meantime, I am proceeding ahead with the production process. All support, no matter how small or large, is welcomed with gratitude.

For those inclined or able to support the project finacially prior to the official Kickstarter launch, it is both needed and appreciated. Please go to natethayer.wordpress.com. In the upper right hand corner is a Paypal button. This will easily walk you through the simple steps to donate.

But Kickstarter is only one way to support this project, and the project, which is requiring most of my full-time effort now, will be at full speed once sufficient funding is raised to underwrite the substantial costs. There are several ways to participate in supporting this project.

Below are other details and means to donate and show your support.

Here are some ways to provide financial support for the project:

Please go to my blog site, natethayer.wordpress.com

In the upper right hand corner is a Paypal button that will easily walk you through the simple steps to donate.

On the upper right hand corner of this blog, natethayer.wordpress.com, is a short blurb saying: “PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS BLOG: It reads in its entirety: “I am a freelance journalist who makes my living from writing. If you enjoy this blog, a donation, no matter how small or large, would be much appreciated and will go directly to supporting my ability to write and publish independently. I am grateful for the support of my readers.”

Below it is a button that reads “Donate” with simple, quick, safe and easy step by step instructions to donate through PayPal.

In addition donations can be made directly to a bank account: 

The details for donating money by wire transfer are:

For donations sent from the USA: 

USAA Federal Savings Bank

Account Number:  157653994

Routing Number: 314074269

Nathaniel T. Thayer

1714 U street NW #2

Washington, D.C. 20009

For Donations sent from outside the USA:

USAA Bank

Account Number: 157653994

Routing Number: 314074269

SWIFT Code: IRVTUS3N

Nathaniel T. Thayer

IF A CORRESPONDING BANK IS REQUIRED BY YOUR BANK:

The Bank of New York Mellon

1290 Avenue of the America’s Floor 5

New York, NY 10104

Account Number: 8900624744

Beneficiary Bank:

USAA Federal Savings Bank

10750 McDermott Freeway

San Antonio, TX 78288

Phone: 1-800-531-USAA (8722)

If your sending bank uses their own correspondent bank, you will need:

ABA/ Routing Number: 314074269

USAA Federal Savings Bank

10750 McDermott Freeway

San Antonio, TX, 78288

Phone: 1-800-531-USAA (8722)

USAA Bank

Nathaniel T. Thayer

Account Number: 157653994

Routing Number: 314074269

Or alternatively, checks and money orders to my home and business address:

NATHANIEL T. THAYER
1714 U ST NW #2
WASHINGTON DC 20009-1712

The new-fangled world of journalism requires a significant effort at self funding, as virtually all institutional budgets supporting in-depth investigative journalism has been eliminated in recent years. This genre of journalism is as time consuming and expensive as it is vital. It is an unpleasant process for most of us, but less unpleasant than ceasing pursuing this essential genre of quality, in depth journalism.

Along with the approximately 400 page hardcover book and an E book,  this project will make available for the historical record hundreds of hours of related, un-redacted archive videos, interviews, and transcripts I have compiled over decades of chronicling Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge and contemporary Cambodian Politics. It will include hours of raw video and audio interviews of Pol Pot and the entire senior Khmer Rouge leadership who remained alive after they did what they did.

The project needs to secure the expertise of professionals, who, rightfully, need to be paid. They include manuscript editors, graphic artists, and various people with related technical skills for ensuring excellence in quality and presentation of the final product.

In order to succeed, the Kickstarter campaign requires that the full funding target goal must be raised within a set period of days (my campaign will probably be 30 days) or the project will not be supported at all.

The costs for a high quality production of this project are substantial. The details of what it will cost, and the specific funding targeting each aspect of the larger project, to bring these projects to fruition will be laid out in the Kickstarter campaign.

All support, no matter how small or large, is both needed and welcome with gratitude.

The costs for a high quality production of this project are substantial. The details of what it will cost, and the specific funding targeting each aspect of the larger project, to bring these projects to fruition will be laid out in the Kickstarter campaign.

Meticulous records will be kept for all donations, and a strict budget of specifically calculated and targeted expenditures will be maintained and available upon request to anyone who asks for it:

I will officially be launching a Kickstarter campaign within 10 days to raise the necessary funds for the publication of my now completed manuscript  Sympathy for the Devil: A Journalist’s Memoir From Inside Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, as well compiling and making available for the historical public record hundreds of hours of related, un-redacted archive videos, interviews, transcripts of the former, and extensive internal Khmer Rouge secret documents I have compiled over decades of chronicling Pol Pot, his Khmer Rouge, and contemporary Cambodian Political history.

Along with the hardcover book, with extensive photographs and documents–which is now more than 800 pages and will require a lengthy professional edit to pare it down to approximately 400 page, there will be an E book. Another more academically oriented book may also be a result of the efforts, with the objective of the main book being a serious history of modern Cambodian politics that is told in an accessible first person memoir to maximize its accessibility to a popular general audience.  It is comprised entirely of first person original research from my years of reporting from and on Cambodia, with a special focus on Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge. The project will also include hours of raw video and audio interviews of Pol Pot and the entire senior Khmer Rouge leadership who remained alive after they retreated to the jungles in 1979 after their three years in power, including Nuon Chea, Ta Mok, Khieu Samphan, Chief executioner Duch, and others.

Transcripts of these audio and video interviews will also be made available in their entirety.  Summarized video presentations and written synopsis’ and analysis articles written by me will be included, but the raw data will also be available so anyone interested can form their own conclusions, if they choose, based on the raw data.

Accomplishing this project will be expensive, and its realization and success depends on your support.

Direct donations of financial support, however small or large, to enable this history to be told and made available, is crucial.

It simply cannot succeed without considerable support, through direct funding. I have no institutional support from any organization and its success will depend on individuals.

Also crucial to the success of this effort is sharing over social media and through other means, including to organizations or individuals whose interest, organizational objective, or whose philanthropic abilities allow support for this project.

It will be a partnership between those who find the objective worthy of support and myself and the team of skilled professionals necessary to bring the project to fruition. The sharing of this project, and how to support it, and information of the objectives and final product with your friends and colleagues and others who might be interested or able to contribute support if they deem the project worthy, is vital to its eventual success.

In order for this to be accomplished, the project needs to secure the expertise of several professionals with specific skills, who, rightfully, need to be paid for their work. They include book manuscript editors, graphic artists, IT specialists, computer programmers, publishers, layout specialists, and various people with related technical skills for ensuring excellence in quality, organized accessibility, and quality presentation of the final product.

The new-fangled world of journalism requires a significant effort at self funding, as virtually all institutional budgets supporting in-depth investigative journalism has been eliminated in recent years. This genre of journalism is as time consuming and expensive as it is vital. It is an unpleasant process for most of us, but less unpleasant than ceasing pursuing this essential genre of quality, in depth journalism.

In order to succeed, the Kickstarter campaign requires that the full funding target goal must be raised within a set period of days (my campaign will probably be 30 days) or the project will not be supported at all.

The costs for a high quality production of this project are substantial. The details of what it will cost, and the specific funding targeting each aspect of the larger project, to bring these projects to fruition will be laid out in the Kickstarter campaign. That campaign will begin by February 1 and will last for 30 days.

Any thoughts, criticisms, or comments are welcome here, or by email at thayernate0007@gmail.com  or through my blog site atnatethayer.wordpress.com or on my Face Book page