Help bring a beautiful book to life!
I need your help to fund the design and deluxe printing of my folkloric fantasy novel!
As I was writing Wick and Arrow, I realized that the book was meant to be very beautiful. Not just the writing, but the physical artifact of the book. The reader was meant to savor the feel of the paper, the carefully-crafted typesetting, the glint of gold foil. A high quality book says to the reader, Pay attention! What you are doing right now is important. What you hold is something precious, something that could change you forever—if you let it.
In the process of traditional publishing, you have no control over how your book looks. You can’t even control the title, let alone the cover design. I decided to independently publish my book so I could craft every tiny detail of its design and printing. I’m so glad I did! I was able to call upon the artistic gifts of friends and colleagues: Erika Zabinski's genius for detail in copyediting and proofreading, Hannah Reller's fantastic front cover sketch, Danny Brechting's intricate pen and ink illustrations for the interior and back cover, and Meg Pilcher's graphic design polish and excellence to bring it all together!
In its first edition, Wick and Arrow will be printed as a high-quality paperback in a small print shop in Minneapolis. The cover will be gold foiled and embossed, with French flaps to give it a polished, deluxe feel. The interior pages are a cream/natural recycled paper that has a slight texture, making your fingers say, Ah, this is a real book! every time you turn the page. The title page and five part heading pages will have black and white ink illustrations, adding to the Art Nouveau-inspired lushness of the design.
I do hope to eventually publish a hardcover edition, but first I need your help to convert this dream to ink and paper. Because I’m rising above the cheap standards of a print-on-demand paperback, and because I can’t rely on a large publishing house to front the cost of producing a high quality book, I am looking for patrons who believe in beautiful books and want to help me bring this one to life!
Become a Beautiful Book Champion!
I am seeking a total of $3,000 to offset the following publishing and printing costs:
Book design, including the cover design and interior art, design software, fonts, and graphics
Deluxe print features such as gold foiling and embossing the cover, French flaps, and high quality paper
Marketing, publishing and distributing the book in professional channels
Every donor of $50 or more will receive a signed paperback first edition and special recognition at the book launch party in August. Sponsors at higher levels will get even more goodies!
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A signed paperback first edition
Special recognition at book launch party
Halla is a fearsome, loyal griffin who, once she decides not to bite off Arrow’s head, becomes her fierce protector.
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A signed paperback first edition with a personal inscription
An e-book edition (although who would want that when you can have the beautiful print version? For airplanes maybe? People who are allergic to paper?)
Special recognition at book launch party
The Wizard Dan is a two-fingered, red-headed adolescent wizard who can’t do magic but knows several thousand languages. He unexepectedly becomes Arrow’s ally… maybe even her friend.
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A signed paperback first edition with a personal inscription
An e-book edition (although who would want that when you can have the beautiful print version? For airplanes maybe? People who are allergic to paper?)
A limited edition collectible (probably a bookplate or a map!) illustrated by Danny Brechting
Special recognition at book launch party
Wick is a boy who grows up with Arrow in a cage in the kingdom of the giants. When he looks out the window each morning, he always sees something new.
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A signed paperback first edition with a personal inscription
An e-book edition (although who would want that when you can have the beautiful print version? For airplanes maybe? People who are allergic to paper?)
A limited edition collectible (probably a bookplate or a map!) illustrated by Danny Brechting
Special recognition at book launch party
A private reading from Wick and Arrow by the author! Mary Shaffer will come to your home and treat you and your guests to a reading from and discussion of her book.
Arrow is a girl who grows up with Wick in a cage in the Kingdom of the Giants. Unlike Wick, she never thinks before she acts. Though this leads to many misdeeds, she’s always sorry the moment after she does them.
