The Bronycon 2019 Bookstore: Something Crazy, Y'all · 11:55pm Aug 28th, 2018
Hey, guys!
So if you haven't heard, Aquaman wants to open a bookstore at Bronycon next year as part of a FimFiction send-off to the convention. I think this is a badass idea and want everything to do with it.
So other than signalboosting the idea, what's the point of this blogpost?
Well, you guys remember this blog post about a potential Reading Rainbow hardcopy project? I'm bringing it back.
(To those new to this idea, I am resurrecting a print run of my poem, One Full Day, within Reading Rainbow, complete with full-color illustrations and a fully revamped, better-metered/better-everything version of the poem itself. That's a projected 76 pages—yes, seventy-six!—of full-color pony drawn by the amazingly talented Ruirik)
A skosh of backstory on that: I had originally put the project on the backburner because I, in my youthful delusions of grandeur and self-improvement, thought it'd be a pretty sweet idea to learn to draw and then do the artwork myself. Well, my fatass hasn't done jack in terms of learning to draw, and I don't see myself getting to the point of hardcopy book publishing level within the year, so I've gotten ahold of Ruirik, the original artist on board for the project, and we're back on track to making this thing a reality.
So then where do you guys come in?
As you might expect, a projected 76 pages of pony is pretty expensive—another reason why I had initially wanted to make it a solo project. I unfortunately don't have buckets of money to just make this happen, so I've gotta be upfront about pricing and payment. At a set $25 per book (given past interest in the project), that should more than cover the cost of production. And don't worry, those of you that have already expressed interest I will PM about this to doublecheck that you're still interested.
But why though?
Because with the halcyon days of the fandom behind us and all the melodramatic ideations the general fanbase seems to harbor nowadays, now's probably the best time to finally make this happen. And as it was with my initial intentions, it's a way for me to truly give something meaningful to the fandom in concrete form. To know that people have something I made on a physical bookshelf or coffee table in their homes is just plain awesome to think about.
So what's this have to do with the Bronycon Bookstore?
Not much, really. The Bookstore thing is more just a kick in the ass for me to be like, "I should really be doing that thing I wanted to do almost more than two goddamn years ago." I plan to have hard copies available there, but the intent is to have them available to those who simply order one here or however.
So how do we make the whole money thing happen?
I'm honestly not sure. Would you guys prefer a gofundme or something for this? I'm open to ideas, as I've never helmed a project quite like this. Let me know what you guys think, and if you want a copy of your own, leave a comment below!
I'll keep you guys updated (I promise, this time!), and as always,
Onward and Upward!
Perhaps you can get the book formatted for a Print on Demand service and save yourself from having to front money.
Seconding 4927405. I know Lulu does photo books, which would presumably be high enough quality, and then you could also offer them indefinitely.
Regardless, I'm in at $25.
I had been hoping for an update on this book being printed. Hard to believe I've been stoked for it for two years already. Consider me still interested ^^.
How to arrange upfront payments for printing, I'm not too sure about. Go fund me sounds like a good potential option, paypal invoices are another.
Perhaps you could try reaching out to VividSyntax, who recently printed Sensation. He may be able to give you some advice.
Please do keep in mind that shipping costs, especially where international shipping is involved, can be costly. I wouldn't be surprised id that'd bump up the price to 40 or 50 for books to Europe. Those may be easier to calculate after the books have been printed though.
A GoFundMe sounds like a good way to coordinate things.
4927405
4927476
I looked into those, and they're all ~$600 for a 50-book run.
I'd still be interested. As for the how, not sure I have any tips. I'd be on board for crowdfunding.
4927405
4927476
I misspoke before. I found Lulu seems to be generally affordable on an on-demand basis, but I'd still need crowdfunded money to pay for the artwork in the first place.
It seems I might be a bit late to this news, but I'd be interested in this printing!