why DIY crowdfunding?

Thank you for the excellent response to the project launch! The goal with this DIY crowdfunding campaign is to raise enough money to cover the physical costs of the book's production: printing and freight. And I just want to clarify that regardless if I meet this $25,000 preorder goal, The Typewriter book will be going ahead​!

As a (very) small publisher, it is tough to keep putting out new titles—especially since I have such high standards when it comes to production, paper stock and the other details that make books such wonderful things. This means that the financial outlay to produce a book is quite daunting. By garnering preorders and support through your purchase of various project "perks", the financial stress will be alleviated somewhat. Beyond the $25,000, there are other costs such as scanning, image permissions and photography... not to mention the time invested to research, write, design and promote the project.

Initially, I planned to launch this campaign through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Alas, though I do have a US-based back account and other business numbers and credentials, it came down to the fact that I am not a US citizen and thus do not have a US social security number.​ Kickstarter's payments go through Amazon and this is a requirement of Amazon Payments. I think Kickstarter is an excellent platform for supporting and discovering new work (and this project would have been a perfect fit), but after many years and queries, they are still not supporting Canadian projects in a manner that makes it accessible to anyone who does not have an active American partner to saddle all the logistical, legislative and tax implications of running a campaign. 

The main alternative to Kickstarter is Indiegogo, which is open to everyone: meaning that the site is not curated and is open to any project regardless of quality. After spending some time on that site, it was not an environment that inspired me—especially when compared to the momentum and positive atmosphere that Kickstarter provided. Considering the percentage that Indiegogo would take off any money earned, I decided the best course of action was to do it myself. My hosting fees, online shop fees and other costs are already part of my daily operations, so the only fees deducted from funds earned will be Paypal and credit card processing fees. (And hey — if you want to help me bypass those, you can also send a US or Canadian cheque if you like. Please just indicate your pledge level and include your contact information.)

I am really appreciative of my UPPERCASE community of readers, subscribers, contributors, Twitter followers... you are a marvellous and inspiring bunch and I love creating beautiful publications for us to all enjoy. Thank you for your support!