Today I'm joined by Kari Zeedyk from Fubuch to chat about their kickstarter project. Any project that aims to get books into the hands of children is a winner for me ;)
Why did we choose Kickstarter?
Because of the unique format of the books (1000 different writers), we needed a centralized platform for the contributors to come together in an organized way. It also provided us multiple avenues to showcase our passion and message behind the Fubuch series.
Where did the idea come from?
Ryan is a school teacher who loves to try out different ice breaker activities with his students. One of his favorites is called “Pass the Pad”, where a student writes a word or sentence and then passes it to the next student, who adds on to it, then passes, and so on.
When the finished story was read to the class it always came out extremely unique (as you can imagine), and usually incredibly funny. More importantly, the students LOVE sharing their piece and it brought them together as a class. We knew that if we took this to a larger scale and created a book using the same concept, that it would bring writers around the world together to be part of something bigger, while creating a unique story to boot.
What are your hopes for the book?
Our first release will be fiction, allowing the story to flow in any direction the writers are feeling. Our hope is that the story will be 100% authentic from real people around the world, unlike a lot of the stuff out there that is photoshopped, remodeled, or given cosmetic surgery to fit what “society” deems correct. We feel that this first release will be like opening the diary of the world to share their thoughts, which is why we will continue the series with nonfictional Fubuchs themed around concepts like love, happiness, body image, and equality.
The other goal behind this project is to get books into the hands of children in need. For every copy ever sold (including those sent to the writers who contribute) we will send an additional copy to an impoverished school. Our dream is to send thousands of books to schools around the world.
How are you promoting the campaign?
We are mainly reaching out to writers groups through Facebook, Youtube, and Blogs. We want to make sure that the majority of contributors are either experienced or inspiring writers, to ensure plot and character development. We are also sending daily handwritten letters to a handful of celebrities who support Indie projects.
Where can we find out more about it?
We have all of the details on our website at www.fubuch.com. We also post regular updates, videos, pictures, and comments on our Facebook (www.facebook.com/fubuch). The Kickstarter will run from January 1st through the 31st. Make sure not to miss it, because the first edition Fubuch will ONLY be available to pledges who back the project!
