I am sure many of you know that the book I have already published is not the final part of my pilgrimage that began in the October of 2009. I have yet to realize the final stage; to write, publish and share across the land and across the oceans too, the story that came of that walk.
Thanks to those of you who completed my market research survey last month, I have learnt that it is likely to be the image of those now famous and still going strong Brazilian red flip flops that graces the cover of that book. Hence its working title “Flip Flop”.
There were mixed feelings about how people would rather receive the new book; as a paperback or as a cheaper e book. As the aim of this book is to reach as many people as possible I have decided to do both.
For the paperback version I have been asked to submit a proposal to the cooperative publishing company Vala, in Bristol, who have delighted my heart for amongst their aims is to find ways to reach people beyond the usual suspects.
Read the Synopsis A Tale for Our Times 30 dec 2013 and flip flop Table of Contents that I have prepared for them.
In the meantime, I need to find the money to pay my rent, buy wood for my fire, and food for my belly, not to mention energy to power my netbook (and who knows, buy a new Terra laptop to replace my faithful dead Acer, whose memory is now encased in a little silver box and attached to the little netbook many of you will have seen as I walked your way).
If I am successful in getting the overdraft on my business account so that I can pay back my loan, the interest on that will swallow most, if not all, of the money I would have made on the sales of my first book unless I sell more than half of them very quickly; money that was to have funded the writing process of the second book, the one that will tell the story in such a way as to be accessible and appealing to everyone.
Just £2000 will cover this eventuality.
New Year’s Eve finds me having prepared my Crowdfunding pitch to ask for the £2000 I need if I am to be able to complete the writing of my new book by May of the New Year. A very wonderful elderly Transitioner, whose name is Arthur, is the reason for my deadline. Arthur, a keen and active member of the TTT Education group from its start back in 2006, and now in his 90s, house bound, and an avid follower of my Transition Tales local radio show “Stories with Steph”, paid for his copy of “Flip Flop – A Tale for Our Times” in advance.
My thanks go to:
Arthur French, Devon
Elin and Andrew Hunter, Devon
Di Markham, Eden Valley, Northumberland
Sally Lever, Wells
Michael Holt, USA
for believing in my new book and keeping me to my project when the less trusting parts of me believe those that tell me to “give up and get a proper job!”
Thanks also to Ben Brangwyn, (Transition Network) Dee Cunnison, (Schumacher College) and Rhea Quien, (Cambridge) who in various ways have encouraged my Crowdfunding bid.
I am asking for £2000, which will enable me to continue writing and finish the new book by the end of May.
Please watch the video (just 4 mins.) here and donate if you can.
Huge gratitude to Ben Chadwick, who sponsored the production of this video, and Media student Barnaby Chadwick, whose skill put together the film from bits of launch night footage and sound files I sent him.
I have already been donated £50.00 just to keep going when I thought I couldn’t do it, with the promise of a further £50 at the end of the campaign (31st March 2014) if I make at least £1000.
See my Crowdfunding pitch here, please share the link with anyone you think might be interested in this project.
How You Can Support “Flip Flop”
• Donate to my Crowdfund
• Share the link to the Crowdfunding pitch amongst your networks
• Donate to my birthday pot. I am winter born (10th January). I am asking everyone who would normally send a card or buy me a present to instead put money in a pot so I can save up to buy a new Terra laptop. (Terra are a well-established German company who support local businesses, and only deal with small independent computer shops, who repair machines they sell and recycle old machines to make new.) Cheques payable to Stephanie Bradley.
• Tell your friends and colleagues, local bookstores and libraries about the new book that is coming
• Pre order your book now
• Offer your skills at formatting a manuscript for an e book.
• Invite me to come and give a talk about my project (eg in the Spring I have engagements to speak at a Cornish History Group, the Schumacher College, and at a Devon Arts group)
• Get me an interview with your local radio and or newspaper to talk about my experience walking through your area.