From Research Rabbit Holes to Book
A year of writing, researching, and learning Kickstarter the hard way
I’m closing in on finalizing After the Party: A Jewish Teen’s Guide to Finding Your Path. When I started this project a year ago, I had no idea it would take so long or require the acquisition of so many new skills.
First came the writing of the book, stopped periodically for research. I am fascinated by the small pockets of Jews around the world, and I knew about a few of them, from the Beta Israel of Ethiopia to the mountain Jews of the Caucasus.
But my research turned up so many more groups, from clusters in India and China to the crypto-Jews of Spain and Turkey. It was an endless rabbit hole. My brain fizzed with ideas of things to include, from the rituals surrounding death to Jewish attitudes toward mental health.
Then the editing process, where my editor and I hashed out how much information was necessary, and what needed to be in the main body of the book versus in the appendices. Those fourteen appendices covered everything from what to wear to shul to different food traditions to Jewish mysticism. Kabbalah, gematria and the legends of the golem all found a place there.
From there I moved on to proofreading, but the book is so long and complicated that the process took quite a while. At the same time, I began the Kickstarter campaign.
Though Kickstarter is often used to raise seed money for projects, I had a different approach. I hoped to gain two things. First, I wanted to broaden my reach from just you wonderful newsletter subscribers and my social media connections. I hoped that people browsing Kickstarter would be intrigued by the concept and lend their support.
Second, I wanted to justify spending another thousand dollars to have books designed and printed in color. I’ve read so many textbooks with blocks of text that made reading difficult, and I wanted my book to be fun and engaging.
I learned a lot from both goals. I did bring in new supporters from Kickstarter, and while I didn’t reach my stretch goal I found creative ways to incorporate color into the book.
Right now, I’m working with my designer on the last tweaks to the manuscript, adding blue lines and icons to break up the text. As soon as she’s done, I’ll upload the files to Amazon (my deadline is October 8—very soon!) and take a deep breath.
The book is available for pre-order now at Amazon and eventually will populate at other vendors and can be ordered through local bookstores.
Then I move into marketing mode—trying to connect the book with readers. Wish me luck!
With love and gratitude—and hope that the new developments in the Middle East will result in the release of the hostages, both living and dead.
Griffin (left) and Brody (right) wish everyone who celebrates a happy Sukkot.
Neil
No comments:
Post a Comment