Our friend Glenn Fleishman is crowdfunding a book of non-fiction essays and stories from a couple of dozen writers, along with work from illustrators and photographers. The stories were originally published in the first year of The Magazine, the ad-free electronic publication he edits and publishes. We’ve published a few of the stories appearing in the collection here at Boing Boing, as we feature a story of theirs every week or so.
You can back the project to get an ebook (in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI, with no DRM encryption at all), or both the hardcover and ebook version as a bundle. The project is past the 50% mark towards its funding goal, but it still needs several hundred more backers to pledge for books.
The book includes many tales that Boing Boing readers can relate to or enjoy, like having a secret superhero life (in this case, as a roller-derby racer), a small town trying to build a 60-foot-tall lava lamp, or finding the joy in the video-game Journey, which is quiet and emphasizes communication instead of blowing people up. You can download a PDF with sample layouts and the complete version of Scott Simpson’s essay, “You Are Boring,” which pokes fun at posers and groupthink. There’s a full list of stories with brief explanations at the Kickstarter project page.
Glenn is a long-time Boing Boing contributor, and he likes to make sure that writers and artists get paid for their work. The budget for the Kickstarter includes reprint fees for everyone who contributes, and Glenn is increasing the rates if the project reaches a stretch target beyond its initial goal, as more copies printed reduce the cost of each book.
The book’s cover is by one of our favorite painters, Amy Crehore, and is being sold as a separate fine-art print (with no logo or type on it) during the Kickstarter in a signed and numbered edition. There’s also a limited-edition fine-art print by painter Olivia Warnecke of butterflies and moths of the southern California mountain ranges.
We could go on and on about the book, but we’d rather share with you some of the illustrations that will appear in it.