Tag Archives: Crowd Funding

May 9, 2014 · 1:52 pm

WE’LL GO NO MORE A’BEGGING AND THE COLLAPSE OF WESTERN CIVILISATION!

In turning to Kickstarter then getting cross about it, I also backed the Globe Theatre project with its world tour of Hamlet. I must admit there should be a little question mark around an institution such as The Globe turning to crowd funding, trumpeted in a very good film that sang the song ‘a’begging we will go‘ although it probably will be a model in future. Yet could there not be a more shining example of the impoverishment of our enormously wealthy and culturally ignorant society than the fact that the project will probably fail in 4 days time, and so little has come from the top? Just look at the statistics – Pledges of £5 or more 266 backers, £50 or more 66 backers, £100 or more 101 backers, £2500 or more 1 backer, £5000 or more 1 backer.

I’ve long said we’re returning to the kind of social differentials they had in the 16th Century, when actors were classed with the likes of vagrants, vagabonds and strangers to be whipped out of town and the walls of The City of London, but the difference is that society had a true sense of powerful patronage, especially towards literature and the new theatres. We have none whatsoever.

If you have a few grand to spare then, or just want to show some last minute solidarity with a £1 or £2 why not cheer them up by CLICKING HERE

1 Comment

Filed under America and the UK, Culture, The Arts

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 4, 2014 · 11:54 am

FIRE BRINGER RETURNS TO THE BOOKSHELVES, TO BACK A DRAGON!

Fire-Bringerdragongood

When the dust settles on the Dragon In The Post kickstarter project running for 17 more days, win or lose, and thanks to the support of younger fans and backers too, an inspiring new generation coming of age, Phoenix Ark Press will bring a classic, Fire bringer, back into print copies again, in the UK and territories not controlled by the US and Canada, where it is still available (we think!). It is real books an author here loved and loves and many fans too, we believe, as opposed to the vast jumble of ebooks being pumped out there, many in part just to test markets. The model must be POD, publishing on demand, at Createspace, Lightening Source or perhaps another printing house.

So an open invitation stands to artists to show their interest now and perhaps win a cover design for that and our ebooks too, or tell us how to re-design everything at Phoenix Ark Press. Just write to us, or comment below. That is much part of the spirit of a Kickstarter project right now too, Dragon in The Post, that is still very much alive but which needs grass roots fire and backing. It can open a door, like a little Firecutter dragon trying to burn a doorway into wonderful worlds (you have to watch the film!), onto many other projects here too, including a Bear epic.

You can join the story of that, help it happen and become part of a wider adventure too by BACKING THE DRAGON!

Thank you again.

PA PRESS

1 Comment

Filed under Books, Childrens Books, Fantasy, The Phoenix Story

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 29, 2014 · 12:15 pm

DAVID CLEMENT-DAVIES AND PHOENIX ARK PRESS THROW THE DOORS WIDE OPEN!

The one thing I hope you can trust about this blog and tiny publisher is the story is true and also happening now. I have said in a Kickstarter film for Dragon In The Post that I want to make this place ‘Your publisher‘. But what exactly does that mean?! It means that I haven’t stopped listening to people’s stories, even while going on too much about my own, and so I hope this site has a human face. It also means that I was very inspired by the warmth and support that has come from my own readers in all this.

But what has happened is that in the frustration of trying to make something work, amid all the noise, I have had some very acute bits of advice and wonderful offers of support too. Like what exactly is Phoenix Ark Press, from J, or any mission here? So I have re-written a Mission Statement above, pointing out I need first to protect my own work, stories and career again, if I am to do anything else. That will change and evolve itself, just as I put the idea of building in some charity element, but it was rejected at Kickstarter. But if it works, if you and I can really open a door, the idea in future is to go grass-roots, and to cross support writing, journalism and art among other creative people, with crowd funded projects. So I would have to become some kind of lightning conductor to that energy and passion. Let’s start a fire and burn down the Social Media house, or at least make it ours again!

In that vein, and because Y for instance has just so kindly offered her own artwork at Deviant Art to help, it’s time to throw the doors wide open, to you, amateur and professional, younger and older! It means possibly helping to redesign this website, to put up new artwork here, to redesign e-book covers and much more. At Kickstarter it means either Backing and/or spreading the word. At first I am afraid the reward, apart from rewards if we hit project targets, is an outlet for you, a chance to work with me, I hope something for your CV. But if we fly, we will see in the future. Would you like to do new e-book covers for Fire bringer, The Sight or Michelangelo’s Mouse? Here is your chance. Would you like to write articles here, on subjects that matter, with my help? I have a lot of journalistic experience. Would you like to learn marketing, at a grass-roots level, or re-design the face of Phoenix Ark Press itself? At every level then that message on the book of the animation for Dragon In The Post needs to become true: “Join the story, become part of the adventure.”

With 23 days to go but now at 30% you can join that story right now, by writing to me here and by BACKING DRAGON IN THE POST

DCD APRIL 2014

Leave a comment

Filed under Community, Culture, Publishing, The Arts

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 24, 2014 · 11:06 am

JUST A DAY IN, ALREADY 24% FUNDED AND DRAGON IN THE POST MAKES IT ONTO THE POPULAR PAGES AT KICKSTARTER

dragongood

A round of applause for the first day’s outing at Kickstarter and a thank you for all your support too. Dragon In The Post has already reached the ‘popular’ pages at Kickstarter, as you can see at https://www.kickstarter.com/discover/popular?ref=popular

You will have to scroll down though, since there are many projects jostling for attention, recognition and support. The hard truth then is the need for powerful momentum and pushing up the target immediately, also to open a doorway on many projects. I can only do that if the support comes now. Is it only about success breeding success, people wanting to be part of something? Who knows, but I hope you will see it is all done from the heart and I am trying to talk through the noise of the net. Perhaps we can all learn from the experience.

The project URL itself is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1159695087/dragon-in-the-post

Likes are great, spreading the word better but if people don’t put their support where their mouth is, by pressing that little green button and encouraging others to as well, then a grass roots publisher is just a dream. Please kindly the little dragon’s fire then and ‘Join the story, become part of the adventure.‘

DCDx

Leave a comment

Filed under Books, Childrens Books, Community, Culture, Publishing

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 23, 2014 · 8:11 am

DRAGON IN THE POST LAUNCHES, TODAY, ST GEORGE’S DAY, D-DAY (Dragon Day) AND SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY TOO!

dragongood

HAPPY SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY EVERYONE and hooray to the launch of a new Kickstarter project for David Clement-Davies, DRAGON IN THE POST, but also an entire grass roots publishing project. You can go straight there by CLICKING HERE or using the URL below

Can we really create ‘your publisher’ though, start a fire out there and break through the digitised tyranny of publishing these days, which includes so many being unheard on blogs or Facebook? Do visit and see the film, or in this case films because there’s one about Edmund Shakespeare too, BACK THIS PROJECT, and it’s essential that we build up early momentum, SHARE and fight for writers and artists beyond just one highly praised author. It runs for 30 days but this time it’s make or break. “Join the story, become part of the adventure.”

Come to a talk about it all on Saturday April 26th too, starting 6pm London time, at David’s Facebook page.

GOOD LUCK DRAGON IN THE POST AND PHOENIX ARK PRESS AND THANK YOU ALL FOR WHATEVER YOU CAN DO!

PA PRESS

Leave a comment

Filed under America and the UK, Childrens Books, Community, Culture, Publishing

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 22, 2014 · 10:31 am

KICKSTARTER COMES GOOD FOR DRAGON LAUNCH TOMORROW AND THE STREET TEAM GROWS!

Well, at least a very courteous reply from Kickstarter about both a ‘raffle‘ and mooted charity element I put in the project, Dragon In The Post, and the OK to launch too. Tomorrow, April 23rd, so be there, or be square! 18 are already coming to the Facebook chat too on Saturday, 6pm London time, and 10 Maybes, but do come.

I still don’t quite agree that five specially illustrated ‘Invitations‘ hidden in books sent out, like that ‘Golden Ticket‘ in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can be perceived as a raffle. It was for magic and excitement and offering a reader a chance to work with me or an illustrator on something, after I took out the monetary element of up to £150 of books. There we are. Kickstarter have to abide by Amazon guidelines themselves, which shows why big business is so obsessed with dominating the platforms, and projects can be denied funding even if they hit their targets, if it is considered they have or had breached guidelines. I agree with anti gambling and raffle rules, it’s just I don’t think five special invites and thus unique rewards constitute the Barclay’s Bank libor-rate fixing scandal! It was about art, communication and creativity.

As for the charity element they were sympathetic to the spirit of it, though it was always couched purely in terms of holding a conversation about the future of Phoenix Ark Press, if there is one, but it is something they watch on projects across the board. To quote “Kickstarter is meant as a home for creative projects, and while we definitely understand the desire to be charitable, unfortunately that’s outside of our scope for projects that fund through our site.” That conversation can easily be had elsewhere but it does seem we create a system where the first and sometimes only criteria is money, as the great machine rolls on, mind you it could embroil any crowd funder in all sorts of disputes later.

Also wonderful news yesterday though about reaching potentially 1500 on Deviant Art, via a bookselling friend! Great stuff and even more chance to make a project soar, especially engaging what Sheila Ruth at Imaginator pointed out is often called a Kickstarter ‘Street Team‘. I love that idea, if we are really to crack one book project but also begin to build a grass roots publisher, or if that is even possible, and hope all those who backed Light of The White Bear are part of The Dragon In The Post Street team. Especially some younger backers, who know who they are, and have been so supportive and important.

So let’s kick arse!

DCD

PA PRESS

Leave a comment

Filed under Books, Childrens Books, Community, Culture, Fantasy, The Phoenix Story

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 10, 2014 · 8:17 pm

KICKSTARTER: THIRTY DAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET, POLAR BEARS AND EVEN AN ENDANGERED AUTHOR – PHOENIX ARK PRESS NEEDS YOU!

screamcoverpdf_page00112_001

Hello all! Well, nothing quite so melodramatic as planet saving, but just 30 days to pledge to a new project on Kickstarter and help an author publish the newly named Light of The White Bear, that certainly has very strong environmental themes.

It’s the book that has been held up so long, by people-killing publishers in New York City, but which now tests a Kickstarter model that has just reached 1 Billion in Pledges on the Internet! What’s great too is that in one sense it’s risk free, because, if you pledge and it doesn’t hit the investment target of 6k, you spend nothing at all. Meanwhile the smallest pledges are little more than what it would cost to buy the book anyway, which you will get on publication, signed too. There are several other types of pledges possible.

Readers and fans here have been an inspiration, and suggested such things as crowd funding before, but if you don’t want to get involved by pledging, or can’t afford to, it would be really fantastic if you could just alert friends and readers to this website and Kickstarter too, via blogging, emails, twitter, Facebook and Social Media, right after you’ve read this, if possible. 30 emails to friends, or even three, could make a big difference! Folk can even see an awful video of my ugly mug on camera.

But that 30 count down clock is ticking now, which could of course prove a little embarrassing(!), so thank you everyone for all your support. This might even be fun!

To link to kickstarter CLICK HERE

David Clement-Davies – Phoenix Ark Press

Leave a comment

Filed under Books, Childrens Books, Culture, Environment, Fantasy, The Arts, The Phoenix Story, Young Adult

Tagged as , , , ,