Kickstarter

Beer has been a fundamental part of the human experience from the most primitive clay jug passed around the fire to the modern can or bottle in your hand. (What? You don't have a beer in your hand? Well...fix that.) We drink it at sporting events, celebrations, parties, concerts, and solitary wind downs after work. Beer makes memories...and sometimes erases them. How many of your favorite stories involve a beer in some way, maybe even an important way?

In recent years, we've seen an explosion of creativity in the craft beer community, both in the development of new styles and in how breweries have integrated themselves with the visual arts, music, and other forms of creative expression. But the combination of beer and creative writing is largely unexplored. 

In order to remedy that, I founded Story Brewhouse LLC, and my first project is A Six Pack of Stories—a collection of short stories that feature beer in a meaningful way. The stories, both fiction and creative non-fiction, will be submitted by writers and beer enthusiasts from far and wide, then published in electronic and hard copy formats. I intend for the collection to embody our personal and collective experiences with beer. I expect that means many of the stories will be humorous and upbeat, but beer is involved in serious moments in our lives as well, and this collection will reflect that. (ie. this isn't just a book about people getting drunk and doing funny stuff.)

How will the book be sold?

A Six Pack of Stories will be available on all major e-reader platforms, and hard copies will be sold through Amazon, direct to consumers at beer festivals, and at wholesale to breweries, brewpubs, and homebrew shops around the country.

Why do I think this will work?

Beer isn't just something we drink; it's a fundamental part of many cultures, and so is literature. But the two have remained largely disconnected from one another. Sure, there have been histories of breweries and biographies of beer industry heroes, and many are quite well written, but there is a large and growing community of beer lovers who want to connect with beer in a more creative way, and that is what A Six Pack of Stories will deliver. 

How can you help?

If this collection seems like a noble calling to you, or maybe you’ve had a few beers and are just feeling loose, check out the contribution levels on the right side of this page. Hopefully you see some value in the gifts you will receive in exchange for your support. Select a level that feels right, and send your contribution securely through Amazon. The money is only collected if we reach our funding goal before the deadline.

Whether you contribute or not, please tell your real friends, facebook friends, and everyone else you know about this project.

How will the money be spent?

I want to be totally transparent about where the money is going, so here’s the breakdown:

$4,500 to pay writers 5 cents per word for their stories (that's professional level freelance payment - I'm looking for high quality, thoughtful, prose), $500 for expenses related to designing the book cover and interior, $500 for the cover illustration (the one on display is just a placeholder), $125 for purchasing an ISBN, $1,000 for initial promotion, and $2,452 to pay Kickstarter’s 5% fee, Amazon’s 3-5% fee, and donor gifts. That makes up the $9,077 goal. If we get beyond that goal, additional money will go toward website development, copy editing, additional promotion, and (if this campaign is VERY successful) a laser etching of six pack on the surface of the moon. Think I'm kidding about the moon bit...go ahead, call my bluff.

What’s the timeline?

Once we reach our goal, I’ll start soliciting for story submissions. The submission window will be open for approximately three months, then I'll select the best of the bunch (admittedly a subjective process). Give it a few more months for editing and to finalize the book design, and we’ll publish in the first quarter of 2013.

Who am I? Why should you trust me to put your money to good use?

My name is Charles Stanley, and I am the Strategic Projects Manager for Upland Brewing Co. in Bloomington, Indiana. I've directed several areas of the brewery, from event planning, to marketing, to the construction of our new brewery. I know beer, I know the people who drink it, and I know the people want to read about it.

Beer has been an overwhelmingly important and positive part of my life, but literature has been even more so (and from a much younger age). I'm admittedly more of an amateur in the arena of literature than I am in the world of beer, but through my experience as a reader and writer, I believe I have the ability to edit A Six Pack of Stories into a truly memorable collection. I have the project management skills to turn this idea into reality, and the marketing experience to make this book a success. What I need are like-minded people willing to give this project a boost.