Since my Kickstarter project didn't obtain full funding, no $ exchanged hands and I can't send No-Work Spanish audiobooks out as rewards to backers. BUT WAIT!!! -- you can still get your copy of No-Work Spanish Audiobooks via the links below:

Yaks March on Washington - on CD from Amazon

Poster Girl, 2-CD Title from Amazon

The best deal if you'd like both titles is to take advantage of

Special offer direct from NoWorkSpanish.com

Unsure which to get, here's the summary:

Yaks March on Washington: Based on the true story of an Idaho rancher who travels across the country with his dog and six yaks in tow. Listen to the excerpt at bottom of this post.

Poster Girl: a two-CD story about trying to outdo a goody two-shoes student and problems that happen when you start your school project the night before it is due.

For vocabulary covered in each audiobook and additional information, go to the list of available audio books on NoWorkSpanish.com

Thanks for your interest in No-Work Spanish! Enjoy the audio books!

Excerpt from Yaks March on Washington:

On everyone's advice, I have tried to stay positive and determined about my Kickstarter project. I've tried to ignore the ridiculously large number of folks that I've contacted in some form about this project versus the small (but greatly appreciated) number of backers I've attracted. This worried me for two reasons.

First, that I have really over-extended myself funding this project without Kickstarter backing.

But an even bigger concern was the battle going on in my head that went like this.

Voice 1: "Maybe people just won't like No-Work Spanish."

Voice 2: Don't be ridiculous. You KNOW this works. You know how big the demand to learn Spanish is.

Voice 1: But maybe even if No-Work Spanish works, maybe there is something in how you are explaining it that doesn't appeal to people. And what if you NEVER can get the concept across. What if all you are left with is an enormous dent on your credit card and a couple thousand CD's in your basement? Maybe the Kickstarter lack-of-response is a sign.

Voice 2: No, just because I haven't figured out how to reach people yet, doesn't mean it won't happen. There are radio interviews, press releases. You can send samples to product reviewers and journalists. There are many, many possibilities, you just have to stay determined."

Voice 1: Isn't that what you said when you reached the half-way point on this project? And has the second half really been any different?

Voice 2: The difference with the overall No-Work Spanish project is there is no time-limit. I just have to persist until successful.

Voice 1: No time limit except for the ending of that low-introductory rate



Well, Today A New Chapter Begins
First, just one user's feedback, from someone fluent in Spanish who was given a copy of Poster Girl by a mutual friend. She said, she actually learned a few idioms from it and that I "definitely have something with this." She was wowed by Michelle Thorson's pronunciation and expression and said No-Work Spanish would be a wonderful aid to anyone studying Spanish.

It Gets Better....
So today an email went out to a number of Independent Booksellers -- all those bricks & morter stores still hanging tough against B&N and Amazon (don't get me wrong, I love both B&N and Amazon). The email was from the American Bookseller's Association about their Advance Access program. In the email, I, and other independent publishers, offered advance copies of new titles for their consideration. The idea is that small independent booksellers want to get their hands on titles to make their purchasing decisions.

I offered copies of the first title of No-Work Spanish and received four requests in the first two hours. I can hear excitement in the email requests. The booksellers GET IT!!! They understand what No-Work Spanish is. I think I was only given about 250 characters to explain it (my input to the email) and that was enough.

Booksellers liking your book is huge. I mean, 'selling' one bookseller can have a huge domino effect.

GOODBYE VOICE 1 -- No-Work Spanish is taking off!!! Even if not in Kickstarter and even if heavily laden with debt.

Woo hoo! I received 2 boxes of Yaks March on Washington, the very first No-Work Spanish audiobook! I’m psyched. I might even add a video of me holding it – but I think I should shower and wash my hair first.

But Anne, you say – I thought you weren’t going to be able to get these CD’s made without help from us?

No, that’s not it exactly, what I need from you is a Kick-start!

I looked for definitions of ‘Kick-start’ and after skipping over the ones that discussed the workings of combustion engines, I came across these two:

1. To start or restart rapidly or forcefully – “This speech kick-started the candidate’s campaign.”
2. To impart fresh or renewed energy to, to energize – “We hope the tax rebate will kick-start the economy.”

I am looking for you, yes, you – my backers and potential backers to kick-start No-Work Spanish. I realized that even with a successful Kickstarter campaign there is a delay in the release of the funds. So I made sure I had room on a credit card for the $6000 in CD production costs and gave the go-ahead.

No-Work Spanish is just about open for business. The complete website is almost done. The second title is being manufactured. Kickstarter funding will allow me to pay the CD manufacturing bill, move the third title into production, and begin converting these into the format to teach English to native Spanish speakers. I would like to see these audiobooks available in libraries where kids can bring home and listen to them with a parent. Not everyone has $300 for Rosetta Stone.

I came across this interesting post from a documentary maker who explained why he began filming and making expenditures even before launching, let alone reaching full funding for, his Kickstarter project.

So I guess I’m not the only one to put the cart (the project, product, endeavor) before the horse (the dollars needed to make it happen).

You can now download the first three chapters of Yaks March on Washington, No-Work Spanish audiobook, Title 1. This gives you a chance to try it out and see what you think.

Here's how..
Click here for Three-for-Free Offer

Please use User name: Three

Password: ForFree

Let me know if you have any trouble using this. You can email me at LazyLady at NoWorkSpanish.com
Enjoy!

While I haven't always been in the habit of praying regularly, I now start each day with the following short prayer: Please give me the strength to see this project through to completion. Keep me safe from discouragement.

When I say 'this project', I don't mean the Kickstarter project in particular, but my overall No-Work Spanish project - making the audiobooks a reality, and making people aware that they exist and how they work.

The first morning that I said this prayer, one of the not-encouraging voices in my head immediately piped up and asked whether this is a prayer simply for my own self-interests. It is not. I really believe in the value of No-Work Spanish, that it truly makes learning a foreign language easier. I have plans to launch a corresponding ESL and No-Work French and possibly other programs.

My friend, a nurse, had talked about how many families come to this country where the father gets a job and therefore is exposed to English each day and the children go to school each day and learn English and the moms, well, they know very little English. Many Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers are somewhat cutoff from participating in much of what our country offers. I forsee a day when their kids can bring home the ESL version of Yaks March on Washington from the school library and such a mom can learn some English while feeding her toddler, washing some dishes or going shopping.

I believe that being able to understand the words coming out of someone's mouth is an important step in understanding them better as a person.

And is asking God to keep me 'safe from discouragement', is that really any different from "and lead us not into temptation." It's not. Discouragement is, for me, a very big temptation, an evil monster to battle or evade each day.

Battling monsters.... now that sounds like the sort of story that would make a good future No-Work Spanish audiobook. For all No-Work Spanish audiobooks must be 'good stories' first or else they never will be an effective learning tool.