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Update #4: We did it!
Hello friends,
Thanks so much for supporting How & Why. The typos have been corrected. The author has combed the final layout thoroughly and the design is finished!
Because of your generosity and excitement, this bad boy is brought to life--on the ever disappearing medium of paper, no less--and you'll get some fun stuff in the mail, and get to develop some new skills with your hands in the coming winter months!
There is a little more waiting to do. The book goes to print--from e-book to book--on Dec 1. In the meantime, we're clearing room in our basements and back rooms. The book should be printed around January 1st and shipped out to all of your before anyone else!
We're trying not to do this more than 3 or 4 times per year and only for our most expensive books that we would have trouble publishing otherwise. Please let us know how it's going and what you think could make it better.
While you wait, tell yer friends that print ain't dead. Keep the stamp price down by supporting your neighborhood post office. And check out all of the other neat how-to titles we're putting on our website. Expect more books like this one!
Thanks again. Lots of love,
-TeamCosm
Update #3: The wee hours
We're getting down to the wire but there's less than $300 to go! We're so close.
Excitedly, this is the first project where the Kickstarter will actually pay for 90% of the printing cost so all we'll have to absord this time is the editorial and design cost.
On top of that, it's a great book that's been massaged over the last few years into something we can really be proud of.
And to sweeten the pot, we do have some copies left of Adam Gnade's new zine, inspired by this book "The Truth About Termintaor Seeds" (hint: 1984 movie). Get them while you can (limited to 10 copies!)
Update #2: Week Two
Aside from some text and layout proofing, the book is designed and ready for print.
Our trusty "last edit" Rio is digging deep for typos, proper nouns, and em dashes.
In the meantime, here are six more preview pages.
We've also added a few more rewards and some new premium rewards, including unique blueline proofs of some of our recent books. These are a true, uh, one-of-a-kind item used once for making sure a book looks correct before printing.
Thanks
-Microcosm
Update #1: New Rewards
It's been a busy weekend and the book design is finished!
We are in the final proofing stages of rooting out errors or problems.
In the meantime, here's some sneak previews of selections in the book.
We've also added three new limited, premium rewards:
============================================
$75 for a Resist Instrument Works cigar box guitar and signed copy of the book!
(A guitar with a resonator made from a cigar box! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_box_guitar)
$40 each for five canjos and a signed copy of the book!
(What's a canjo? It's a diatonically tuned 1-string instrument that is great for people who have never really played before. Comes with a songbook of old folk/traditional songs that can be "played by number.")
$25 each for twenty signed copies of the book and seeds saved from Matte's garden!
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on November 10, 2010.
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A copy of "13 years of good luck" sampling all works Microcosm! [Add $2 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 years of good luck" and a copy of "Zine Yearbook #9," detailing the best reprints from zines printed in 2007 [Add $3 if you're outside the US]
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one copy of HOW & WHY [Add $3 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "How & Why" plus a copy of the limited edition "The Truth About Terminator Seeds" zine by Adam Gnade (hint: 1984 movie)
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A copy of "13 years," "Zine Yearbook #9," and a copy of "How and Why" when it is published. [Add $5 if you're outside the US]
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Five copies of "How and Why" at 50% off with free shipping. Perfect for retailers, distros, and kids with backpacks and five cool friends. [Add $15 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," and "Best of Intentions" by Keith Rosson. [Add $10 if you're outside the US]
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Receive a canjo and a signed copy of the book! (What's a canjo? It's a diatonically tuned 1-string instrument that is great for people who have never really played before. Comes with a songbook of old folk/traditional songs that can be "played by number.")
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Get a copy of How & Why, Zinester's Guide to New York City, and Edible Secrets!
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5" by Moe Bowstern. [Add $10 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," and Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27 by Davida Breier. [Add $10 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," and "X Ray Visions" by Benjamin Artur Ellis. [Add $15 if you're outside the US]
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Ten copies of How and Why at 50% off with free shipping. Perfect for retailers, distros, and kids with backpacks and five cool friends. [Add $30 if you're outside the US]
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Receive a Resist Instrument Works cigar box guitar and a signed copy of the book! (A guitar with a resonator made from a cigar box! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_box_guitar)
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," and "Constant Rider Omnibus" by Kate Lopresti. [Add $20 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," and I Hate This Part of Texas #5 and #7 by John Gerken. [Add $20 if you're outside the US]
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Get a signed copy of How & Why plus the original and unique blueline printer's proofs for the same book! For the serious collector nerd who has it all.
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Get a signed copy of How & Why plus the original and unique blueline printer's proofs for Chainbreaker: A Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance! For people who really love bikes.
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Get a signed copy of How & Why plus the original and unique blueline printer's proofs for SCAM: The First Four Years! Some serious nostalgia in this big package.
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Get a signed copy of How & Why plus the original and unique blueline printer's proofs for the very first printing of Henry & Glenn Forever! It may not look like much but it was touched by Richard the Roadie and will probably at least net enough on Ebay for a new guitar. Except with How & Why you can build your own guitar!
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, and "My Life in a Jugular Vein" by Ben Snakepit. [Add $25 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," and "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box". [Add $25 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box," and "Sounds of Your Name" by Nate Powell. [Add $30 if you're outside the US]
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Twenty copies of How and Why at 50% off with free shipping. Perfect for retailers, distros, and kids with backpacks and five cool friends. [Add $45 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box," "Sounds of Your Name," and a Microcosm Sweatshirt. [Add $40 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box," "Sounds of Your Name," a Microcosm Sweatshirt, and a 6 month BFF subscription to everything that Microcosm publishes. [Add $60 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "Constant Rider Omnibus," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box," "Sounds of Your Name," a Microcosm Sweatshirt, a 6 month BFF subscription to everything that Microcosm publishes, The Flow Chronicles, Things are Meaning Less (1st Edition), The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #1-4, On Subbing, $100 & A T-Shirt DVD, Doris Anthology, Hot Damn & Hell Yeah / The Dirty South, Dreamwhip #14, Coffeeshop Crushes, and Homeland Insecurity DVD. [Add $80 if you're outside the US]
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A copy of "13 Years," "Zine Yearbook #9," "How and Why," "Cantankerous Titles," "Best of Intentions," "Xtra Tuf #5," "Xerography Debt #25, 26, and 27," "X Ray Visions," "I Hate This Part of Texas" #5 and #7, "My Life in a Jugular Vein," "The Curious Case of the Communist Jell-o Box," "Sounds of Your Name," a Microcosm Sweatshirt, a 6 month BFF subscription to everything that Microcosm publishes, The Flow Chronicles, Things are Meaning Less (1st Edition), The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #1-4, On Subbing, $100 & A T-Shirt DVD, Doris Anthology, Hot Damn & Hell Yeah / The Dirty South, Dreamwhip #14, Coffeeshop Crushes, Homeland Insecurity DVD, Brainfag Forever, Chainbreaker Bike Book, CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #5, Constant Rider Omnibus, Distance Makes The Heart Grow Sick, DIY Screenprinting, Dwelling Portably '80-89, Invincible Summer: An Anthology, Invincible Summer: An Anthology Volume II, Mostly True, My Brain Hurts, Vol 1, Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance, Snakepit 2007, Still We Ride DVD, Welcome to the Dahl House, and Zinester's Guide to Portland (4.5 edition). [Add $100 if you're outside the US]. And to top it all off, a Microcosm staffer will take you out for dinner the next time we're in your town and you can pick our brains about the subject of your choosing!
Project By
Connected as Joe Biel (1631 friends)
As a not-for-profit*, collectively-run publisher and distributor of books and zines, Microcosm Publishing nurtures self-empowerment, shows hidden history, and fosters creativity. As a commitment to our ethics, our books are printed by union workers in the U.S. and we are moving towards all production using post-consumer papers, with vegan inks and bindings.
The distro and then-record-label was started by Joe Biel in his bedroom in 1996 and is now based in Lansing, KS and Portland, OR. Since then it's grown to become one of the largest zine distributors in the world, reaching an international audience through our website and distributors.
* We operate central to a mission statement and are financially not for profit, but we are not a 501c3 organization because it does not allow us to self- manage.
Hi Joe. Really looking forward to this arriving. Any word on the post status to the UK?
Haven't heard anything for a while. Did books already go out?
Any update? Did I miss something?