Project Goal: To donate 1000 copies of Samuel's Shadow to 1000 different public libraries.

I want you to think back to when you were a kid. Your parents would take you to the local library, and if you were half the nerd I was, you would check out stacks of picture books at a time, take them home and pour over them, lingering on the images and words.

To me, the worst thing that can happen to an artistic endeavor is for it to go unappreciated.

So this is where you amazing people come in. Every single level of Pledging results in a copy of the book going to a library, where hundreds of people can read and discover it.

The best thing is that this project scales. While the goal is to donate 1000 copies to 1000 public libraries, but it is COMPLETELY UP TO YOU. The more contributors, the more copies, and there is really no limit.

So if you like the book, please consider backing it, but just as importantly, tell others:

Like Us on Facebook

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Just a little momentum is all we need

Project Background:

About 4 years ago or so, I drew a little doodle in my sketchbook, which showed a shadow pushing a little boy off an insanely tall building. 

The caption reads, "Is your shadow out to get you too?" I thought it was a interesting, but overall a negative concept. That sparked the image of a boy whose best friend was his shadow, and I proceeded to develop that into something more hopeful and it turned into the book you see now.

The Problem With Publishing:

Researching publishing and models, the way it works is rejection, rejection, rejection until you finally get accepted and sign over the rights to the publisher, get an advance, and maybe recoup if the publisher promotes you.

I figured, "why not put all that energy into publishing it and promoting it myself?" That way, at least my effort is going towards something more than rejection.

Also, the way that the children's book publishing industry works currently, is that the author hands off a manuscript to a publisher, and they farm out the illustration work to a corral of illustrators they have. Author and Illustrator rarely ever collaborate in that ecosystem.

To me, that made taking the time to find a publisher unrewarding as an artistic endeavor, as I would not see the illustrations until after the book was in print.

I am not an illustrator, but I also craved amazing images to go along with the story that really became something special as I wrote it. 

So I contacted Zach, one of my oldest friends, an amazing, long time artist with an eye for the extremely whimsical, and asked if he wanted to collaborate. He agreed and went to work. I gave him small bits of creative direction, but he got the concept, and he ran with it, to places I had never even dreamed. :)

For the official record, only one image from the book was my "idea". Zach interpreted and created the rest, making my vision come to life.

Thank you everyone!