THE PROJECT:

• I'm going to self-publish an exclusive comic/sketchbook containing several finished chapters from Little Women and some concept art. It will be a minimum of 80 pages, paperback, perfect bound. 
• The book will be available to the public only through this Kickstarter. I will not be selling it afterwards.
• I will then use the book to pitch the full graphic novel to a publisher.
• For full info about the project, and more images and updates beyond the Kickstarter, please visit my website at http://danidraws.com/little-women/.

SAMPLE PAGES

These are some finished pages that I drew. They may or may not show up in the finished book, because I'm still planning out the script, page count, and format. However, they are very representative of what it might look like.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

Money from Kickstarter will mainly pay for book printing, shipping of the Kickstarter rewards, fees, and taxes. The book will be paperback, perfect bound. I am aiming for a minimum of 80 pages of comics and concept art. Remaining funds, if any, will help me as I take several months off of freelance work to concentrate solely on this project.

The book will be exclusive to this Kickstarter. I will not be selling it afterwards. However, I will post select pages and art online on my website at danidraws.com/little-women.

THE PLAN

• If funding succeeds, I will create the book and use it to pitch a full graphic novel to publishers. If it gets published, I will have YOU all to thank for getting it started! And even if it doesn't get picked up, you and I will still get a nice book out of it.
• If funding does not succeed, I will still complete the pitch on my own, but I won't be printing any books. I will still post process art and sample pages online.
• Timeline: If the Kickstarter is successful, I am planning to take a few months off of freelance work and concentrate solely on getting the book done. My goal is to have them printed before the end of the year, so you should receive them early 2013.

Just to be clear, the book I am funding through this Kickstarter will not be the entire graphic novel, but only a few chapters and concept art. That being said, I am going to make this as "complete" a book as possible. If you are unfamiliar with Little Women, it is very episodic in nature. Each chapter is like it's own little short story, so my hope is that this book will feel more like a collection of stories and not like an incomplete part of a larger whole.

Why not just make the entire graphic novel?

To create the full novel at the quality it deserves, Kickstarter backers would probably be waiting six months to a year for their rewards, and I didn't want to do that. I considered finishing the whole thing before running the Kickstarter, but at the rate I'm going in between freelance work and other projects, it probably wouldn't see the light of day for years.

However, by self-publishing a smaller sample, I can provide you with a nice book within a few months, while still furthering my goal of finding an outside publisher than can support a full graphic novel.

WHY I WANT TO DRAW THE LITTLE WOMEN GRAPHIC NOVEL

In short, it is my favorite book. Ever. I have been in love with Little Women since I was a teenager. I have two sisters of my own, so I very much related to story of the March sisters and their various trials as they grew up.

I think it is a shame that Little Women hasn't gotten as much attention over the years as other beloved kid/teen stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Pride & Prejudice, Lord of the Rings, and Treasure Island, which have all been adapted in various books, comics, and movies. To bring Little Women to a new audience, I think there is a demand and need to make a graphic novel version that is accessible and attractive to kids (and distinguishing adults).

SOME NOTES ABOUT REWARDS

• All international orders (outside the U.S.) that require shipping, please add an additional $15.
• To add another book to any tier, simply add $20, and write a note to me so I know you are buying another book and not simply raising your donation.
• All books, prints, and art come signed.

UPDATES AND EXTRAS!

Live video stream. Watch the project launch and other live events! I'll draw pages from the book or backer rewards, and giveaway goodies to viewers.

Watch, chat, and view the full schedule at danidraws.com/danidrawslive or the Ustream channel page at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dani-draws.

Updates. Throughout the project, I will regularly post about my progress with behind-the-scenes peeks, process, and news. You can follow along in a number of ways:

• Right here on this Kickstarter page
• The process blog on my own website at danidraws.com/little-women/updates
• Follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook

SOME FINAL WORDS

I created this Kickstarter project because I'm excited to share this with you all, and want to get a book available to the public in some way. However, whether this succeeds in its funding or not, my main goal is to simply promote the idea and get readers excited for a Little Women graphic novel. So even if you can't contribute in a financial way, I would still appreciate any efforts you can do to spread the word or advocate the eventual publishing of the full graphic novel! (You can start by leaving a comment of support on this page.)

Thanks in advance for all your help!