The FINAL UPDATE! :)
Hello everyone!
This is the final mass update for Womanthology. There are so few left who are in need of their book still, that I feel it best that I update you individually from now on through email. :)
Charity...
Womanthology has been an incredible experience. When I launched it last year, half expecting failure, I had no idea the huge amount of happiness, difficulty, stress, and joy I would experience, or the sheer amount of positivity it would create. Being my first Kickstarter (one that was overly successful) I was caught unprepared by the huge amount of work required to take care of it all. That as well as my months of illness, created a few months of delays, which I wish more than anything could have been avoided. Despite that, I hope most of you are pleased with the final product, and are overall satisfied with the level of dedication I've tried to give to this project and all it's backers. I care very much about each of you, and the mere fact that you put your hard earned money and trust onto this project creates an appreciation I will carry with me past the delivery of your book.
Because of the success of Womanthology, we were able to print a LOT more extra books for regular distribution sale than we first hoped (5,000 instead of a few hundred!!!). Those books are all profits for Charity through GlobalGiving.org. To date Womanthology has earned $34,000 for Charity!! So far we have given $10,000 of that to educate 1,000 girls in Pakistan after the terrible shooting of young Malala Yousafzai who was attacked for being an advocate for female education in her country. It was an amazing moment for many of us on the project to see our hard work going forward to help even more people.
But it's not done yet! There is still $24,000 of Charity funds left to decide on where to disperse. I invite all Kickstarter backers to please go to THIS SITE, pick a charity from Global giving, and nominate it as a recipient for these funds. Depending on the needs of these Charities, we may be able to give to more than a couple! Womanthology Contributors will then vote on final Charities to give to.
This is the final and wonderful step of Womanthology :) And thanks to you all for letting this happen.
Moving Onward...
When Womanthology began to become a huge project, I put aside my own projects and goals because I saw an opportunity to do good for other people. I've happily volunteered over a year of my life for this project, but now my responsibilities left for Womanthology are so few that I feel confident I am able to move forward with my life once again. I have just started my own Kickstarter for a graphic novel adaptation of Peter Pan. This is a project that I was working on prior to Womanthology, and it's very near and dear to my heart. This is what my family needs to move forward, and it would be a dream come true for me to be able to create this book.
For those few still waiting on Womanthology books, I did not launch Peter Pan lightly. I take my remaining responsibilities very seriously, and I made certain that moving forward with my goals will in no way, shape or form stop or slow me down from delivering the few books left that's owed. I said very early on I will not stop until everything is completely finalized, and I stand true to that. I will be here, taking care of Womanthology first until all is completely done.
Final reward updates...
These are the 2 major areas awaiting books: There are a couple people for other rewards as well, of which we'll be talking with you individually to easier take care of you.
REGULAR COPIES - There were 1400 books ordered as rewards, and 20 of you are still waiting on a book. If you are one of those people, please know how incredibly sorry I am that you are still waiting and my husband Ray and I have been working nonstop to try and figure out what the issue is. Most of you are international, and copies have been re-sent a few times in some cases, only to have them disappear or be returned. All that's left is to individually try and figure out what the issue is for your copy. IDW just sent another batch of international copies, so right now we're just waiting to see if they arrive, as some take over 30 days to get through customs. Please know that I care greatly about you and your delay and I will not stop until the problem is solved and you have your book! :)
SIGNED/SKETCH COPIES - I feel most terrible about these rewards because they were severely delayed by my hospitalization and months of recovery starting in June. I feel awful that i did anything that caused anyone hardship and delay. I am so sorry. :(
My personal sketch copies are now 100% complete, and I'm mailing the final 5 international copies this week. Other artists are a work in progress, and we'll keep updating you as we check in with them. Camille's will take the longest, as she has 20 to do and lives in Canada. As an option to expedite a copy to you, I'd be happy to draw you a sketch version myself instead. Please just message me and let me know if you'd like to do that!
Signed copies; I'm merely waiting to get all signatures returned to me at this point. I promise that as soon as I get them I'll mail them straight to you! I will of course notify when I do so as well!
My thanks...
I wish I could list the entirety of happy stories that has come from Womanthology, or somehow have all of you see through my eyes the sheer amount of happiness I saw on the faces of young girls at conventions when they started to realize that YES! They too can also obtain their dreams as an artist, and yes, they are worth it. I hope the women involved in the book, and all the backers are incredibly proud at what they've accomplished by making this book a reality. And I hope you realize that you've created something that has rippled outward and effected so many lives.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you... thank you, thank you. :) And I'll see you all next time!
