Kickstarter

Dear Kickstarters,

Two and a half years ago we started Out of Print with a simple mission: let’s get more people talking about books by making cool products. We decided to start by designing graphic t-shirts that feature iconic book covers from some of the world’s great stories—some of the covers are classics, some are just curious enough to make really fun shirts. 

From the moment we launched Out of Print, the support from readers around the world has been tremendous. To date, our shirts are worn and appreciated in over 79 countries. They are bringing strangers together to talk about books and are getting people to read more. Mission accomplished? Not yet! 

As people embrace the new digital reading experience, the future of the book cover is in question. We want to change that. With this Kickstarter campaign, we aim to put the "book" back into eBooks.

We need your help to fund the final product development and setup costs for a new line of Out of Print eBook jackets for iPad, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. Made by the oldest bookbinder in the U.S., our cases are the first to look, feel and wear like an actual book. Each hardcover case features original book cover art licensed by Out of Print, printed on book fabric that will naturally wear and look better the more you use it. Inside our case, your eBook device is well-protected with a form-fitting cradle (designed by an MIT mechanical engineer) with design elements that allow for easy access to all important buttons and ports. 

Your support is integral to the success of this project. There are many great Out of Print products available at each level to thank you for your contribution.

Thank you in advance and happy reading! 

Todd and Jeff

P. S. -- Here are more details on our project:

What devices are supported?
For our launch, we're making cases to fit the iPad 2/3, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. We'd love to hear from Kickstarters about what else we should consider. For instance, would you want to turn your iPhone into a book? Let your voice be heard!

What will this Kickstarter fund? When do you expect to complete the project?
Because we're so excited about this project, we took a big risk and invested over $10,000 to date on design and prototyping. We are seeking your help to cover the cost of final tooling, molds and setup for our first production run in September. We hope to complete production and assembly and begin shipping our first cases to Kickstarters in September.  

What materials are you using? Where are the cases made?
Our cases are made just like books using the real thing: book board and book cloth, assembled by hand at the oldest bookbinder in the country. The cradles are made of a protective rubber with 30% recycled materials. The finished cases are 100% made in the U.S. The book cloth is treated to improve durability.

Do you have any specifications available?
These are the preliminary specs for each eBook jacket:

iPad 2/3 .... 10.1" h  x  7.9" w  x  0.75" d (weight: 13.6 oz)
Kindle Fire ... 8.1" h  x  5.5" w  x  0.75" d (weight: 7.2 oz)
Nexus 7 ... 8.5" h  x  5.6" w  x  0.75" d (weight: 7.4 oz - subject to change based on development in progress) 

Does the cover of the jacket fold back? How secure is the device in the cradle?
Yes -- we've designed the case so that you can fold back the cover completely if you prefer to use your eBook as seen below (e.g., one-handed reading). With a lipped edge, the cradle holds your device in place very securely.

What book covers and designs are available at launch?
The iPad 2/3, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 cases are available in the following 10 book covers plus four solid colors (charcoal, evergreen, indigo, red) and our new Alice in Wonderland cover at the top of this page: 

Any pictures available of the prototypes?

Yes -- we'd love to show you!

Special thanks
Special thanks to our friends Josh Johnson at TRANSONIC for the video (transonicworkshop.com), Falcon Arrow for the music (falconarrow.bandcamp.com) and Wendy Kangas at Duo NYC (duonyc.com)!