A brief, but important, interruption before our next visit in this Year of Ann Blyth series on my Another Old Movie Blog. As some of you know by now, I've started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for use in publishing this series (with additional material) as a book. Next year, this will be available in eBook in a variety of formats and also in paperback.
My reason for trying to raise funds is that I've discovered a number of photos that are in the collections of libraries, museums, newspaper and magazine archives that are not in public domain, and for which I would have to pay a royalty fee to be allowed to use. Some of these fees can run $30 a photo, to several hundred dollars per photo. Additionally, some research material is just not available to me unless I can afford it.
I am loathe to ask for money. It bothers me very much. But like most plays and films that never get off the ground without backers willing to invest, I'm aware that in this tough and ever-changing world, publishing has become part of the hustling for money game to get the project off the ground.
There are several companies which use this "crowd founding" model to raise funds for creative projects, and Kickstarter is one of them. Everything from indie films,to inventions, to a variety of business proposals are eligible for a fundraising project on Kickstarter. Some quite famous people have used this venue to raise funds for projects, including Whoopi Goldberg; Ed Begley, Jr.; author Seth Godin; and I understand that those good ol' boys from the 1970s TV show The Dukes of Hazard - Tom Wopat and John Schneider - have requested funds recently to make a Christmas album. Their campaign has earned over $70,000.
I'm not asking for quite that much. I think $2,500 will cover the bare minimum for photos, editing and artwork expenses I'll incur. Here's how Kickstarter works: If my campaign brings in $2,500 worth of pledges, then the money is collected from the backers. If less than $2,500 is raised, then no money is collected, and the campaign is considered having failed. It's an all-or-nothing game. So, I ask your help in reaching that $2,500. You can see in the sidebar next to this post the current standings on how much has been raised and how far we have to go. Click on that notice, and it'll bring you to my Kickstarter page for more details on the project and my background, and the rewards for donations.
If the campaign earns more than $2,500, that's okay, too. In fact, I will fall to my knees weeping with relief. But it must earn at least $2,500. The campaign ends Sunday, August 24th at 8:00 p.m. ET.
If the Kickstarter campaign fails, I will still publish the book. It just won't have the photos I'd like to use. I'll stick with public domain lobby cards and studio publicity stills, as many as I can afford to print. Printing photos is expensive; color photos are very expensive.
End of commercial. Thanks very much to those folks, including some old and new friends, who've already made pledges. I'm very grateful, and will remember your gesture even if this thing fails miserably.
I'll see you Thursday for more on Ann Blyth in I'll Never Forget You.
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