Printed Books!

**UPDATE: These 4 designs are now for sale!! I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to get them all listed in the shop but they're available and can be shipped in time for holiday gifts. 2012 subscriptions to the Cloth Book of the Month Club are also available! If you're interested get in touch (exlibrishandmade@gmail.com or convo me at the shop) and I'll hook you up:)

I'm so excited to announce the launch of my line of 100% organic printed cloth books! The smashing success of my Kickstarter campaign has allowed me to design and print 8 books and I am releasing 4 of those designs next week! Here's a sneak peek:



The remaining 4 designs will be part of my Book of the Month line that will launch in January. Each month I'll release a new book design that can be purchased individually or as part of a subscription (3, 6, 9, or 12 month lengths will be available). I'm bursting with ideas for these books and am always open to more suggestions!

The last day

My Kickstarter campaign ends at 11pm today and I've officially tripled my initial goal (!!!). This means that not only will I be able to launch the printed cloth book of the month project but also create a full line of alphabet books with one book for each letter. I'm so excited and so, so grateful to everyone who has helped make this happen!

There's still time to get in on the action if you'd like a book (or more) of your own! Here's a list of the books that will be available for pledge rewards:


Mammals
Birds
Woodland Creatures
Science
Transportation
Musical Instruments
Mustaches
Nature

:I'm collecting ideas for books to make in the future, too. Suggestions welcome!!

The plan to manage it all

Happy Friday! And for me it really is--I feel happier than I have in a long time.

Not that I've been miserable or anything but with the success of my Kickstarter I'm waking up to the fact of just how much and how hard I've been working, and at times it's felt like I've been spinning my wheels. I love the custom work I do and will be continuing with it regardless of the success of the printed books but there's really only so much of it I can do and it was limiting the growth of my business. Now, with the boost from Kickstarter, I'll be diversifying into the less labor-intensive printed books and I really believe that the balance between some custom work and some readymade work is the key to my continued success without killing myself to get it all done. It's really quite exciting!


Of course, the vast majority of my work thus far has been custom and with the addition of another line of books something will have to give. I will need to limit the number of custom projects I take on and right now I'm not really sure what that will look like. I'm thinking I'll be able to manage 3-4 custom book orders per month, though it may be more or less and it will likely vary with the month. As much as it pains me to do this I will also need to increase the cost a bit, looking objectively at the amount of time it takes me to complete a custom book (at least 6 hours, often more like 10). It won't be an insane increase, but it's something I need to do in order to make it sustainable.


That said, I have a couple announcements to make:

1. In order to fulfill my Kickstarter rewards (and not go completely insane this holiday season) I will stop accepting custom orders on November 1. Any orders placed before then (and those already placed) will be guaranteed for delivery before the end of November (or at least in time for the holiday, in case I get a mad rush ;).

2. I will resume accepting custom book orders in January at the new rates and will be limiting the number I accept.
So, if you've been thinking of ordering a custom book, either for the holidays or just because, now is the time!

Less than 3 days!!?!

Today, less than 3 days from launching my Cloth Book of the Month Kickstarter campaign, I not only reached my goal but surpassed it! I am so completely amazed by the overwhelming support I've received, and much of it from folks who have never met me or seen my work before!! My deepest gratitude to everyone who took the time to watch my video, perhaps pledge something, and spread the word. From the bottom of my heart...


Of course, there are still 27 days left in my campaign! There's no reason for the momentum to stop here; with every additional $450 my project receives I can create another book design! I have so many more ideas for books and suggestions are always welcome!

It's an exciting day!

I've had a couple of big announcements to make for a while and I'm so excited to share the first of these with you today:

I've started a Kickstarter campaign to create a line of organic printed cloth books!!!



If you've never heard of Kickstarter, it's a site that hosts creative projects in need of funding. It's a really ingenious idea wherein folks can pledge any amount of money from $1 up to projects they are interested in and receive rewards for their support. These rewards reflect market value so if the project is funding the production of an item it is almost like pre-ordering that item which will then be created in the near future. My project has a range of rewards and they all reflect retail value, e.g. the reward for a pledge of $35 is one cloth book, which will retail for $35. It took me a while to get comfortable with the idea of asking folks for money for my business but this rewards system makes it feel like a worthwhile venture.

When the project is funded (I'm being optimistic here--the funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing so if I don't reach my goal the project won't be funded. But I will reach my goal!) I will create six books in broad topics like birds, transportation, and instruments and scan the pages to be printed on 100% organic cotton sateen by Spoonflower. I'll then make the fabric into cloth books for babies everywhere to enjoy!

Subsequently I will release a new printed cloth book design each month as the cloth book of the month and folks will be able to purchase these individually or subscribe to receive them as they are released.

This has been a dream of mine for some time now and the logical next step in making Ex Libris Handmade truly sustainable. I'm especially excited about being able to offer an affordable 100% organic product. I hope you will check out the project, watch the video and, if you're able, consider pledging.

Here's the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1421207180/cloth-book-of-the-month

Spread the word!

♥ V.