Updates, yo.

Hey folks!

We’re working on getting the word out about “Karl” so that when we relaunch our Kickstarter we can guarantee that we’ll reach our minimum. Some of you have suggested that we lower our goal or switch to a site like Indie GoGo. These are possibilities, but much of it hinges on the publishing cost. We want to keep the price of the book cheap – affordable. While the initial publishing cost may be higher, the price per book will be significantly lower.

We’ll have some excerpts and concept art prepared for ya’ll real soon. For now, we’re asking that you share our Facebook page so we can get an idea of our visibiity. Thanks!

“You what!?” – Cancelling the Kickstarter. Trying again.

So, we realized that we’re not likely to make the $8,000 minimum. Instead of wasting time and waiting, we’re going to give it another shot. We have a plan!

FIRST

You won’t be charged for your pledge. It’s important to remember this, so that when we relaunch our Kickstarter you can pledge again without worrying that your last donation went down the drain. If you check your account now, you’ll see that no money has been taken out of your account. That’s pretty rad.

SECOND

We’ll be spending 3 weeks increasing exposure before relaunching the Kickstarter. We have a Facebook page here that we’d love for you to start sharing with friends! It would be awesome if ya’ll could become a sort of unofficial street team.

During this time we’ll be doing everything we can to increase visibility of the project. We’ll likely make a promotional YouTube video, get some real good concept art posted on the blog and on the Facebook page and also set up a Twitter account.

We will also take a peek at some other self-publishers and see if we can’t find a better quote and reduce our costs. If we can shrink our goal we’ll be more likely to reach it (duh).

THIRD

We will relaunch the Kickstarter. We’ll have better rewards (we come up with some sweet ideas once it was too late). We ask that once we relaunch, ya’ll help us with getting the word out and starting strong!

Thanks ya’ll!

“Karl” on Walking Butterfly

Check out our latest update on our good friend’s blog: Diary of a Walking Butterfly

Kickstarter for “Karl”: Approved and Launched!

Hey folks!

Our Kickstarter was approved just a few short days ago and we launched this afternoon!

Before we give you the link, a few points:

• We only get the money if we raise $8,000 or more. If we don’t meet our minimum goal, we don’t get anything and no one gets charged.

• The money doesn’t come out until the fundraiser is over. If you pledge money now, it won’t leave your account until January 17th.

• $7,500 will cover publishing costs. We need to also consider the 3-5% taken from both Amazon and Kickstarter. We’re shooting for a minimum of $8,000 but we also need to ship rewards to all our backers, ship books to potential retail outlets and produce promotional materials. Our real goal is $10,000.

Have at it, folks!

Why “Karl”? Why Now?

Some may be outraged at the idea of a Marxist children’s book.

“How dare you indoctrinate children with your propaganda!”

The people who decry our project are the very same who will conveniently ignore the various and sundry ways in which our children are already indoctrinated. They are fed myths about American exceptionalism, authority and freedom. They’re told that privilege and entitlement are earned – not based in fundamental, systemic inequalities around race, gender, class and sexuality. They regurgitate false history about the experience of natives in this country, sing the praises of American villains and are forced into believing that the sacrifice of civil liberties for the sake of so-called security is something to be admired.

We cannot forget that our beliefs and values are fed by every input – television, books, family, friends, community, experience… That even those mediums which are supposedly scrubbed (free of an agenda) shape, in some small way, the ideas that rattle around in the heads of our children.

Why Now?

We were a part of the occupation in Huntington, West Virginia in solidarity with the events at Wall Street. There we found a multitude of people, young and old, sharing in the process of creating a new Left history. Participating in weaving a new story for our generation and the next. As we shared stories, it became clear that each of us had bits and pieces of a rich tradition of struggle and resistance, but none of us had it all.

The fact is, this country suffers from a severe lack of Left history – especially for our youth. In other cultures, stories of resistance are handed down to children through songs, personal stories and tales crafted specifically for children.

In a time where the Census reports that 1 in 2 Americans are either poor or low-income, we cannot neglect educating the next generation about the mistakes of the previous. We must cultivate a generation of thinkers – those who can, with the proper tools and knowledge, view history critically and create solutions for tomorrow.

“Karl” may only play a very tiny role in this endeavor, but we hope that this project will only be the first stepping stone on a path to a new world.

What Is “Karl”?

Welcome!

“Karl” is the up and coming children’s book developed by Nic Eaton and Rachel Meadows. This blog will be used to update fans on the progress of the project and to respond to questions.

Karl is a little orphan kitten based (very) loosely on Karl Marx. The book is centered around Karl joining a cartel of cats and kittens who rummage through garbage on their turf. A small group of fat cats run the operation, while the kittens dirty their paws searching for food and other treasures in the area.

Karl teaches the other kittens (including Emma, Freddy, Leon and other historical figures) about teamwork, playing fair and being brave.

Currently we are drafting the story and drawing up concept art. We’ve also applied for a Kickstarter which will allow us to fundraise in order to self-publish the book.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us at karl4kids@gmail.com