NEW ORLEANS – Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop has always been a bookstore that likes trying new and unique things. This week, they have launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund a new publishing imprint. Tubby & Coo’s owner, Candice Huber, says the goal is to help independent authors and give them a platform.
“I thought it would be a great idea to partner with independent authors to offer services to help them publish their own works where they would keep the rights to those works and also get the help they need to see their stories in print,” said Huber. “I also saw an opportunity to use technology to our advantage. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter have given artists everywhere the opportunity to reach beyond their local communities. With this new hybrid publishing model, that’s what we want to do as well.”
With the hybrid publishing model, Tubby & Coo’s takes on the editing, design, production, distribution and marketing aspects of publishing, while the authors maintain all rights to their work and have input throughout the process. Tubby & Coo’s is crowdfunding to raise the money for production, distribution, cover design, and shipping of the books. Once the project reaches its goal, Tubby & Coo’s will publish the books, and since they are crowdfunding, the bookstore doesn’t have to take a major financial risk.
“Hybrid publishing via crowdfunding offers the best of both worlds for authors,” said Huber . “Authors maintain all rights and freedom as they would by self-publishing while at the same time receiving the services of a traditional publisher and a higher percentage of the profits. It’s a viable alternative to services like Amazon’s CreateSpace, and authors have a true partner versus having to figure everything out on their own. Add to that the excitement of watching a project come to life online and the crowdfunding craze, and you have something really special.”
Tubby & Coo’s has three books on the docket for publishing with this initial campaign:
• “Alligator, Bayou, Crawfish,” by Ali Becnel Solino of New Orleans, is a children’s alphabet book based on things traditionally associated with New Orleans. From alligators to oysters to voodoo, these are the ABC's your mom and them taught you. This children's alphabet book makes a great gift for babies or for anyone who loves New Orleans. Fun fact: Ali designed Tubby & Coo's logo.
• “The Two Stegosauruses,” by Daniel Glaser of New Orleans, is an inspiring love story for all ages that shows that no matter how awkward, clumsy, or nerdy you are, there's always someone who understands you. This cute story will appeal to anyone who has ever felt awkward, clumsy, and/ or alone. It's a great little story a la “All My Friends Are Dead” and “T-Rex Trying.”
• “Captain,” by Artie Sievers of New York, is a Gregory Maguire-esque epic fantasy novel about the rise of Captain Hook that exposes the human journey behind the well-known tale of Peter Pan and asks us to decide for ourselves who the villain of the tale truly is. Fans of “Once Upon a Time,” “Wicked,” and retold fairy tales will really like this story.
From now through Sunday, Aug. 27, Tubby & Coo’s is running a 60-day crowdfunding campaign for the new publishing imprint. After the Aug. 27 deadline, Huber will evaluate where they are with funds and hopefully begin the process of producing the books. The goal is to get them out to customers who pre-order by Christmas, Huber said.
Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop opened Sept. 1, 2014 at 631 N. Carrollton Ave., just two doors down from the Bean Gallery coffee shop. The shop is named after owner Candice Huber’s grandparents, who grew up just a few blocks down Toulouse Street from where the shop is located.
