Want to write and/or illustrate a polyamorous book for children?

Some friends and I have started up a "publishing hut" called La Gr@not@. It's based in Germany and I'm the editor for Spain and Spanish interests.

In the early days, we're going to concentrate on producing children's books... and especially picture books.

We're not in this for the money (we actually expect to lose money). What we're mainly interested in is producing books that
a) make children THINK;
b) break moulds and overturn prejudices;
c) introduce new ideas and new ways of seeing the World.

Something we're particularly interested in is presenting outsiders, people with different life-styles and life-choices, "handicapped" people, people with alternative sexualities... as being perfectly respectable. I DON'T mean by this "perfectly staid and normal", but "perfectly deserving of the readers' respect."

We'd prefer the books NOT to have a preachy, pamphleteering, DIDACTIC tone to them, but (to give an example pertinent to this polyamory site) to present their child-heroes as children of gay, bisexual, and/or polyamorous parents.

Whether the book has a "this is SO O.K. that we're not even going to underline the fact" feel to it, or presents the child-heroes with problems [created by prejudiced peers] which are then overcome, is left up to the author.

We're not afraid of taking a chance on first-time writers and artists, so if you'd like to try your hand at it, why don't you check out our web-site?
 
Glad to be back!

Helping to set up this company and prepare our first books has been ONE of the reasons why I haven't been active here recently. I/We still have loads of work ahead of us - especially up until our launch party on the 16th of August, 2015:eek:, after which I HOPE that we'll be able to take a little holiday:cool::cool: - but I hope that I'll be able to steal a moment or 2 to look in here.:):):)
 
Cool project. I'll have a look at your website. Thanks!
 
Be part of the change!

In a crass attempt to bring this thread to people's attention, I add this comment, so that it'll show up in "recent activities".

Actually, there IS some news. We've now officially registered the company as a publisher in Germany, we've been assigned our first 100 ISBNs (the international numbers that will identify any book uniquely), we've brought out 3 separate books (one of them in two trilingual editions) and have begun receiving mss from writers NOT already a part of the team.

So I repeat the call: any poly writers and/or graphic artists who want to see their name in lights xxxxxx I mean print? Here's your chance! But please read this first: "Are you CRAZY???"

And for any of you interested in seeing what we've already published, here's our list to-date.

Be part of the change that will sweep old prejudices away.
 
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As a parent of an autistic child, I'll mention that this kind of positive social action has been good for special needs families. I thank the social forces gods every day that there are people in the world who make autism OK. It wasn't always this way. The social world has changed dramatically for autism and so it also is for the vast spectrum of sexual expression. I wish you well in your book venture.
 
As a parent of an autistic child, I'll mention that this kind of positive social action has been good for special needs families. I thank the social forces gods every day that there are people in the world who make autism OK. It wasn't always this way. The social world has changed dramatically for autism and so it also is for the vast spectrum of sexual expression. I wish you well in your book venture.
Hi, FallenAngelina!

As chance would have it, I'm staying with a single-parent and her [border-line] autistic 8-year-old son. I just met them 6 days ago. I was hitch-hiking from Germany to Spain and got invited to stay with them until and during the nearby town's "festa major". (Main party: an annual party around the time of Spanish towns' particular patron saints. Some last a couple of days, some a week or more. This town's party lasts 5 days.)

I was told that, until VERY recently, the boy would not talk with anybody outside his home and very rarely with anyone not his mother. (This meant silence at school, as well.) By the time that I met him, he'd got to the point where he could talk to me - a complete stranger, though shyly. A few days later, he was reaching for my hand.

Last night there was a karaoke stage as part of the festivities. His mother and I were in 2 minds about going, each teasing the other, daring each other to sing. The boy decided that HE wanted to go... and actually sang a number, with the audience whistling, applauding, and calling for an encore.

By the time I got up the nerve to volunteer to sing, I was told that the time had run out: they weren't accepting any more requests. Well, it WAS 2:30 in the morning...

Are you up for writing a story based on your experience of autism? Truth, sincerity, authenticity, and "a new voice" weigh more with us than literary professionalism.

And if your child would do the illustrations, that would be a definite plus!
 
Does this opportunity pay MrFarFromRight? I could not tell from the linked information. If it does, I suggest checking out the artist who does Kimchi Cuddles (kimchcuddles.com). She might be interested.
 
Does this opportunity pay MrFarFromRight? I could not tell from the linked information. If it does, I suggest checking out the artist who does Kimchi Cuddles (kimchcuddles.com). She might be interested.
One of those links ("Are you CRAZY???") leads to another link, to the page "What is La Gr@not@? How does it do the things that it does?" in which the financial situation is explained. To recap very shortly:

1) The author / illustrator retain(s) ALL rights and can sign with another publisher at ANY time.

2) The creators (author / illustrator / translator) share 50% of profits. Another 25% goes to worthy causes, which the creators may nominate. 25% of profits go to La Gr@not@.

3) However, we call ourselves a publishing hut (not house) precisely because we're so small. Unlike "vanity publishers", we don't require the creators to pay to have their book published by us, BUT we can only afford to bring out small quantities of a book at a time. If they sell, we bring out a new batch. If they don't sell, there are NO profits for anybody. The more the creators do to publicise their book, the more we're likely to sell it, and the more profits to share out. (This does NOT mean that we make no effort to "push" the book, it just means that the more people doing so, the better. BTW, many vanity publishers - with your money in their bank accounts and therefore the printing costs paid for - DON'T make any effort to sell your book, because they've already made a profit.)

More details on our site.
 
Apparently, I haven't yet explained the name of our company.

La Gr@not@ is a wonky way of writing La Granota, which - in turn - is Catalan for "The Frog".

Frogs are among the animals which MOST change as they grow. They learn to adapt, to live in a completely different medium as they develop. (We didn't want to call ourselves "The Butterfly" or "The Acorn": they've been done so often.)

However - and this is a plus - unlike butterflies, frogs maintain an ability to re-enter the world of their youth and innocence. Water to air to occasionally re-visiting the water.

AND they eat slugs! Yum YUM!!!
 
Does this opportunity pay MrFarFromRight? I could not tell from the linked information. If it does, I suggest checking out the artist who does Kimchi Cuddles (kimchcuddles.com). She might be interested.
And WE are interested! Many thanks for the tip!

Mind you, you got the URL slightly wrong, so here it is corrected for other polys to check out. Really worth it! http://kimchicuddles.com
 
Unless you are in need of an editor (free) I can only support you in spirit (unless you need money - in which case I suggest you put a PayPal donation link on your web page).

One thought though - if you are not familiar with the site "LibraryThing" I suggest you check it out (or have your authors check it out), it does have several tools that can help new authors promote their books and generate reviews (if they are respectful and NOT profit-oriented) - and I have the feeling that this is just the type of project that Tim Spalding (the founder/owner) could get behind.
 
Unless you are in need of an editor (free) I can only support you in spirit (unless you need money - in which case I suggest you put a PayPal donation link on your web page).

One thought though - if you are not familiar with the site "LibraryThing" I suggest you check it out (or have your authors check it out), it does have several tools that can help new authors promote their books and generate reviews (if they are respectful and NOT profit-oriented) - and I have the feeling that this is just the type of project that Tim Spalding (the founder/owner) could get behind.
a) We created an GoFundMe page and raised 100€ with that. I believe that 5% went to the GoFundMe web-site. Since MOST of the spenders were friends, we might have got the money (ALL of it) by asking them directly.

a2) Nobody's going to donate to the project via a "PayPal donation link on [the] web page" if they don't know that the page exists. THAT's our big problem now: Until you've got "your foot in the door", nobody's aware that you're there.

b) Have you experience as an editor? Are you interested? Contact us via the web-site.

c) MUCH thanks for the LibraryThing tip!!! We'll check that out.
 
Unless you are in need of an editor (free) I can only support you in spirit (unless you need money - in which case I suggest you put a PayPal donation link on your web page).
Are you any good at web-site design? One or 2 of us have got some skills, but our energy is being taken up with producing attractive books rather than producing an attractive web-site... and we can't afford to pay professionals.
 
b) Have you experience as an editor? Are you interested? Contact us via the web-site.

c) MUCH thanks for the LibraryThing tip!!! We'll check that out.


b.) I have zero experience as an editor. I have a LOT of experience as a reader, and I ALWAYS notice when an editor has not done their job.

c.) Do check it out - it is a site for readers and collectors of literature. If, for some reason (like you want to peruse the 3000+ books I own), you want to check out my Library there I can PM you my ID (different than for this site).

Are you any good at web-site design?

Nope. My skills are 15+ years old and amateur at best. But I know what I like!

My suggestions at this point - links to your books and your author's websites. (i.e. Links to your books on Amazon, LibraryThing, BookMooch, reviews, interviews.) A showcase of what you are working on. A PayPal link for donations (if you need/want them); A link to your "GoFundMe" page (if it is available after the funding is complete.) As much as I hate to suggest it (because they are LT competitors) - links to other "reader intensive" sites that your books may be found on (i.e. GoodReads and Shelfari). Links to organizations that support your work or that you support - LGBT concerns, poly boards, ADHD or autism forums, etc. If your people are posting about your/their work - then links to those conversations too - people want to join your conversation! (Note: if you are going to do this then don't be an asshat...don't assume the everyone agrees, they don't!)

PS. Do NOT, please, ever populate your site with random, unrelated, ads that flash and take time to load - the 6 cents that you will make off them are NOT WORTH IT!

PPS. Have you contacted any local (to you or your authors) newspapers about your endeavors? People who appreciate "dead-tree" books may also enjoy other "dead-tree" media - If you have about books about poly or LGBT issues it only makes sense to offer a "free" interview to groups with an affiliation that you appreciate!
 
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Books are a tough sell all around these days. You know who is really gonna rake it in? The people who create a poly MMORPG!
 
Books are a tough sell all around these days. You know who is really gonna rake it in? The people who create a poly MMORPG!

"You roll a 1. Your Google Calendar disappears."
:eek:
 
NOOOOOOO, not my Google Calendar!
 
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