What’s so great about this crowdfunding model is that titles that might not appeal to a mainline publisher are eminently suitable. And in the end, you’re delivering directly into the hands of the reader a publication whose every quality you can control.
Interview with Bruce Kennett
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What if your book concerns the absorbing life story and voluminous work of a seminal figure in graphic design and bookmaking? The printed object must seek to match its subject matter in presentation and production. How to pay for such a treasure, and where to find the audience? Well, now there’s Kickstarter for that.
Bruce Kennett, graphic designer, photographer, and teacher, has lectured and written for much of his professional life about William Addison Dwiggins, an American type designer, calligrapher, and book designer who is credited with coining the term graphic designer. After a Kickstarter campaign that raised $200,000, Kennett wrote and designed W. A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design. His new role as publisher proved a rewarding one – even if it added to his workload.
“What’s so great about this crowdfunding model is that titles that might not appeal to a mainline publisher are eminently suitable for this,” Kennett tells CCC’s Chris Kenneallyfrom his New Hampshire studio. “You do have to gather together the people who want to read the book. But in the end, you’re delivering directly into the hands of the reader a publication whose every quality you can control. And that was what was so great for me – being able to supervise the printing, use really high-quality paper, and produce most of the book right here in New England.”
