About Me & My Passion Project:

Hi! My name is Danika, and I am currently working on what will become my first-ever published book. I have been writing fiction for as long as I could hold a pen, and I've even advanced in more than a dozen well-established writing contests, making it to the final round several times!

I am incredibly imaginative and deeply passionate about happiness and self-realization, and these elements are exactly why writing fiction is my biggest passion. 

My novella is the first in what will become a trilogy, and the first story follows a sixteen-year-old vampire who wants nothing more but to be human. When she befriends a sixteen-year-old human who discovers her secret, her friend decides she wants nothing more than to become a vampire. The story explores their internal journeys and the conflicts that arise between their individual desires. It explores what humanity means, and challenges the readers to confront the darker nuances of life, and determine what is right and just when life's curveballs aren't so black and white.

I completed my first draft at the end of November, and I am currently in the self-editing process. Once my book is in good shape, I will begin looking for professional editors to make my book the best it can possibly be. I am aiming to publish my book in late 2025 or early 2026 and will keep backers regularly updated when I have more information on my publication date! In addition, you can expect my release of the book's title very soon!

Acknowledgements

A big, special thank you to those who have contributed to making my dream a reality, including:

    Chuck M.      Davon       Tristan Demetrius Smith

And every backer who wishes to remain anonymous. You're making this possible, and my gratitude is immeasurable.

Next Steps & What You Get

I need help funding the next few milestones of my journey, including professional editing, book cover design, and marketing.

• There are several different levels of editing required to create the best product, most importantly including Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copy Editing, and Proofreading. The average cost of each ranges, with Developmental costing on average between $500 and $2000, and Proofreading costing on average between $200 and $600. Or - the average cost per word (for each level of editing) ranging between $0.01 and $0.10. (My book will be around 40 000 words total.)
• The average cost of a professionally designed book cover is between $600 and $900.
• Marketing costs range dramatically, I am aiming for a minimum of $2000 for marketing campaign costs to ensure I give my book the best chance at finding its target audience.
• I'm still learning, and there are other costs that can be/are associated with publishing a book, such as paying the company distributing physical or ebook copies, formatting, percentage taken by Indiegogo, and beta reading. For any costs I don't yet foresee, I would like to aim for a $750 "just in case" buffer.
• Altogether, I am aiming for a total goal of $7000
• I may withdraw partial funds from the campaign as needed - for example, when I begin the professional editing phase, and I will be transparent with regular updates about how much I've taken out and what it has been used for as my process develops.

Every cent made from this campaign will go towards my book. Under the circumstance I exceed my goal, I will distribute the money across all costs to create a better final product, whether that be hiring more well-established editors, cover designers, or putting more into marketing the final product. Every dollar contributed helps to determine how close-to-perfect my baby will be!

My campaign goal of $7000 is at the lower end of expected total costs, but is set at a number that should still provide the essential support for me to bring my dream to life! 

I will be transparent with regular updates about where the funding has gone, especially under the circumstance that my goal is exceeded. 

In return for your contributions, I have a number of perks you can receive! Including:

• Digital Thank-You cards
• Early access to your own copy, or to the first few chapters
• Signed copies
• Personalized short stories
• And more!

If you have chosen a tier that promises early release, precise information regarding the early release will be disclosed once I've determined my official publication date. Regular updates with any new information will be provided here!

The Impact

You can help me achieve my dream! The day I can hold a physical copy of a book that I have written will be the single greatest day of my life, and you can contribute to making that moment happen. You will be helping me not only complete this book, but kickstart my author career as a whole. 

Risks & Challenges

There are two main choices in paths you can take in publishing a novel or novella; traditional publishing and self-publishing. I decided to choose self-publishing, as I believe it best suits the novella I am writing and my lifestyle.

However, self-publishing comes with a number of uphill battles. It is known to have a poor reputation, as "anyone can self-publish," so-to-speak, so there is hesitation among readers to engage with self-published books as oftentimes, it is a signal of a poor quality product. A big reason for this funding is because I want to combat this stigma with my own work and ensure I release a book with the quality level expected of traditional publishing, instead.

In addition, with self-publishing, I am responsible for all upfront costs, whereas with traditional publishing, the publishing company will take care of those responsibilities, even oftentimes providing an advance for your book before its release. Choosing self-publishing means I have no guaranteed help and I am expected to figure it all out on my own.

I embrace these challenges and I hope to come out victorious in the end with a complete novella I can be proud of, and you can be proud to read. You can help me with the challenges I face by any way that you support me. Every bit of support you can provide me with will mean more than I could ever possibly describe to you - and describing things is sort of my thing.

Campaign Length Info

After creating the video for this campaign, I learned that I can only set my campaign for a 60-day maximum. As required, I will create new campaigns to bridge the gap of time.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you're unable to contribute to the campaign, that is okay! Believe me, I understand the value of a dollar. There are other ways you can help me make my dreams come true!

• Tell your friends about the campaign! Whether by word of mouth or use of social media - the choice is yours.
• Indiegogo has sharing tools for your convenience, it's as simple as a click of a button to help me get the word out there!
• Follow along on my journey! I challenge you to get as excited about my book as I am.
• If you see posts I've made or others have made about this campaign on social media, engage with them! Comments or likes can increase their reach
• Tag people in posts about my campaign who you think might be interested in supporting my big dream!
• Talk about my campaign in your social media stories. This one, you can do as often as you'd like to help me increase the hype about completing this goal without having to worry too much about annoying your friends! (We can make it fun!)
• Check out the Updates section for a photo you can use to share your support of my campaign (whether you contributed or helped me get the word out!)
• Personally message friends or family members who you believe will enjoy the novella I'm created. Direct messages are often more trusted than shared posts and consideration to engage is taken more seriously.
• Tell literally every single person you know about my book once it is published :)

Bonus Info:

On Buy Me A Coffee, you can choose to either give me a one-time tip donation with the value amount of your choosing, or you can become a member for only $5 a month. Members get behind the scenes info about my book (that differs from the PDF perk) as I think of it in real time! The posts there can be sparse, but they are authentic and raw - and only available for a select few. This is an alternative way you can decide to support me!