In the beginning, there was nothing...
The publishing industry was ruled by a few select houses with an equal share of power and prestige. But access to these houses was extremely limited. Every year, thousands of eager creatives sought entry and were ceremoniously denied, and those who were granted entry were contracted into an abusive system that paid them less than what they were worth. That is, unless they conformed to certain mainstream (read: white, male, and heterosexual)...or their name was James Patterson. What resulted was a solipsistic machine. A great beast perpetually eating its own tale, churning out the same tired stories in the same tired genres. In this world, everyone lost. Readers were bored and alienated by the literary community. Successful creatives were spoiled, fat, and lazy. Independent creators struggled to get by, taking crappy copywriting gigs and signing up to drive for food delivery services just to make ends meet. The industry began to die.
Then, the sky cracked open...
And out popped Crass Market Media, a small-press publishing company devoted to producing creative content for the people, by the people. Our flagship enterprise, This Zine Won't Fly: Some Bird Shit, rocked the local arts scene and began a conversation about what stories are worth telling and why. The zine grew into art prints and stickers and more short fiction zines that sell across the country.
But all was not rosy in the realm and the media business began to falter. It cried out for support...a hero...a chorus of champions that could bolster the company with enough financial support that it might soon establish the company as "one of the best" media companies in the local Los Angeles area and maybe even the whole world.
Are you the hero we've been looking for?
Your contribution can support independent publishing by...
- Funding the Crass Market Media website and e-commerce platforms so that the business can thrive in the modern arts and media landscape;
- Contributing to the publication and production of quality storytelling and art items;
- Funding booth fees for local and regional art events;
- Sustaining the livelihood of the business's sole employee: Kristen (who is a burnt-out, struggling millennial).
We didn't say it would be easy...
Times are tough for small businesses. As the economy continues to open and business trucks along, more people are opting for bigger names and more secure retail outlets. Plus, everyone prefers to make their own art themselves...
BUT!
- Crass Market Media is the proverbial "Little Engine that Could!" With the proper funding, we will take our burgeoning business to the next step by engaging in established publishing practices and taking advantage of opportunities for marketing, production, and distribution that are only available to bigger companies.
- Not only are we passionate about creating a media landscape that favors independent creators, but we are also deeply knowledgeable about the industry. Our one employee, Kristen? Yeah, she's been working as a librarian for nearly ten years, and she's been a reader for over three times that. Not only is she keenly aware of the bullshit publishers pull to make a quick buck off the backs of their authors, but she's also had backdoor access to the platforms used and abused by the industry.
Low on funds yourself?
Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:
- Share this campaign with everyone you know on social media;
- Use the hashtag, #blissfullycrass to show just how fed-up you are with contemporary media;
- Use the Indiegogo "Share Tools" to get the word out to your community.
And that's all there is to it.