PROGRESS - E-book Emailed Out, Books Delivered, Audiobook Recorded And Audio commentary Emailed Out... Campaign Is Officially Closed! Thank you so much for your support. Stay tuned for the next book release :) 

Special Creative Edition For Indiegogo

Your books are a special edition for my Indiegogo supporters, so there will be a little extra in your books from Klee and me that the general public will not be privy to when the book is officially launched next year (such as an artist trading card, posters, and anything else we think is fun). These books will also be labeled as Special Creatives Edition. The hardcover books are a limited special edition. When the books officially launch next year they will only be in black and white, so anyone with a color copy can show off how awesome their color copy is.

Story of My Book

The Rogue Artist's: Survival Guide is meant to challenge the perspective and story of the starving artist, build confidence in your ability to promote yourself and your art, and to build trust in your own unique way of approaching your career as an artist... and human. I intertwined my amusing art career journey with the stories of other creative mavericks who inspired me to pave my own way. I talk about all the harebrained ideas that worked despite the naysayers. I share with you real stories of failure, mistakes, wins, successes, and all the things that lead us from having nothing to being able to hang out in a studio in our pajamas all day. I’ll talk about all the rules in the art world and how I broke them in order to succeed. I offer down to earth, authentic, fun and simple advice, which can sometimes be a little hard to hear but may fire you up.

This is the first book in a series of books on how to live life as a successful rogue in the art world. 

Who Am I?

My name is Rafi Perez and I am the author of The Rogue Artist's: Survival Guide. I wrote this book because I had always been obsessed with living as a creative, but spent the majority of my life avoiding it because I was too afraid to fail at something I loved. After having spent 12 years in the "comfort" of the corporate world, I left and ventured on a creative journey that pushed me beyond what I thought was possible. I started with absolutely nothing to my name, and over the course of a decade, I have built an amazing life as a full-time creative. 

I have spent the last ten years collecting notes, documenting the process, testing out different theories, challenging the status quo, learning rules and breaking them in order to create myself as a full-time artist who runs his own studio and lives life by his own rules. These books are a collection of that experience thus far. Starting with the Survival Guide, this book has a little bit of everything from my journey into creativity. 

My hope is that, in reading this book, you will understand how to grow your personal creative brand as an artist while still having fun. I hope to instill the same passion and excitement that I have for life and being a creative human in this modern world full of opportunities. Ultimately I want you to see this book as a tool or guide to help you understand how to grab the machete and cut your own trail through the dense forest that is the artist's life. I also want to secretly inspire you to blaze your own trail as brightly as any awesome human can... and if you’re not into that, I want you to enjoy the fun stories, cliff hangers, ridiculous situations, and all-out creative conundrums that fill the pages of this book.

In this book, you’ll learn that the advice of most “experts” in the art world is crap and outdated… Luckily I’m not an expert, so who knows what kind of crazy shit is going to come out of my mouth. I will, however, point out several rules from people in the art world and layout the flaws in their thinking and philosophy. The other thing I will touch on throughout this book is the power of having the right mindset in approaching potentially disastrous situations or circumstances as you traverse your creative journey into the unknown. I will also talk about dealing with the naysayers who lurk in dark corners… or your house. 

You will love this book if you are a casual hobbyist, a fine artist, a musician, a creative, an artist looking to up their game, or you are simply a human who breathes air. Especially if you are curious about ways to venture out and do your own thing in life. The Rogue Artist: Survival Guide is a non-fiction book that speaks to rebels, non-conformists, artists, creative humans, and content creators who are looking at growing their ability to pursue their dreams and make them a reality... their own way. 

The Book - The Rogue Artist's: Survival Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS-

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK ……………………… 7

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT THIS BOOK ……….. 10

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GO ROGUE? ………. 13

THE CREATIVE CALL OF THE WILD …………… 15

THERE IS NO ROADMAP…………………………. 21

WHERE DO I EVEN START?................................ 29

SAY YES UNTIL YOU CAN SAY NO……………... 41

5 THINGS TO REMEMBER AS A CREATIVE…… 43

YOU WERE BORN A CREATIVE GENIUS……… 47

WE ARE CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE…………… 52

Dumb Labels For Artists………………………….... 57

NEAT LITTLE BOXES AND MYTHS…………….. 63

EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES………………. 69

EMBRACE YOUR INNER WEIRD CREATIVE…. 75

IMAGINATION IS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB… 79

THE CREATIVE JOURNEY AND LUCK…………. 89

LEVELING UP………………………………………. 94

REDESIGN YOUR AVATAR………………………. 101

FACING YOUR CREATIVE FEARS……………… 105

FAILURE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS………….. 106

MAKE ALL THE MISTAKES ……………………… 111

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS………………. 115

Worrying Makes You Dumb……………………….. 121

HOW TO FACE UNCERTAINTY HEAD ON…….. 125

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED INSIDE .. 129

CAPTAIN COMPARISON…………………………. 133

WRITE YOUR OWN SCRIPT ………………….... 135

The Stickman………………………………………. 139

LET THE CRITICS BE CRITICS ………………… 145

PROBLEM-SOLVING VS FINGER POINTING … 157

NOT SO GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY… 159

How To Deal With Conflicts……………………… 163

GETTING REJECTED…………………………… 167

MAKE A PERFECT MESS……………………… 170

Setting Up Your Art Studio………………………. 172

DAILY HABITS OF A MADMAN ……………….. 179

SOCIAL MEDIA………………………………….. 203

BE A UNICORN ………………………………..... 207

GET RID OF PESKY DISTRACTIONS ……….. 213

SELF SIGNIFICANCE AND SAYING NO …….. 216

BEING AUTHENTIC IS YOUR BAG ………….. 223

WHAT ARE YOU CHASING …………………… 233

THE GATEKEEPERS ………………………….. 239

THE ART STOCK MARKET …………………..241

LET’S TALK ABOUT MONEY………………… 249

X MARKS THE SPOT…………………………. 258

HOW TO GET NOTICED …………………….. 261

12 Steps To Being Awesome ………………… 267

My Next Book And Thank You……………….. 268

About Rafi Perez………………………………. 270

Why Crowdfunding? 

To be honest with you, I went back and forth with this decision for some time. This book isn't aimed at the mass market - it's aimed at a specific type of person: the kind of person that wants to be inspired to blaze their own trail and embrace their creative wild side.

We have a following on YouTube, our blog, and podcast, that listens to me ramble on about life and being a full-time creative, and this book is written with those rabble-rousers in mind. I think a traditional publishing house would be confused by the content which is not the traditional art career crap you find at the bookstore. 

I want to achieve my vision for the book with as much creative control over the final product as possible. This means that I need your help to make the physical product a reality. The project goal will cover the initial print run, and enable me to place a well-produced, exclusive crowd-funded edition of The Rogue Artist's: Survival Guide in your hands... you rabble-rouser you. 

Individual Items are:

Ebook Digital Download - A Digital Copy Of My Book.

Audiobook Mp3 Download  - A Digital Download Audio Copy Of My Book Read By The Author.

Audiobook & 6 Hrs Commentary - A Digital Download Audio Copy Of My Book Read By The Author, Including Six Hours Or So Of Additional Commentary By Klee And I.

B/W Paperback Book - Black and White Paperback (Softcover) Copy Of My Book. The cover will be in color, but the images inside will be greyscaled.

Color Paperback Book - Full-Color Paperback (Softcover) Copy Of My Book. All images in the book will be in color.

Limited Edition Hard Cover - Full-Color Hardcover Limited Edition Copy Of My Book. There will be a limited supply available.

Book Club Meeting - You will receive 12 signed Paperback full-color copies of my book (made out to the recipients of book club). Your Names will appear with Special Recognition in the book, along with the club name. Digital Mp3 downloads with 6 hrs extra commentary Audiobook gift cards. 12 Going Rogue T-Shirts Designed By Me. Klee and I will schedule a trip to visit your book club in 2020 and discuss the book and hang out with members in person. This is something I'm really excited about. RULES & LIMITATIONS FOR BOOK CLUB MEETING: Limit to one 6hr day, and only in the continental United States. If purchased in another country we will set up a meeting via facetime, google hangouts, or skype. Travel costs should be covered, but for certain locations, additional travel costs may be required. You can contact us before purchase to see if your location requires additional costs.) Books will be sent out with Pre-Order release date (December 2nd 2019). We will schedule our visit with you for 2020. 

What I Need & What You'll Get

This book will be published with Lulu Press. I set up the pre-order tiers to help cover the costs for publishing my book. Money raised will go towards the following:

• Publishing All Books - I have calculated the lowest possible price for advanced pre-order sales which need to be ordered in bulk. 
• An Editor - I will work with to revise and publish my manuscript for the draft book.  (Pre Order Release Date) December 2nd, 2019.
• The Cover Design Of My Book - I’ll be designing something based on the design in the mockup, and consulting with a professional book artist. Ultimately, I'll be designing this mostly myself, so the cost won't be great, but I need advice from a professional. 
• The Layout Design for the interior of my book (Physical Copy, Ebook Formats)
• Copyediting For My Book - to help polish the grammar (which I really need) and spelling prior to publication, and to help make the book more interesting. 
• Organizing And Structuring My Book - I'll need time to finish the final draft once changes are made and new sections are added. I will need the time, and additional finances will help me take a break from the studio and focus on the book and meet all my deadlines.
• Proofing - I'll be going back and forth with the publisher and ordering several proofs. 
• The Launch & Promotion Efforts For My Book - when I ultimately publish next winter.
• Designing And Ordering Insert Materials - For all the additional digital cards and fun materials that will be included with your book.
• Packaging Materials - In order to ship everything out in time, I'll have to preorder boxes and other packaging materials that can only be purchased in bulk.

I am also offering some exclusive rewards for people who pre-order my book via this campaign:

• You will receive a personally signed copy of my book when I publish an early release on December 2nd.
• You will receive the book before the official release date in February of 2020.
• A personal, handwritten thank you note for pre-ordering my book.
• Your Name will appear in a Special Acknowledgements section of my book (“with Special Thanks To”).
• Early access to the introduction of my book and my entire manuscript, with the opportunity to review it and give me early feedback, before the official release date in February.
• I will keep you up to date on the process at least once a week up until the early release of the book. I will stay in touch after the book release if you would like.
• The opportunity to help give me feedback and be involved in selecting my final cover design. 

Risks & Challenges

The biggest challenge with publishing a book is finding the time to organize, rewrite, and finish drafts.  It will be the back and forth between the publishers and myself that will take the most time, effort and money. I am hoping that we get enough pre-orders to give me the finances I need to be able to use that time and additional expense budget to work through any problems that may arise.

Mailing the books on time will also be paramount and brings with it all kinds of challenges. I have eliminated this risk by building into the campaign the packaging and shipping costs of your signed copies to you within each pre-order tier.

The risk of delivering the pre-sale copies of my book is contingent on the publisher we use. I will be working closely with Lulu Press to make sure we get the earliest possible ship date of the signed book copy to you. The plan is to have the books in my hands no later than November 30th, I will sign them and package myself and they should all ship out the following week.

I will keep you up-to-date as my book hits each key milestone and publishes. You will know when the copies of my book you pre-ordered are expected to ship ahead of time.

If I do not reach my goal, I will continue with the pre-release launch on December 2nd for the physical copy of the books, but the audiobook may be pushed back to the middle or end of December. 

Other Ways You Can Help

Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:

Please Share my Pre-sale Campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn with your friends, family, and network. Please use #therogueartist and tag me (@rafiwashere) 

You can easily share my Pre-Sale Campaign Page via Indiegogo at the top of the page.

Please share my book with 5 friends, family members, or co-workers who you think would enjoy it. Please do this as a text message or direct message on social media.

Thank you so much for all of your love and support!

You Are Amazing!!!

-Rafi

www.rafiandklee.com

www.therogueartist.com