Short Summary
The Wild Was is a children's picture book from a future no one wants: a world in which the animals have gone extinct. Set in 2061, the book is a preview of what could happen if we allow current trends to continue and rob future generations of an essential part of being human.
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M.A. Daross, a Texas-based author, has teamed up with illustrator Elon Weiss, an artist residing in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to create this project. And we need your help to get it off the ground!
The project was born from the disconnect between the love parents have for their children, the love those children have for wild animals, and the baffling lack of urgency around protecting wild habitats. Our goal is to make the abstract concept of mass extinction feel concrete and visceral in order to inspire urgent action to protect wildlife habitats. This is a pro-bono project, and all proceeds will go toward wildlife conservation or back into the project itself.
What We Need & What You Get
We're raising funds to print a round of books to distribute to libraries and independent bookstores. The price of each book covers printing costs and shipping, with any profit being redirected back to the project itself (both for marketing and for printing more books to give away). The ultimate goal is to raise awareness and inspire action to protect wildlife habitats around the world. If the project really takes off, any profits generated will be donated directly to organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund.
We would love for you to distribute the books yourself! If you're interested in buying in bulk (20 copies or more) and distributing to local educational institutions, contact us and we'll sell them to you at a steep discount.
Please note that, due to printing costs, the initial run of books will be high-quality laminated softcover paperback rather than hardcover.
Cutting down trees to save habitats?
We don't love the idea of printing paper books in order to promote habitat preservation. While we've done our best to find a green printing option, the truth is that the printing industry doesn't have a great solution for conservation. For that reason, we're also offering a digital download of the book as a high-resolution PDF.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you'd rather not buy a book, we could still use your help to spread the word on social media, via email, or via word-of-mouth. Or you can donate to the project directly.
