What the hell are we doing?
We’re both now firmly in our fifties. We moan about menopause. Get sweaty and then freeze. Have the same amount of patience as a gorilla being pestered by a coyote.
But here we are. Creating something enormous, ambitious, and ultimately, good for people in the years to come.
Hopefully.
We’ve officially launched the Kickstarter for Queer the Shelves Infinite. It’s a reading app–think Netflix but for books. A monthly subscription means you get to read all the books online that your happy little book dragon heart desires. And they’re all LGBTQ+. No AI slop masquerading as the real thing. Real books, by real people, on a platform led by real people who give a damn.
Is it a risk? Of course it is. Are we losing sleep? Obviously. Is it going to be worth it?
Yes. It is. We know it is. Because it’s not just about the platform. It’s also about community. Sixty-five percent of our profits will go back into LGBTQ+ organizations. That means we get to make the world beyond our own little orbit better in the long run, and that’s a hell of a thing. Plus, authors get better rates than they do on the current behemoth platform. And there’s no exclusivity expectation, so they retain the kind of control we think authors deserve.
Authors have lost income. Books are being banned. Readers are spending less because they can’t trust that what they’re buying is what they want. And this is something we can do something about. So we are.
Will you help?
Our Kickstarter is live, and every little bit moves us toward our goal. And you get something for your support, too. A book dragon to keep you company? Your name in a book someone is writing? How about one-to-one publishing help with yours truly?
Let’s do this. I know we can, if we pull together. Let’s change things up.
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