Help Publish the Spineless Porcupine

UPDATE:

Thank you for helping me to publish my book! Here's the link to get your copy of The Spineless Porcupine: https://www.sayyang.com/

If you made a donation of $30 or more and you shared your address with me, I will be shipping a paperback copy to you directly. Please share with your networks and use #spinelessporcupine w/ posts, suggest it as a #christmas gift, and write a review on Amazon. If you know of any podcasts, conferences, bookstores, schools, libraries, or events where I can promote the book, DM me.

Happy reading and see you in the wilderness!
_______

In this time of uncertainty and difficulty, I’ve put pen to paper and finished writing a book that I started seven years ago. It contains my deepest thoughts on love and belonging, a critical topic in our divisive times. The writing is just the beginning–now I need your help to publish it! 

The Spineless Porcupine is an allegory of my life that I believe many can relate with, especially with our current state of many feeling isolated, scared, and abandoned. From growing up rejected and ostracized for being the only “one of my kind,” to then going into the performative “circus” of being a commodity, to now living in the wilderness befriending communities that I once thought were my enemies–it’s a book that teaches us to see the good in people that we have been prejudiced against. For more on my story, check out this seven minute video about my life.

The lessons that I’ve learned through my incredible journey is that:

1) We aren’t made for the circus. 
2) We aren’t built for efficiency, productivity, and control.
3) We are built for love and belonging–love isn’t efficient, predictable and something we can control. 

Love and belonging are wild and untamed like who we were originally created to be.

I believe this message is especially relevant and poignant now in the discouraging times we’re living in. Fear is a terrible motivator and this Narnia-like fable takes us on a fantastical journey on how we can move from fear of rejection and not feeling good enough into unconditional love and acceptance. Another key lesson is around why it’s vital that we respect our “enemies” instead of fearing and attacking them.

But right now, I don’t have a steady stream of income and if we don’t raise $9,950 by November 20th, I won’t be able to publish a high-quality product in time for the Christmas season. I’d like to invite you to partner in helping me publish it. 

Many of you know parts of my journey, and I've often been encouraged to write a book to share the awful lows and majestic highs of my experiences. There's nothing I want more than to encourage others and share the hard-earned lessons and wisdom I’ve gained along the way. I know we've got a big goal of fundraising ahead of us and I want to emphasize that no amount is too little. If you've been contemplating what to get as my birthday gift this year, this would be the one wish I would make.

Here’s the budget breakdown:

$5000 - hybrid publishing and promotion (book cover design, typesetting, ISBN, IngramSpark and Amazon distribution, Amazon’s KDP Direct free giveaway eBook promotion to 1 million readers w/ up to 5,000 eBook downloads, book trailer for YouTube, website, and Amazon author page).
$2500 - printing costs for 1st batch of 750 books
$1000 - UX designer and monthly fee for author website
$750 - copy editor and sensitivity reader
$500 - publicist
$200 - book cover illustrator

Here are special gifts for certain levels of giving: 

1) $30 - first run copy of Spineless Porcupine
2) $75 or more - an exclusive invitation to my virtual book launch party
3) $150 or more - an exclusive invitation to an hour virtual Q&A session where I share more about the inspiration behind the book and answer your questions
4) $250 or more by October 1st, 2020 - your name will be in the acknowledgements
5) $1000 or more - 20 paperback copies plus me speaking at your company or event

To receive the gifts, please message me your name, mailing address, and donation amount or send an email to [email redacted] dot com.

If you can’t invest financially but have other resources to offer such as connecting me with a pro-bono professional publisher, copy editor, publicist, crowdfunding campaign manager, UX designer with Wix or Square space experience or podcasts/platforms/events to promote the book, that would also help lower costs.

If you can’t do either, no problem! I understand money is tight. I'd like to ask for your prayers that the costs, fundraising, and other logistics fall into place so that I can publish this long-awaited book. If you're active on social media, perhaps even share this on your networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Nextdoor, etc.) Here’s a link to 3 sample posts you could share along with the crowdfunding campaign.

I’ll share periodic updates on the book’s process and read brief sections of the story so check this page often. Thank you so much in advance and please join our Porcupette team!

With much appreciation,

SAY and the Porcupettes

The Spineless Porcupine Book Cover Description:

“This whimsical allegory about diversity and inclusion is emotionally honest in a way that sticks with you.” - Carin Taylor, Chief Diversity Officer at Workday

“If you could only choose one kind of life, what would you choose?” Pearson asked. “One with quills living like every other porcupine or one that’s trailblazing a new path in the vast wilderness? You change the world simply by existing, Mattie.”

“I’ve gone through so much heartache being who I am,” Mattie snapped back. “When will the loss finally end? When will the upswing begin?”


Mattie, the first porcupine born without any spines, is banished from her clan for being different. She’s quickly picked up by the circus due to her commercial potential. At first, she loves the attention but soon an emptiness grows deep within. That’s when Pearson convinces her they belong in the wilderness instead of being enslaved under a ringmaster's control. After all, love is not efficient, predictable, or domesticated.

Will her heartache finally end by escaping from the golden prison of performing, producing, and perfecting? Will she discover that love and belonging are wild and untamed like who she was originally created to be?

Follow Mattie and Pearson’s fantastical journey as they face their painful pasts only to discover their differences are their superpowers. It’s an unforgettably rare story that speaks to every age because it's about what we all desire: to feel comfortable in our own skin.