WE DID IT—100% FUNDED!
My friends, family, fans, and allies: YOU ARE AWESOME! We did it! The Astronaut Instruction Manual is 100% funded!
Speaking of allies, special commendation goes to Bert Carson, the father of 13-year old future Mars walker Alyssa Carson. Bert watched the campaign like a hawk—then came in with the final $500 to push the crowdfunding up-and-over the top! When the email popped up with Bert's name on it, my very first thought was, “That guy! That guy, indeed. Great dad, great believer, great ally.
There are so many people to say thank you to (hello my wife Leonie) but first and foremost ALL OF YOU. What a great team we all are, old friends and new!
Do you realize what we accomplished together? Inkshares, you and I have funded the publishing a book that:
- is scientifically credible, intelligent, and fun to read;
- will reach the hands of young students who dream of pursuing space and only seek some validation of their dream in order to believe it worth pursuing;
- and that in fact gives kids permission to go after live, work, and play in space!
In other words, WE ARE AWESOME.
Keep up the good work, if you were all here I'd hug us all!
Mike
Thanks. Giving.
It's a holiday weekend so I figured now is the best opportunity to deliver an update (after all, plenty of time on our hands).
pictured: Thanksgiving sunset 2014 by Astronaut Terry Virts
First, thanks everyone for giving. Your backing means that this book—The Astronaut Instruction Manual for Pre-Teens—has been green-lighted and we are readying now for publishing.
This past week, Thad Woodman and I conferenced briefly for the first time since the success of The Astronaut Instruction Manual for Pre-Teens ("The AIM") crowdfunding campaign. We even figured out a tentative publishing schedule.
One of the things I have learned is that publishing schedules pretty much circle around two sale dates, roughly March and October. Each of those dates has a 6-month lead time, allowing for pre-sales, publicity, advance reviews, etc.
What this means for The AIM is that our general public release date is going to be October 2015. Which is 10 months from now.
However, for backers, we will be producing a special edition. This is a special edition used specifically for advance reading copies. It is the finished book but otherwise not for sale. Thad and I are discussing when this edition is to be created, released, and put into our backers' hands.
In the meantime, some of you may have anticipated a copy sooner than that. Towards that end, I would like to make an offer.
If there is anyone who would like a copy of The AIM sooner than next year—say, before Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Chanukah—let me know. I will personally produce a hand-signed, custom-bound copy (or 3 copies for our Shareholder backers) so that you may have a working Astronaut Instruction Manual for Pre-Teens in time for the holidays.
Otherwise, we will produce and distribute the special editions of The Astronaut Instruction Manual for Pre-Teens to you our backers late-Winter 2015 to begin readying for an October 2015 launch date of The AIM.
Again, thanks for your backing. We are readying for a launch that will put The AIM in as many young students hands as possible. We would not be here without you.
Let me know and keep up the good work.
Mike Mongo
PS ...oh yes! If you or someone you know would like having an Astronaut Teacher address your school or students, just let me know. I am constantly traveling and if possible I will be happy to include your classroom or school in my itinerary, or else build a trip around visiting your location.