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September Quirk Perk: The Kickstarter Handbook

The Kickstarter Handbook by Don Steinberg only $1.99

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So you want to produce a short film. Or design a new line of jewelry. Or manufacture a revolutionary solar-powered garden sprinkler.

There's just one catch: You need $100,000 to finance your dreams, and your checking account has barely enough to cover next month's rent.

Enter Kickstarter – a phenomenal "crowdfunding" website launched in 2009 that brings venture capital to the masses. On Kickstarter, it's not uncommon for folks to raise $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, or even (the all-time record to date) $942,578!

Want a piece of the action? In The Kickstarter Handbook, business writer Don Steinberg interviews dozens of people who have — no kidding — raised at least $100,000 on Kickstarter. You'll learn all the strategies of an effective Kickstarter campaign. You'll learn the perils and pitfalls that have dashed many a dream. And you'll learn what to do in the event of a best-case scenario – when your product goes viral and suddenly the cash starts flowing in. On Kickstarter, it happens to a few lucky visionaries every week. Here's how to be one of them.

Don Steinberg has written for New Yorker, GQ, Harper’s, the Wall Street Journal and a host of other national publications. He has also worked as senior editor for Inc. magazine and a staff writer for the business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He lives in the Philadelphia area.

Posted by Christina Schillaci

A Most Peculiar Loop Day: How to Celebrate September 3rd

Celebrate Loop Day with us! You can find exclusive posters and more at your participating local bookstore

Ed. Note: Greetings, Peculiars! In advance of Loop Day—September 3rd—we've asked one of the peculiar children to advise on best practices for celebrating and enjoying this most special day. 

Posted by Ransom Riggs

The Last Days of Summer

The end of summer is in sight and here at Quirk Books we’re in deep deep denial about it. To celebrate these last warm days, here are some of our favorite young adult books with summer in the title. So grab a beach towel and your favorite sunglasses because these books need to be soaked up in the sun.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

How-To Tuesday: Baked Chocolate Bananas

End the summer on a solid note with an alternative to regular ol' s'mores. Here's an excerpt from Campfire Cuisine by Robin Donovon!

Posted by Christina Schillaci

Quirk Look: How to Dress Like a Victorian

Happy birthday, Mary Shelley! In honor of the Queen of gothic literature, here are a few ways you can dress like your favorite Victorian. We hope you like tons of lace and the color black.

Posted by Sandra Woolf

Winnie the Pooh Pop Culture Mashups

A little under a century ago in a small suburb of London, a boy by the name of Christopher Robin was born. As a child he was gifted a stuffed teddy bear, and together the two were the inspiration for the beloved children’s books about Winnie-the -Pooh written by his father A.A. Milne.

Posted by Sarah Brown