Creativity and traveling combined are highly explosive. On a cloudy day in November 2011 the mixing ratio was about right. 10 kilometers high above the treetops of Canada, Linnie von Sky suddenly had a plot in mind, but neither typing nor touch device at hand. So she wrote her first children’s story on the three sick bags of her seat row on the airplane.

On the ground again and in the following months, Linnie read her story to her friends and family: two rabbits, he’s Mexican, she’s French, move to Canada and feel what it means to be an immigrant. Linnie herself left Germany aged 20 and immigrated to Canada with her parents. Her fiancé and now husband Nico followed her from Berlin to Vancouver. At social gatherings, the story became a winner. Nico would ask Linnie: "Honey, please get your sick bags, eh?"

Becoming a book entrepreneur

Linnie has studied extensively and holds degrees in communications, marketing and design. But the idea of employee life didn’t yield any fruit. She decided to go ahead with storytelling, printing books and distributing on her own. At the time, her husband was still waiting for his Canadian work permit to arrive and had plenty of time for spreadsheets – while Linnie still had her head up in the clouds.

The handwritten words were quickly typed, but the visual side was missing. By chance, Linnie met Rebecca Wright, a then 19-year-old illustrator. Rebecca needed tuition for art school, which made Linnie come up with a plan: Rebecca illustrated her book, and in return Linnie paid for Rebecca’s first year of study. The enterprising author has, as she says, no problem with employing people who support her vision.

"In the beginning, you pay everyone except yourself. At least the learning effect remains." But there’s more to remain: economically speaking, it’s the investment in a scalable product. And from an artistic point of view, it’s the finished work itself. Both are just for those who incur the initial pains of creating something new out of nothingness and "keep at it day after day."

Crowdfunding for still unknown projects is like begging 2.0

A children’s book needs more than manuscript and illustrations: post-production, book design and printing all cost money and the latter was gone after the illustrator was paid. A friend told Linnie about the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Quickly, the author and publisher found herself working as a full-time fundraiser.

Handshaking, distributing postcards, writing e-mails to all friends, acquaintances and friends of friends, posting frequently on social networks, writing to journalists, always smiling and deeply convinced of her own project. Occasionally putting away rejection. All this is what crowdfunding for still unknown projects means on a daily basis. Platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo only offer the technical infrastructure, plus some regulars. But also regulars need to be convinced before they give any money. Linnie von Sky says: "It’s an official kind of begging."

Quality pays off rather in the long term

The goal of 10,000 Canadian dollars was reached within the targeted month. But this did not cover the cost of production. Linnie knew that the first 2000-piece edition of her first book would not be profitable. Yet she also saw the potential of her independent publishing activities: by making quality products (with valuable content, hardcover and extra thick paper – a lovingly designed literary and haptic reading experience printed in Canada), by risking no debt and by reinvesting all revenue from sales and crowdfunding into her own brand "Linnie Sky".

And by staying focussed: thinking only of important content and business decisions, no agonizing. Eventually, her books will reach a wider audience, Linnie is convinced. And with larger quantities, the margin of quality products is even higher than with price-sensitive mediocrity.

Springboard into deep topics

After her immigration tale "Our Canadian Love Story," Linnie’s second book "Pom Pom – a Flightless Bully Tale" broaches the issue of bullying among children, with obesity serving as an example. It will hit selected bookstores one of these days. Linnie’s third book "Sadly the Owl" is already written. It picks depression out as a central theme, because the author wants to help getting rid of the social taboo that embraces the disease. And this cannot start early enough.

Linnie and her readers find that children can easily relate to issues such as sadness or the relationship with mom and dad. The author thinks of her works not just as word and image entertainment for the little ones (age 3 and up), but also as an icebreaker and introduction to difficult issues for the elder ones.

Do it yourself again

For her third book project (click here for the crowdfunding) Linnie holds all threads in her hands again. Her team is tested, and if someone jumps off, she does it on her own: making pitch videos or building her new website. Fortunately, she has learned all this in her various courses of study. What initially seemed like academic patchwork (communication, design, marketing) now adds up to a corporate whole.

Slowly even Linnie’s German peers understand that artistic entrepreneurship is so much more than only dreaming: it’s a solid entrepreneurial craftsmanship – and hard work day after day. Writing the stories is quickly done. Turning them into books and selling them takes time. Initially, the author’s German relatives "we all rational and only saw the few possible benefits, but above all the vast amount of disadvantages that might ensue." Canadian culture is much closer to its southern US neighbor than to Europe. Linnie’s Canadian friends are all optimistic and supportive.

Linnie will issue the print order herself again for her third book, the delivery truck will pull up for the third time and unload pallets of freshly printed books at the von Sky home, once more Linnie will bring the books in person to the bookstores in her distribution network. And again she is trying to attract new outlets.

Linnie feels like a literary vacuum cleaner saleswoman when she asks bookstores if they’d like to sell her books. She has started at the bottom and has worked her way through every step of the production and distribution chain. Knowing each step in detail gives her more sovereignty. This could be helpful at a later stage in retaining control over her products once they start scaling.

Beyond Vancouver

Linnies books are currently available in English only and in these local bookstores. New stores will follow in British Columbia. In 2015, as in the previous year, there will be a separate hall for independent publishers at the book fair in New York. This time Linnie will showcast her three books. At such fairs, for instance, translation rights are sold. What began as a "happy little project" could become a happy big project. Linnie’s big enjoyment already now is the "beautiful feeling to give something that parents can share with their children."

[December 2014, photo credits © Linnie von Sky]