aois21 to launch new Kickstarter campaign to support aois21 annual

Crowdfunding project to allay costs of editing, printing literary magazine

Mount Vernon, VA – aois21 publishing, LLC announces today the plans and schedule for its second Kickstarter campaign, which will fund the second edition of the aois21 annual. The campaign will kick off on Memorial Day and last until the opening of submissions on August 1st, with a goal of $1,200.

From February to May 2014, aois21 successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign raising over $2,500, surpassing the goal of $2,100 on the final day. That campaign was aimed specifically at the launch of the company, and those funds helped the company purchase ISBNs and USB flash drives and throw an official launch party on Memorial Day weekend at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. This year’s campaign will be narrower in focus, with more interesting rewards.

The new Kickstarter campaign will be to entirely cover the costs of the second aois21 annual. Last year, aois21 covered the cost of editing and production through sales and remaining funds from the initial Kickstarter campaign. This left a low amount per sale to be divided among the contributors. With the successful completion of this year’s campaign, the editing and printing will be completely covered, meaning that the contributors will divide up 100% of the sales, after distribution costs. Additionally, aois21 will continue to offer submissions for free rather than have the contributors pay an upfront fee to cover the editing.

In exchange for the support, aois21 will offer a range of rewards, including the chance to actually decide the final content of the annual. Those donating $100 or more will be invited to be part of the review board. They will be given advance review copies of submissions for specific sections and help the aois21 editorial staff and management team assemble another fantastic edition. Other rewards include advertising space in the annual and an invitation to a live reading and launch party in October at a site in the Greater DC area to be determined.

The foundation rewards will be an electronic copy of the annual for $5 and a print copy for $10. Those who received the reward for a five-year subscription in the 2014 campaign will have the option to receive a second copy or gift their additional copy to someone else.

"Everything about the aois21 annual is based on a community coming together,” said Keith F. Shovlin, aois21’s executive officer. "It was funded through crowdfunding. We used our personal networks and social network to find contributors. Once the issue came out, those contributors used their own personal connections to sell copies. By taking the editing and printing costs out of the calculation, we make sure that those contributors get properly compensated."