The Odd Dog celebrates those quirky rescue dogs who capture your heart from the start. The Odd Dog is a 32-page children's books about a dog who, after living in the wild, has to learn to live with a family for the first time.
An odd dog is that lovable, sweet, and somewhat strange looking dog who captures your heart at first glance. Everyone has met an "odd dog" in their lives, and maybe you have one lying upside down on your couch as I speak.
Our new book, The Odd Dog, is a 32-page, full color children's book written by me (Leia Barrett) and illustrated by Shannon McKeon. Illustrations will be in full color when completed, drawing on a palette with shades of yellow, green, black, and white. The book will be 10" x 10" with a low word count, allowing the illustrations to really carry the story and its humor.
In The Odd Dog, our furry friend finds herself living with a family for the first time after living in the wilds of her local park.Â
She learned a lot while living in nature, but struggles to belong in her new home.
Her sweet Odd Dog skills don't get quite the reaction she was hoping for and she has to figure out how to fit in.
Hi, I'm Leia Barrett, a children's book author and lover of quirky dogs. Case in point- my dog Layla, who inspired The Odd Dog.
The Original Odd Dog, Layla Barrett-West, pictured with my husband, Drew.
I wrote The Odd Dog because I'm inspired by rescue dogs. They often have unique personalities and quirks due to their unusual backgrounds or histories. Although this means they might take a while longer to settle into a new home, they are fiercely loyal and loving when given the chance to shine.
This story is about finding and celebrating our unique selves no matter how "odd" we may be. I believe dog lovers of all ages will love it, but it's written for five to eight year olds in mind.Â
We will be using this book to help fundraise and advocate for shelters and hope you'll join us on this PAWsitive journey!
We have many rewards available as part of the campaign, and hope to roll out more as we raise more funds. Here are a few of the rewards available. Many of these will be available ONLY during the campaign.
32 pages | Full Color | Signed by the Author
Your dog/kid/friends name will be listed in the end pages of the book.
A rare and special gift! Your dog will be drawn INTO THE BOOK as an extra in a dog park scene.
A2 Notecard | Cardstock | Paw Print made by the Original Odd Dog
Includes ten A2 Cards and Envelopes | Well wishes, thank yous, etc.
Once we meet our goal, we'll roll out more designs.
Coloring and activity pages featuring characters from the book.
Illustrations are currently in progress, with books expected by October
Once the book is created with your help, we will be partnering with local shelters and pet industry businesses to advocate and fundraise for our furry friends. We are so excited to share this special project with you, and hope you will join the pack by pledging today!Â
The Budget
We have raised enough money to get the book edited and pay our illustrator, but we need your help to get the book published..
We have a fantastic team ready to bring this book to life.
I am joined by Shannon McKeon, an amazing illustrator from the UK.
The book was carefully edited by Laura Bontje, a children’s book author herself and will be brought to life by our Art Director and Publishing Consultant, Melinda Martin.
This campaign would not have been possible without the guidance and wisdom of our crowdfunding coach, Lisa Ferland.
The team is assembled and have just started bringing the story to life, but we need your help!Â
We are publishing The Odd Dog through my company, MEA Publications, which means we have full artistic control but need the funds from this Kickstarter campaign for the production and publication of the book.Â
On Backerkit, shipping is collected AFTER the campaign has ended. This ensures we have an accurate price for shipping.
I am offering free US shipping on the following pledge levels: Give the Odd Dog, Get the Odd Dog, PAWsome Package, FURever Package, and the Pampered Pooch Package
This does NOT include any add-ons such as extra books, etc., so if you add additional items to your pledge you will pay the extra shipping for those items.Â
 If you choose the "Give the Odd Dog" package and opt to let us donate it to a KC charity, I will deliver it myself. If you want to send it somewhere you'll provide that information once the campaign has been successfully funded.
For now, we are only planning to ship to the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. If you are outside these countries we suggest opting for the Digital Dog package.
We will notify you when we're getting ready to ship. We hope to mail books in October, but if that changes we will let you know. You will receive a notification when we are getting ready to ship so you can alert us if your information has changed.
Check out my Collaborative Partner, Katie's Campaign!
One of the cool features of Backerkit is that they allow creators to have collaborative campaigns! What does this mean? It means that backers with similar projects can offer incentives if you give to both their campaigns!
My author friend Katie Lockwood and I are collaborating for this campaign. She is raising funds to produce a plushie of her main character, Rose the Owl. Her mission is to create authentic and empowering disability representation for children, and many of these plushies will be donated to disabled children. If you pledge to both campaigns, you will get a special reward from each of us! I'm creating a limited edition greeting card featuring both Rose the Owl and Odd the Dog, while Katie will be offering a 8" x 10" art print starring all her main characters. Neither is available unless you pledge to both, so visit her page now!
The biggest question mark when offset printing is exactly when the books will arrive. This can vary widely depending on what's happening in the world. The arrival window mentioned in the timeline above is two months later than I expect, so you will likely receive books early! We will do our best to provide the books in a timely manner.
The success of the campaign will also affect the number of books printed. We have some money set aside, but to print as many books as we wish we need your help! This will not create issues with the campaign unless something changes. If that occurs, we'll let you know. No matter what, you will receive a copy of The Odd Dog.
Here are a few other FAQs we've received.
Q: When does my credit card get charged for backing your project?
A: Your card is only charged if my project reaches the funding goal by the deadline. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, therefore if I don’t reach my goal, your card will never be charged with your pledge.
Q: What happens if you don't make your goal?
A: I will be disappointed that we didn’t reach our goal, but I’m really committed to this book and so I will continue to work to get it published. It will just take much longer without having the awesome Kickstarter backers to help make it happen. Â
Q: When will I receive my rewards?
A: The digital rewards will be ready well before physical ones. We will send digital products as soon as they're ready. Physical products will be delivered all together, even if some are ready ahead of time. We will keep you apprised as rewards are ready.
Q: Why should I pledge on Backer Kit versus buying in stores?
A: Backer Kit allows you a voice in the creation of The Odd Dog. You will get to choose rewards, offer insights, and have a voice not only for this book, but for future ones. Plus, there are rewards that I likely will never offer again, or you'll receive a version that will never be offered again.
Q: Will I be able to buy the book after the campaign?
A: Yes. The book will be available to purchase once it has been published and printed. If the campaign is not successful this will take longer to be available. All of the special Backer Kit reward tier packages and pricing are only available during the campaign though, so if you wait to buy, those won't be available any more.
Q: I would like to order this as a gift or donate it to an individual, classroom, or group of my choosing. Can you send my reward to someone else if I pledge?
A: Yes! At the end of the campaign you'll receive a survey. You can enter the name and address where you want your reward(s) sent. We'll even provide a personalized note to the individual or group acknowledging your gift or you can remain anonymous.
Q: I'd like to sponsor a classroom or group. Do you already have schools and groups identified to whom the books can be donated too?
A: Absolutely! We have identified some literacy and early learning organizations in my home town of Kansas City, but if you have a group near and dear to your heart we'll be happy to send a Classroom Pack to the school/organization of your choice.
Q: What organizations are my planning to partner with if I agree to give a book as a pledge?
A: There are several early education and literacy organizations in Kansas City we've identified, including Operation Breakthrough, Early StART, Reach Out and Read KC, Literacy KC, and Lead to Read KC. If you have a specific charity in mind in your hometown, we would be happy to send a book/books directly to them. When completing your backer survey, there will be a place where you can indicate that you would like to gift the book. Provide the address and name of the organization, and we'll send it along with a note saying who gave it.
