Business Description
Artistkem is my own publishing house. I’ve been self-publishing books since 2009 with some local and international success, mostly with my The Caregiver series and my sci-fi superhero romance The Last Superhero. However, as times have gotten tougher, money’s been a big deal when pursuing not only the future of the series and my other books, but their distribution.
What other’s have said about my books:
“[…] amongst all the blood, guts, and intrigue, is an interesting question. Can you love someone who seems to be everything you are not and, if so, what might you do about it? A quick and enjoyable read that refused to follow the route I expected, zigging when I expected it to zag. – BigAl from BigAl’s Books and Pals on The Caregiver (Book 1 of The Caregiver Series)
“I enjoy the writing style of Astrid Cruz; she is a really good storyteller who creates very powerful characters. The type of language she uses fits this type of novel well and helps build the tension, suspense and intrigue of the novel. The descriptions create vivid pictures along with a great sense of time and place. I think the dialogue is really tight and gritty and along with the descriptions ensure that every character has their own personality. […]” – The Kindle Book Review on Torn (Book 2 of The Caregiver Series)
“Cruz’s voice is the most authentic to emerge from the Caribbean in the digital age. Edgy, smart, tough, she writes with inspired confidence.” – Stacey Cochran, author of EDDIE & SUNNY on The Last Superhero
Right now there are a couple of things that require not only time but money to help me keep on publishing not only my books but possibly books from people who’ve already come forward asking me for advise and counseling on this self-publishing journey.
What is the purpose of this loan?
My laptop is trying to die on me (I won’t let her go out without a fight!) so I’m budgeting around $1,500 off this loan just to get a new one that will ensure my writing/publishing can go on.
I have $800 in outstanding editing balances. Yes, that’s from already published books which I haven’t been able to pay off yet.
Inventory. I need books to distribute to local book stores and even do some face-to-face sales. For that I’ll need $1,400.
Marketing. Oh dear God, marketing. It gets pretty expensive pretty quick and without it, no one would ever know I even existed so I’m budgeting $1,000 for that. Those include Facebook ads, Adwords, book promo sites and cute promo materials like bookmarks and flyers.
And, well, the business side of things. To be able to do this I had to incorporate Artistikem but had to dissolve the corporation due to not being able to pay the annual fees. $400 will help me re-incorporate it and do that awful paperwork only accountants understand.
The rest would be $1,900 of working capital. This will be used to buy any extra equipment needed, formatting because I still have to make Book 3 of the series available in print, and the prequels, and the ones that come after that one, and… You get it.
All that sums $7,000. It may sound like a lot but I know that bit by bit we can make it happen. Your contribution will go towards keeping Artistikem alive and putting out stories that’ll make you laugh, cry, and even shed a tear once in a while. ;)