Why switch from the paid-per-hour work to the People’s Grant?
From the beginning of The People’s Book Project back in September of 2011 until early January of 2012, funding and work for the project was based upon receiving donations which would result in hourly wages for work completed on the book. While this had limited success, it maintained a type of “wage slave” approach, and the benefits of support from you, the readers, could not be as easily received or perceived.
Thus, reverting to a People’s Grant allows for the following benefits:
- it acts more in accord with the philosophy of the Project itself, using support from people in the form of a type of People’s Foundation (to support projects, investigation, research, activities, etc., which aims to produce results in line with a philosophy of enlightenment and liberation)
- Donations Produce RESULTS!: this is very important in order to encourage and continue support for The People’s Book Project. The people who support must be brought more directly into the Project and must be made more aware (and sure!) of the results of their support. Grants given by donations from you, the readers, go directly toward a specific chapter, and are set as conditional upon completion of that specific chapter. Therefore, if the grant goal is reached, the chapter will be completed with THOSE specific funds. From each finished product, excerpts will be provided in order for supporters and readers to review the fruits of their support. It is VITAL to ensure that supporters are made more aware of the direct effects and products of their support. Otherwise, the support cannot sustain itself.
- Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in line with the above comment: The People’s Grant approach will provide the necessary personal motivation and direction for me to ensure that I complete a specific chapter in a certain amount of time if I am to go on raising more money for future chapters. As any writer knows, self-motivation is an eternal struggle. This will provide me with a more specific set of goals, priorities, and methods to produce results and progress forward in the book. While I focus on a specific chapter, I may continue doing research for other chapters and areas (as I am at the moment), however, the Grant is received on the basis of producing a specific finished product. This will prevent me from bouncing back and forth between chapters, and focus on the task at hand.
All in all, I think the People’s Grant approach will be far superior to the previous “wage-slave” approach to completing The People’s Book Project, so long as the Grant goals are reached. This system will be far more effective, efficient, and encouraging (both for me to write and for others to support).
I hope you agree and will continue to support The People’s Book Project through the People’s Grants!
Cheers
Andrew
