Category: Promotion

Reviews, Color Pics and More

Hi, all!

I’m hoping that by now all of you who backed the IndieGoGo or ordered books (prior to the past two weeks) have your books in hand; if you haven’t yet received yours, please let me know. You can email me at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com.

Also just a reminder that while the pictures in the book are black and white, there are color versions available at
https://www.vultureculture101.com/photos/ – I’ve seen a few people complaining already about the black and white pics, probably because they didn’t see the places in the book yet where I said “Hey, look! Color photos on my website!” So I’m helping to spread the word. And again, putting color photos in the book itself would have made it a LOT more expensive, so this is my workaround.

I know not everyone dives into a new book as soon as they get it, especially those of us who already have HUGE to-read piles. However, for those of you who have read it, would you be so kind as to leave a review? You can review it on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Vulture-Culture-101-People-Things/dp/1092885102/ or on Goodreads at goodreads.com/book/show/45572031-vulture-culture-101. Reviews help me get an idea of how people are enjoying the book. And the more reviews a book has on Amazon in particular, the more it will show up in search strings and so forth. Thanks for your feedback!

Finally, since this is a self-published endeavor, please do let others who may be interested know about the book! You know people I don’t, so you can get the word out to them, and help an indie author 🙂

Stickers!

Remember the stickers that all my IndieGoGo contributors get with their books? Last night I sent in the final design (which does NOT have the VultureCulture101 watermark on it, BTW) to the printer, and this morning I got the print. I should have the stickers themselves later this month–yay! That way I can make sure there aren’t any problems BEFORE I’m ready to ship them out. I’m still shooting for having the book to the printer by the end of the month, and I’ll keep ya posted!

And yes, I had extras printed which will be for sale, but only after the IGG orders are sent out.

THANK YOU!

Hi, folks!

HUGE thanks to everyone who backed the Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo Campaign! We ended up raising $4,602, which is 153% of the original goal. We managed to reach the first stretch goal of skull stickers, and though we didn’t make the second goal of animal skull flash cards, I’m still planning to release those independently later this year.

What’s next? I have a few finishing touches to put on the manuscript, and I’ve already selected essayists for the tutorials on tanning, bone cleaning and the like. Provided everyone can get their essay in on time, I should be on track for my Summer 2018 release of the book. In the meantime, I’ll be working on the extra perks for my IGG backers, book cover design, and other details.

And again, thanks to everyone who backed, shared and otherwise supported this campaign!

IndieGoGo Ends Saturday!

Hey, folks! The Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo ends for real at 11:59pm PST on Saturday night (April 7)! We are currently at $4,305, which is almost 150% of the original amount I asked for, and if the campaign hits $6,000 it’ll unlock the next stretch goal, the animal skull identification cards. If you haven’t yet backed the campaign, you can do so at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 – thank you 🙂

First Stretch Goal Met!

…aaaand we just hit the first stretch goal, so I’ll be getting those stickers made! THANK YOU! Everyone who has already made a pledge that includes physical items, like the book itself, will get a sticker added to their package at no extra cost. If you know someone who hasn’t pledged yet, or you got the ebook or other non-physical perk, you can make a second pledge to either get just the sticker, or the sticker and paperback book 🙂

Now let’s shoot for the $6,000 mark, where I release the animal skull identification flashcards!

IndieGoGo Campaign EXTENDED!

Hiya, folks!

So as it turns out, I am able to extend the Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo campaign once, up to an additional 15 days, so I chose to do just that! We are SO CLOSE to the first stretch goal at $4,000, the Vulture Culture skull sticker, and I want to see if we can unlock that second one at $6,000, the skull identification flashcards. Plus I had several people contact me and say “I wish this was going to last just a little longer, since I’m waiting for my paycheck/tax return/etc.!”

So now the campaign will end at 11:59pm on Saturday, April 7, 2018! If you haven’t had a chance to back the campaign at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101, or you know someone who was worried they’d miss out, now’s the time to get that second chance. And many, many thanks to everyone who’s carried it this far <3

Call For Writers for Vulture Culture 101!

Hey, everyone! So in case you haven’t heard, I am writing a book about Vulture Culture, the “fandom” that’s sprung up around the appreciation of hides, bones and other dead things in recent years. The working title is Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things, and I will be self-publishing it via CreateSpace; the projected date of publication is Summer 2018. Currently, the first draft of the book is done, and I am working on edits and revisions. There’s also an IndieGoGo campaign through March 23 at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 which has already met its initial goal and is working toward stretch goals.

While I have spent over twenty years making hide and bone art, I do not have extensive experience with tanning hides or cleaning bones or otherwise prepared raw specimens. However, no book on Vulture Culture would be complete without tutorials on some basic processes, which is why I’m seeking writers to contribute essays!

Each essayist will be compensated with $100 and 10 paperback copies of Vulture Culture 101 once it has been published. Thank you again to my IndieGoGo contributors for helping to make this happen!

I am seeking one essay each on the following topics:

  • Skinning a freshly dead or frozen and thawed animal and preparing the hide for tanning
  • Tanning a hair-on hide, starting with a raw hide (rabbit would be best as it’s a nice small hide that’s easy and inexpensive to acquire); while you may choose one method of tanning, such as alum, please briefly mention other tanning methods like egg tanning
  • Brain-tanning leather, starting with a hair-on hide (deer is most popular but I’m open to other easy to acquire suggestions like goat)
  • Cleaning bones through maceration, starting with a whole skinned carcass, though with a brief mention of dermestid beetles and nature cleaning as alternatives, and proceeding through degreasing and whitening
  • Wet specimens in jars, to include long-term care, how to change out old fluids, etc.
  • Very basic mouse or rat taxidermy, including how to prepare the hide, positioning, etc.
  • The basics of skeleton articulation; there’s not space to go through an entire skeletal articulation, but at least give people an idea of the tools and methods involved, and basic steps from skeleton acquisition to final display
  • Invertebrate specimen preparation (not just as wet specimens)

Essays should have the following qualities:

  • Between 1500 and 2000 words (you may be able to go over that a bit if you need the space)
  • Written in easy to read English and suitable for a general audience
  • Thoroughly explain the topic in a step-by-step manner; steps should be numbered
  • Be accompanied by at least 4-6 print-quality photos showing different steps of the process (if you have to show different animals at different stages of the process, such as for longer processes like maceration, that’s fine, so long as all pertinent stages are covered clearly)
  • Should not be previously published, either in print or online. If you’ve written similar essays that’s fine, just write a unique one for this project

I will have already covered topics like where to get hides and bones, and legalities concerning them, so you don’t need to go over them again. Stick to the how-tos of your topic. I will be doing some basic editing and proofreading, but you should be sending me final drafts by the due date.

Please apply by contacting me at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com; you will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Your name, general location, email address and phone number
  • A brief description of your experience in working with hides and/or bones and/or other dead things
  • Which topic you would like to write about and what makes you qualified to write about it (you can apply for more than one topic; however, only one topic will be assigned to one writer unless there is a serious lack of suitable writers)
  • At least three samples of your writing, published or not; Vulture Culture topics and how-to articles are extra-awesome, but send the best of whatever you have. Please also send a few sample photos showing your photography skills. You can send them as links and/or attachments.
  • If you are under the age of 18, proof of permission by a parent or legal guardian

The deadline to apply is March 28, 2018. Selections will be made by April 7, 2018 at which point acceptance letters and contracts will be sent out. Completed final essays have a FIRM due date of June 7, 2018, so please make sure before you apply that you can dedicate the time to finishing your essay on time. You can also send me drafts in progress before that point if you’d like feedback.

Thank you!

Why Vulture Culture 101 Isn’t Only For Beginners!

Despite the “101″ part of Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things, there’s material in here that’s good for both beginner Vultures and those who have been around a while. Some of the things that may appeal to those who already have the basics down:

–A look at the various historical groups and movements that have fed into modern-day Vulture Culture

–A chance to consider your own ethical stance about dead things and why you’ve adopted it (and whether you need to adjust it!)

–Advice on the perennial problem of dealing with people who have negative reactions to Vulture Culture

–Ideas on how to make Vulture Culture more integrated with natural history, acceptance of death, rewilding, and other related concepts and movements

And even those of us who have been around for decades still get people asking us “So why do you have all these dead animals around?” Wouldn’t it be nice to have a good book you can point them to–and if you trust them with your library, perhaps loan them a copy?

By the way, we’re just shy of $1000 of the $3000 I’m asking for–and we’re only on Day 2! Head on over to http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 to back this book today 🙂

Coming Soon: The Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo Campaign!

I am excited to announce that the official IndieGoGo campaign for my next book, Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things, will launch on February 6, 2018! More than a book on taxidermy or bone identification, Vulture Culture 101 is a guidebook to the subculture surrounding the preparation, collection and appreciation of hides, bones and other specimens. It’s suitable for both beginners and experienced Vultures and may even appeal to those who are just curious about us and our collections.

The full IndieGoGo campaign won’t be launched til the 6th, but you can get a taste of what will be included at the prelaunch page here. And you can sign up for an email reminder to be sent to you when the campaign officially starts!

As with my wildly successful IndieGoGo campaigns for The Tarot of Bones, this campaign will help me to fund attendant costs for the book, such as paying guest writers for how-to essays on topics like hide tanning and bone cleaning, as well as the cost of printing physical books and having them shipped to me. Anything left over after that will help me cover my bills and other expenses as I finish up the last bit of writing, editing, layout and other work that remains before projected publication in Summer 2018.

I will, of course, make an announcement when the campaign itself goes live, but for now check out the prelaunch page for a taste of what’s to come! And, as always, thank you for your ongoing support.