Had a Zoom meeting with an adviser from Creative NZ today. I have decided to apply for the Arts Grant so that I can get paid for the time and energy I am putting into working on Episode 2 of Deep Blue.
What I need to put together so that I can lodge my application by 22 March are:
- Sales record - names of people that bought a book, and their number - include Scorpio Sales, IngramSpark, Amazon and GumRoad.
- Explain the process, be as detailed as possible.
- Write up budget - paying yourself not less than $25 an hour. Eight hours a week.
And a couple more things that she will email with today.
Arts Grant (literature category) has success rate of 15%. That is not much, but at the same time I have to believe that have a good chance of putting in an impressive application. I have already invested hours and hours and my own resources and years of heart and soul into this work, and I know it is worth the investment. And I know that it will do something for the comics industry of Christchurch.
This is exciting times because I feel like I am at the start of a proper life I had never lived. I have been faithful being a designer and I will still be, as long as I need to be, and I do enjoy that work. Work is work. But at the same time, there are a few things that I feel made for. And writing and comics is one of them. This is a life that I even more so feel authentically proud to own up to.
I cannot wait for 11 March which is when I will hear back from the Scholastic team. I am dying of excitement.
The other day I walked through the Young Adults fiction section of the bookshop. What I feel about the genre is another post that I will write after this – but I am just getting more and more excited about the thought of being published by a recognised publisher. I feel grateful.