About Crowdfund
The idea to
crowdfund the translation of my book In the Grip of Katrina was suggested by my readers. As
the book’s popularity in the Polish market was growing, I was repeatedly asked
whether an English language version would be produced – mostly because the
values it speaks of are universal and important to all of us, not just Polish
people. And this is the other essential part of this project. The pace of our
modern life often makes us forget about our fellow humans, either because we
are too afraid to pay attention… or because it’s more convenient to ignore
others. My book specifically emphasizes this aspect when describing situations
in which people had to fight for their very survival.
What my
book also does is show how crucial it is to realize the enormity of pace of the
climate change. Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans was a clear
evidence of how helpless we still are when confronted with powerful forces of
nature. All we can do is try to minimize the sustained damage and never
undetestimate these forces. Another important message of this book is the
realization that along our journey we chance upon all kinds of people. In a
moment of truth, when faced with an utlimate test, some will become the most
significant figures in our lives, others will fail their exam in friendship and
brotherhood. Speaking in the most general terms, it is a story of a young man
who travelled across the ocean to fulfill his American Dream. Whether or not he
succeeded is not as not clear-cut as it might seem – and you will have to read
the book to find out the answer.
But
that’s not all. I recently sent some translated passages from my book to
foreign publishing houses and several of them expressed their interest. That is
why, after consulting my Polish publisher, I decided to have the entire book
translated into English. This will open the possibility of its release in a
foreign market. And even if it proves undoable due to the difficult
circumstances we currently find ourselves in, I will always have the option of
self-publishing it both in paper and e-book form, and possibly also as an
audiobook.
Why do I want to co-operate with a foreign
publisher instead of self-publishing the book?
Releasing
a book in a foreign market through a professional publishng house ensures that
it will receive professional publicity and distribution to help it reach all
important outlets.
What
funding goal do I want to reach?
I
am using the www.odpalprojekt.pl website
with the intention of collecting 13 000 PLN. This amount will allow me to
largely cover the cost of translating the book (plus taxes and the portal’s
commission). Subsequent steps aimed at publishing the book abroad will be
financed, among others, by private companies and from my own resources. Worth
noting is the fact that apart from the translation itself, any book also needs
to undergo a professional copyediting process. Additional costs will include
business meetings abroad and other expenses, explained below.
Who is handling the translation?
The
book is being rendered into English by a pair of translators: Zofia
Szachnowska-Olesiejuk and Adam Olesiejuk. This choice was not accidental. I
have conducted an extensive research in the field, had dozens of conversations
and received numerous samples from many different translators. After discussions
with the Annapurna publishing house (I might add that my publisher used to be
in the profession himself and translated multiple books from English into
Polish) as well as examining all the samples, we have decided to entrust this
task to Mr and Mrs Olesiejuk, mostly because of their considerable experience
working with some of the biggest publishing houses in Poland, but also based on
their unique and complementary working relationship. All this helps to ensure
that the two of them will do an expert job with the book.
The
contract between me and the translators (prepared by a lawyer) was signed on
March 2 2020 and their work will conclude on August 21 2020. After that, the
translation will first be thoroughly reviewed and then the copyediting process
will begin.
The
translators’ profiles can be seen at the Polish Literary Translators
Association website (link below)
The
following individuals and companies are involed in my project:
- recording artist Kamil Bednarek (www.bednarekband.pl – selected
prize packages will include an autographed copy of his CD album) - painter Szymon Chwalisz (www.szymonchwalisz.com – author of the cover image;
selected prize packages will include a poster version of it)
Next stage – movie script
As
stated before, my current goal is to have the book translated and published in
English, which will potentially open other possibilities. One of those is to
write a movie screenplay. I am already in advanced talks regarding this proces.
What I can share at this point is that a British screenwriter (also an author
of several books) offered to write the script once the book is translated into
English. Until a final, lawyer-approved contract has been signed I cannot
divulge any more details. From there, it’s a straight line to a movie
adaptation of my story. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your financial backing
could ultimately result in producing an internationally available feature film
in a not too distant futrure? I know for now this is still no more than a dream,
but I’ve had many unofficial conversations with various people employed in
Hollywood and found their response quite encouraaging.
About Book
In the
Grip of Katrina was
published in the Polish market on March 21, 2018. It has since received the
following awards and accolades:
– 3rd Prize
in the “Travel Book of the Year” category at MEDIATRAVEL, Civilization and
Media Art Festival, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and
National Heritage
–
“Non-Fiction Book of the Year” in the comptetiton organized by the literary
portal granice.pl
– “Best Book for the Summer of 2018” according
to the portal granice.pl
Opinions
about the book:
Jarosław
Kuźniar, reporter at Onet.pl, proprietor of goforworld.com
“I like to
say that travel doesn’t always mean vacation. The world today is not an easy
and safe place. You have to take care of it and yourself in it.Getting stuck in
the dead center of Hurricane Katrina turned the author’s regular visit to the
US into a trip of a lifetime. He survived, but was changed. He witnessed man’s
primal behavior in an extreme situation, he felt fear. But he embraced the
experience and then described it all in his book in a bit of self-therapy. This
is not a travelogue, this is a tough school of life.”
Kamil
Bednarek, artist
“The
story that my friend has written will no doubt inspire many people to change
their point of view on what an adventure our life should be. It inspired me to
write a song I’m taking you on a trip for my Talisman abum.”
About Author
Kuba Kucharski is a journalist by profession. In his
reporting career he mostly covered the aviation and automotive industry. He
also worked with various magazines and portals in Great Britain, which included
co-running a lifestyle-travel portal aimed at the Polish community in the UK.
His orginal project, called “Ordinary/Extraordinary”, focused on interviews
with athletes who rose to fame in Poland and abroad. For many years now he has
been involved in onlne marketing, and recently worked with a Google Agency
team. He is currently the marketing co-oridnator at Beesfund.com.
See official website: www.kubakucharski.pl
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