book

The NoGood art book

Producing an art book has been a vaguely defined idea that simmered in the back of my brain for years. Being well aware of the amount of work it takes to complete such a project I never mustered the courage to start.

Some of my motivations to produce a book are quite selfish. There's ego involved, of course. Like most digital illustrators I love seeing my work printed, bundled and displayed in stores. But those are not the only reasons, nor are they the important ones.

The book is an opportunity to highlight open-source initiatives and the growing community behind it. Furthermore, it can exist outside of any digital bubble, and in this case, can be the start of some good conversations about a world mostly unknown to the average internet user.

Last fall I visited the Allard Pierson museum where in the gift shop I spotted Project Japan: Metabolism Talks by Rem Koolhaas. Consisting of over 700 pages printed on very thin paper, and with each spread beautifully designed by Irma Boom it stood out among the other books. It reminded me of a very thick but compact phonebook.

It was everything my book should be. Project Japan flicked a switch inside my brain, making me forget about the reasons I had not to produce it, and inspired me to start working on the NoGood book right away.

NoGood Art Book cover

Concept

Although NoGood's origins lie in the bitcoin space, this will not be a book about bitcoin. I want to tell a larger story about open-source software, open protocols and online privacy. My illustrations will take up most of the book, but I intend to dedicate ample space to provide more background and context about the environment in which my work exist. To achieve this, I will divide the book into distinct sections:

Self-publishing

This will be a limited edition and self-published book. My initial goal is to produce 200 books. Luckily, I have a background in print production, so I can design it myself. I'll also have to find a printer, manage the budget, hire a copy writer and take care of distribution.

Crowdfunding

I set up a crowdfund campaign, where you can already pre-order the book, since self-publishing gets expensive quickly. All pre-orders cover part of the production costs, and help me figure out how many books to produce. I'll also create exclusive rewards for early supporters, such as small art prints, NOSTR badges or a mention on NoGood Radio. The book will feature a dedicated page that lists the (nick)names of all supporters.

Next steps

I've never self-published a book before so I have a lot of research to do. First up, requesting quotes from printers to get an idea of what's possible. I'll start looking for articles and blog posts to use in the context section, and contact their authors to ask for permission to use them. Keep you posted!

Similar posts

book
Throwback
book
Beginnings