Chris Guest

This campaign was a great success, so you can now buy a copy of the book without waiting. Just look to the REWARDS column on the right hand side of this page.

- - - - - - -  BELOW IS THE ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN TEXT  - - - - - - - - -

FLOATING HORIZON is a 10m long, single flowing image folded into a book. Like a feature film shot in a single take. Its full colour and printed at the same size I hand drew it, completely finished, and absolutely ready to print. Firstly, I'm asking you to pre-purchase a copy for $40, so that I can pay for the print run. Secondly, and this is really important, I need your help spreading the word to your friends who you think would love a copy. Getting it to go viral, just a little, is essential in order to boost the numbers.

Be sure to watch the video in the main banner above.

Its a vision of the future, except it could be now. A wordless, graphic adventure across a landscape that leaves you with wind ruffled hair and one or two more freckles. Its a picture of our world showing that everything is connected. For this reason, it was intended to break beyond the bounds of a book. You can read it like a normal book, or you can pull it out entirety to see it all at once.

PAGES can be turned one by one, or the whole lot can be pulled out at once.
(please excuse the shininess, its a laser printed dummy : )

Originally I wasn't sure what it was. I was obviously crazy from having this red hot thing in my brain which just had to come out. I didn’t care about constraints like market sectors, paper sizes, printing techniques, or time. I went out and spent nearly all my money on a spanking cool computer, got out my ink pens, and dug in. No commercial company would commission this work, and I wasn't expecting one to. I funded my time by contracting as a top shelf draftsman, and treating Floating Horizon like a hobby. So long as I didn’t have a debt at the end, I was happy. For five years I was pretty happy. Drawing and colouring-in does wonderful things for my brain.

DAWN over fields as balloons, clouds and skydivers all take off. Pages 39 / 40


DETAIL, farming on a prosperous morning. Page 40

Upon completion, everyone I showed it to was awed. I was then onto what was always in the back of my mind, publishing. At one point I was introduced to the publishing director (head) of Penguin Australia, Bob Sessions. I wouldn’t have been aware of who he was if it weren’t for tip-off from a friend the day before. I was extremely green, he was extremely pushed for time. He practically slapped me in the face with Greame Base’s Animalia, and told me he’d sold 20 million copies worldwide. Fantastic I thought, do you see that kind of potential ? : ) After a bunch of questions and prompting, he kicked me out, but did put me in touch with his commissioning editor. I thought I was in. Several meetings later, I got a no, “sorry, we love it, its astounding, but the marketing department just doesn’t know who to sell it to”. I have a decent list of answers along similar lines. They just couldn’t find a bucket that fit me, and there are only so many buckets in the land of commercial publishing. Crowd funding, I hope, can circumvent this difficulty.


SUBURBS, as far as the eye can see. Pages 5 / 6


DETAIL, protest on the streets. Page 5

Since then I’ve had plenty of feedback that gives me the confidence to find a way. The most recent showing was via an oversize full colour print I guerrilla exhibited amidst the State Arts Festival of 2013, in Castlemaine where I live. I loved sitting aside from the work and observing the observers. They’re all ages, both sexes, and happy to be completely absorbed into the work. Hopefully you can experience all that yourself. But I'll need your help, and your friends help to spread the word. You see, I’ve got this little problem. Until this one’s off and away and making modest sales, I just can’t move on. There’s more I’d like to do and the back of my brain is really starting to heat up.


EXHIBITED as though i've stuck the actual book on a wall.


DAMS and plantations, while the rain falls. Pages 17 / 18

$ 8,000 Project goal *
$ 2,500 Personal contribution*
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$10,500 Total project funding


$ 7,600 Printing*
$ 600 Pozible cut & likely credit card fees
$ 1,350 Postage
$ 950 GST on costs
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$10,500 Total project costs

*GOAL
The viability of this project really depends on you! Please spread the word. Make a direct recommendation to friends that you think will identify with it. Securing your copy depends on everybody doing this.

*PRINTING
Whatever the pledge numbers, I'll be aiming to print at least double. A commercial print-run isn't feasible for a quantity of less than 500 copies. These extra copies help overcome the chicken or the egg problem. They allow me to undertake a broader marketing campaign. The remainder allow me to cover quick return sales generated by the first ones going out and accumulate seed money to do the next print run.

*PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION
In a way I’ve aimed low with pledges totalling $8000 for a print run of 500 copies. The larger the run, the cheaper cost per copy. Additional copies are a massive accelerant to my long term goals but regardless, cost more upfront. The likely scenarios are:

GOOD, 200 pledged, I contribute the remainder. Print 500. Great.

BETTER, 300 pledged, I contribute the remainder. Print 1000. Unreal!

BEST, 400%20 pledged, You all send it viral. I print big. Stupendous!!


SUMMITING through snow, where rivers begin. Pages 26 / 27


DETAIL, bird watching. Page 27

QUANTITIES, low numbers would obviously mean nobody gets a book (but nobody would be charged in that instance also). High won’t be a problem either. It’ll just mean I’m able to get more printed. You gotta dream!

KNOWLEDGE wise, I’m an artist, not a publisher. I am however also an architect and used to managing projects. From research I did prior, it’s sadly not economically feasible to print the book in Australia. Much printing is done in, or via, Hong Kong, but dealing across international borders can be fraught. Using a commercial print agent will streamline the way massively. These are people whose speciality it is to organise and deliver a book project. All I have to do is give them the artwork, specs and cash and they get it done. This represents a huge amount of work, and inherent trade specific knowledge, taken off my shoulders.

QUALITY wise, an allowance has been made to produce a colour proof prior to going to press. I wouldn’t undertake to spend that much of other people's money without at least one proof. Should the worst happen and a second proof be required, I’ll have to bear its cost outside the budget listed above, and that’s one reason why I’m keeping my personal contribution fairly modest. All hail the International Color Consortium!


NIGHT, fireworks explode. Pages 38 / 39


DETAIL, hawk. Page 39