Going Down Swinging survival drive

A$14,466
of $10,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 25th Oct 2014 at 10:09PM.
UPDATE: With $1783 through our own website, we've shot past $16,000 from 210 supporters, and have 82 new subscribers. We have a few hours left to lock in our future - have a read below, we'd bloody love to have you on board. 
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After 35 years of publishing, Going Down Swinging needs your help to stay alive.

Since 1980 we’ve published 1054 writers and artists across 33 print anthologies, 2 digital editions, 19 audio albums and the new GDS Online, and put on dozens of live shows featuring hundreds of performers.

We just want to put great work in front of an audience, and try not to be pretentious dicks about it. (Here's our current issue, or find more of what we do down the page.)

GDS No 35 - The Newsprint Issue

We’ve always got by without much cash, but a stack of our 2012 issue were damaged in transit, which also hurt sales in 2013. At the same time government budget cuts arrived, and a year ago we lost our core funding. 

No complaints, that’s how it is. We've long aimed for financial independence, now we need to speed that up. We don’t need bail-outs, just support for what we already make. Every pledge gets well over its dollar value in return.

Next up is our 2015 issue, and it’s going to be a beauty. Rather than short pieces we’re assembling a handful of longer works, each paired with its own illustrator and published individually as part of a multi-format collection. It's a box set where everything's a different shape. Design studio Holiday are in charge of the concept, which is unlike anything we've tried before.

It includes Bridget Lutherborrow’s debut fiction collection Thirteen Story Horse, paired with Melbourne painter Harley Manifold. Read Chapter 1.
Harley Manifold

Retired televisusaliser and casual legend Andrew Denton is working on a new collaboration with artist Megan Herbert.
Megan Herbert
Graphic artist Pat Grant is rendering his heartsquishing memoir Toormina Video for print, along with a new series of posters.
Toormina Video

We’re opening submissions for two other pieces. As a stretch goal, two grand would give us the option of adding more.

There are seven of us at GDS, volunteering thousands of hours a year. We give in-depth professional development to writers and interns, and set up concurrent programs like live shows and online publishing. It's all built around our print program.

Thousands of you connect with us through social media, mailing lists and submissions. Subscriptions are a hundred bucks for four years. Hitting 100 subscribers would really set us up for the future. 

So can you give us a hand? We love GDS and what it does for Australian writing, but we can’t do it alone. The best part is, you can help just by reading, watching and listening to brilliant new stuff. We’d love to have you along.

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DIGITAL EXTRA: Not a sixth finger. Every pledge gets a bonus: choose one of our digital editions (GDS 31 or GDS 34), or one of our One Night Wonders live albums.

Carn

GDS is a sweet little operation that helps a lot of people and entertains a lot of others. Get amongst it. 

How The Funds Will Be Used

Printing is damn expensive. We're budgeting $8000 - and that's modest. The designers cop $1000, a fraction of the true cost for such an involved project. Then the mundane: a year's office supplies, postage, managing submissions, freight, internet, hosting, marketing, insurance and such guff will top $4000. Arts NSW is helping cover artist fees but otherwise we foot the bill.

We've raised $13,000 to cover the new issue's base costs, but $15,000 would give us scope to swank it up, whether by adding full-colour sections or an extra collaboration. Every dollar of excess will go into ensuring our future: an extra $3000 would pre-allocate a grand apiece to issues in 2016, 2017 and 2018. That kind of stability would be magnificent.

The best part is, no charity. Every pledge gets back more than the dollar value committed. 

If you don't want to use Pozible, you can also buy direct from our shop and receive the same bonuses, or send a bank transfer for the value of a reward, then email [email protected] to let us know.

NB: Subscriptions are guaranteed. We keep the cash value of outstanding copies in reserve, so in the worst case scenario that GDS ever shuts down, we'll initiate the appropriate refunds.

The Challenges

Our current team has been together for several years. We're fully confident we'll handle whatever surprises the production process can throw at us.

Longer term, how will funding one issue ensure our survival? Well, paying for this edition in advance means that every copy sold beyond the target is money in the clear. It also means we'll keep the last of our reserves, so when it comes to the following issue we'll be far better placed to produce it. This campaign gives us stability.

It'll also buy our staff time to keep working on other income streams, something we're always doing. Raising funds is an ongoing issue, so if you have suggestions on financial models or more extensive investment, we're ready to talk.

Instant Gratification

One digital extra One current GDS (32, 33, 35) Start reading, save money. Choose a discount GDS 32 (the Neil Gaiman Issue), 33 (the Jesus Issue), or 35 (the Newsprint Issue), plus one of our digital editions (GDS 31 or 34), or the One Night Wonders live album of your choice. Email us your preferences - [email protected]

59 chosen

Est. delivery is Oct 14

The Now and Future King

Two digital extras One current GDS (32, 33, 35) One 2015 GDS Keep an eye on the future: support the new GDS before it's born. Pre-order your copy of the 2015 long-read collection discussed in the other column and help us stay steady, while scoring $90 value. Or go one better with...

38 chosen

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Lifeblood Transfusion

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription This is the one. The champagne fountain. The Big Kahuna Burger. The one you want and we need. A subscription starting with any issue you choose is already worth a C-note, then we throw in the full set of digital extras, worth another 60 bucks. Sign your friends and family up for one too, and help us make a stable GDS part of Australia's writing future. Unless you want more treats?

47 chosen

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Sleeping With the Fishes

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Double pass to Melbourne Aquarium Take your book down to read to the sharks. Make sure Mantra plays to the mantra rays. Meet Sean Whelan underwater. Write us a poem about fish. Just not fish that are named after birds. Or...

1 chosen / 3 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Fight the Bouncers

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Quadruple pass to Bounce Inc Trampoline Park (Vic / WA / Qld) Take a break from literary goodness when you take three of your friends to cut loose in a massive freestyle trampoline arena. B-ball hoops, wall tramps, foam pits - because reading, that's why. Or you might prefer...

1 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Bird's Eye View

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Double pass to Melbourne Eye Get everything from the $100 pack, help us out a little more, and impress a foreign visitor / relative / time traveller with a long trip on the biggest damn Ferris wheel in town. It totally works now.

0 chosen / 3 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Better Get That Checked

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription In-depth editing assessment Want real feedback? Have the GDS editor of your choice assess one of your stories, essays, or short suite of poems. We'll give you a written report on the work's strengths and weaknesses, along with its most likely avenues to publication.

9 chosen / 3 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Asterix the Gallery

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription National Gallery of Victoria annual household pass An ever-changing parade of art in your face and the faces of those who sleep near you, for a full earth orbit. Get cultural.

1 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Nov 14

Godzilla Down Swinging

The most monstrous monster pack you're ever likely to see. * Full set of digital extras * 4-year subscription * One Night Wonders 4-disc CD box set * Every available issue from this millennium, back to GDS 18 * Limited edition hardcover GDS 26 with original poster-sized prints from street artists Miso, Ghostpatrol, Tom Civil and Vexta (worth $200, only three copies in existence) * Rare, not-for-sale copies of four early GDS editions * A personal note of thanks printed in the new edition

1 chosen / 2 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Levi's 501

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal sponsorship of one GDS writer You know how jeans offer the best support? You can be jeans. The new GDS is a multiformat collection made of several separate publications by different writers. You can support one of those writers individually, with your name alone on the title page of their book as the person who made it possible. Live forever, people.

0 chosen / 5 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Manuscript Assessment

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Full-length manuscript assessment Know how hard it is to get a manuscript appraised? We can't promise riches, but we know good writing. We'll tackle fiction, non-fiction or poetry up to book length, with the GDS editor of your choice providing full written feedback, plus an extensive one-on-one editorial meeting in person (or by magic wires), and a follow-up look at your revisions.

1 chosen / 2 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Star Writers Just For You

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Custom piece by the writer of your choice Get a story, song or poem written just for you. You can nominate your subject or dedication; tell your own story and get them to re-weave it; or let them write what they want and pledge it to you. Choose from volunteers Sean M. Whelan, Emile Zoey Baker, Nathan Curnow, Oliver Mol and Eleanor Jackson, or nominate any previous GDS writer and we'll ask them.

0 chosen / 5 available

Est. delivery is Nov 14

Pro Recording Session

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Professional vocal recording session Spend four hours in a recording studio with a specialist spoken word sound engineer, following pre-session coaching from us. We'll stick around to help you lay down the best takes, and we'll polish your tracks in post. We make a lot of spoken word recordings - go with the people who know their stuff. Studio is in Melbourne.

0 chosen / 2 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Live Show In Your Face

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Live GDS show at your place Yep, one of our patented shows in the venue of your choice, featuring a line-up picked in consultation with you. We can manage anywhere near enough to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth. Invite all your friends, spice up your house party, do it in public, form a syndicate, charge for tickets if you want. It's your party, we'll just decorate.

0 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Angie Hart Backyard Show

Full set of digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Angie Hart plays live at your place From the voice of Frente! to a loved Aus musician in her own right, Angie Hart could stop by your place (Melbourne area) for a one-off personalised show. Unplugged or amplified, for your house party or a quiet gathering of friends. Get them to chip in, or make it a present. You won't get another chance like it.

0 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

2001 A Name Odyssey

Become a GDS patron. A don. A godfather. Put out your cigars on our backs. We won't say nothin'. The place is yours. Not only do you get the full Godzilla Down Swinging pack as detailed earlier, you get your name printed in prominent position as the principal supporter of the new issue. Plus your name or business on our website front page for the next year, listed as our sole key supporter.

0 chosen / 1 available

Est. delivery is Oct 14

Hip-Hop Martini Express

All digital extras 4-year subscription Personal thanks in the next GDS Joelistics and Mantra play live at your place Get two of the biggest talents and most charismatic gents in Aus hip-hop to your place to start a party. We'll plug in Joelistics and Mantra to make all the noise you need, or run an acapella lounge-room show to remember. Melbourne area (email us to discuss interstate). If Sinatra and Martin could rap... may involve martinis.

1 chosen / 0 available

Est. delivery is Jan 15