Help me become the first security guard writer in Singapore!

Who Am I?

Hi, my name is Loh Teck Yong, a security guard who's trying to  make it as a professional writer.

Here's a brief summary of my work history.

I received my first assignment as a security guard way back in 1999, and continued to work in the industry over the next few years. Between 2003 and 2009, I took a long break from security work but finally succumbed to financial pressure some time during the latter half of 2009, and once again mired myself in the industry. I have been working as a security guard (on an on-and-off basis) ever since.

What Is Guards Gone Wild!?

A few years ago, I realised that it would be a shame if those stories about my adventures in the private security industry were left to rot by the wayside of memory lane. So I started writing and those collected anecdotes became Guards Gone Wild!.

I sent the completed manuscript to 4 publishers based in Singapore on the 21st December, 2015. As of today, I have been rejected by all 4 of them. Well, exposing the dirty and underhanded going-ons in the private security industry is not exactly a profitable (or healthy) endeavour, so I can understand why the established publishers turned away from me.

And because Singapore has a very small literary market with very few publishers, I shall not waste any more time trying to get published the usual way.

If I want to get my stories out there, I have to do it myself. Through self-publication.

Sample Chapters

Now, I have already introduced myself and the background story of the creation of the book, but doing just that is probably not enough to convince people to donate to my crowdfunding campaign.

So why not check out a couple of sample chapters before you decide if the publication of my book is an endeavour worthy of your support? If you want to read a sneak preview of Guards Gone Wild!, please visit the Sample Chapters page on my blog: https://guardsgonewild.wordpress.com/sample-chapters/

What Do You Get?

If you donate S$10 or more, your name will be printed in my book, on a special Thank You page, as a token of appreciation. Anyone who buys a copy of my book will be able to see who are the contributors who helped me make Guards Gone Wild! a reality. And the names will stay in my book, even in future print runs. That’s my way of saying, “I will never forget those who helped me before.”

You will also receive a limited edition Guards Gone Wild! postcard, that can also be used as a discount card. At the book launch or public places where I hawk my books, you can present the postcard and get 50% off a single purchase. The postcard is valid for one use only.

Overseas donors will also receive this complimentary postcard, and you too can get 50% off a single purchase. Simply take a picture of the reverse side of your postcard (the side with your name and my Thank You message)  and email it to [email protected].

However, please note that the 50% discount only applies to the selling price* of the book. Cost of postage will have to be borne by the recipient of the book. As the price for postage will differ depending on region and weight, let me know the destination and number of books you require via email. Payment can be made via Paypal.

And finally, because the designers and printers can only start working on my book after getting paid, please allow me at least 3 months after the end of the campaign to fulfil the rewards.

* To be determined after I appraise the completed product and final payments to the service providers are made.

After writing everywhere for price estimates, here's a list of costs for my book.

Book cover design - S$960 (That's a reasonable price considering that many professional designers quoted amounts above a thousand dollars.)

Interior layout - S$1550 (According to the layout artist, this price is reasonable because my book contains 59 footnotes, which raises the difficulty of the job.)

Copy-editing - S$1225 (An established company in Singapore is charging S$0.033 per word for their copy-editing service. My book contains 37,119 words so the cost for copy-editing comes to S$1225.)

Printing - S$2750 (That's a good price. Because for that price, I will be getting 1000 copies printed and they will all be thread-sewn.)

Total - S$6485

Feel Free To Be Generous

Although you can obtain the rewards mentioned above with just a minimal donation of S$10, I am hoping that there will be donors out there who want to donate a bit more, out of the kindness of their hearts.

If you wish to donate an amount higher than S$10, click on the Pledge Now button and then key in the amount into the Pledge Amount box. I will communicate with you via email regarding the delivery of your complimentary postcard.

Self-publication without the support of an established publisher is going to be a difficult and costly endeavour. A noob writer going down this road will have to do and pay for everything himself. Looking for a book cover designer. Paying the book cover designer. Looking for a layout artist. Paying the layout artist. Looking for a copy editor. Paying the copy editor. And so on and so forth. That’s why I need your help to fulfil my dream of becoming a published writer.

Right now, as far as I know, there isn't any security guard in Singapore who has published a work memoir so, if I succeed with your help, I will become the first security guard writer in Singapore! Help me make literary history!

But Why?

Because in my book, I detailed accounts of various scams perpetrated by security agencies and their guards. The WYSIWYG, Merry-Go-Round and 24-hour Marathon. What are they and how do they affect YOU, the recipient of their service? Also included are stories of bullying and abuses  that goes on behind the professional facade of the industry. If you live in a condominium that employs private security, or if your job requires you to interact with security guards on a regular basis, then this book will be a helpful addition to your library.