Meet the Monsters – Survival Guides for Kids

What do kids know about defending themselves against monsters? After extensive field research, we found the answer: nothing. Lou Gaccione, the author of a new set of children’s books called Meet the Monsters, has set out to tackle this educational gap. The first installment, Zach Meets the Zombie, is currently under production.

Along with his illustrator, Rickman, Gaccione brings his ideas to life in colorful educational tales that give children practical lessons on how to deal with a variety of monsters. Utilizing the children’s book format, he imparts this vital information to children in a fun, fictional way without alarming them or inducing nightmares.

With funding through Kickstarter, Gaccione will see his creation come to life. Future installments will include werewolves and vampires, where Vinny will learn how to vanquish the vampires and Wesley will learn how to war against werewolves. Also, once the creators reach and surpass their goal of $5,000, they will be donating a portion of their proceeds to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

Gaccione and Rickman represent a new group of artistic entrepreneurs who use Kickstarter to fund their projects. Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website launched in 2008, allows independent authors, artists and game designers to directly raise money for their projects. This self-publication frees the artist from the constraints of producing and creating in a corporate, market-driven environment. Gone are the days of expensive self-publishing that goes nowhere; now you can get your project funded on the front end instead of emptying your savings account to bring your idea to life. This is the brave new world of publication. Unique and creative ideas no longer have to die – here they can flourish.