‘Shibboleth –The Shamans’ Apprentice’. Author: John Ogden

Ended on April 22nd 2016

35%
$2,425AU
pledged of $7,000AU
31
pledges

Raise the final funds for design, proofing, and printing of a special advance edition.

Rewards

Level 1

$25AU
| 12 of 200 taken

You'll receive a signed Special edition print copy of my novel, with no extra postage for Australian residents. Thank you! RRP$29.95 (with GST) Postage within Australia included. Estimated delivery: July 2016.

Level 2

$40AU
| 0 of 100 taken

Thank you for being generous. For your $40 you will receive a signed special edition copy of the novel (RRP$29.95 with GST), with no extra postage for Australian residents, plus two personal 5x7” photo cards of one of my photographs. Postage within Australia included.

Level 3

$50AU
| 9 of 50 taken

Bravo! You'll receive a special edition printed book with a personal inscription. I'll also send you a signed 10x8” digital print of one of my black and white photographs, as well as a 5x7" photo card. You'll also make it on to the acknowledgments page. Postage within Australia included.

Level 4

$100AU
| 5 of 25 taken

Wow! The big one hundred! You'll receive two hard copies of the novel, so you can share it with a friend or family member and your name will be mentioned in the acknowledgement section. I'll also send you a personalised and signed book-plate, and a signed 10x8” digital print of one of my black and white photographs. Postage within Australia included.

Level 5 - Adventurer

$200AU
| 5 of 20 taken

If I could I would kiss you 200 times but instead you'll get your name in my book. You'll receive 2 signed copies of my novel, plus I'll send you a personalised and signed book-plate, and a signed 14x11” black and white digital print selected from my photographs. I will also send a signed copy of Slightly Dangerous (RRP$44) and a copy of one of my 'Saltwater People' books (you choose either north or south version). Postage within Australia included.

Level 6 – Truth Seeker

$500AU
| 0 of 10 taken

This sort of generosity requires serious rewards. You'll get 2 signed copies of my book, plus a huge thank you in the book for your awesomeness. I'll also send you a personalised and signed book-plate, and a signed 16x14” black and white silver gel print of one of my photographs of your choosing. I will also send a signed copy of Slightly Dangerous (RRP$44), and a copy of one of my 'Saltwater People' books. Postage within Australia included.

Level 7 – Secrets of the Universe

$1,000AU
| 0 of 5 taken

For your generous donation, you get a special mention book for being a benefactor. You'll receive 2 signed copies of the book, plus I will send you a personalised and signed book-plate, and a signed 14x12” black and white silver gel print of one of my photographs of your choosing. I will also send a signed copy of my book Slightly Dangerous, one of the last remaining copies of Portraits from a Land Without People, and a set of 'Saltwater People' companion books. Postage within Australia included

Level 8 – Enlightenment

$2,500AU
| 0 of 2 taken

For your extremely generous donation, you get: a special mention book; 2 signed copies of the book, and a personalised signed book plate; a signed 14x12” black and white print of one of my photographs of your choosing; a signed copy of Slightly Dangerous; and a set of the 'Saltwater People' companion books. The main prize in this offer is one of my personal copies of the Limited Edition Portraits from a Land Without People boxed sets (RRP AUD$1,650.00 with GST). Postage within Australia included

John Ogden

Flexible Funding
www.cyclopspress.com.au/col...
Publishing Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The first time I died I had just been born…

After writing and publishing five books through my company Cyclops Press, I am about to release my debut novel.

Shibboleth – The Shaman’s Apprentice is a novel of both the sacred and profane. It is a story with moral purpose, based on an extraordinary account of one man’s journey along a less trampled path. The overriding thematic concern of Shibboleth is the search for Truth. It is a meditation on good and evil, and a love story that explores the rift between love and trust.

CROWDFUNDING

The first round of crowdfunding in 2015 successfully raised enough funds to employ two great editors, and I was also able to engage a legal opinion. Although the novel is a work of fiction, it is set in a very real world and actual events. Shibboleth is not just a good read – it contains an important message.

The first round funders were the heavy lifters. They got the book over that important line during its development, when no-one knew if I could pull this off or not. For this I am eternally grateful, and wish to say that the writing/development took longer that I expected, but the book should now be ready for delivery to you in just a few months.

The delivery date for the second round funders is much safer, and if there ever was a risk about the book falling over, there isn’t any now. Please share with your friends and help a new author. This project has taken over 4 years of my life, and the risks of working so long without income are very real. I have never received a grant in a career spanning 4 decades, and – with what is happening to the Arts Council at the moment – might never get one. I am offering good value rewards, but I want to tell everyone who suscibes to this campaign, that I appreciate each and every one of you.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Tremendous feedback has been coming in,  not just from the editors, but also from a dozen readers from different ages and backgrounds. I could tell you how brilliant the book is, but I’m too shy, so I have added comments from the editors (you will have to scroll down a little more).

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The above cover is not the final artwork. 


THE STORY

Will Oakley begins his journey with a restless existential romp through an extraordinary period in human history. Along the way he meets a collection of unlikely mentors, and is initiated into an ancient culture misunderstood as an outmoded shibboleth. This vast pool of spirituality and knowledge explains the genesis of mankind and the truth of our nature. It also holds clues to the fate of humanity.

Increasingly Will is drawn into violent acts, including kidnapping, and even murder. He is wounded in love and war, imprisoned and tortured … and, in turn, enlightened. Will’s dark gifts as a spiritual warrior are gradually revealed to him.

Shibboleth is breathtaking in its scope. It has all the makings of a page turning adventure story, complete with lashings of satire, humour, pathos, love, sex, drugs, rock’n’roll, violence, politics, mystery, philosophy, creation, international cities, complex characters … and no less than the meaning of life.

 

WHAT THE EDITORS SAY:

 I’ve had a blast reading and working on Shibboleth. The story is sure to have far-reaching appeal – it is packed with compelling characters and events, rich with symbolism and philosophy, and bursting with contemporary history and intrigue. Ogden’s command of language engages and holds the reader, pushing the movement of the story through its paces.
 – Brigitte Staples. 

Shibboleth – The Shamans’ Apprentice is an amazing read; profound, shocking, hilarious and inspiring, with incredible characters and events set in exotic locations around the world  ~ from Bali to Bhutan.
– Din Heagney.

 

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

Since 2006 Ogden’s work has focused on series’ of fine art photography, and extensive work with Aboriginal Australian imagery. Ogden’s 2008/9 work ‘Portraits From A Land Without People’ is considered to be the most comprehensive pictorial history of the Aboriginal people of Australia produced.

In November 2011 Ogden released ‘Saltwater People of the Broken Bays – Sydney’s Northern Beaches’, and in November 2012 released the companion book ‘Saltwater People of the Fatal Shore – Sydney’s South-side Beaches’. ‘Slightly Dangerous – The Cyclops’ Cypher’, released in May 2013, provides an insight into the inspirations and influences behind Ogden’s work. image

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 ABOUT JOHN OGDEN

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 John Ogden is the creator and sole director of Cyclops Press. He began publishing in 1999 with his first book Australienation. In 2009 he published Portraits from a Land Without People, the culmination of many years of research. The award winning companion books Saltwater People of the Broken Bays: Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and Saltwater People of the Fatal Shore: Sydney’s Southern Beaches were released in 2011-12. Slightly Dangerous, the basis for Shibboleth, was released in July 2013. Ogden has also contributed towards several other books, including WAR (2010) and Cactus (2010).

The Saltwater People books won the 2013 biennial Frank Broeze Maritime History Prize awarded by the Australian National Maritime Museum. In 2012 Cyclops Press was recognized with a Pauline McLeod Reconciliation Award for its work promoting meaningful reconciliation.

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April 22, 2016

 

Hello,

Thanks for your support for my Shibboleth campaign. With only one day left to pledge, here's an update on the book's progress.

I have revised the limited edition print-run down to a maximum of 200-300 signed and numbered copies. This edition will be supplied to all who helped sponsor the project, and will also be sent out for review purpose. Funds for printing that amount just about met, but still need a bit more from the campaign to pay for design and proofreading.

Another use of this limited edition will be to seek out an international publisher. When it goes to an international commercial release I suspect the book will be edited again (the publisher likes to put their mark on a book) and that the Australian component will be homogenised in some way. This should make the small print-run author's release a collectable … a bit like the Director's cut of Bladerunner.

Thanks to all who have contributed to date. I expect that the book will be in your hands as early as June/July.

Shibboleth (all 500 pages odd) is also the first book in a trilogy that follow this journey: Initiate, Noviate, Adept.
Thanks,

John Ogden


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