Brooklyn Author Crowdfunds $12K To Publish Her Children's Book

FORT GREENE, NEW YORK — M. Yap-Stewart never thought the Kickstarter project for her children’s book, "Little Moss, Big Tree," would reach its $5,000 goal in just one day. But with the help of hundreds of backers from countries across the globe, it did just that.

The project already doubled its funding goal since it launched on May 24, receiving more than $12,000 from more than 375 backers, and still has 15 days left on the clock.

"I always thought the funding would be the problem," said Yap-Stewart, a Fort Greene resident. "I don’t know where these people came from, but I’m so glad they found the book."

"Little Moss, Big Tree," Yap-Stewart’s first book, follows the "lives" of two forest plants through the changing of the seasons in the Hudson Valley. Yap-Stewart described it as a gender-neutral "celebration of the friendships that leave lasting impressions," according to her Kickstarter page.

Similar to classic storybooks, its hardcover is foil stamped and embossed with artwork from Yap-Stewart’s illustrator Mariya Prytula, and its 36 pages of vintage-style watercolor illustrations harken back to the age of Beatrix Potter.

"Her work was so good that I could demand more out of the project," Yap-Stewart said of Prytula.

The idea for the book came to Yap-Stewart two years ago when she was hiking Storm King Mountain with her husband and in-laws and was inspired by an "amazing" patch of moss that became one of her book’s main characters. Soon after returning home, Yap-Stewart — a script supervisor for shows like "Orange is the New Black" — knew what she needed to do.

"The whole story just leapt out of me," she said.

After just one day, she had finished her first draft. Yep-Stewart reached out to Prytula, who specialized in children’s books and wildlife watercolor, who was immediately impressed by the book’s timelessness and "reverence for nature."

"I have to fall in love with something in order for me to create loving illustrations for it," Prytula said.

Her original intention was to self-publish the book with the money she earned from her fundraiser, but Yap-Stewart said she hopes her Kickstarter project receives enough backing — about 1,000 people — to grab the attention of big-time publishers.

The $12,000 she has already raised covers the 500 copies she and her cohorts originally planned to produce when the project launched, she said. She's using the extra funds to create exclusive packages with "Little Moss, Big Tree"-themed postcards, stickers and digital wallpapers, along with other odds and ends that backers can purchase from her Kickstarter page.

Production will begin once the fundraiser ends on Friday, June 28, and backers who ordered books will begin receiving their copies in December, according to the Kickstarter page.

Lead image courtesy of Mariya Prytula/Instagram

Video courtesy of Tam Le and Robert Stewart/YouTube