A short summary of my project

Hello! I am aiming to raise £3000 to allow the start up of a subscription box service aimed towards children. Reading and enjoying stories at an early age is of great importance, this is why I want to make the whole experience around reading and enjoying books fun. The box is to include themed picture books and items each month.

Who are you?

My name is Jamie and I have recently completed an MSc in Cancer Biology. I am a father of two daughters who I love reading to and sharing stories with.

My story

MyBookPod is a way of getting books into children homes all around the country. The idea is to have three different types of boxes (or 'Pods' as we call them) for the children to choose from. Each month a new and exciting book will be sent out along with themed items in a subscription Pod. The books will be different each month and will be centred on the theme that is chosen. As well as a beautiful book, a few items will be included too, ranging from bookmarks and drawing materials to plush toys and games. It is our idea that the books will be for children, approved by children, meaning we will find out what our children and their friends think of every book before it is included. The three types of boxes will be championed by each character from MyBookPod, take a look below:

Pam'sPrettyPod: Hiya! I'm Pam and my Pod will include wonderfully pretty themed books and items. Choose Pam'sPrettyPod if you love to have monthly themes such as Unicorns, Animals and All Things Cute. Pete'sMarvelousPod: ​Yo, I'm the one and only Pete! My pod contains lots of great and marvelous books and items each month, such as dinosaurs, space and outdoor exploring. Pete'sMarvelousPod is a fantastic choice, believe me! Big'sAdventurePod: ​Hello, I am Big. I have been on many adventures in my long life. My Pod will jump into the world of adventures, such as discovering insects, gardens and caves. Big'sAdventurePod will give you truely wonderful experiences.

MyBookPod will initially include easy to read stories with beautiful illustrations. This allows the age range to be larger from 3-8 years. Have a look at the prototypes and designs below:

We have many more ideas that we would love to incorporate at a later date which will include Pods aimed at older children and Pods that have exciting elements built into the box itself.

Subscription boxes are becoming more and more available, we want to allow children to enjoy them as well. Sometimes it is hard for parents to get children interested in books with all the modern amenities in the world today. Having a MyBookPod sent through the door, specifically for that child, will make it more personal, fun and enjoyable for the child.

I really think that opening up a child's imagination is a wonderful thing, you only need to have a conversation with my daughters to discover how bizarre and funny they can be. Books also allow them to explore their imagination, which develops their creativity. Including themed items with the book allows a more immersive experience.

To get the ball rolling with MyBookPod, there are essentials that are needed such as a website and database design as well as sourcing the items, books and designing the boxes. By donating to MyBookPod, you will actually be helping to start up the subscription box service which we will forever be grateful for. If that isn't enough, there are some rewards that you can help yourself to :-)

Where will the money go?

If we hit our £3000 target we will distribute the funds accordingly:

• Packaging and box costs: £800
• Books and item costs: £1200
• Website building and running costs: £200
• Advertising etc costs: £300
• Focus group costs: £100
• Other costs (designers, accounting, rewards): £400

If we reach our minimum target of £600 we will be able put the funds towards starting the subscription project as well as delivering rewards. The more funds we receive, the more of the above items we will be able to achieve.

If we exceed our target then possibility to start the production of custom designed Pods may be achievable. This would need very specific box design, so costs are initially high for the production as it has to be designed from scratch. But this is an ideal situation and something we do not expect to happen until we are established.

We will update you on the progress on the campaign regularly with any and all important information.

Rewards

If you look to the right we have some great rewards to say a BIG thank you to everyone who donates, not matter how little or large! Take a look.

Find us here

Follow us and check out the links below to find out how we're doing!

Website: www.mybookpod.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybookpod/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyBookPod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybookpod/

Help us succeed!

• You don't need to give money to help us succeed! Please share MyBookPod with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, by email, in a chat over the fence or however else you can share our project.
• In fact, share it with everyone you know as we think MyBookPod is going to be great, and the more people who know about it, the more likely we are to make this work out brilliantly.
• And we know we said you don't need to give money to help us, but we'd love it if you did! Please sponsor us and help make this happen.