A Letter from the Publisher
Hello! I’m Kirsten Marion, the Publisher at Common Deer Press. We are a young press (est. in 2016), run by four women passionately committed to publishing the best books for children and teens. Already we have 15 novels published and 10 more in the pipeline for the remainder of 2019/2020. Our mission is to find and publish extraordinary and enduring books for young people. Books that change lives. Books that build bridges, connect cultures, transcend differences and, by showing the humanity in others, open hearts. When you captivate a child with books, a world of possibilities open. Books widen the aperture of what a child’s life can become.
Last year, we introduced our annual writing competition, The Uncommon Quest. The judging was anonymous, the opportunities were equal for debut and seasoned writers alike. After all, every great writer of juvenile fiction was once a debut novelist!
The independent panel, comprised of professional writers, librarians, and educators, had no idea whether the author had a publishing history, an agent, or a platform. Each manuscript was judged strictly on its own merit.
The effectiveness of this approach was borne out by the 2019 winner, Broken Shards of Time, a dazzling debut young adult science fiction, written by 14-year-old Nyah Nichol!
With your support, we can make this a sustainable international competition!
We are running a crowdfunding campaign featuring an exclusive hard cover edition of the 2019 Gold winner, Broken Shards of Time. It will have a white cloth cover with a blue foil imprint and a wrap cover designed by the teen author for maximum gorgeousness. The funds raised will go towards editorial costs, book design and typesetting, the initial print run, and publicity. Totally awesome stretch goals have been set!
Pledge rewards start at $1. $10 gets you the special edition e-book. Super Early-Bird contributors get the exclusive hard cover for $25 PLUS the e-book! Pledge rewards just get better from there! Click on the link below to discover more and make a contribution to the cause. However large or small the pledge, it matters.
It won’t be the same without you!
