In the world of poker books, it is more often that you will see the “normal” process of the industry. A book will go to a traditional publisher, with that publisher paying the author(s) for their work through an advance of cash and then a percentage of the sales. One professional poker player is taking a unique tack in attempting to get his book off the ground, however.
Two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Dutch Boyd has taken to the online fundraising site Kickstarter to garner the funding to get his book into print. The book, tentatively titled “Poker Tilt,” is an effort between Boyd and co-author Laurence Samuels that is promised by Boyd to be “part autobiography, part poker strategy” according to the Kickstarter page. The book will be self-published and Boyd is looking to raise $5000 towards getting the project to completion.
Boyd makes no bones about his reasoning for trying to get this book published. “I’ve won two World Series of Poker bracelets and over $2 million in earnings…but now I’m broke,” he writes at the top of the Kickstarter page. “Be a part of my comeback story.”
“If you’ve ever played poker, you are going to want this book,” Boyd writes a bit further down the page. “Even if you don’t play poker, there is going to be a lot in here that will be interesting to you. The things that make a poker player successful apply to all aspects of life. Plus, you’ll get to read an insider’s story of a world that is rarely exposed.”
Boyd is working hard on the book, shooting for a release date of this July. For those that pledge more than $10 to bringing “Poker Tilt” to life, Boyd states there is the potential for an e-book version to be in contributors hands prior to this summer’s WSOP Main Event.
There are few risks for those that would be interested in funding the Boyd project. If the $5000 goal isn’t met in a one month span, then those that have signed onto the project will not be charged for their donation. After going live with the Kickstarter site on Friday, 23 backers have signed up to this point, contributing $1,135 of the funds required. The cutoff date for the project is April 14.
Boyd has had an up-and-down life as a member of the poker community. After entering the poker world in 2002, Boyd would rack up seven WSOP cashes (including a deep twelfth place run in the Championship Event in 2003) before winning his first bracelet in 2006. Boyd would win his second WSOP bracelet in 2010 on his way to earnings of $2.1 million as of 2012.
The down sides of poker have also been seen by Boyd. It is well documented his ventures into the online poker industry with PokerSpot (and its eventual downfall and non-payment of players) and his battles against Two Plus Two Publishing over cybersquatting (a judgment against Boyd was rendered in 2012 and is currently under appeal). In late 2012, Boyd sold one of his championship bracelets from a tournament at the Bellagio. Boyd has also been quite open about his battles with mental illness and, last year, his battles in finding a “real” job outside of the poker world.
Kickstarter has recently been in the news for another funding project that has shown the strength of not only the site but also the interest of fans in such endeavors. Just last Wednesday, the creator of the television series “Veronica Mars,” Rob Thomas, and the star of the show, actress Kristen Bell, launched a $2 million fundraising effort to bring a potential Veronica Mars movie to the big screen. Within hours of announcing the initiative, that $2 million goal had been exceeded, drawing contributions from over 32,000 people.
While Boyd’s project isn’t looking for nearly as much as the Veronica Mars effort, it will be interesting to see if using such fundraising sites as Kickstarter may start a trend for future literary efforts not only in poker but other subjects.
