Last night, the Kickstarter campaign for CHEESE! came to an end with a final total of £4,500 from 195 backers. 

Not only did we hit the funding goal but we added an extra £700! 

All of the money (including the additional funding) will be going towards creating, publishing, and marketing CHEESE! a funny picture book. 

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this happen by pledging, sharing, and supporting. Because of your help, a new book for kids and their families will exist. This book wouldn’t be possible without Kickstarter and generous people like you. You’re helping me to achieve my dream of publishing a picture book and you’re supporting artists like Johnny, the illustrator of CHEESE! 

Kids books are important. The right books can grab a child’s imagination and will stay with them for life. I can’t wait to share the finished CHEESE! book with you and your families. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as Johnny and I have enjoyed creating it. 

Before I launched this campaign, I had no idea if there would be any interest in a book like this from a first-time author and illustrator. Although Johnny and I have years of experience, this project is a new medium for us both. 

It means EVERYTHING that 195 awesome people from all around the world put their faith, money, and support into making this happen. 

Those who know me will know that I am a HUGE Kevin Smith fan. The story of how he came to make Clerks and his DIY ethos led me to question whether it would be possible for me to produce a high quality picture book away from the conventional industry. Kevin Smith showed that it’s possible for all of us to make something. We don’t need to wait for permission or to be invited. We just have to try. We have to have a reasonable amount of unreasonability.

I didn’t think Kevin would ever know that he inspired me to go write and create a kids book… but then I received this video:

(Video courtesy of That Kevin Smith Club: Join here)

Kevin Smith always talks about the importance of encouraging an artist. Everybody who has supported this project has encouraged me. Thank you. You’ve helped to create a thing.

This has been a fun but challenging month and a bit. Crowdfunding takes a LOT of energy and there’s been many late nights to keep everything moving. But the support, encouragement, and generosity of everybody who has helped make this happen has kept me going. There’s been a lot of surprises along the way and it’s been great to connect with so many people. People myself and Johnny have known for years – family, friends, colleagues – but also LOADS of new connections. We appreciate every single one of you. 

Johnny and I will be getting to work on the next stages of the book. This is where things will get a little bit quieter for me and Johnny will be doing a LOT of awesome artwork, bringing the rest of the story to life. 

Now we have the vital funding to do this properly, we’re going to create a book that you will be proud to say you helped to make. A book that families will enjoy together.We’ll be sharing updates as we go so you can see the process of creating a picture book.

The campaign is over – we did it! But the project is only just starting…

After successfully funding CHEESE! we’re very excited to announce that this project is now offering late pledges!

If you didn’t discover CHEESE! in time or backed for no reward*, this is an opportunity for you to still grab a reward. 

Enjoy more CHEESE! with the following rewards:

🧀  eBook
🧀  Paperback 
🧀  SIGNED Paperback
🧀  Mini Comedy Writing Guide
🧀  Paperback and Mini Comedy Writing Guide Bundle
🧀  Sticker pack (very limited quantity available) 
🧀  CHEESE! A5 Art Print

+ ALL add-ons are still available! 

The money raised from late pledges will go towards developing the project further and creating the best possible rewards for our backers. 

It’s likely some reward options will end sooner than others. For example, we will need to remove the add-on for getting your name in the book early in the production process. Please order ASAP if you are hoping to select this add-on.

Other items such as the sticker pack and notebooks have a limited quantity and will be removed once sold out. 

Premium rewards such as getting your kid’s doodle in the book, school visits, and comedy coaching are no longer available. Sorry! 

All rewards expected to ship April 2025 (date subject to change). 

Learn more about Kickstarter’s new late pledge feature: https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/24875599658779-Late-Pledges-Common-Questions

See project updates for future information relating to late pledges. 

*A late pledge reward would be treated as a new pledge in addition to your original ‘no reward’ pledge as campaign pledges can no longer be amended.