“Our goal was to produce a quality book on a limited production budget,” said Cindi Brown, founder of Just One Voice, a non-profit organization that supports Great Lakes University of Kisumu (GLUK) and its surrounding rural villages in Kenya. Brown’s book , Poverty and Promise: One Volunteer’s Experience of Kenya,was released in 2008 as a fundraiser. Proceeds from the book finance agribusiness training to aid the community for years to come. 
Cindi noted, “Guru.com enabled me to produce a better book for much less than I had expected.” The result is a project that leveraged the expertise of several Guru.com Freelancers to successfully bring awareness to development issues throughout Africa.
“I loved Guru.com from the minute I registered. It felt like there were millions of potential connections to make with fantastic, creative people all over the world,” said Cindi who has always been fascinated by the idea of collaboration.
“Collaboration across the globe is compelling, simply for the richness of blended experiences, expertise, and insight it offers,” she remarks. “Different perspectives can truly enhance a finished product.”
Freelancers everywhere responded to Cindi’s book project. Tamara Berry was one of the bidders: “I did no more or no less than I always do when making a bid on Guru: I told the truth. I outlined my skills and the realistic promises I could make on the project, and also indicated my heartfelt passion for the subject.”
"All of the Freelancers I've Worked With Have Been Real Professionals"
Berry’s sincerity and professionalism stood out to Cindi: “I was concerned about quality and reliability in the beginning; but, all of the freelancers I’ve worked with have been real professionals. They responded promptly, provided fresh insights and suggestions, met deadlines consistently, and went above and beyond the project’s requirements, each in their own way.”
Tamara admits that the non-profit nature of Cindi’s project was attractive; but, she was genuinely excited to do the work. “This project offered an ideal opportunity to fuse my background in literature, my editing skills, and my genuine interest in seeing this project succeed.”
The team Cindi finally assembled included Tamara (of Berry Brewer Freelance Agency) as manuscript editor; designer Ignacio Pintos of Uruguay as book interior designer; Donny Soeder of California as logo graphics and promotional items designer; and Brian Murphy, illustrator for a related animal donations effort.
The Freelancer "Felt Like a True Partner in the Project"
“I loved that my designer lived in Montevideo, Uruguay, and brought a global perspective to a project that was inherently global,” Cindi said. “Ignacio was responsive and amazingly quick. His spirit of good will honestly kept my spirits up over the months it took to complete the book design and ready the files for the printer. He felt like a true partner in the project.”
“This was my first time producing a book as a traditional publisher might. Ignacio and Tamara made the process pleasant, fun, and meaningful,” said Cindi, who admitted having real doubts about her writing and book production skills.
“Cindi provided me with her working draft of the manuscript and it was my job to make it read like a published book,” said Tamara. “I worked with structure, language flow, style, and basic grammar to create a polished version of what I think is a truly amazing piece of literature.”
Since publication, Poverty and Promise has won the 2009 National “Best Books” Award for Multicultural Non-Fiction as well as two Gold Medal Awards - the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) and the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Award (Indie). It also placed as finalist in several categories across three other multi-national awards programs.
“These awards mean a great deal to me, especially because they bring exposure to what’s going on in Kenya through Poverty and Promise,” said Cindi. “After all the hard work put into this project, I simply cried when I received notification of all these honors.”
Tamara is equally grateful. She notes, “Cindi has been very generous in giving me credit for the work I did; and, I've been able to refer potential Employers to an award-winning work as evidence of my success as an editor. It's been an incredible addition to my portfolio (and my bookshelf!).”
Although Cindi never met her Freelancers in person, she reports that everyone involved still feels very much like a team. In fact, the project has resulted in several spin-off efforts: a Poverty and Promise audio book; an animal donation program with an illustrated children’s book; and a journal devoted to the volunteer work of host organizations in developing countries all over the world.
Guru Freelancers will continue to support Cindi in bringing these efforts to life. Cindi concludes, “I’m thrilled to have access to Guru.com and its brilliant collection of freelancers from around the world who will continue to contribute to the success of our future book and marketing projects.”
Poverty and Promise is available through Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere. |