Reprint Candy's lost books - help kids learn!

Hi - I'm Candy Lawrence, author/illustrator of MonkeyRead.me Publishing.

Unfortunately, the 2022 flood event in the Northern Rivers has destroyed my entire supply of my children's picture books, which cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars (and many hours of work in promotion) to print.

I'm devastated.

There are so many people around me who've lost everything, and I'm hesitant to ask for help. But my customers have convinced me that these books about tricky topics such as autism, body safety and bullying need to remain available. They believe in me, and in the value of my work.

I see no way of reprinting them without financial support. Every print run - 500 copies of each picture book - will cost me around $3,200. Unfortunately, the fewer copies you print, the more expensive it becomes, so 500 is the middle ground. There are four titles, so replacing my stock would cost me nearly $13,000.

I also lost all my copies of my biography of Ty Belnap, who was born with Down Syndrome. That book was much more expensive to print, doubling the amount required to a total of around $25,000.

I honestly can't see my insurance company coming through with that amount of money for books. They won't care about 'educational value' or 'brand new condition'. They also won't care how much each new print run costs, only about the exact number of books I lost.

If you're able to help me at all to raise the money, I would be extremely grateful - and you'd be doing something wonderful for children, too.

My books are stocked by Early Childhood Australia, Inspired EC, Scholastic and Body Safety Australia, so you can rest easy that they really are great educational resources.

I have two new children's books almost ready to print - one about autism in girls, one about consent - and a much-awaited book of my dog stories in the development stage. But l've been emotionally derailed by this disaster. So many people have had their hopes, dreams and plans for the future destroyed by these floods. I am just one of many. But maybe I'm the one you'd like to help to pick up the pieces?

Thanks for reading this.