Self-Published Books Help Charities Raise Money and Get Authors Involved

A growing number of charities have found that self-publishing a book can be a great way to promote their causes

and raise money. Some groups have even received an unexpected bonus this holiday season from the authors of self-published books who donate the proceeds to their favorite organizations.

To make the books, charities rely on online sites that offer easy-to-use publishing software, laying out the text and pictures themselves. They then upload the book to a site’s electronic bookstore and direct people to it via a Web link.

The Carter Center, in Atlanta — the charity founded by Jimmy Carter, the former president — ordered 2,400 copies of a book created by the center that documented its health-care work in Africa and then gave away copies to thank donors who supported the project. The books let people see what is being done with their money and possibly inspire them to give more.

Smaller charities can purchase just a few copies of their book, or even one, and sell the title themselves. “They don’t have to buy 3,000 copies and have boxes lying around,” says Eileen Gittins, chief executive officer of Blurb, one such publishing site. But she recommends that groups buy one copy of their book to proofread it before encouraging people to buy it.

In other cases, donors take it upon themselves to produce books that help charities. Alan Brigish, a professional photographer, is the author of Eye Contact: Windows on the Soul of India, available through Blurb.

“I came back from [a trip to] India with 6,000 photographs and thought, ‘What am I going to do with all this stuff?’” he recalls. Since so many of his pictures focused on poverty and children, he decided to create a book and donate part of the proceeds to charity.

Mr. Brigish sells hardcover copies of Eye Contact, which is 76 pages, for $75, and $35 goes to Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a charity in India that frees children from forced labor and helps educate and feed them. So far, just by sending out a few e-mail promotions, Mr. Brigish says, he has already sold 120 copies, netting $4,200 for the tiny overseas charity. His goal is to sell enough books to raise $35,000 for the cause. He says he hopes to offer another book on Vietnam and Cambodia next year to raise money for groups working there.

Charities do not have to spend a lot of money on self-published books. Blurb, for instance, charges $12.95 per book for its cheapest size — a 40-page, 7-by-7-inch glossy with a soft cover.

One innovative idea Ms. Gittins has seen from charities is producing “community books” based on fund-raising events, such as a walkathon to help people with AIDS. The group organizing the event sends an e-mail message to participants and asks them to send pictures. It chooses among those photographs to produce a book, then sells it.

“When people contribute like that to a book, they’re more invested, and they’re more likely to buy one,” Ms. Gittins says. “Or even two, because they’ll want to send one to their mother.”