GERMANTOWN, Md. - Oct. 12, 2018 - s4story -- Sometimes, a great book just needs a little kickstart. Maryland author D. L. Roley came to just that conclusion and is using the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to support his upcoming novel, "Nasu Rabi (Old Bear)."

The book relates the adventures of a 14-year-old boy, Darius, whose village is all but destroyed by an invading force. With the help of an old man he meets along the way, Darius goes off on a quest, traveling years and hundreds of miles with his guide and mentor to rescue his mother from the invaders.

Writing and publishing a novel of any kind is a complicated process, as any would-be writer can tell you. Roley can attest to that fact himself. As he states on the page for his Kickstarter campaign, "What I found [with traditional publishing methods] was a brutally competitive market that was hard to penetrate. During the intervening years, the introduction of Amazon and small batch printing houses has changed the face of publishing. Authors now have many more options to get their work in front of readers."

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With the completion of the second draft near, Roley anticipates shifting into "production" mode within the next month or so. To that end, if the campaign is successful, the funds will immediately be applied to fees for cover artists and professional editors, although the bulk of the funds are earmarked for printing costs.

The author says that what drew him to the Kickstarter approach in general was his past experience with the platform, and the community that's built up around it. "I've used Kickstarter in the past to back projects," Roley says. "I like the simplicity of the platform. Plus I've always had good experiences with the Kickstarter community."

While using crowdfunding to launch a novel may not seem orthodox, its use is gaining in popularity. The platform has been used to support funding for a number of artistic endeavors, including books, films, comics and more.

The "Nasu Rabi" Kickstarter campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nasurabi/nasu-rabi-old-bear) will run through October 31, 2018. As an "all or nothing" campaign, it will only proceed through production and distribution of pledge rewards if the campaign is fully funded at $12,000 by that date.