THERE IS AN EXCITING NEW
OPPORTUNITY FOR MINNESOTA
TEENAGERS TO GET THEIR WORK
PUBLISHED.
SIGMA'S BOOK SHELF EXCLUSIVELY
PUBLISHED THE WORK OF TEEN
WRITERS AGED 14 TO 19.
A GRANT HELPS COVER THE COST OF
PUBLISHING THEIR BOOKS SO THERE
IS NO CHARGE FOR THEM.
THE PROGRAM IS THE WORK OF
JUSTIN ANDERSON.
HE IS A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH
SCHOOL.
I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE ALREADY A
PUBLISHED AUTHOR.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR
FIRST BOOK THAT WAS PUBLISHED.
MY FIRST BOOK WAS SAVING
STRIPES.
IT IS A TRUE STORY OF A RESCUE
WE PARTICIPATED IN WHEN WE SAV
ED A CAT.
WE HAVE THE COVER OF IT
HERE.
IT IS A STORY WHEN YOU AND YOUR
MOM RESCUED CATS.
THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN 2015.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER.
SO IT IS A DREAM OF YOURS.
IT IS.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE
IDEA FOR THIS COMPANY SIGMA'S
BOOK SHOP?
SO, WHEN SAVING STRIPES CAME
OUT I GOT A GREAT AMOUNT OF
ATTENTION FOR IT.
IT GOT ME THINKING THERE IS SO
MANY TEEN AUTHORS OUT THERE WHO
THEY HAVE GOOD STORIES.
THEY DESERVE TO GET PUBLISHED.
I WAS WONDERING WHY THIS WASN'T
A NORMAL THING.
WHY TEENS COULD NOT GET
PUBLISHED.
I LOVE THE IDEA.
RACHAEL, TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS.
YOU ARE ACCEPTING WORK FROM ALL
TEENAGERS.
IF SOMETHING COMES IN FROM
THAT YOUNGER CHILD WE'LL
CERTAINLY ACCEPT IT.
I HAVE TEAMS OF VOLUNTEERS AND
TEACHERS AT LOCAL SCHOOLS.
WISE CREATIVE PUBLISHING HAS
VOLUNTEERED.
THEY ARE A MINNEAPOLIS COMPANY.
THEY'LL HELP US WITH
PROOFREADING AND EDITING ONCE
WE GET TO THAT STAGE.
WE HAVE RECEIVED HALF A DOZEN
MANUSCRIPTS.
A COUPLE HAVE COME FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES.
WE HAVE ACCEPTED ONE BOOK SO
FAR.
IT IS WRITTEN BY A 13-YEAR-OLD
GIRL FROM ROSEVILLE NAMED RUBY.
THERE IS A NEED IF YOU ARE
GETTING MANUSCRIPTS FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES.
TEENS WANT THEIR WORK KNOWN AND
READ.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
SIGMA.
WHERE THE SIGMA IN SIGMA'S BOOK
SHELF COMES FROM.
I KNOW YOU HAVE ANOTHER BOOK IN
THE WORKS.
SIGMA IS A CHARACTER FROM MY
OPENING BOOK, NOTHING BUT
TROUBLE.
HE STARTED OFF AS A CANCER
PATIENT.
HE WENT TO A PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANY TO GET CURED.
THEY ACCIDENTALLY TURNED HIM
INTO A MONSTER.
THAT BOOK IS COMING OUT
SOON?
YES.
WONDERFUL.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING HAPPENS
WITH THIS COMPANY THAT YOU
STARTED?
WHAT DO YOU HOPE WILL HAPPEN
FOR TEENS?
I'M HOPING THAT
THAT IT BECOMES A MORE REGULAR
THING.
THERE ARE TEENS WHO MIGHT BE
INTERESTING IN BECOMING AUTHORS
SOME DAY, WHAT A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING IN
AND SHARING THIS IDEA.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE OR
NOT AS NICE AS YESTERDAY.
KYLIE'S FORECAST IS COMING UP
IN THREE MINUTES.
THERE IS AN EXCITING NEW
OPPORTUNITY FOR MINNESOTA
TEENAGERS TO GET THEIR WORK
PUBLISHED.
SIGMA'S BOOK SHELL EXCLUSIVELY
PUBLISHES THE WORK OF TEEN
WRITERS AGED 12 TO 19.
GRANTS HELP COVER THE COSTS OF
PUBLISHING THEIR BOOKS SO IT IS
FREE TO THEM.
THE PROGRAM IS THE WORK OF
JUSTIN ANDERSON.
JUSTIN AND HIS MOM, RACHEL, ARE
JOINING US IN STUDIO THIS
MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.
I KNOW YOU ARE A PUBLISHED
AUTHOR AT 15.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST BOOK.
MY FIRST BOOK IS CALLED
SAVING STRIPES, A KITTY STORY.
IT IS A TRUE STORY OF A GROUP
OF CATS WE RESCUED.
WE WERE WALKING THROUGH THE
PARK AND WE CAME ACROSS THEM.
I THOUGHT THIS WILL MAKE A
GREAT STORY.
YOU WROTE A BOOK AND GOT IT
PUBLISHED.
AND I GOT A CAT.
AND YOU GOT A CAT OUT OF THE
DEAL.
I LOVE IT.
WAS THIS YOUR INSPIRATION OF
WANTING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE
YOUR AGE GET PUBLISHED?
I WAS ABLE TO GET A LOT OF
ATTENTION FOR IT.
IT GOT ME THINKING HOW COME
TEEN AUTHORS GETTING BOOKS
PUBLISHED IS NOT A NORMAL
THING?
THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD TEEN
WRITERS WHO DESERVE THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES.
RACHEL, TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW SIGMA BOOK SELF
WORKS.
ANYBODY CAN SEND IN A
MANUSCRIPT?
DIRECT.
WE PREFER IT AS A WORD DOCUMENT
ON THE WEBSITE.
WE HAVE A TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS
GOING THROUGH THEM TO FIGURE
OUT WHICH ARE THE BEST BOOKS
THAT HAVE MERIT AND THAT WILL
BE MARKETABLE.
THEY ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS.
WE HAVE WISE CREATIVE
PUBLISHING IN MINNEAPOLIS WHO
VOLUNTEERED TO HELP.
PLUS A NUMBER OF TEACHERS
THROUGH THE TWIN CITIES JUMPED
IN AND SAID WE WOULD BE HAPPY
TO DO IT.
WE HAVE TEN OR SO VOLUNTEERS.
EVENTUALLY WE ARE HOPING TO
GROW THIS BUSINESS SO WE CAN
START PAYING PEOPLE.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE LOOKING FOR
GRANT MONEY TO HELP US GET
GOING.
FANTASTIC.
IT IS JUST SUCH A WONDERFUL
IDEA.
I LOVE THAT IT CAME FROM YOU.
, A TEEN WHO IS AN AUTHOR
HIMSELF AND YOU WANT TO GIVE
OTHERS THIS OPPORTUNITY.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT
SIGMA'S BOOK SHELF WE HAVE
INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE
WHERE YOU CAN SENT IN YOUR OWN
STORY.
GO TO WCCO.COM/LINKS.
IT WILL GET YOU THERE.