A SCOTTISH writer and cartoonist has launched a crowdfunder in a bid to raise money for the publication of his satirical novel on the 2008 global financial crisis.
Greg Moodie is looking to raise £6000 to cover the publication costs of his new novel – The Unbearable Stupidity of Being – as well as for some support for his weekly cartoons.
The overall target is £6000 with almost £4000 being raised so far with the crowdfunder – which can be found HERE – closing on Monday.
Moodie was working as a freelance commercial designer when the 2008 financial crisis hit.
“The banks had been good clients but all of a sudden, I mean literally overnight, that just dried up,” he told The National.
“That was one thing but it wasn’t just the lack of work from the banks, the knock-on effect on businesses meant I found it difficult to find work.
“I went from being in demand to having nothing. It was probably about six months before I had any sniff of work and so I was taking it a bit personally.”
The writing process
As a cartoonist, it’s no surprise that satire appealed to Moodie as a form. His crowdfunder cites the practices of bankers such as RBS’s Fred Goodwin – named by Time as one of the 25 people to blame for the financial crisis – as the motivation for his novel.
He said: “I followed all these stories of mismanagement, of corruption, just appalling behaviour.
“I finished this book by 2011 and went straight into a second book – Six Degrees of Stupidity – which I subsequently published so the second came before the first.
“That took me right up to 2013 by which point we were right into the thick of the referendum campaign.
“I was very much wrapped up and interested in that, particularly because cartooning is something I’d always done on and off and there was this campaign.”
Moodie’s cartoons were previously published in The National from 2014 to 2020, although he has self-published for the last four years. Many of his designs can be found HERE.
Choosing satire
Moodie’s latest book focuses on the character of Tony Boaks – who becomes involved with a group of disgraced bankers who, following the financial crash, have chosen to operate underground.
Boaks is subsequently persuaded to help front the group’s arm’s-length political party.
The writer added: “I found I had a style of writing and it was probably born out of having done cartoons, I’ve done that most of my life.
“The crowdfunder has a dual purpose though because I’ve carried on doing cartoons. I crowdfund from time to time and people make donations randomly bless them which is fantastic.
“For something like this, I’m not asking anyone to fund the time it took to produce because that would have been a huge amount of time and money.
“But when it comes to the printing costs, that’s a big outlay and something that requires a bit of backing.
“I’ve always self-published my own material because as a designed I always found it more efficient rather than going to a traditional publisher.”
Moodie confirmed that his latest book is ready to go to the printer and said he hopes to have books “popping through letterboxes” by the end of the month.
