Shannon Okey enjoys sharing what she knows about knitting. But she didn't like being told what to do by traditional publishers. So, after publishing 12 books the traditional way, Okey launched Cooperative Press in 2006 with The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design, the first-ever business book targeted to the handknit industry.

"I decided to start my own company and take advantage of some of the things that larger publishers were ignoring or underusing, such as digital publications," says Okey. "We now publish in a variety of formats, including print, PDF and e-book reader formats."

Today, Okey runs her business out of the Lake Erie building at Templar Park in Lakewood. She is the only full-time employee, but she hires freelancers for everything from editing to photography to graphic design. Cooperative Press splits profits equally with its authors, and pays a higher percentage on digital publications.

The biggest hurdle Okey has overcome is financing. "Banks are terrified the second they hear the word 'knitting,'" she says. "Never mind that crafts are a billion-dollar-plus industry. Never mind we're totally in the black and doing great numbers. Our bank wouldn't give us a standard loan. Their underwriters offered up a credit card in its place -- not the same thing."

This month she launched a month-long campaign on Kickstarter to raise additional funds. The effort raised $6,500 in the first week of campaigning. It is now nearing $10,000.

"People believe in what we're doing and they want to see us succeed, so they're willing to give us money where traditional sources won't," says Okey. "I'm hoping we'll raise over $20,000 this month, which will allow us a lot more flexibility in terms of where we print and other factors."

Source: Shannon Okey
Writer: Karin Connelly