At Bookbound, we help books find their way into the world — and are on a mission to make this process accessible to all.
The Bookbound Initiative supports underrepresented voices who have a book idea but need additional resources to make the book come to fruition. We empower grantees with up to $10,000 in funding, coaching, project management, and marketing support. We’ll handhold you through each step of the process, including:
Developing a project plan with all the milestones necessary to get the book from idea to launch
Sourcing and funding to create a high-quality book — including cover design, layout, development editing, and copy editing
Creating the final PDF document (AKA the book!)
Facilitating ebook publishing and distribution (through a seamless handoff to one of our partners)
Building a marketing launch plan with media/influencer outreach
A one-hour mentoring session with each member of our grant committee (experts in book publishing and marketing)
2023 grant award recipient
I’m excited to announce that Jae Wu, an LA-based businesswoman and community leader, is the recipient of the 2023 Bookbound Initiative grant. Jae’s memoir, Be Willing, is a beautiful tragedy-to-triumph story. It’s a story about resilience, optimism, and love. The grant will go towards editing, cover design, interior layout, and distribution, with the goal of releasing the book in 2024. Read more about Jae and her forthcoming book below!
Jae Wu is a business owner and Korean-American immigrant who moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago with $200 and a mountain of debt from college. As the co-owner of Heyler Realty and the 2023 President of the Women's Council of Realtors Los Angeles/Beverly Hills, she has helped thousands of people realize their real estate goals through a combination of experience, hard work, and fierce loyalty since 1995.
Jae thrives on being of service to others. She has helped so many people that her friends and colleagues often joke that there’s only one degree of separation between Jae and anyone in LA. She lives her values, whether selling a multimillion-dollar home or leading philanthropic efforts, such as chairing the 2023 American Cancer Society's Cal Spirit event.
Jae resides in Westwood with her husband and two sons. She makes the most of every minute, as she has a keen sense of how uncertain our time on Earth truly is. In her free time, she enjoys beach volleyball, golf, running, hiking, and all things culinary.
Jae Wu
About the Book
Be Willing is Jae's personal journey as a Korean-American immigrant. From escaping an abusive past to forging an extraordinary present, Jae shares her unique story, marked by resilience and determination. Whether navigating racism and sexism, advocating for her son with autism, or enduring the tragedy of her sister's murder, Jae's story underscores the transformative power of adversity. She shows us how she built a life with a loving partner, raised good kids, created the career of her dreams, and found her community. Told with heart, Be Willing uplifts women who have experienced deep suffering and proves that where we start in life doesn’t have to be where we end.
OUR INSPIRATION for the bookbound initiative
Meet Judy Hope Chinitz, a Special Needs Educator who works with nonspeaking autistic young adults and children. Inspired to help her autistic son learn how to communicate (even though she was told he would never be able to), Judy discovered a technique where nonspeakers point at letters on a laminated card (or use a keyboard) to type out words. She has helped over 50 students over the last 4 years find their voice, and, in doing so, she’s unleashed an unexpected level of creativity, resulting in poems, short stories, and even songs (from individuals who, for most of their lives, were not able to communicate at all)!
Judy had been on a mission to share her students’ creative work with the world. When we learned about her, we just knew that we wanted to help make her vision a reality. The result: a beautiful book titled Spellbound: The Voices of the Silent.
We supported her in developing the manuscript, hiring an illustrator and copy editor, providing overall creative direction, and handholding her through the Kindle Direct Publishing process.
Spellbound: The Voices of the Silent is available for purchase here! 100% of the profits from this book will go to the Mouth to Hand Parent Association, whose mission is to enrich the lives of nonspeakers.
We also realized, through this process, that there are a lot of Judys out there. Hence, the Bookbound Initiative was born. Read more about the program and apply below!
In Judy’s words:
“I have the privilege of teaching nonspeaking autistic students how to communicate by spelling (i.e., pointing at letters on a laminated card) and typing. It's been remarkable to see the creativity unleashed in these children and young adults, resulting in poems, short stories, and even songs. I've been on a mission to share their work with the world, and Fran Hauser was able to help me make that vision a reality. Fran gave me access to financial capital and experts who contributed to the creation of Spellbound: The Voices of the Silent, a book that wildly exceeded my expectations. In addition, she project-managed the entire process and came up with the most creative launch ideas. All my students and I are grateful to Fran for being our book whisperer and fairy godmother”!
— Judy Hope Chinitz, MS, Founder and Director of Mouth to Hand Learning Center, Inc. and Editor of Spellbound: The Voices of the Silent
Grant Committee
Our Grant Committee is made up of movers, shakers, and innovators in the book publishing world. Not only are they instrumental in selecting the grant recipients, but they each have committed to a one-hour mentorship session with grant recipients.
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Abby West
VP, Editorial Director at Amistad Books, and former Director of Inclusive Content Programming at Audible
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Jodi Lipper
Six-time New York Times Bestselling Writer
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Kathleen Harris
Executive Editor, Zibby Books and Zibby Magazine
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Morgan Grimm
Strategist for issue advocates and innovators
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Mark Armstrong
Producer & co-founder, Ursa Story Company. Founder of Longreads
Interested in applying for a grant?
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