Thursday, February 18, 2016

Author Profits to be Donated to Charity in Bob Crane's Memory

Bob Crane with Pamela Hayes Thompson in Beginner's Luck.


It's tax time, and like many people, I'll be meeting with my accountant to review and do my 2015 taxes. And now that Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography is published, I'll be discussing something else: setting up a nonprofit account. Why? Because all author profits on the sales of the book will go to various charities in Bob Crane's memory.

My coauthors—Dee Young and Linda Groundwater—and I heard from many people how generous and charitable Bob was. We understand how much he wanted to help others, and he did so often and regularly, for little or no financial reimbursement. We felt it was only right to donate our share of the profits to charity in Bob's memory as a way to honor him and give back to the community at the same time. Plus, he should still be here, or at least have been allowed to live out his life to its natural end. Capitalizing on him in any way is not something we ever wished to do.

But there are bills to pay. We wanted to present this book properly, and that meant spending a lot of money. Once those production bills are paid off, we will donate. To us, it was never about making money. It was about the truth and telling Bob's complete and honest story. 

So learn about Bob Crane in the pages of our book. Discover his full life from birth to death, through his growing up years, to drums, to radio, to Hogan's Heroes, to the struggles he sought to overcome and his bright hopes for the future he never got to see. Know that as you're reading, a portion of the money you have spent will help others, just as we believe Bob would have wanted.

Enjoy, and as always—many, many thanks!