Weber State alumnus Scott Wiser is using crowd sourcing to write and fund a novel.

Wiser had several ideas for a novel when he started the process. To decide which one to write, he had a group of people vote on 10 story ideas.

The result is “Vanishing Ink,” which Wiser plans to publish using Kickstarter to fund the costs.

“Vanishing Ink” is about a washed-up magician who needs to save the world from disappearing. The story takes place the 1930s in a small western town. Illustrations by Wiser help portray the plot line.

“I am most fascinated by this story because he is a very lazy character, very washed up,” Wiser said. “It was fun to unlock the goodness in him.”

“Vanishing Ink” is geared toward children ages 9 to 10, but the story has deeper meanings that are appealing to adults as well.

“I think that the most valuable thing for students to know is that it is a creative story with amazing illustrations that will transport you out of reality and into the world of Von,” said Stephanie Smith, who helped edit “Vanishing Ink.” “Who doesn’t want to escape reality and the stresses we face for a moment or two?”

The goal of $12,000 to print the novels was 70 percent funded on Tuesday with nine days to go before the Kickstarter drive ends.

With Kickstarter fundraising, if the person is unable to get funded, the contributors never receive a bill for what they pledged.

Wiser plans an audio version, digital version and hard copy version of the novel that consumers can order.

According to Wiser, newer authors often don’t get as much support from publishing companies. The authors end up doing most of the work while the publishing company benefits from the profits.

“My main goal is to develop a feature film. That’s why I developed the book, because it’s like pre-selling a film,” said Wiser.

Wiser is expecting to print 1,000 books through the Kickstarter campaign. He will then sell the remainder on Amazon.com. Consumers can purchase the book for $20 by going to Kickstarter and searching “Scott Wiser.”

“Vanishing Ink” is expected to be in print by March 2015.

Zach Smith, the creator of www.funded.today helped Wiser out with promoting “Vanishing Ink.” Smith helped promote the novel by using social media, blog postings and cross collaborations with other people on Kickstarter.

“It’s a good story. It’s about great family values,” he said. “It’s just exciting to see what great work a former Weber State student has been able to do.”