According to John Giroux, the Loveland 365 project began way back in 2008, or even late 2007. In 2008, John took a photo of Lake Loveland every day for 365 days, just as a personal project. When he wrapped that up, he started looking for another year-long project for 2009.

“Actually, my first idea was to meet 365 new people in a year,” he says. “I just went up to people and said, ‘Hi, do you want to be in a book?’” John took their picture, had them sign a waiver, asked them what they were doing and what their hobbies were. But it just didn’t happen; he did 11 people, and decided not to complete the project.

Then in the middle of 2009, he got the idea to do something to celebrate Loveland.

“It sounds really corny, but I really do love Loveland, you know?’ John says, “My original title was, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life In The City With hArt.’ You know, a pun with ‘heart’ and ‘art’ like they do all the time. But John [Metcalf], my graphic designer, said that was too long, so we changed it to Loveland 365.” He laughs. “And now the subtitle is ‘People, Places, and Things That Make Us America’s Sweetheart City.”

Loveland 365 is an art book celebrating Loveland, CO, featuring photos and stories of the city in 2010. Each page also has a bonus - a small photo of Lake Loveland, one for each day of 2010 (a repeat of John’s 2008 project).

John says he was really the idea man, and a photographer, so he knew he was going to need help. He planned out who he would need to put a book together; designer, writer, marketer, web person, someone in self-publishing. He says he got really lucky with his core team: John Metcalf, the graphic designer; Maryjo Morgan, a writer; Fred Richart of Fred’s Used Websites; Bob McDonnell, writer and blogger; and Becky Asmussen, who has helped a lot of local authors self-publish with IG Print. They were all a huge influence on the project. John makes sure to mention that the Pourhouse, a local bar and restaurant, also contributed a lot of their time and project space.

The net profits from the book, up to $20, will go directly to local charities and non-profits. When you pre-order the book, you choose which non-profit will receive the donation. The net profit may vary, because of course the fewer books are printed, the higher the printing overhead. The goal is 3,500 orders. “Best case scenario,” John says, “we might come out with enough for a pizza party at the end.”

When asked if the book is complete, John says, “It’s getting close. We’re still getting the final selections, putting the final touches on everything.” The final project will contain work from at least ten contributing photographers, plus the writers who filled in the stories to go with the pictures. Everything in the book is local - the photos, the photographers, the articles, and the writers. That was the first and most important principle of the project.

The timeline for production is coming up fast. Pre-orders can be submitted through the Loveland 365 website through April 1, 2011, and at that point the order will be sent to the printer. There won’t be any way to get the book after that; aside from some possible promotional copies for the Community Marketing Commission, the only Loveland 365 books that get printed will be the ones pre-ordered now. The distribution party will be May 6, at the Pourhouse.

At Anthology’s March 11 pre-order event, you will be able to order at the special price of $39.95, a $5 discount. There will be an exclusive Sneak Peek mock-up of 30 or 50 pages available for people to see. Mayor Cecil Gutierrez and Miss Loveland Valentine Jamie Felton will be there, too, offering to autograph your Loveland 365 book when it’s printed.

Next year, John is hoping to put together a book called 365 Sweethearts of Loveland, featuring women who make a difference in the community, with profits going to breast cancer research and support.