If you happened to read my post last week on Using KickStarter to Fund Self-Publishing Projects, you might remember that I was toying with the idea of running a campaign myself, one to help fund the production of my Emperor’s Edge audiobooks.
I paid for professional narration and editing of the first two audiobooks out of pocket (you can download all of The Emperor’s Edge through Podiobooks.com or iTunes, and the opening chapters of Book 2 will be out soon), and I put them out there for free, because that’s how I like to roll, but I have four more books planned in the series, and it’ll be quite an investment to get them all out there. So, KickStarter.
For those who don’t want to read the other article (hey, it’s long, I understand), this is a site that allows artists, authors, musicians, etc. to post projects and ask for “crowd-funding” help, meaning people can donate money to get the project off the ground. In return, they get goodies related to the project.
Here are things I’m definitely going to give away to folks who pledge:
- Completed audio files of the books (instead of listening to a chapter a week on iTunes, you’d be able to listen to the entire book at once, similarly to a story you download from Audible)
- Signed paperbacks of The Emperor’s Edge, Dark Currents, and Deadly Games
- A USB drive with all of the audiobooks, all of the ebooks, cut scenes from the stories, interviews I’ve done around the web, and basically anything else I can think of that might be fun to include.
Here are a few more things I’m thinking of giving away:
- A chance to name a minor character in Book 4
- Advertising (probably sponsored posts, but I’m open to other ideas) for fantasy authors or artists who’d like a little exposure on my blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page, etc.
Are these good, or is there something else you’d like to see as a prize? Don’t worry — leaving a comment here under no way obligates you to pledge. I’d love to get your input though!
UPDATE: Here’s a preview link to what I’ve set up so far. Nothing is set in stone, so feel free to comment. I may add a partial manuscript or short story critique, since a couple of you have mentioned that, so if that’s something you’d be interested in, please give me an idea on a reasonable price point. Thanks!
I have no useful input, but I look forward to seeing what you finally choose. I have never really been into audio books but I’d pledge just for some EE goodies 🙂
Thanks, Cassandra! I’m trying to come up with things for readers as well as listeners. There’s some overlap, but I know lots of people are just one or the other!
Hey Lindsay,
This is a great idea. I’ve gotten board games from Kickstarter and it’s a fantastic place to get things published.
You already have lots of good things for when people pledge different levels of money. Other things that people on Kickstarter use as tier gifts are a copy of limited hard cover editions that you can pretty much only get by donating, skype or phone call with the author for a Q& A session and maybe select input for future novels (people like being part of something), a place in one of the novels as a minor character but more than a few sentences planned by the author with input from the donator so it feels like the donator is in the story without completely changing your story to fit them (for the few expensive donations you might get), a bookmark related to the story (since they’re obviously readers it’s a great idea lol), if the cover is neat some offer an 8×10 print/poster of it or of some of the characters, optional offer to read one of their stories for an overall critique, jewelry or shirts related to the story (which I noticed you had some of those already), and various other merchandise related to the story such as mugs.
Ok, so I browse Kickstarter sometimes lol those are just the various things that other people use on there and some even go so far as to offer to meet the person if they donate $2000. I hope some of these spark ideas for you.
Kat
Thanks for the ideas, Kat! I’m browsing around now, seeing what other authors have offered.
I hadn’t thought of critiques, though I’m not sure it’d be a “reward” to have me run through a beloved story with a red pen. 😛
Hmmm, well people pay for editors to do that don’t they? Plus people would get your novel, realize you’re awesome, and then want some of your wisdom anyway 😉
Like Cassandra, I’ve never really gotten into the audiobook scene, but also like her I would definitely pledge for some freebies. :3
Anything like what you listed sounds wonderful to me – especially the chance to name a character! That sort of thing appeals to me most, knowing I would be, in a roundabout way, helping with the creative process. Also, plugging a fledgling author’s name would be awesome.
I don’t know what you’d think about this suggestion, but what about a chance to design a cover for a future book? Or even just an illustration…I lean very much towards the creative side of things.
Oh! That reminds me of something – do you critique drafts for hopeful authors? That’s a pretty big one, but…I dunno, maybe you could hold a raffle for it, or something. So that you wouldn’t have to take on too much.
Hope some of this helped! -Holly
Well, with KS, she can limit rewards, and even customize them for someone by only offering 1 of that reward level.
So if you wanted her to critique your manuscript, and you guys agreed on a price, she could on the fly set up an individual reward, which you would then pledge, taking the only slot for that.
Hey, if you’re interested in designing cover art, just send me a link to your portfolio. 😉 I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get paid for that, not the other way around!
And another vote for a critique type reward, hmm. Okay, I’ll think about that one!
Since you do a lot of blogging aimed at self-publishers, I believe there’d be quite a few of your followers interested in a critique.
I really like the rewards you have up on Kickstarter right now. A word of caution though: Be careful if you do decide to do critiques. I know a lot of authors have strict “do not send me your manuscript” policies simply because of the legal implications. When I first came across an author like that it upset me because I, like a lot of fledgling writers, really wanted to know from a successful author how I was doing. Without getting into the specifics, I’ll just say that I can now see the wisdom of that policy.
Thanks for the head’s up, Serenity!
Lindsay,
As you know I am a fan of KS, and have helped fund a few projects.
I think Kat covered most of my suggestions, but heres a rehash of what I was thinking.
Any donation should get the person a “Thank you” somewhere for all to see (ASK PEOPLE HOW THEY WANT TO BE LISTED! So many people don’t ask and just list whatever name they have! Professionally, I ALWAYS use the J, “Tim J. Meyer”, but a lot of web accounts just list “Tim Meyer.”)
A low level donation should net a bookmark and/or exclusive E-Story that ties into the series. These shouldn’t be available elsewhere for a long time, if ever. Makes it more “special.”
Let people know what extra money goes for. If you need $5000 and get $6000, where does the extra 1k go? And if it goes toward printing physical copies of the books, offer them as rewards for higher levels. I have on occasion, seen a project just jump to extreme levels and have extra rewards for the level parallel to the one I want, but not my reward. (Example $25 reward that gives you 1 of something gets 1 extra, $25 reward that gives you 1 and a special bonus now gives you two and the bonus. Since I only need two, I have to go change my backing level to get the one with the bonus… ANNOYING.
Finally, depending on the level of fan rabidness, you could always offer a customized piece of fiction where the backer (or backers) get to “meet” main characters, who thank them for supporting the efforts. This can be as involved or simple as you want to make it. Then put it up as a free e-book to honor those backers who reached that level.
Really to me, that’s half the fun of a Kickstater, you can make it fun and interactive.
And here’s a suggestion, if you exceed our goal, you can use the funds to start up another project that I know I would kick as much as I could into, EE Graphic Novel. ;D (You would want to have the extra money to seed the project and then take it onto KS and get what you need to finish it.)
I made a few errors in the above post, (where’s my editor when I need him?)
The one that is annoying me and makes the paragraph a tad confusing:
“Example $25 reward that gives you 1 of something gets 1 extra,”
s/p gives you 2 of
You pointed out a really big thing that I forgot: knowing what people will do with the extra money if you get it. More than a few Kickstarter projects get lots of extra funding then go back and add what they’re going to do with it or set a new goal. Without that information, some people don’t donate if it has already reached the goal since they don’t realize what the donation would be used for.
I think Tim’s idea of creating some kind of customized fiction is very interesting. Maybe create a short story that’s only available to the first 10 backers of one of your tiers. As he mentioned, you can set it up so there are only so many slots available of each tier. Maybe even create a character with the donator’s specifications in a short story or flash so it doesn’t change what you already have planned for your actual novels.
Having an entire tier just dedicated to things like partial novel/short story review or a full manuscript critique will really appeal to some people, but you’d probably only want to offer a few of those so you don’t get overwhelmed. It could give them the hope that they could reach the same goal you did.
Overall, I think it’s good to get people involved and feeling like they matter to you. Things like naming a character, talking to you personally or them getting something nobody else will have unless they donated will make people feel special.
Thanks, Kat. You and Tim have given me some great ideas here!
I’ll definitely include what overflow funds would be used for (basically just helping with the rest of the audiobooks, as I’m hoping to do all six books that way, and it’s a pretty big investment for a small-time author!).
Lindsay,
Just a note. It is good to include a low level reward, something akin to:
$1-10
This is the level for those fans who might not have money to help out on a larger scale, or the curious who are just interested in chipping in a couple extra bucks. You will receive my gratitude (in the form of a special thanks on my website) and an ebook copy of the Vignette series.
That way people who REALLY want to read the stories can, even if they can’t afford to chip in $10. and a curious KSer can chip in a couple bucks, without having to go to the minimum of $10
Thanks, Tim! I’ll think about adding a lower level.
Thanks for all the feedback, Tim! I can see you are an old hand on Kickstarter! Haha, we’ll see about graphic novels once I have the series done. And I’d have to meet an artist first, too, as my stick figures aren’t particularly inspiring…
A low level donation should net a bookmark and/or exclusive E-Story that ties into the series. These shouldn’t be available elsewhere for a long time, if ever. Makes it more “special.”
Hmm, I am getting an idea. Thanks. 🙂
So I guess I qualify as a fairly rabid fan and avid reader. I like most of the ideas you listed, Esp. the UBS drive and signed stuff. I don’t really care about the advertising stuff since I would never use it. I also like the idea of naming a character- I was so disappointed when I didn’t win the -crest contest, I bet my family would kick in on that as a present for me. I also like the being in the book as a minor character idea/ customized fiction. I hate the idea of a limited short story only available to some people- I love your stories and wouldn’t want to miss any so I would donate to get it but would be upset if I missed out/ couldn’t afford for some reason. I would all be interested in an ARC of a book with or without the opportunity to give feedback.
Thanks for the ideas, Sue! Aw, sorry your suggestion didn’t get picked for Maldynado. I need to do some more stuff like that, so more people have a chance to “win.”
If I do a custom story (I’m thinking of doing a series of vignettes just for the Kickstarter folks), I’ll definitely include it for all donation levels.
Hi Lindsay!
The USB drive sounds fantastic. You could offer , to those who are also writers or who have websites audio interviews, or a critique session via Skype or phone.
Thanks for the suggestions, Khaalidah!
ooh – what about exclusive looks at cut scenes? Or, for a particularly high level, and exclusive short story? (or access to a short story before its in general release?)
I wouldn’t be interested in the audio book aspect, but since I’m a fan, I’d probably kick in for a T-shirt or exclusive cut scenes or short stories like @Corie Weaver mentioned above. Or, if you don’t want to make them exclusive, just have them as a stretch goal (e.g. if you get an extra 2k above your goal, you’ll write and release an extra short story to all backers, and afterwards, you can sell it them). Something else I’d love to get is a fan’s guide to the Emperor’s Edge world – with write-ups of history or geography or whatever – either a physical version or for my e-book.
looked at the link, looks great! like the way you worked out being special and making sure every fan gets to read everything. I wish I could do the 2500 but don’t think it’s possible without it resulting in a divorce. I will start saving my pennies for one of the others- definitely give a heads up on the launch date if you can. looking forward to seeing how this works out for you
thanks
Thanks for taking a look, Sue!
Hah, everyone always seems to put a crazy price down for the last reward slot on Kickstarter, so I followed the example. I don’t expect anyone has that kind of money to throw away. I have a feeling it’s just done to make the other prices look more reasonable. 😛
Not to sound like a demanding brat, but I want those ebooks! I just finished Emperor’s Edge and need another fix because it was SO GOOD!!!! I want to make a pledge and get the goodies!
*grabby hands*
I. WANT. NAO
…
Why yes, I am a very mature person, could you tell?
Haha, working on 4 now! 🙂
I love this! I’ll have to give kickstarter a good look-through later on . . . mayhap make a donation (would a map of the ENTIRE world of the Emperor’s Edge count as such? ;)).
What I really need is a good map of the city… 😉 I need to get on the ball on that!
I recently got into Kickstarter as a way to help various artists and authors I admire, and I’m so stoked for this one! The ‘Day In The Life’ vignette series sounds just totally wonderful! Being broke, I’ll probably never get to give quite that much this time around, but if you keep doing kickstarts for various releases, maybe someday.
I love kickstarter! When I found out you were going to do one I told my husband I would donate something pretty substantial to get the signed paperbacks 🙂
And I would totally wear a EE t-shirt if you made one
I would donate for a partial manuscript critique, not proofreading but more overall plot and character development type stuff. It would come in pretty handy at the halfway point of my story that usually feels like it’s not nearly as good as it should be lol
I’m not sure what a reasonable price would be, though. Maybe $75 or $100? I just remember you were always fantastic at overall “big stuff” critiques on OWW and I miss that extra help. I guess price would depend on how much you’d want to read of anybody’s stuff.
How about the last scene from Deadly Games (between Amaranthe and Sicarius) from Sicarius’s POV? It’s not really a short story but I would love to know what he was thinking!
Haha, I don’t know, Sherry. He doesn’t let me in his head much. 😀
I dearly love my Kindle, especially since it helped me find some amazing authors (Lindsay) where I fell in love with the Emperor’s Edge series and all things Flash Gold (and a couple of quirky goblins), but I am…hands down…a total book nut. Love the feel, smell, touch of a real live book. There are price points for three of the books…is it possible to have a price point in there for all the books once they are completed? Or would that be a total pain to remember who gets a book later down the road? I’m just neurotic when it comes to series. I have to have all the books in the series…only having half of them…would make me…a lunatic…lol. I, for one, am ALL about the stuff. Books, audiobooks, notes, character insights, inspiration behind the stories…ect. I love information…hearing how characters and ideas came about with stories I love. Will you send out a notice in your newsletter when this actually goes live and is ready for donations? This is very exciting!!
Thanks for the interest, Shoshanna!
I wouldn’t want to make promises for books that I haven’t even started writing, but if the campaign goes well, maybe I can do another one some day that just happens to coincide with Book 6 coming out (so I could offer a set of paperbacks for 4-6). 🙂 I could see doing a campaign to fund a print run for my first Goblin Brothers novel. The kids’ stuff doesn’t sell well in ebook form, so I’ve put the green guys on the back burner, but I’d definitely like to get back to them one way or another.
I will definitely let my awesome newsletter subscribers know when the campaign launches. I hope to announce it and the release of Peacemaker at the same time (Saturday or Sunday this weekend!).
Thanks, again!