So what is this Kickstarter thing, anyway?
If you’re new to crowdfunding, I certainly understand the confusion! The best approach might be focusing on why I’ve backed so many projects on Kickstarter myself, and why I enjoy that so much.
Kickstarter isn’t like a typical retailer, where everything is already produced and waiting for you on the shelf, digital or physical. It’s not a charity either, where people donate money to help out for one reason or another.
And backers aren’t anonymous customers who disappear as soon as they hand over the money.
Kickstarter is more a place where creators and backers work together to give great ideas a chance to grow and flourish.
You’ll find games and electronics and clothing and even furniture there, and all kinds of amazing gadgets, too. Usually backers get access to the rewards weeks or even months before the general public does.
Kickstarter backers aren't just buying something. We help bring something new to life.
Our solar-rechargeable generator that helps get us through our frequent power outages here started on Kickstarter, for one thing, then it went on to be sold directly from the manufacturer. They got their seed money through crowdfunding and turned it into a thriving product that’s still going years later, much like our generator.
In those cases, the creators might need a huge pool of money up front to pay for prototypes and manufacturing on a big scale. Some of those projects end up funding for huge sums, often with hundreds of backers. Same with many gaming-related projects.
All backers are a lot like angel investors on a much more relatable scale.
Their support allows the Big New Thing to get out into the world, and the backers get the items for themselves. Along with sincere gratitude for their support, and the satisfaction of being part of something great.
As far as scale, publishing projects are different. While many authors are creating spectacular special editions of their books with bunches of amazing swag to go with them, quite a few are simply using a new way to launch new stories out into the world.
And writers are every bit as grateful for the support and enthusiasm of our backers as anyone with a massive project, too!
And while I’d love to create gorgeous special editions of my own at some point, and I already have plans to do just that, my first campaign is nowhere near that complex.
So why don’t I just publish my new novella Team Building Revenge on our online store and with the usual retailers like I have dozens of books before?
Well, I plan to. Once the Kickstarter is over and after backers have their rewards, I’ll do just that. I’ll upload the standard editions of the e-book, paperback, Large Print, and hardcover for the rest of the world.
But I wanted to try something different this time.
This won’t be a super fancy edition, but it will be special. The e-books and print books will have fun features that won’t ever be available on Barnes & Noble or Amazon or Walmart.
I'll also have an exclusive larger hardcover edition with a dust jacket, with different art on the case underneath, that I'll be signing for folks who'd like an example of my illegible scrawl.
I’ll also be aiming for stretch goals that won’t be anywhere else, and hoping I’ll be able to give bunches of those away to say thank you to the wonderful folks who decide to back my project!
If things go well, we can unlock cool merchandise that will go right along with the story, too.
I’ve been backing projects on Kickstarter myself for more than ten years now, and the vast majority of them have been books. So much so that I’d say it’s turned into one of my favorite places to discover new writers, new stories from writers I’ve been reading for years, and fantastic new ways to connect with readers.
So give it a try! Head over to kickstarter.com/projects/spiralpublishing/team-building-revenge. You'll need to set up an account if you've never been part of a Kickstarter campaign before, but it's easy.
Just click "Notify me on launch." That way you'll not only be the first to know when the Kickstarter goes live, but you'll also get the updates I send out as the time gets closer. I plan to highlight some of the cool features and add-ons I'm so excited about!
Once you're there, click around, maybe search for other Publishing projects you might be interested in. They cover so many genres and topics, you're sure to find another one that catches your eye.
I plan to highlight some of the ones I love as we go along, too.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions about Kickstarter, and yes, I hope you’ll decide to jump in with me on my very first campaign! It’s going to be all kinds of fun.
Hope to see you there!
kickstarter.com/projects/spiralpublishing/team-building-revenge