Something a little different

And that's not always a bad thing@

Hi Frenz!

Have you ever looked at Kickstarter? There are a TON of beautiful books over there these days. Blinged out romantasy special editions are extremely popular!

But in case you’ve never heard of it or aren’t sure what it is, here’s a little primer. (If you’re familiar with Kickstarter, click here to see a gorgeous campaign by my friend MK Felix.)

What is Kickstarter?

It’s a crowd-funding platform. But unlike Go Fund Me, it’s not a charity site. It’s a place where creators and supporters can work together to bring something amazing to life. It used to be primarily physical things like games or high-tech tents, but a few years ago, Indie authors discovered the platform. I’ve run three campaigns under my sci fi name.

Then Brandon Sanderson famously made $41million on leather-bound 10th anniversary books, and things really took off.

That means you can now find beautiful special editions, brand new ebooks, and even book boxes in the Publishing category. Authors tell you about their project, show you pictures of all the pretty things, and invite you to back the campaign.

The creator only gets the money if they meet their campaign goal, which many special editions do within the first day. Sometimes within minutes of posting.

How to support a Kickstarter campaign

Most authors will do a pre-campaign, where you can sign up to be notified when the project goes live. These pre-campaign followers are really important—they tell the creator how many people are interested in what they’re making, which can influence when a project goes live.

Once a campaign goes live, you’ll get updates about the process. If you choose to support it, you get to choose a reward tier. What rewards you get will depend on the author, but you’ll often find early access to ebooks, early paperbacks, exclusive hard covers, special editions with foiled covers, double-sided jackets, slipcases, and lots of swag. Sometimes you’ll get your name in the book or even be able to name a character! And frequently authors will offer books from past campaigns as “add-ons.” Which means if you come across an amazing special edition that’s book 2, you might be able to get book 1, too.

Often creators will offer “stretch goals” to encourage backers to share the campaign. For example, “if we reach $4500 in pledges, I can add custom end papers to the book.” Some are physical things, some are digital rewards. Some authors let backers vote on things like the color of the ribbon bookmark, or the stretch goals. It’s a fun way to be involved in the creation process. You can only select one tier, but you can change your pledge at any time all the way up until the campaign ends.

How to pledge

Simply pick the rewards you want and click Pledge. If you’re on a computer, there’s a side-bar you can scroll down to see what they’re offering. On your phone, you’ll have to click the “Back this Project” button. And most authors will give you more info about each reward in the main part of the “story” including tons of pictures, sample chapters, and character profiles.

If you pledge

If you back a campaign, your credit card will be charged when the campaign ends—if it successfully funds. Then you’ll continue to get updates as the author completes the book. And you’ll get a backer survey, which is super important—it tells the creator where to send your stuff!

The campaign will list target dates that you can see before you pledge, so you’ll know when to expect your things. Somtimes there are delays, of course, so don’t get discouraged if your author tells you the delivery from their printer got delayed.

Creators are expected to provide the items you pledged for, but it’s important to understand this isn’t a store. When you pledge, you’re supporting the creator and their project, and sometimes you won’t get the rewards you pledged for.

Now, that said, I don’t know any authors who’ve failed to follow through. I’m sure it happens, and I’m told it’s not uncommon in the game world, but the authors I know always finish their projects and send their rewards.

Are you ready to check it out?

If the idea of supporting authors in creating beautiful books sounds amazing, check out this project from my friend, author MK Felix. It’s a Christian, no-spice, Beauty and the Beast/Cinderella mash-up with a ton of gorgeous artwork.

Even if this particular book isn’t your cup of tea, if you scroll down the page you’ll see the kinds of things authors are offering. And at the bottom, there are other book campaigns that are currently available.

What do you think of this platform? If you’ve backed a book before, were you pleased with what you got? I’d love to know!

~Lia