tunalegs
Pretended Artist
Last year I ran a Kickstarter fundraiser to pay for printing my book, A Pilot in Japan. Now I'm going to post about what happened. Although I had been involved in projects funded through kickstarter before, I had never done one myself. I attempted to make the project as fool proof and painless as possible. I had taken all the photos in 2016, so I knew I had material to work with before taking money. I had paid for and received copies of the books before launching the fundraiser - so no risk of supply issues (I thought) when getting copies of books out to people who funded the project.
I had heard the sad stories of people losing money on projects, or holding their products hostage because they had miscalculated postage costs. So I took into consideration all costs - packaging (mailers, tape, bubble wrap) and postage - and rounded up. I also calculated a fair amount of "padding" into the tiers.
So unlike some who launch not doing their homework, I felt pretty prepared. Kickstarter's site is not entirely intuitive in use, although for the most part setting up a project is pretty straightforward. Some things need explaining up front though, rather than repeated visits to the FAQ to find answers. One problem I had was after filling out page after page of info, uploading photos, video, etc. I got to the final page, the one for launching the project. I decided to click back a few pages to double check my info - when I clicked ahead again the launching page was gone. I had to exit, go back to page one, and click through every step again to get it to load again.
Also, some projects don't get to launch immediately, they have to be reviewed (presumably by an actual human member of kickstarter staff) before being ok'd. Mine was approved by whatever algorithm the site uses, and so I got the option to launch immediately as soon as I was done entering all my info.
I ran a basic month-long campaign, and it was successfully funded. Then I ran into the first unexpected snag: Kickstarter holds your money for two weeks. I had expected that as soon as people paid, I'd receive the funds, and be mailing books out. Took another visit to the FAQ to find out what was happening. So for two weeks nothing happened. Then the money came in, and I could mail books out right? No. As it happens - I didn't have anybody's addresses. I assumed, that like on ebay, I'd be given the addresses of users once they paid, and I'd just have to click on the right page to find them. Back to the FAQ. I found out I had to send a "rewards survey" and each individual would send me their mailing address in response to the "rewards survey". I wouldn't have thought of clicking on the "rewards survey" button to get mailing addresses in a million years.
So that introduced another delay, as not everybody responded in a timely manner (in fact I think a couple of people still haven't). So about three weeks after the end of the fundraiser, I was finally able to get books out the door. While domestic orders were cheap to send, international orders - of which I had a lot more than I anticipated - were expensive, and I had miscalculated my costs, so I actually overspent about $2 on every international mailing. Oops. I should have been more careful. The "padding" in calculating my rewards tiers made up for it. The other thing I learned was that postal workers are thrilled when you show up with a stack of customs forms for them to enter, during the holiday rush... so after the first half of the international orders went out, I decided to delay until after Christmas to send the rest.
And finally, the last delay of the project (I hope): as I got down to sending the last batch of books out, I discovered several copies were unsaleable - FedEx had dropped the box they were sent to me in, and about five copies had been permanently dog-eared by the impact. I didn't know this until I got to the bottom of the box and these were the last copies I had on hand to mail out. I should have unpacked and checked every book when I got the shipment. I didn't though. Thankfully, Lightning Press, who printed and packed the books were cooperative and sent me replacement copies at no extra charge - but again about another week of delays.
So while I wanted to get all the books mailed out in November, right after the kickstarter project finished, I didn't get them out until December, and only just finished getting them out in January. Still, I guess it went pretty smoothly all things considered - and my project didn't end as another kickstarter horror story.
Some additional thoughts:
Figuring rewards levels is something you just have to reckon on your own. I offered three $100 rewards slots, which included a copy of the book, and an original slide (and slide viewer). I didn't think there'd be much interest in this tier, but it sold out almost immediately. So I probably should have offered one or two more high priced slots. The other slots were $25 for a book (including postage if you lived in the U.S.) and although these slots sold faster, they didn't sell out until the last day of the fundraiser. Anytime a reward tier sells out though, it indicates you could have sold more slots - and the more you sell, the more money you get. But I figured the slots to just cover the fundraising goal. I didn't expect, or really want, any extra money - I had no "stretch goals" planned, or really anything in mind I could offer if I raised funds well beyond my goal.
I also made a video for the kickstarter, because pages with videos get more views - that being said, kickstarter's analytics tell me only 34% of those who started the video finished it (and it's not even two minutes long!). So while having it probably got more people to click on the page - few people actually watched it.
From past experiences I knew that the key to getting people to fund a project is to advertise it on social media. But in a non-annoying way. I posted on forums, twitter, facebook, my blog, etc. You can even configure the links you share so the kickstarter can track where your backers are clicking onto the page from. In total I got nine backers from forums (including three from this forum), seven from Flickr, and eight from twitter. 14 backers clicked through from kickstarter, by way of their various project pages (newest project, ending soon, photography project page, etc.). So you can see why it's important to spread the word around, outside of kickstarter.
Finally: I set a very modest goal for this project, and tried to keep everything easily manageable for one person. I had already taken the photos, purchased the ISBN, and printed the books before hand. I only printed 100 books, and only offered enough backer slots/rewards to cover the modest cost of printing all the books, + mailing about half of them. So my goal was only $1200. I didn't factor any of my costs from my trip to Japan, film, processing, etc. The kickstarter was just about the book, and I only printed the number of books I knew I could sell off in about a year (although as it is, I've already sold most of them - but the point is, make your goal attainable).
Overall it was an enjoyable learning experience. I know better what to expect, and know how to deal with it going forward. I gained experience with a new printer (Lightning Press), and although I would change a few choices I made on my end, they turned out a great product for the price and relatively short run.
Now I just need to think up my next project.
I had heard the sad stories of people losing money on projects, or holding their products hostage because they had miscalculated postage costs. So I took into consideration all costs - packaging (mailers, tape, bubble wrap) and postage - and rounded up. I also calculated a fair amount of "padding" into the tiers.
So unlike some who launch not doing their homework, I felt pretty prepared. Kickstarter's site is not entirely intuitive in use, although for the most part setting up a project is pretty straightforward. Some things need explaining up front though, rather than repeated visits to the FAQ to find answers. One problem I had was after filling out page after page of info, uploading photos, video, etc. I got to the final page, the one for launching the project. I decided to click back a few pages to double check my info - when I clicked ahead again the launching page was gone. I had to exit, go back to page one, and click through every step again to get it to load again.
Also, some projects don't get to launch immediately, they have to be reviewed (presumably by an actual human member of kickstarter staff) before being ok'd. Mine was approved by whatever algorithm the site uses, and so I got the option to launch immediately as soon as I was done entering all my info.
I ran a basic month-long campaign, and it was successfully funded. Then I ran into the first unexpected snag: Kickstarter holds your money for two weeks. I had expected that as soon as people paid, I'd receive the funds, and be mailing books out. Took another visit to the FAQ to find out what was happening. So for two weeks nothing happened. Then the money came in, and I could mail books out right? No. As it happens - I didn't have anybody's addresses. I assumed, that like on ebay, I'd be given the addresses of users once they paid, and I'd just have to click on the right page to find them. Back to the FAQ. I found out I had to send a "rewards survey" and each individual would send me their mailing address in response to the "rewards survey". I wouldn't have thought of clicking on the "rewards survey" button to get mailing addresses in a million years.
So that introduced another delay, as not everybody responded in a timely manner (in fact I think a couple of people still haven't). So about three weeks after the end of the fundraiser, I was finally able to get books out the door. While domestic orders were cheap to send, international orders - of which I had a lot more than I anticipated - were expensive, and I had miscalculated my costs, so I actually overspent about $2 on every international mailing. Oops. I should have been more careful. The "padding" in calculating my rewards tiers made up for it. The other thing I learned was that postal workers are thrilled when you show up with a stack of customs forms for them to enter, during the holiday rush... so after the first half of the international orders went out, I decided to delay until after Christmas to send the rest.
And finally, the last delay of the project (I hope): as I got down to sending the last batch of books out, I discovered several copies were unsaleable - FedEx had dropped the box they were sent to me in, and about five copies had been permanently dog-eared by the impact. I didn't know this until I got to the bottom of the box and these were the last copies I had on hand to mail out. I should have unpacked and checked every book when I got the shipment. I didn't though. Thankfully, Lightning Press, who printed and packed the books were cooperative and sent me replacement copies at no extra charge - but again about another week of delays.
So while I wanted to get all the books mailed out in November, right after the kickstarter project finished, I didn't get them out until December, and only just finished getting them out in January. Still, I guess it went pretty smoothly all things considered - and my project didn't end as another kickstarter horror story.
Some additional thoughts:
Figuring rewards levels is something you just have to reckon on your own. I offered three $100 rewards slots, which included a copy of the book, and an original slide (and slide viewer). I didn't think there'd be much interest in this tier, but it sold out almost immediately. So I probably should have offered one or two more high priced slots. The other slots were $25 for a book (including postage if you lived in the U.S.) and although these slots sold faster, they didn't sell out until the last day of the fundraiser. Anytime a reward tier sells out though, it indicates you could have sold more slots - and the more you sell, the more money you get. But I figured the slots to just cover the fundraising goal. I didn't expect, or really want, any extra money - I had no "stretch goals" planned, or really anything in mind I could offer if I raised funds well beyond my goal.
I also made a video for the kickstarter, because pages with videos get more views - that being said, kickstarter's analytics tell me only 34% of those who started the video finished it (and it's not even two minutes long!). So while having it probably got more people to click on the page - few people actually watched it.
From past experiences I knew that the key to getting people to fund a project is to advertise it on social media. But in a non-annoying way. I posted on forums, twitter, facebook, my blog, etc. You can even configure the links you share so the kickstarter can track where your backers are clicking onto the page from. In total I got nine backers from forums (including three from this forum), seven from Flickr, and eight from twitter. 14 backers clicked through from kickstarter, by way of their various project pages (newest project, ending soon, photography project page, etc.). So you can see why it's important to spread the word around, outside of kickstarter.
Finally: I set a very modest goal for this project, and tried to keep everything easily manageable for one person. I had already taken the photos, purchased the ISBN, and printed the books before hand. I only printed 100 books, and only offered enough backer slots/rewards to cover the modest cost of printing all the books, + mailing about half of them. So my goal was only $1200. I didn't factor any of my costs from my trip to Japan, film, processing, etc. The kickstarter was just about the book, and I only printed the number of books I knew I could sell off in about a year (although as it is, I've already sold most of them - but the point is, make your goal attainable).
Overall it was an enjoyable learning experience. I know better what to expect, and know how to deal with it going forward. I gained experience with a new printer (Lightning Press), and although I would change a few choices I made on my end, they turned out a great product for the price and relatively short run.
Now I just need to think up my next project.
emraphoto
Mentor
Thanx for the write up. Interesting and points to consider
Interesting account, thanks!
jvo
Established
excellent account - great learning... makes you want to go out and publish!!!
lawrence
Mentor
Recorded Here
Recorded Here
Thanks for an interesting account of your experience. I'm nearing the end of my first Kickstarter project (nine days to go) and so far no major issues. My book is about a band I managed back in the mid-1970s and which is still going strong, so there's an obvious market on the Facebook fan sites and currently the project is 70% funded.
If you want to take a look the project page is here.
Lawrence
Recorded Here
Thanks for an interesting account of your experience. I'm nearing the end of my first Kickstarter project (nine days to go) and so far no major issues. My book is about a band I managed back in the mid-1970s and which is still going strong, so there's an obvious market on the Facebook fan sites and currently the project is 70% funded.
If you want to take a look the project page is here.
Lawrence
lawrence
Mentor
Recorded Here: The Early Days of Squeeze
Recorded Here: The Early Days of Squeeze
Just to add that my project, which runs to the end of the week, is now fully funded
Recorded Here: The Early Days of Squeeze
Just to add that my project, which runs to the end of the week, is now fully funded
nickthetasmaniac
Mentor
Thanks for the report, really interesting reading.
I know crowdfunding can get a bad rap, and there’s obviously risks involved and a few horror stories. But I’ve purchased a number of books now that have been absolutely wonderful, and probably never would have been printed through conventional channels.
I know crowdfunding can get a bad rap, and there’s obviously risks involved and a few horror stories. But I’ve purchased a number of books now that have been absolutely wonderful, and probably never would have been printed through conventional channels.
zuiko85
Mentor
You mean you meant to get them out in November but only finished up in January?
For kickstarter projects thats a miracle, and a success.
I’ve backed 5 KS projects, one was for photo paper, three for hardware, one for software.
Of the 5, the hardware were rewards were the most disappointing, 2 were defective and unusable. The third was just ok.... I guess, some of it’s engineering was problematic at least.
So, I’m starting to think that “hardware is hard” and often those type of projects are good ones to just stay away from.
But books and art, yeah, perhaps less risk there.
For kickstarter projects thats a miracle, and a success.
I’ve backed 5 KS projects, one was for photo paper, three for hardware, one for software.
Of the 5, the hardware were rewards were the most disappointing, 2 were defective and unusable. The third was just ok.... I guess, some of it’s engineering was problematic at least.
So, I’m starting to think that “hardware is hard” and often those type of projects are good ones to just stay away from.
But books and art, yeah, perhaps less risk there.