Tag Archives: Kickstarter

Running a campaign: the good and the bad

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The Kickstarter campaign is over, and I’m attempting to head back to a normal blogging routine. I’m posting this wrap-up blog, and then I plan to stop talking about Kickstarter. Really.

The final total listed on the project page for West Texas Interlude is 115% of the goal, or $9,260. But that total should have an asterisk by it. Long story. Basically, some dude made a nutso pledge at the last minute that messed up my numbers, along with the numbers of 32 other projects. His credit card failed, and he’ll be dropped as a backer after 7 days. Kickstarter is calling it “malicious activity” on his part. The real total should be $8,510, 106%. I like the looks of that.

I jotted down a few notes over the 31 days of the campaign about the good and bad aspects of this experience. In saying that, I don’t want anyone to think that I had a bad experience — but there were a few things that weren’t the best, not the least of which was the aforementioned malicious activity. We’ll look at the other negatives now, so that I can end on a positive note.

* I’m afraid that this campaign might lead to warped expectations for me in the future, that all it takes is 31 days to “success.” I don’t want to lose my ability to persevere. To work at something for a long period of time, not knowing what the outcome will be. Maybe 31 days is all it takes on Kickstarter, but in the rest of life, success (whatever that is) takes a bit longer. Like 45 days.

* I’m concerned that all the good that came from my social media fast earlier in the summer was undone by having to spend hours and hours online during September — marketing to news outlets in Texas, tweeting to people I don’t know, putting together updates, obsessively checking to see if the percentage had changed. I found myself counting the days and hours to the end of the campaign not just because I wanted to know if we would make the goal, but because I just wanted a break from needing to be online.

* I found myself tempted to compare my project and percentage to other projects and their percentages, as well as to question why the Kickstarter staff chose to feature certain projects on the landing page but not mine. I was featured as “New and Noteworthy” for the first couple of days of the campaign, but after that I slipped into oblivion on the “Writing and Publishing: Nonfiction” page. Which is pretty much at the bottom of the list of categories. (Seriously. The only categories lower than that are “Periodical” and “Poetry.” I know it’s alphabetical and all, but it’s a fitting reflection of art and media in 2011, yes?) But then, after a couple of days of hurt feelings over not being featured, I decided that it’s their website, after all — it’s dumb of me to fault them with who they want to feature on their own site that, to that point, they were letting me use for free. In the end, I’m just thankful to have been approved for a campaign in the first place and thankful for the support of backers in the Kickstarter community.

Now let’s move on to a few more positive points about my campaign experience…

* I convinced a newspaper to give me my first author interview. That was fun!

* I have a list of people who need postcards from West Texas. I love sending postcards, so this is a great excuse to shop for fun ones.

* I now get to spend the next 9 months working on a book project again. I loved focusing full-time on From the Tea Village and honestly miss working on that manuscript each day. Freelancing is also writing, and I enjoy certain aspects of it, but overall I much prefer longer book-length projects. I thought writing the first book was a dream come true — I am dumbfounded that I get to have a second dream take shape before my eyes.

* Through the campaign I got exposure to and feedback from readers who 1) aren’t related to me, 2) don’t go to my past or current church, and 3) would never have heard of me if it weren’t for this Kickstarter project. That’s a big part of every writer’s desire as they progress in their work — to build an audience.

* Lastly, and most importantly, I had it confirmed for me that new readers are good, but the loyal readers (family, church family, old friends, etc) are the ones who love you enough to buy your book on faith. Nay, fund your book on faith.

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Three days, three days, three days left on Kickstarter!

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I’m excited, can you tell?

As of last night, we’re past 100%. After the past three weeks of watching that little green line crawl across the widget, the whole bar is filled in. No white space left. The project will be funded on Friday, September 30, at 11:00PM PDT.

THANK YOU, everyone. I am immensely grateful for your help. This has been an emotional few weeks, but I feel very affirmed that this is the right project for me to pursue. I still have plans for more books about Yunnan, especially ones for young adult readers — but for these next few months, I’ll be devoting the bulk of my creative energy towards West Texas Interlude.

Yeehaw!

I’ve posted this before, but I want to say it again — the campaign doesn’t stop at 100%, it stops at 11pm on Friday, September 30. It is very possible to go over the pledge goal. Here’s my plan for the extra money if that happens:

103% ($8,240) = an added trip to Ponca City, OK, during one of my two scheduled trips to North Texas — this would allow me to visit the Conoco Museum and talk to their archivist.

130% ($10,400) = an added research trip from Washington to West Texas, or an extension of the currently planned trip — this would allow me extra time visiting the towns where Bob and Ann lived and more opportunities to conduct on-site research.

130%+ (anything over $10,400) = less time that I have to spend doing freelance writing jobs, more time that I can dedicate to working on West Texas Interlude.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be an additional 30% over the goal on September 30?

Thank you so much for going through this funding process with me — you are the ones who made it happen. And if you’re new to the blog, you can join the fun! http://kck.st/qzJN98

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10 More Days on Kickstarter

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With just 10 days left on the Kickstarter campaign (and 18% of the funding to go), I wanted to post the project video again for those who may be new to the blog. Welcome to you and I hope you enjoy seeing the photos from the book — West Texas Interlude. Join us over at the Kickstarter project site to find out about supporting the research and writing of the book.

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Halfway and More Than Halfway

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Oh my. We now only have 15 days left in our 31 day campaign, and we’ve reached 74% of our goal. OH MY.

I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity y’all are pouring out on this project. I mean, I love these photos, I love West Texas, I love Bob and Ann’s story from the 50s, and I feel strongly that the concept behind West Texas Interlude will make a great book — but when other people also love my idea and are willing to back that up with their money, it’s a huge affirmation as a writer that I’m working on something worthwhile. So thank you for that. Thank you for your pledges and thank you for your votes of confidence.

As I look at the numbers for the days left and the amount we’ve already raised to this point, I want to encourage backers (both potential new backers and those already in on the deal) that we can go over the goal. If we reach 100% early, well, then let’s just keep going and see how far we get. The extra money raised would first go towards more research travel and then towards offsetting my freelance writing gigs to give me more than half-time to dedicate to working on this book.

Here’s how my plan breaks down for any money we raise over 100% ($8,000):

103% ($8,240) = an added trip to Ponca City, OK, during one of my two scheduled trips to North Texas — this would allow me to visit the Conoco Museum and talk to their archivist.

130% ($10,400) = an added research trip from Washington to West Texas, or an extension of the currently planned trip — this would allow me extra time visiting the towns where Bob and Ann lived and more opportunities to conduct on-site research.

130%+ (anything over $10,400) = less time that I have to spend doing freelance writing jobs, more time that I can dedicate to working on West Texas Interlude.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be an additional 30% over the goal on September 30? We could make it happen! It would make the book that much better.

Thanks again for all you’ve done and are doing to make this book possible!

P.S. The photo I’m posting today was taken by Bob and Ann on a trip home to North Texas — who can recognize the location? Leave a comment below! If you’re related to me and already know the answer, give others a chance (but feel free to chime in with an “I know, I know!”)

P.P.S I was in such a hurry to publish the original post, I forgot to include a link to the Kickstarter project page. Here it is: http://kck.st/qzJN98 or you can use the widget on the upper left.

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First Ten Days on Kickstarter

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'52 Pontiac, Bob Jr, cliffs

West Texas Interlude has been up and running on Kickstarter for ten days now. What’s a West Texas Interlude, you ask? Vintage photos and stories from one family’s adventure living in twenty West Texas towns during the 1950s. It will be a nonfiction book. As soon as I compile the photos and write the stories.

Ten days in, and the campaign is 39% funded. We have until September 30 (21 more days) to reach 100% of the $8000 total in order to receive the funds. All or nothing, folks. We have to make it to 100%.

I’m super, super grateful for all the support the campaign has received so far. The backers of this project have just been awesome. And I’ve seen a lot of posts on Facebook and retweets on Twitter — oh how that warms this heart of mine to see.

Keep it coming, friends. Post, tweet, call, write, email — and then please do it again later as a reminder. We only have 21 days. The pressure is on. Only 21 days left for people to get in on this really great project with photos and stories that are a glimpse back in time.

Let’s make this happen, don’t miss out, get it while you can, and all those other cliches. I’ll be even more cliche before this is over, I’m sure. Whatever it takes.

*big smile and a grateful hug*

Please share the link to West Texas Interlude with your friends, family, coworkers, anyone with an Amazon account who would like to participate: http://kck.st/qzJN98

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First Two Days on Kickstarter

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Oh my word. What a ride it’s been so far on Kickstarter! When I went to bed at the end of day 2, West Texas Interlude was already 26% funded. 26% in the first two days! Wow. We still have 29 more days to go, and I just have no idea what to expect on September 30 at this point. (In case you missed the link to the campaign, it’s here.)

I’ve been overwhelmed by the support, the sharing of links to the site, the votes of confidence through the Facebook event. Y’all are awesome!

The one thing that I’ve been a little disappointed with (and I hesitate to even say it because, man, what on earth do I have to complain about?) is that there are only 11 backers so far. It’s great that we’re 26% funded — that’s such a psychological boost at the beginning of the campaign. But if this thing is going to be a success, we need a lot more backers. Now, I’m not crazy and expecting a lot more backers at the higher levels. But I do have to admit, I’m surprised that so far I have backers at every level but the lowest, $10.

I’m ecstatic about those higher levels — especially the one with the reward of a tour of the ranch and a cream pie. Wow, I never expected anyone to actually take me up on that one. Yet, in order for this project to truly have a great base of support, it needs way more people in on the deal at $10 and $25. I would really love for this campaign to be flooded with backers at those levels, to show West Texas Interlude the $10 and $25 love that represents book sales.

I’m working hard to contact different folks and media outlets about giving me air time, blog space, or a Facebook post or tweet. The word has to get out beyond my own personal network. So, if you know anyone with a large audience — or a small audience that fits in the West Texas Interlude niche — who would be willing to say a good word and point people in this direction, please let me know.

And now, because I’m excited that I recently figured out how to embed video, here’s the blurb from the project site. (Check out the widget on the sidebar, too!)

Thanks so much — love to you all.

To visit the Kickstarter campaign for West Texas Interlude, click here.

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Kickstarter Launch for West Texas Interlude

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driving into Austin, 1950s

Today is launch day!

I have just one month — 31 days — to reach my fundraising goal for the Kickstarter campaign for my nonfiction book West Texas Interlude. This is such an exhilirating time for me — I’m really excited about working on West Texas Interlude, about all the research and work involved, and I truly believe it’s a worthwhile book that many people will enjoy and that will preserve a slice of history from West Texas in the 1950s. It is especially exhilirating to take on this project with the support of others. I do not work in isolation, and that is such a comforting thought.

How can you be a part of making West Texas Interlude happen? (I know you’re dying to ask.)

Help spread the word to others who might be interested — people who like history, who like vintage photography, who are interested in West Texas, who think the 1950s was a fascinating period of time, who just enjoy a well-told story. Would you be willing to send an email with a link to the Kickstarter campaign to a friend who you genuinely think would be interested in reading West Texas Interlude?

And if you are one of those people interested in history, photography, West Texas in the 1950s, or a well-told story, would you be willing to visit my campaign site and support the project, in return for a digital copy of the finished book?

Thank you for your love and support! Let’s see how this turns out at the end of 31 days…

To support the campaign to research and write West Texas Interlude, click here.

To read more about Kickstarter, click here.

To read more about the concept of West Texas Interlude, click here.

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What is Kickstarter?

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I first heard about Kickstarter.com last year when a couple of guys used the site to raise the last bit of funds for the movie version of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz. Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years meant a lot to me (it was one of my favorite books from 2010), and I was fascinated to see how the story from that book (about the writing of the BLJ screenplay) was continuing to be written by the book’s fans. They wanted to see the completion of the movie badly enough that they were willing to give money to make it happen.

I like that idea. The idea that the people who will eventually enjoy the fruit of someone else’s creative endeavors can become a part of making that creative endeavor happen.

At that time, my thought was that it’s a good thing for me to be able to support other artists, whether through Kickstarter or buying their cds or recommending their books or whatever, and I was excited to think about a group of people coming together to make a project happen. Now, here it is less than a year later, and I’m starting my own campaign on Kickstarter for my nonfiction book, West Texas Interlude.

My campaign launches August 30 and ends September 30. I’ll have one month to reach my fundraising goal for the money it will take to do the research and writing of a first draft of my book’s manuscript. I wrote a blog entry a few weeks back that describes the book (read it here), but basically it’s going to be a collection of photos and stories from West Texas in the 1950s. The vintage photos are oh-so-cool, and there are more than 800 of them for me to edit down to a respectable number for a book. The research for the written sections will require three trips to Texas for interviews and location visits.

So, how does Kickstarter work, and what is it going to involve over the month of the campaign?

* Kickstarter is a website that helps people fund creative projects. Campaigns go through an approval process with the Kickstarter staff. Your project must be creative in nature, and there must be a clear beginning and end to the work you’re wanting to have supported — it must be a true project, not a vague idea or “please give me money so I can write/paint/sing/design more.” My project is to do the research and writing for a completed manuscript. The goal is to help artists finish a project, not just start it and then get stuck without funds to complete it.

* Because the concept revolves around completing a project, funding through Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. I set a funding goal — I wrote a budget for what it would take to do the research and writing from now through June 2012, and that amount is my goal. In order to receive any of the money people give in pledges, I must reach the goal. If September 30 rolls around and I’m short of the goal, none of the backers will be charged for their pledge.

This is one of my favorite things about Kickstarter. All-or-nothing funding is a huge assurance to backers that the project will actually see completion. If I only get 50% or even 75% of my funding goal and backers are still obligated to meet their pledge, how unfair is that to those backers? They were pledging to help me research and write a complete manuscript — not to help me research a book, stop and get a job for several months because I’m broke, lose momentum, and then never finish the book. In some ways, all-or-nothing is extremely stressful for me to think about, but the urgency of it also helps the campaign move along. And when it comes down to it, as a writer and as a person, I would rather work with the type of integrity that all-or-nothing funding demonstrates.

* The other cool thing about using Kickstarter to fund projects is that backers get some pretty great rewards that correspond with their level of support. The rewards are all related to the project itself and usually involve the finished product that the artist/writer/whoever is wanting to fund. For my campaign, anyone who pledges $25 or more will get a digital version of the completed West Texas Interlude manuscript. There are other rewards that are rather fun as well (postcards from West Texas, prints of the vintage photos, a homemade cream pie), but I like it that my backers can get an actual copy of what they’re supporting, for a reasonable price.

Look for more to come about the campaign — I’m not going to turn my blog into all-Kickstarter-all-the-time for the next month, but I will definitely keep you posted on the progress.

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Revitalized

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When I last posted two-and-a-half weeks ago, I was taking a break from social media and blogging, in order to focus on starting my new writing project off on the right foot. It has been a wonderfully creative time for me, and I’m trying to make the benefits of it continue into the future by not going back to the same place as before — namely, the place where I am spending way too much time each day trying to keep up with Facebook and blog reading. I don’t hang out on Twitter all day anyway, and I think the benefits of my writing two or three regular blog posts per week outweigh any time constraints I feel from them. But reading blogs had begun to eat away at my mornings, and Facebook was something I found myself turning to several times throughout the day, when I had two or three minutes here or there, which always drags out to ten or fifteen minutes. Not good.

Honestly, I haven’t missed most of the blogs I stopped reading these past two weeks. A very select few (I’m talking less than five) still pique my curiosity enough that I check them every couple of days. But I am not missing the 25 or 30 others that I’ve taken off my regular reading schedule. Most of those are related to publishing, writing, freelancing, etc. I know it’s considered good practice to stay up on industry news through blogs, but I just can’t do it any more, not every day, not in those numbers.

So, what have I been up to in all the wonderful and glorious time I’ve inherited by making this decision?

* I’ve been on a lot of long runs. Running is one way that I am able to get my mind loose and relaxed so that I can think through things — and this past couple of weeks I can really tell that it’s helped me feel healthier (both mentally and physically), which also helps me feel more creative. On a side note, all this extra running has led me to start training for a half-marathon at the end of September.

* I have stared at the living room ceiling a lot. No kidding, this is a great way for me to come up with ideas, lying on the floor, being still and quiet and just thinking. Last week I came up with a name for my new project by lying on the floor for about twenty minutes — and titles are one of the more difficult things for me to write. It sounds crazy, I know, and if I ever get a roommate she’ll probably think I’m nuts when I explain that this method can be part of what I mean when I say “I work at home.”

* I’ve read a lot of books, particularly ones from the publisher I’m interested in for my young adult novel. Reading is the best thing I can do to improve my writing. (Note how I cut down on reading blogs in order to read more books. A good trade off, I firmly believe.)

* I made first contact with above-mentioned publisher. A big step for me. And now the waiting begins.

* I’ve done a ton of research on successful Kickstarter campaigns. I’ve read articles, looked through successful project descriptions, watched sample videos, analyzed successful reward offers. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.

* And I guess I’m going to do it, because my project was approved by Kickstarter. Now I’m writing my project’s narrative, editing my video, planning rewards for my backers. More to come on this in the next couple of weeks. Lots more to come.

* I froze the blueberries I picked at Bill’s Berry Farm, and I picked a bunch of peaches at Ray French Orchard. Fresh fruit in season is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

* I bought a gorgeous hanging basket with verbena and petunias and ivy from Selph Landing Nursery. Flowers on my patio are another of life’s greatest pleasures. I bask in that pleasure each day now, as I water and snip at and admire my huge basket of flowers. It’s equally as relaxing as running.

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