dcorsetto
patreon
"THAT IS SO MUCH MONEY!", a Kickstarter story
🕑 Added 2017-10-13 21:00:02 +0000 UTC Someone recently made this post in the GWS comment section (yes, there's a comment section, and yes, believe it or not, it's generally civil!):So are these books just not profitable at all? You're not the first web cartoonist (e.g.) I've seen say "I've had a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign that exceeded all expectations and still didn't bring in enough capital to finance further production runs so once this batch is gone too bad so sad" which...Kickstarter is supposed to *kickstart* things, not just be a pre-order platform. If people won't pay prices that would allow it to actually do that, that's sad. You deserve it.
I thought I'd post my reply here. Kickstarter - and small business in general - is sort of mind-blowing to those who don't have experience with either, so when someone visits one of our campaigns, they're often struck by how much money we raise. It's not that simple.
Additionally - and I should have mentioned this in my reply - I think people assume I make much more money and sell much more stuff than I actually do. I'm very happy with where I am, and with how GWS has done in the past decade. But having 40k Twitter followers doesn't mean 40k people are buying a $75 set of books from me. ;)
On the plus side, that means you yourself are in a small, cozy, elite (IMHO) group of people who know and like GWS. I like my little group and I'm glad you're a part of it. <3
I hope my reply will clear some things up!
(Sidenote: I hope I don't come off as snide here! I probably shouldn't have started it with cackling laughter, I'M SORRY COMMENTER I've just been in this business for too long)
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Hahaha oh man, I don't know where to begin; this would take FOREVER to explain bit by bit. BUT!! I can say that I think you're making a lot of incorrect assumptions, so let me quell those at least.
First of all, our goal isn't to finance a second production run. This is a niche collection - and a big expensive fancy one, at that - not Harry Potter. I know my place. ;)
We're printing as many extra books as the Kickstarter payout can afford to print. And let me tell you now, as "hugely successful" as it looks, that money will just cover the cost of the print run and our designer's fees. Books are EXPENSIVE to print.
Any money Spike and I make personally will come next year, when we can sell the extra books at conventions and online.
"If people won't pay prices that would allow it to actually do that, that's sad." Nah, that's life. We could have (and, in my honest opinion, probably should have) charged more for these books. Our quote shifted significantly and it's more expensive to print these than I'd expected. But the silver lining is that GWS readers who couldn't have afforded these books at $100 will get to have them for $75 instead. I'm happy to see them go to the people who will love them for an affordable price.
We may have to increase the prices at shows and online, I'm not sure yet.
Finally, though, Kickstarter isn't "supposed" to be anything but what you make it. I use my KS campaigns as pre-order platforms so that I can afford to buy an extra X hundred or thousand books to sell at conventions the following year. I'm not creating a new invention or starting a new business venture. In fact, I'm essentially *ending* a business venture. This is the capstone of GWS. I'm making these books for the people who love the strip.
(Okay, and for me. I want these books, I want them they are going to be so pretty I WANT THEM.)
Does that answer your questions? Feel free to ask more; I know KS is pretty mind-blowing to people who don't use it themselves as creators, or who don't run small businesses, mainly because the amount of money we small business owners pour into the creation of our products is suddenly RIGHT THERE in front of all of you, and you probably never knew how much we used to take out in loans to create our books! ;)
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Maybe you have your own questions about how this all works? I can't promise to answer all of them, but please feel free to ask below and I'll see what I can do. :)
Comments
You're welcome! I've backed other Kickstarters where it's not strictly a reward level, but done through a post funding questionnaire - where you back with a multiple or sum, depending, of the rewards desired, and then specify in the questionnaire which ones you were going for. That said, that's easier when they are digital and people don't have to consult a chart of different shipping costs for different destinations. In this case, I've backed for the GWS Artist's Edition, and would ideally like to add a pair of the regular hardcovers.
@Richard: That would have been my next comment. :-)
Danielle Corsetto
I'm glad you brought that up, because I was considering making a reward level for a pair of sets, but wasn't sure many people would be interested (and it involves getting Spike to ask BlackBox for shipping quotes). I'll ask her, thanks!
Given that you get more for later sale the larger the amount raised, would it make sense to have some way for people to back for multiple copies? I couldn't find any information about that in the FAQ or description. I know there are at least a few people I know who'd like them as gifts, and I'd gladly do that.
Kevin Symonds
People also don't realise the cut Kickstarter get as well for offering their service in the first place. I guess one of the reasons I like Patreon is that you can see that you are getting x amount a month so we know you are not going to starve!
Tom B
I've backed products on Kickstarter that started up successful small companies, e.g. Peak Design, and I've backed other companies, mostly in games, that constantly use it to convert preproduction costs. And I'm happy to say I've backed people like you, artists, singers, writers, etc. that use it to make one off products that they otherwise couldn't get done. Lots of right ways to use Kickstarter. Some wrong ones too, that I've also backed, but let's not get into that.
Alexander Slonim
Wow, I hadn't even the slightest idea how much goes into printing and shipping a book, and thank you for answering!
Danielle Corsetto
HAHAHA I feel wrong hitting "like" on this, but thank you. ;)
Danielle Corsetto
Yes! Saturation is exactly the word here. I know there'll be people who sigh in 2019 or whenever it is that the books have run out, but sadly not enough to justify a second run. And hey, it makes it more special for people who get these books to know they're getting one of a limited run. :)
Danielle Corsetto
Hah!! Yeah, a lot of my friends that I support on Patreon use it to rant and talk about behind-the-scenes stuff, so I figured so could I. ;) Just to clarify, there's no right or wrong here, and I get where this person was coming from - so many fresh tech and new-invention stuff comes through Kickstarter, and a lot of people do use it that way. I'm just using it... well, my way. :)
Erika Moen
PREEEEEEEACH
Richard Riley
And remember, anyone who feels sad about this, and doesn't want to feel sad anymore, should feel free to send Danielle a $25 additional donation, Just Because. *Grin*
So, Iβm not the only one who uses my patrons as rant sounding boards. Misery loves company, and youβre right to come to us. We will virtually hug you all day if you need. Youβre right, btw.
Brooks Moses
Yup, exactly. It's simply kickstarting a finite time-limited business (that nonetheless extends beyond the books sold through the kickstarter) rather than an infinite one. Some businesses are like that, and it's good to know the difference. Also, while Danielle could hypothetically invest the funds from selling the extra books into a second production run rather than taking them as "payout", that doesn't make it a sound business decision to do so if the first production run saturates the market, and I think that's sort of the key point here.
Danielle Corsetto
That makes it all worth it to me. :) Thank you so much for pulling the trigger even though your wallet might be mad at you now! <3
Danielle Corsetto
It'll be worth it, don't worry! It'll just be a "good" amount instead of a "roll around in $100 bills" amount. ;) And it'll pay out NEXT year, when I'm selling at conventions. The only thing you should feel sorry for for me is how much my back is gonna hurt after carrying these boxes through convention halls next year. ;)
Hearing that the quotes changed and you're not making enough money off of these makes me sad. You deserve this success. And it's payout.
Amy β£
As someone who probably shouldn't have jumped on it at $75 but did, and absolutely wouldn't have been able to at $100, I just want to thank you so much for being able to make the lower price work. π I am looking forward to getting mine in hand.
Danielle Corsetto
Bingo, you get it. :)
Meisterj
That's why I like backing books. They're more secure than the next wundertech out there as far as risk analysis for a funder, and I know if I waited I probably couldn't justify the final sales price. This is still kickstarting production you couldn't afford and it lowers your personal expenses without the stress of paying a loan forever.
Danielle Corsetto
(But thanks for asking! ;)
Danielle Corsetto
Woof... I'd love to say yes to this, but here's the deal: if I say yes to even one person, it's insane how much work it'll take for me to reverse the engine to get it to work. I'd have to tell Spike to remember to add your shipping cost to her payout for me so that I can reimburse you the shipping in person... I'd have to make sure both Spike AND BlackBox don't accidentally send out your order (we basically just import the shipping list and send it directly to the fulfillment company, to avoid any fuckups)... and then, of course, if there's some reason either you or I can't make it to whatever Bmore you want to meet at, I have to continue to remember to put one copy aside so that it's not sold. I know, it seems really simple, but it'd be an enormous pain that at least four separate parties would be affected by. I'm sorry I can't help you with that!
Alexander Slonim
I have no idea if this is the right place to ask something like this, but here goes. Any chance you'd be willing to let people grab a copy (if they did the $75 tier) at a BMore into Comics as opposed to shipping 'em out?
Lucy Bellwood
I love that you shared this here π Spot on! It's definitely what you make of it.
