Kickstarter? Options

[Gonzogoose]

Hey all, this is just a quick post to ask a simple question. If Wannabez went up on www.kickstarter.com, would you guys support it? I'm not asking for commitments, and definitely not pledge amounts at this point, but I'm curious if there would be support for it. I need to raise a bit of capital to complete the first arc and am just curious.

If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a site for artists, writers, performers, etc. to pitch projects in hopes of getting pledges to fund them. There are rewards given for different levels of pledges, and if the pledge goal isn't met nobody pays anything. If you have questions they answer everything on the FAQ on their site.

The first arc is 5 issues, meaning four more issues to be done. That means paying my creative team and paying for printing, and that's mainly what I would be raising funds for. Kickstarter can't be used for profit or general business expenses, just funding a project.

Also, what kind of incentives would you look for if you pledged? I'm thinking prints, signed copies, your appearance in the book as a costumed character, stuff like that.

Thanks for your input!

[Gonzogoose]

Ok, since we've had over 20 views and no comments, let me take the pressure off. I'm no longer asking if you would support it if it went up on Kickstarter (though that would be nice to know as well), but I'm asking what you think of the idea in general and looking for any suggestions you may have to make it a promising listing.

If you don't know anything about Wannabez, look around this particular forum or check out www.wannabez.com.

Thanks!

[Tyler James]

I think one of the best things about Kickstarter is that it is super smooth. You can just do it...if it succeeds, great, if it doesn't nothing lost.

A few things...

- Being on "Kickstarter" does next to nothing for you. It's a smooth platform and makes things nice and easy, but you won't get support from Kickstarter fans. It's going to be the network you already have that will support you. The magic is not in Kickstarter...it's in you and your ability to sell this project through the admittedly smooth and user-friendly Kickstarter tool.
- Be realistic about your funding goal, and make it correspond to the network you already have...a $5,000 goal would be ridiculous for someone with a small on and off-line presence (unless they have a few wealthy friends) but would be totally feasible for someone tapping into a sizeable existing fanbase. Don't make the mistake of setting an unattainable (too high) goal.

Incentives...
- I recommended keeping funding levels limited to maybe 4 or 5. (Start at $5 and go up as high as you want...you never know.
- Don't lose money on this. (I've seen plenty of kickstarters offer incentives that cost almost as much or more than the money they're getting for it...I'm all for providing value, but this is about raising funds, not losing them.)

Low level incentives: Exclusive wallpaper, PDF downloads

Mid-Level Incentives: name printed as a sponsor in the book, shout out/plug on Zone for, signed print copy of the book, exclusive print

High-Level Incentive: Original page of Wannabes Art, Character sketch of your choice, become a Wannabe (character with your name/likeness cameos)

Many times the incentives are cumulative, so that the $100 donor also gets all the same schwag included in the lesser bundles.

Just some ideas for you Brant. Good luck!

[Crazz]

I picked this up off of Comics 2am over at CBR, but it's directly related to your question Brant. This is a response from Johanna Draper Carlson who explains why she won't donate to Kickstarter projects:

"I’d rather see a creator learn to think like an entrepreneur. Put together a business plan and get dedicated loans and funding. I know Kickstarter, which seems like free money, seems a lot easier, without putting you on the hook in any way, but ultimately, I think it’s better in the long run for creators to understand how to run their own small business. If they get the money in advance, what’s the impetus to keep going? If you’re not willing to risk your own money and fund your own startup, why should I? If you believe in it, you take the risk."

Obviously it's her opinion, and I've always found her to bit a bit.....harsh, but it is a point with some validity (one that I don't think includes you though, I know what you have done to support Wannabez). You can see her entire comments on it at her blog:

Comics Worth Reading

[Tyler James]

Fundamentally, I don't think the concept that a creator should learn to be an entrepreneur is valid. Where JDC is flat wrong is that the creator should only look to his own resources to when getting projects off the ground. How many small businesses were able to get off the ground thanks to gifts, grants, or angel investors? Is the success that happens after that tainted because the creator received a little help at launch?

Kickstarter is not a long term, sustainable source of funds...it's a Kickstart...

Creators should have a rock solid plan about what to do with the funds they receive, and use them to produce a sustainable business.

[Crazz]

Fundamentally, I don't think the concept that a creator should learn to be an entrepreneur is valid. Where JDC is flat wrong is that the creator should only look to his own resources to when getting projects off the ground. How many small businesses were able to get off the ground thanks to gifts, grants, or angel investors? Is the success that happens after that tainted because the creator received a little help at launch?

Kickstarter is not a long term, sustainable source of funds...it's a Kickstart...

Creators should have a rock solid plan about what to do with the funds they receive, and use them to produce a sustainable business.

I totally agree with you on that Tyler. I think JDC is giving this the most pessimistic look and teaming it with the bleakest examples of indie creators, which if you put the two together would certainly have a higher chance of failure along the lines that JDC predicts. As I said, I often find her to be harsh, so I wasn't surprised to see that reaction from her, but I thought this was an appropriate place to discuss it.

[Gonzogoose]

Absolutely, Chuck, discuss away. I was made aware of her comments via a Newsarama blog post Chuck M. pointed out: http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/06/22/comic...tigue/#comments

If you read some of the comments on that post many seem to disagree with JDC as well, and I do too. One person stated that doing a project through Kickstarter is similar to having a business plan and looking for funding for it.

The thing with Kickstarter that I've noticed is that the projects that seem to do the best are ones that explain what the funds will be used for and offer nice and creative incentives for those pledging towards the project. I know exactly what my funds will be used for and will lay that out in my pitch.

As for incentives, thanks for the ideas, Tyler. Sadly, original art of any kind may be off the table for logistic and other reasons I'm sad to say, but some of the other things you suggested I hadn't thought of, so that sounds cool.

[MasonEasley]

Sorry I haven't put my 2 cents into this sooner Brant, but I think Crazz and Tyler pretty much said what I was going to say. I got your email, and I really think its a good idea.

I'll keep an eye on this and see how it turns out. I believe the fact that you're treating this like a business increases your chances of success. Good luck my friend.

[Tim Tilley]

I'd offer to help but sadly, financially speaking I am not in a position to do so. I wish you luck with it.
As for Johanna's comments, I would also have to disagree with her opinion. Some people are not able to invest their own money into a project, which is why
they require donations to kick start it. For an example, I myself am broke.. I'm bankrupt. I could print a comic and then sell it to get myself out of debt, and by then I could have my own money to invest in a second issue. Until then, I'd need help from others in oder to make that first comic become reality.

[Decapitated_Dan]

Personally, if I were to throw into the pot, I would just want a sketch. Then if a higher amount a sketch of my choice. LOL. I would say nothing that would cut into your funding costs. That's for sure. But with little to no extra spending money, it's hard to say I would be able to contribute.

I like the idea of seeking outside funding, it's kind of like that Shark Tank show, you sell me on your sales pitch and I will throw in. However something just feels off about it. I don't know, but I will do what I can to help out.

[ChadStrohl]

I see the pros and cons both on this one. The idealist in me wants to say, "Yeah, this is a good thing." Creators need a solid monetary foundation to build from and most of us don't have that foundation at the start. This concept is akin to many other forms of venture capitalism - present a business plan, ask for start-up.

The pragmatist in me says, "Why bother?" If you take the JDC article at face value, you have to have a network of people primed to offer donations to the cause. If this network already exists and is ready to donate in return of "gifts", why not simply sell those gifts to acquire the funds? Kickstarter is the approach Victor Dandridge has been touting all along... in reverse.

The two halves of my brain meet in the middle where they say, "Give it a shot. Two things can happen... you get the money or you don't get the money. Either way a few more eyes have seen what you got."

[Gonzogoose]

Yeah, to me it's a "what have I got to lose?" kind of thing. I'm not out anything, and like you said, Chad, it's more eyes on the project if we market it right.

The thing is, I've put my own money into this book and am in no position to continue doing so. It's either try this or shelf Wannabez at least for a year, maybe longer. I'd rather not do that and lose what little momentum we do have. So I'll give this a shot and see what happens.

[Tim Tilley]

That's pretty much my thought Brant. People who use it have nothing to lose, and only to gain. I think it's a win-win situation for all involved.

[Gonzogoose]

Just to keep you all in the loop, we are still going forward with this. I am recording the video this week for the pitch.

We have decided to run the campaign for 90 days to take full advantage of the time allowed.

Pledge amounts will range from $5-1000, and the rewards we are offering for those pledges are pretty cool.

The rewards range from a mention on our site and in the book, to signed copies, to original art, to t-shirts, to lettering and art services for your comic!

We'll keep you posted as to when we submit it to Kickstarter and of course when it begins.

[Gonzogoose]

Started recording the Kickstart pitch video tonight. It hasn't gone so well.

After about 20 takes or so, all while nursing a toothache, I finally gave up for the night.

Some of it wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't coming together like I'd like. So I'll try again either later tonight or another day.

If anybody out there is any good at simple video editing, though, and would be willing to volunteer to help out when it gets to that point email me.

All I'd be looking for is someone to splice some shots of art and photos and stuff in, and maybe adding a powerpoint like effect to it as I list the pledge levels.

If not, I'll figure it out myself, but I certainly won't turn away help. heh

[Tim Tilley]

Look at the bright side, at the very least you actually have the hardware and software capable to make a video. I'll be making a kickstarter project of my own but I won't be able to make a video for mine. Which stinks but, seeing how it cost us nothing to start a project, there's no loss. As fpr the toothache, sorry to hear about that. I know what it feels like, I have one myself but can't afford to have it taken care of.

Good luck finding someone to help with the video editing!

[Gonzogoose]

True, I do have the equipment, thanks to Chuck. And thanks for the support, Tim. We'll figure it out.

Yeah, I can't afford to take care of my toothache either. I had to leave the CR Summit meeting/cookout/fun night early because of it and that sucked. Just now got it settled down after that, and that was 7 and a half hours ago!