Kickstarter

[Jordan Stratford]

Hi all -

Wondering if any of you have had experience with kickstarter.com?

I'm launching my first campaign this Sunday, trying to raise $4k during the month of April, to fund a month of writing for a Middle Grade steampunk novel for girls, and have the book out in June.  

The interesting thing about kickstarter is that if the goal isn't reached, all the sponsors get their money back.  So the creator gets all or nothing.  

Comparing this with indiegogo, which keeps x percent if you make your goal but a much greater percentage if you do not.  That's the "something is better than nothing" approach.

Anyway, just wondered if you have any thoughts?

Jordan 

[Katina Beckham French]

I haven't done a Kickstarter project personally, but a friend of mine got her mobile app funded through it. I kind of like the "all or nothing" approach. Basically, it's a good gauge of whether or not your idea is marketable. If it can't get enough critical mass to get funding, then you probably need to work on either your pitch, or the whole idea. JMO. 

[Jordan Stratford]

My kickstarter is a go!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airshipambassador/wollstonecraft

I'll let you all know how it turns out.  Wish me luck!

[Katina Beckham French]

That's awesome! Congratulations and good luck!

[Jordan Stratford]

25% funded in the first 24 hours.  

[Jordan Stratford]

Okay, whew.

We were fully funded in 60 hours.  We raised $4,000 in 2 and a half days, instead of the 28 days we defined in the campaign.

Just twelve hours after that, we are more than a third of the way towards the funding of a second book.  To say that the kickstarter strategy has been successful is an exercise in understatement.

[Jordan Stratford]

Just to report in.  After one week to the hour, we hit $14,000 – ten grand over our goal with three weeks left. 24 hours after that we're closing in on 18k.  This will fund 3 books, interior illustrations, editor, covers, book block layout, a publicist, and offset some of my research-in-London costs.

It just keeps getting bigger.  We got picked up by boingboing and io9 and the 177,000 member SP FB group.  I don't know how far this will take us, but my vision for the world of Wollstonecraft is HUGE and it's a joy to be working on this with so many supporters and a ready-fanbase full of their own ideas and enthusiasm.