New Crowdfunding Project: "To Discover and Preserve"

[ysabetwordsmith]

MCA Hogarth, one of my older crowdfunding friends, has a campaign on Kickstarter for a short story collection "To Discover and Preserve."  Her Pelted stories are brilliant anthropomorphic fiction, and Alysha Forrest is a favorite character.  Regrettably the backer options jumped from $10 to $75 and all the higher ones are already gone anyway, so only e-book copies are left.  >_<  But it's still great reading if you don't mind reading on a screen. 

Comments

[siliconshaman]

sigh I used to really enjoy her work, but nowadays, it's priced well out of the range of my discretionary funds... (which would just about get me a cheap cup of coffee.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see her succeed. I just miss the days when I could afford her stuff.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I agree, that's frustrating. There used to be a lot of stuff readily available, often with a choice of electronic or hardcopy because she'd post things first online, then crowdfund hardcopies of the favorites. That was great.

It's very important to offer a range of prices so that people can find a level that suits them -- which is something that used to appear in her marketing/business posts.

Re: Yes ...

[siliconshaman]

Yeah.. I remember those too. That's what influenced me to try my hand at publishing. I think the problem is that Patron doesn't allow her the flexibility she used to have.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Yeah.. I remember those too. That's what influenced me to try my hand at publishing. <<

That's a good influence.

>> I think the problem is that Patron doesn't allow her the flexibility she used to have. <<

She said on her LiveJournal that she dropped Patreon for some other service.

And to think that it all started when some publisher dumped her ... I think this was back with The Aphorisms of Kherishdar, and I suggested just offering the stories straight to the fans who were already wound up expecting an collection. So that's what she did.

Re: Yes ...

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry to hear it!

I still offer products in a range of prices, with ebooks the cheapest (in the $3-5 range), paperbacks at retail the cheapest I can afford to offer them (in the $16 range), and then the premium products that you can get either through Etsy or Kickstarter, like signed paperbacks, cameos, etc. But Kickstarter prizes are not intended as normal products: they're intended as capital-raising offerings, which is why even the ebook prizes are twice the amount the book will be at retail, later. People backing the KS do so knowing they're paying more so they can see the product happen at all.

If the prices are too much in the premium lines, I suggest waiting for the book to hit retail and picking up the ebook or paperback then. (Sadly, I can't do much about paper/glue/binding prices and shipping costs. But I do try to keep the retail paperback affordable.)

Re: Yes ...

[sporky_rat]

<3

[sporky_rat]

Why's it so regrettable?

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

1) I spent a majority of my time staring at a screen for work. I don't need reasons to spend more time doing that for recreation. I prefer paper books.

2) I would have happily spent $15-20 on a paperback. Not giving that option means not only do I not get the book I wanted, the author gets less money.

It's very important to consider price ranges in crowdfunding, whether on Kickstarter or other contexts. A big gap in the middle, like missing bottom or top rungs, can leave out would-be donors or otherwise miss opportunities. Look at my poetry prices: standards are $5, $10, $15, and $20 with epics at $1/line. There is something for everyone, whether you've got $2 for an epic in microfunding or $200 for a whole one.

Re: Well ...

[sporky_rat]

The trouble right now is that by the time the tiers come to be mailed out there's expected to be a massive shortage of the materials for books. The books that are autographed aren't even expected to be out until six months after the ebooks.

Not to mention the last time she had several physical books to mail out, there was such issue with the postal service that it was more trouble than it was worth.

You'll still be able to buy the book from your choice of an online retailer or bookstore that can order for you.

Maggie's pricing works for her - she set her award tiers to what she could handle by herself. She doesn't use a fulfillment company.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

All true, but irrelevant if it doesn't work well for customers. People are happy enough to overfund, and that's great. But I bet there are a lot more who would've bought but didn't, or would've spent more if there had been better options. If it hadn't been a favorite author, I wouldn't have.

And I've had it with humanity's complete inability to grasp the vulnerability of long supply lines.

Re: Well ...

[caudelac]

I dunno, I think not promising something you know you probably can't deliver in the current situation is a responsible decision, me. And that goes both ways- I don't think there's an expectation of backing when it's financially not possible. Hopefully, those who can't now will purchase when it becomes possible again, and the books are out retail.