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Featuring NEXUS!

It’s a rare occasion that you can use words like sweet, thoughtful, and gentle to describe a science fiction superhero story taking place in a brutal, dystopian urban battleground, but thanks to Sophie Campbell’s Shadoweyes from Iron Circus Comics, that day has arrived. Set in a cluttered and decaying city of the future, Dranac, Campbell introduces […]

Check out this awesome new Inkshare from writer Christopher Irvin and artist Andrew Maclean of HEADLOPPER fame!

Podcorn Podcast co-host Brandon Montclare was an early adopter of the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.  Through it, he and artist Amy Reeder successfully funded two books, Halloween Eve and Rocket Girl! This week, Brandon and I sit down to talk about the platform and discuss how to market your campaign, how to engage with your audience, […]

© Disney, DuckTales

Crowdfunding isn’t a new idea, but we haven’t spent much time discussing it here at Pub Crawl– and I think it’s becoming increasingly relevant to writers today who have more options than ever to publish their work.

Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have been around for more than seven years, and by far have become the best known way to finance projects and products by appealing directly to the consumers who want them. In comparison to the old standby of PayPal donations, and its many limitations and hassles, if enough people are interested in your Kickstarter project, you will raise enough money to hopefully deliver on your promises. But if you don’t have enough support, your proposed project usually goes away quietly.

Many authors have successfully used Kickstarter to self-publish books, using the funding to hire editors, proofreaders and artists; distribute them in print and electronic forms, and even market them. Considering one of the largest hurdles for self-published writers is spending the money to make their books as polished and professional as traditionally published books (or perhaps even more so), this is a fascinating and exciting way to get work out to readers, as well as promote books before they’re released.

Slightly newer to the scene is Patreon, which has quickly become “the world’s largest crowdfunding site for artists and creators” since it was established in 2013. In a nutshell, Patreon allows people to provide ongoing support to an individual–not necessarily for a particular project–through a monthly commitment of as little as $1. As implied by its name, it’s evoking the old patron model of enabling creative work, while offering supporters incentives like exclusive content, early access, and sometimes even a voice in what work gets produced.

(Another site that has recently appeared is called ko-fi, basically an online tip jar that lets fans buy you a cup of coffee with the click of a button, perhaps more as a sign of appreciation than a viable, continuous income stream.)

Essentially, what all these crowdfunding services offer is a way for fans to buy time for creators to make more of the thing they enjoy, and let them know their work is valued and in demand. As a writer with a job and a toddler, a sink full of dishes and piles of dirty laundry, I often must be picky about what projects I sign up for and prioritize the paying work — contracted books and stories — over the shiny ideas I want to play with, or the unpaid blogging I might want to do. So getting “paid” by patrons to write a fun short story that I may not be able to sell (or the novel I may not be able to sell, yikes)  has a certain appeal. My friend N.K. Jemisin recently launched a Patreon that will allow her to quit her day job, the dream of many a writer, so far attracting more than $3800 in less than a week as of this writing.

The simple fact is most writers can probably produce more if they only had more time, and 40+ hours a week is a lot of time.

If I ever did a Patreon or something similar, I suspect it would be to raise funds for a babysitter so I can write more and do more events.

— Ecto Cooler Myers (@ecmyers) May 20, 2016

Every $15 buys me an hour of writing, which is roughly 1,000 words. 7,000 words is a story. 80,000 words is a novel. Creative math.

— Ecto Cooler Myers (@ecmyers) May 20, 2016

As more writers I know create Patreons with a wide range of success, I’ve been thinking more about this phenomenon. (Interestingly, as far as I can tell, not many YA writers have embraced Patreon, but it seems to be gaining popularity in the science fiction and fantasy community, of which I am also a part.) The truth is, I personally have a difficult time separating the idea of crowdfunding from charity, even though intellectually I know that people are buying something they want or rewarding you for something only you can provide. Part of me also imagines this as creating yet another array of deadlines and expectations and obligation to your supporters, who are basically making an investment in you and your work. You have more time, but on some level you’re also more accountable, potentially to dozens if not hundreds of people. How much do you ultimately owe them for helping make it possible?

But I am also aware that one of my hangups is the fear that I won’t get much support, or that I’ll be “competing” with all the other Patreon creators out there for the same dollars. Who needs an additional metric for comparing their own success to that of others? And before you remind me that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others, and that writing and publishing isn’t really a competition, allow me to suggest that this isn’t an entirely irrational consideration. I think a solid fan base is essential to a successful Kickstarter and Patreon, so your newer writers, less published writers, and debut writers probably won’t benefit from them as much — or at all.

What do you think about crowdfunding creative efforts? Have you supported any Kickstarter or Patreon campaigns? What would get you to donate your money to support a writer beyond buying their published work?

Frankly, we need this book.

For a comic inspired by a typo, Deer Editor has already had a pretty rich history. A successful Kickstarter, especially given that the comics were only offered digitally, was conducted for the first volume. A new campaign for the sequel is currently underway. I spoke to project manager and writer Ryan K. Lindsay about building […]

Comics publishing has hit a bit of a slowdown, as I've noted a few times, and Kickstarter seems to be picking up the slack for a lot of publishers. Comicker's Dave Acampo wrote a piece looking at this is mostly about his own Kickstarter for Comicker, but has some general observations and a pie chart of where the money goes prepared by Comicker publisher Sean Williams:

Crowd-funding site Kickstarter has successfully funded 100,000 projects.

The 100,000th project to reach its goal is a photo piece called “Falklands/Malvinas: One War, all Wars”.

Several of these successes were in publishing, comics and journalism. For instance, the site helped to fund 3,521 comic books and comics related events. In addition, Kickstarter fund a collection of lost poems by Chilean poet and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda which will be published by Copper Canyon Press. Follow this link for more interesting facts about Kickstarter successes.

Activist Michael Best is trying to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter to publish a vault of previously declassified documents stored in the CIA’s vault.

“Accessing the information isn’t easy,” explains Best in his appeal. “Researchers trying to look up on the National Archive’s website where to access the computers, won’t find it on the page about doing research at that location or on the page for electronic records at that location. That information is tucked away on the page for online databases – despite not being online.”

Best’s plan is to overcome this byzantine structure and scan and upload as much of the database as he can. This includes 700,000 files and 11,000,000 pages. He will then publish these documents for free online and make them searchable, and available in PDF and Kindle formats.

PEN America hopes to raise $5,500 on Kickstarter for a literary translation series called Passages. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “Passages intends to answer that question, issue by issue, by exploring the literary and narrative trends of some of the world’s least translated territories. Each issue will be co-edited by local editors with knowledge of the most current and relevant arts movements to publish exciting new fiction, poetry, essays, graphic narratives, and new literary forms being developed.”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

From low wages to concussions, producing a crowdfunded indie animated series isn't a job for the faint of heart.

The post Thanks to Crowdfunding, Sun Creature Studio Reaps ‘The Reward: Tales of Alethrion’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Eric Gladstone, a writer at Marvel Heroes 2016, has raised $13,808.00 on Kickstarter for a comic called No Holds Bard. The original fundraising goal was set at $10,000.00. The story, written mostly in iambic pentameter, stars William Shakespeare as a crime-fighting superhero. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “While writing yet another one of his masterpieces, Shakespeare receives a call from his trusty page, Page, with most disturbing news—The Queen has been stolen! From there, the Dramatic Duo of The Bard and Page set off in a series of rollicking misadventures that lead to the highest echelons of Renaissance power. He’ll cross paths with weirdos of all shapes and sizes. You might even recognize a few of them from someone’s most famous plays (but then, I don’t want to spoil all the fun).”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Kiernan Sjursen-Lien hopes to raise $2,950 on Kickstarter for an anthology entitled A Gay Ol’ Time. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “A Gay Ol’ Time will be an approximately 110 page anthology of 48 portraits of LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit Americans born in the 1800s, with accompanying short biographical quatrains. It aims to shed a little more light on these people history tends to forget, memorialize them in watercolor portraits, and invite its readers to research them further.”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Filmkollektiv Frankfurt hopes to raise $4,403 on Kickstarter for the first book on pioneering Nigerian filmmaker Ola Balogun.

The book, Magic of Nigeria – On the Cinema of Ola Balogun, will explore the filmic work of the Nigerian film director whose 10 films made between 1972 and 1982 were very influential in Nigerian filmmaking. Nollywood is one of the largest film industries in the world. According to Fortune, Nigeria’s film business rakes in $3 billion a year. The industry produces more movies by volume than Hollywood and is second only to India’s Bollywood.

If funded, the publication will feature a biographical essay written by Balogun’s wife and long-time collaborator Françoise Balogun, as well as essays analyzing Balogun’s contributions to African cinema by Olaf Möller, Jonathan Haynes and Nikolaus Perneczky. In addition, the book will include a photo gallery with many previously unpublished images, as well as a detailed filmography.

Nine percent of funded creative projects on Kickstarter fail to deliver the rewards, according to a new study from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In March, Kickstarter invited Professor Ethan Mollick to create an independent study on the subject and he interviewed 500,000 backers to explore “project outcomes and backer sentiment.” The research revealed the following:

• 8 percent of dollars pledged went to failed projects

• 7 percent of backers failed to receive their chosen reward

• 65 percent of backers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “the reward was delivered on time”

Jason L. Witter has raised more than $3,600.00 on Kickstarter for a book entitled The Tiniest Vampire (and other silly things). This book features more than 150 pages of poetry and illustrations. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “I love the idea of taking characters that are inherently scary and finding the humor in a situation or interaction. I feel like that’s the best quality of The Tiniest Vampire. It’s very rewarding to take a familiar monster and find some humor in it, or turn a classic horror archetype on its head, or explore questions like ‘what DO witches do before the witching hour?'”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Recently, B. Clay Moore sat down with The Comics Beat to talk about Great Hawaiian Dick, a special Kickstarter-exclusive comic that stems from his recent NBC TV Series deal.

Alex Solis hopes to raise $7,000.00 on Kickstarter for Icons Unmasked. This book focuses on some of pop culture’s most iconic characters including Peter Griffin, Alien, and Grumpy Cat. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “Each time we see a new character in a movie, video game or commercial, we feel a sudden sense deja vu. There’s something about their goofy grin, that creepy laugh, or those boogly eyes that feels eerily familiar…This got me thinking. Is anything we see ever 100% original? Or is everything we experience really just our minds piecing together past experiences to create something that feels unique and new?”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Don Bluth might be an animation legend, but you don't need to give money to him.

The post Don Bluth Doesn’t Need Your Money To Make A ‘Dragon’s Lair’ Pitch appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack, and their team of filmmakers hope to raise $150,000 on Kickstarter for a documentary profiling the late Maya Angelou. For this project, the collaborators have interviewed several people who knew Dr. Angelou including President Bill Clinton, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and her son Guy Johnson. We’ve embedded a video about the new project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “Dr. Angelou has become a global symbol of peace, humility, and freedom–– but parts of her story are not well known. The Maya Angelou Documentary will reflect on how the events of history, culture, and the arts shaped Dr. Angelou’s life and how she, in turn, helped shape our own worldview through her autobiographical literature and activism. We hope to shed light on the untold aspects of her life and to educate audiences about her story.”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Kel McDonald hopes to raise $29,000 on Kickstarter. She intends to use the funds to create a new comics anthology called Cautionary Fables and Fairytales: Asia Edition.

According to the Kickstarter page, the completed book will be “a 250-page long black and white volume of damn awesome comics inspired by tales from China, India, Japan, Tibet, and more!” We’ve embedded a video about the new project above.

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Call Me Ishmael is trying to raise $10,000 to fund a new literary project that was recently honored with the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize.

Inspired by the opening line of Herman Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, The Call Me Ishmael Phone aims to be a way to “bring Ishmael’s entire library to booklovers in search of their next great read,” via a vintage payphone. The creators have turned the phone into a tool for discovering new books. Here is an excerpt from the Kickstarter page with more details:

How does the Call Me Ishmael Phone work? Your local librarian or indie bookstore manager acts as a curator and assigns any of Ishmael’s stories to their Phone. Curators use a simple web application, their venue’s wifi and a printable sign to swap in a new sets of stories once per day. When visiting readers dial a button on the Phone, a beautifully bookish story plays through the Phone’s headset.

Nonprofit publisher Copper Canyon Press is trying to raise $50,000 to finance a book of previously unseen and unpublished poems written by iconic Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Archivists discovered the new works last year among Neruda’s notebooks and scraps of paper. Here is more about the project from its Kickstarter page:

Pablo Neruda’s estate has now entrusted Copper Canyon Press to bring these lost poems to a North American audience for the first time, and we are thrilled to be able to bring this literary treasure to you. Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda will be translated by award-winning translator and poet Forrest Gander and is slated for release in spring 2016. As a nonprofit publisher we need your help to produce a beautiful book of this historic collection.

  If you’re hankering for something to scratch that Samurai Champloo itch, you should take a look at Stéphane Métayer’s Tephlon Funk! – a Hip Hop story told through an manga-influenced comic with French artists David Tako and Nicolas Safe. The Kickstarter campaign has 5 days left on it and they’re just over the 50% mark to self-publish the […]