I would like some eyeballs on this FROZEN DREAMS Kickstarter tier.

Patreon!

Does this below make sense? I’m limiting the backers on this tier to 20, not because signing my name is onerous but because it makes me feel better about the whole thing. Lemme explain the numbers after the pledge:

Pledge $20 or more Physical book (You SURE about this?)

(USA ONLY: NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AT THIS TIME) This gets you a signed paperback copy of the book, plus everything in ADVENTURER. I’ve had people ask about this, so I’m adding this tier. But let me be honest: you’re better off ordering FROZEN DREAMS off of Amazon, having them mail it to you, then having me sign it the next time you see me. Note that the fulfillment date is significantly later than the ones in the other tiers, too. The basic situation here is that I can’t order books for people and have Amazon ship them: they mail the books to me, charge me shipping, then I have to individually ship them to you.

INCLUDES

  • Digital copy of FROZEN DREAMS (currently just .mobi)
  • Special Thanks
  • Wallpaper
  • Three stories, set in the same universe (.mobi format)
  • Physical paperback copy

ESTIMATED DELIVERY: September 2020

The rough-and-tumble calculations I’ve made on this are as follows: assuming a book base cost of about $4, $.50 per book to get sent to me, and about $3.33 bucks to ship out to an American reader, I’m looking at a break-even tier of about $7.80. If I had a print tier of $10, I’d make about $2.20 on each pledge — as opposed to the effectively $10 that I’d be making on every digital page. I have to bump the tier up to $20 in order to get more profit out of it than I would off of the $10 tier, and at that I should really make the tier $25.

But $25 is far too much for a signed paperback, even if you’re getting all the other stuff. I frankly think that people should buy the book off of Amazon and have me sign it eventually. Particularly since it’s going to take me a while to ship all the books out.

Anywhere, that’s where I am on this. Thoughts?

10 thoughts on “I would like some eyeballs on this FROZEN DREAMS Kickstarter tier.”

  1. Moe,
    .
    Point the first – make it signed *and numbered*.
    .
    Point the second – $25 is a reasonable ask.
    .
    Reason for point the second – get your tame web sleuth to look at the reports for where your site traffic comes from, I suspect you’re more widely read than you may think .. and some of us simply don’t “do” cons.
    .
    Not that I’m sayin’ I’ll jump in at the $25 level, mind .. just that some of us might.
    .
    Mew
    .
    .
    .
    p.s. reason for point the first .. if this tier sells out in like 30 seconds, you can easily double it.

    1. $20 is on the low end for a paperback on Kickstarter. $25 is more typical, $30 isn’t considered outlandish, I’ve seen as high as $60 (though that I would consider too high). Kickstarter’s not just about getting your money’s worth, it’s about supporting people you’re a fan of.

      And typically you can charge shipping as a separate price (https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005134033-What-options-do-I-have-for-specifying-shipping-costs-). I would do that if you ever consider shipping outside of the US.

      1. …People really pay $30 for a paperback? Huh. I’ll be sticking with the $20 anyway, especially if I’m going to try that thing with the numbering. This IS my first book, after all. It might suck. 🙂

  2. Up the count to 26 and instead of numbered, they books are letter, it has a bit more cache and only adds 6 more books. If you want to then you add a few more just signed books if you wanted to.

    1. Heh. That’s a thought. I have to get some author copies anyway, for presents (frex, I don’t know if my mom will figure out Kickstarter, but she’s gotta get her own book anyway).

      1. Part of it is about being able to prove it was “one of the first”, not a used copy someone bought off Powells and shoved under your nose at a ‘con ..
        The ink matching is a key ‘tell’ to authenticity, so use of an oddball ink colour (purple?) or, better, a quill and hand-made ink – you know people, right? SCA scribe? – wouldn’t hurt.
        .
        Also, like I said, it’s easy enough to bump if it proves popular.
        .
        When you go to the post office, ask about “media mail” as it’s usually the cheapest way to send books.
        .
        Depending on what your tame webmaster has to say about your readership, maybe consider offering a “plus international shipping” option.
        .
        Mew

      2. That’s a clever differentiator and if you end up increasing it you can do aa, bb,cc etc.

Comments are closed.