If you happened to read my post last week on
Using KickStarter to Fund Self-Publishing Projects, you might remember that I was toying with the idea of running a campaign myself, one to help fund the production of my Emperor's Edge audiobooks.
I paid for professional narration and editing of the first two audiobooks out of pocket (you can download all of The Emperor's Edge through Podiobooks.com or iTunes, and the opening chapters of Book 2 will be out soon), and I put them out there for free, because that's how I like to roll, but I have four more books planned in the series, and it'll be quite an investment to get them all out there. So, KickStarter.
For those who don't want to read the other article (hey, it's long, I understand), this is a site that allows artists, authors, musicians, etc. to post projects and ask for "crowd-funding" help, meaning people can donate money to get the project off the ground. In return, they get goodies related to the project.
Here are things I'm definitely going to give away to folks who pledge:
Completed audio files of the books (instead of listening to a chapter a week on iTunes, you'd be able to listen to the entire book at once, similarly to a story you download from Audible)
Signed paperbacks of The Emperor's Edge, Dark Currents, and Deadly Games
A USB drive with all of the audiobooks, all of the ebooks, cut scenes from the stories, interviews I've done around the web, and basically anything else I can think of that might be fun to include.
Here are a few more things I'm thinking of giving away:
A chance to name a minor character in Book 4
Advertising (probably sponsored posts, but I'm open to other ideas) for fantasy authors or artists who'd like a little exposure on my blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page, etc.
Are these good, or is there something else you'd like to see as a prize? Don't worry — leaving a comment here under no way obligates you to pledge. I'd love to get your input though!
UPDATE: Here's a preview link to what I've set up so far. Nothing is set in stone, so feel free to comment. I may add a partial manuscript or short story critique, since a couple of you have mentioned that, so if that's something you'd be interested in, please give me an idea on a reasonable price point. Thanks!
Related Posts:
New Map for The Emperor's Edge World
The Assassin's Curse Is Out! (Excerpt + Store Links)
Cover Art for The Assassin's Curse (a Sicarius and Amaranthe short story)