On this blog, I’ll still talk about writing sometimes and will share a few insights I’ve learned along the way about my process and my characters and my books, but I’ll go deeper into self-publishing over on my A Self-Published Author’s Diary Substack.
Today, for example, I share an edited transcript (with visuals and more info) of my latest podcast episode.
Today is all about my Kickstarter not getting funded for #TheLeftoverBride audiobook: what I would do differently, what I learned and what I did after it didn’t get funded …
I mean there are definitely more than three reasons to pre-order #TheLeftoverBride audiobook but … let’s start with three.
You may have seen that the Kickstarter for #TheLeftoverBride audiobook was not funded. Which yep. Sad. But because I always try to have a backup plan and because I do believe in this project, I have set-up a pre-order for #TheLeftoverBride audiobook in my store.
If you pre-order the audiobook, you will receive additional narrated bonus scenes!
If you pre-order #TheLeftoverBride audiobook before August 2nd, you can get 25% off. Yes, you read that right: for a very limited time, you can get 25% on the pre-order of #TheLeftoverBride audiobook. Just use the coupon: TLB25 at checkout. The coupon is only valid for that item and will expire on August 2nd: so make sure you click pre-order today!
You’ll be able to listen to the audiobook before anyone else… The audiobook will be sent to you via BookFunnel. You can listen to it on your phone or on your computer. You can use the BookFunnel app (very easy) or via a browser (also very easy). And BookFunnel is there to help you if you’re having issues.
Plus: when you pre-order #TheLeftoverBride audiobook directly from my store, I receive more royalties and I don’t have to wait sixty days, so you basically support a small business 🙂
Don’t forget there are also limited items in my store: name a character in #SweetsForLove, get your name in #TheLeftoverBride credits, chat with me about self-publishing and more …
Well, if you’re like me, trying out Kickstarter was a roller coaster full of emotions. Plus, all that marketing? And putting yourself out there? Challenging to say the least. One day, I thought I had the best carefully-crafted plan, the next I thought: what am I doing? I really believed my Kickstarter would get funded. Yet, here I am. The kickstarter was funded at 48% and it had 23 amazing backers.
When your Kickstarter doesn’t get fully funded, you do not receive any of the pledges.
Part of my process…
Also part of my process…
I am so grateful to everyone who backed this project for believing in it and me and Megan.
But now that it hasn’t been funded, what do I do?
I will do a root cause analysis of why I think it wasn’t funded. And what I might do differently should I ever do a Kickstarter again. If you’re an author, there are many free resources available (podcast, blog posts and more that talk about kickstarter for authors – I’ll make a list when I do an episode on my podcast about it).
And when it comes to one of the major next steps: before the Kickstarter announced it wasn’t funded, I updated my online store to offer some of the rewards. For example, readers and audiobook listeners can pre-order #TheLeftoverBride audiobook directly from me (helping with increasing the royalties), they can name a character in #SweetsForLove, get their names in the credit and chat self-publishing with me if they wish. 🙂
I’ll share more on my podcast A Self-Published Author’s diary in a few weeks… But in the meantime, if you’d like to grab one of the LIMITED items in my store, don’t hesitate.
Here’s a 10% coupon code for you: WEBSITE10 (expires on July 26th)
It is “all or nothing”, meaning the project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Tuesday, July 19th (8.30 EDT).
(PS: if you’re receiving this post in your email, you signed up at some point on my website If you no longer want to receive those blog posts, there’s a little “unsubscribe” at the bottom of your email.)
I’ve been told this is not possible…That this Kickstarter project of mine with (amazing) rewards will never get funded.It is “all or nothing”, meaning the project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Tuesday, July 19th (8.30 EDT).
(PS: if you’re receiving this post in your email, you signed up at some point on my website 🙂 If you no longer want to receive those blog posts, there’s a little “unsubscribe” at the bottom of your email.)
And maybe they’re right. It’s at 30% funded now with 16 backers …
But … Do you want to help me prove them wrong?
Back this project with $1 and you’ll also get #TheLeftoverBride ebook as well as a digital postcard!
And of course, you could snag an early copy of #TheLeftoverBride audiobook or signed copies and so much more.
Full disclosure: the campaign is still ongoing and is currently funded at 30% … So, not sure if I’ll be successful with it or not. And this post is both aimed to be informative and to maybe also spur a few of you to back this project.
You can’t back a project you don’t know about. And transparency is important. Can you tell I used to work as a press officer?
If you don’t know, on Kickstarter, you can pledge amounts for rewards (or just because you want to support a project). The creator is the one coming up with the rewards. Your pledge is only debited if the full project is funded.
So, for this project, the rewards range from: a digital postcard, to talking to me about self-publishing, an early copy of the audiobook, your name in the credits, choosing a name in an upcoming novel/novella, signed copies and so much more… Backers support a creative process. You basically become a “patron of the arts”.
Here are the three reasons I am giving Kickstarter a try this time around.
The Kickstarter can serve as a pre-order for the audiobook. All rewards backers can choose (except the $1 reward) include the audiobook. It’s a win-win for listeners since they receive the audiobook ahead of publication (all they have to do is download an app to listen to it) and it is cheaper than it will be after publication. For me, that means that I receive almost the entire price of the audiobook instead of a much lower royalty when a listener purchases it online and can then use the project funding to compensate my narrator…
I want to distribute the audiobook to libraries. To do so, I cannot have the book exclusive to audible. That means I cannot do a so-called royalty-share plus agreement via ACX with my narrator. This also means I need to compensate my wonderful narrator a higher price per finished hour. Trust me, narrating, mastering and editing an audiobook is a very demanding job. You not only have to be a talented narrator; you also need to be tech savvy and have the needed software.
Financing the project via Kickstarter enables me to not put money up-front—except to run a very low-budget ad. This allows me to use parts of my budget for other projects. Being a self-published author means I remunerate an editor, a copy editor for my books. I have software costs and marketing costs. I also have an ad budget and a translation budget. In addition, if you sell books on certain retailers, you only get paid for those sales about two months later. Financing the audiobook via Kickstarter might enable me to realize other projects during 2022, such as more bilingual books.
Keeping it short. 🙂 The Kickstarter is now at 18% funded. Yes, 18%! And we have 11 days to go. Let’s do this. (The Kickstarter only gets funded and funds only get debited if it’s fully funded).
If you are planning to purchase #TheLeftoverBride audiobook:
It will be cheaper to pledge the $10 reward than to purchase it later;
You will be one of the first listeners to receive it;
It will be delivered electronically;
You can pledge from anywhere and receive it in your inbox.