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.)
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.
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.
And I offer rewards in exchange for your pledge to fund said-production (rewards include: an early electronic copy of the audiobook, your name in the credits, pick a name for a character, more audiobooks, chat with me about self-publishing and so so much more…).
The project will only be funded if it reaches its goal and you can choose your reward (they start at $1 or even pledge whatever you’d like without a reward here).
People who back Kickstarter projects are offered tangible rewards or experiences in exchange for their pledges. This model traces its roots to subscription model of arts patronage, where artists would go directly to their audiences to fund their work.
Closed caption: My story? I was born in 1981 … Oh no, not my story but the story of this project…Oh, okay, Keep reading…
There we go.
#TheLeftoverBride is a book I wrote not long after my autologous stem cell transplant as I needed a novel I could concentrate on that would make me smile. And a book that I hoped would make people smile.
This is the dedication of the book:
#The Leftover Bride book dedication
It seems it worked for many readers.
Those are some reviews the book has received:
“This book is so much fun! The perfect combination of romance, angst, and humor, it’s your favorite Hallmark movie’s sassier, steamier cousin.”
“Sweet, sassy and fun!”
An audiobook allows me to reach out to so many more people around the world. Maybe making them smile, too.
And by funding this project, you ensure that it can be made available to libraries as well as retailers. In addition, I can make the book available at a lower price around the world if this project is fully funded, than if it was made exclusive to only one distributor.
This book has characters who have been through a lot. Sorcha has OCD (wonder where I got the inspiration for that?). Ryan dealt with a tough childhood (that I’m lucky I had to research a lot as my experience differs from his) and thinking his career defines him (hmmm).
And an audiobook production requires investment up front for my wonderful and amazingly talented audiobook narrator.
Do you know the amount of work for one hour of finished audio (narrated, edited and mastered)?
It takes about 6 hours to produce one hour of finished audio: about two hours of narration and going through the audio to edit it (take away possible repetitions, mistakes, extraneous noises, clicks) and master it (ensuring the noise level is to the requirements. One also needs to re-listen to the finished file for quality control.
So, when you’re listening to an audiobook of about eight hours, it may have taken the narrator/producer about 48 hours to produce, not counting the breaks when you’re recording for your voice or for the way you sit or stand.
That also doesn’t take into consideration the pre-work that might be needed like reading the entire book before you record, making notes to make sure you keep the characters’ voice the same throughout and so much more…
When you hire a narrator/producer, you hire someone who can not only act and perform, you also hire someone who knows the intricacies of audiobook narration and production.
Once the audiobook is distributed, I receive between 10% and 40% of the price of audiobook (depending on the royalty share agreement, on the way a listener buys or borrows the audiobook, on the retailer).
With this payment structure, I might decide to put the audiobook available in places where my return on investment might be higher. It not only means the audiobook wouldn’t be available everywhere, but recouping said investment can still take quite a long time.
In addition, the narrator may also take a risk when they agree to a part of their return being royalty-share because what if the audiobook doesn’t do as well on the retailers? Not from any fault of their own, but maybe the marketing or advertising plan doesn’t work the way it could/should?
So… this would be how the project funding would be used:
First, the audiobook will be made available on a larger distribution platform, which would include libraries. Libraries can then purchase the audiobook at a much lower price;
$2000 for the audiobook narrator/producer: this would be an actual remuneration of $40 per hour for the work done. (This is the median hourly rate for an experienced audiobook narrator). This narrator has gone above and beyond for previous audiobooks which she had agreed to do via royalty-share (where she had reduced her rate per finished hour but, like me, ended up making a loss);
About $130 for Kickstarter fees;
About $130 in processing fees;
About $200 for shipping (including some international shipping);
About $70 in taxes;
About $20 for the platform enabling distribution of audiobooks electronically;
About $250 for ads once the audiobook is available worldwide;
And because I can dream, right? Anything above the goal would be split this way: half for the narrator and half for me.
By funding this project, you not only will help me make more people smile. It will make it easier for me to have the audiobook possibly available in libraries and in more countries around the world where people speak or learn English. But you will also enable me to accomplish other projects (such as more bilingual books and more actual writing…)
So, thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH! It means the world to me.
Risks and challenges
All the rewards are either already in production or will be as soon as the project is successfully funded. The only one is the short story reward. That reward might take me a bit more time to get more to, which is why the delivery is longer. When it comes to the short story, you’ll be able to give me names, tropes or story idea. There will be a survey to fill out. If the story idea is out of my competencies or a topic I do not write about, I will deliver a short story that might be slightly different but will still be exclusive.
This is a numbers episode. I'm going back to the archives a little bit (back to the future, kind of) to talk about a book I released in 2015 that had 23 preorders and became one of my most read books.A Summer Like No Other launched at 99 cents. I had a whole plan — cover reveal with Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley, YouTube videos, a blog series called The Making Of, emails to readers who had reviewed my first book. I got 23 preorders. In the first three months I made about $200.That same book has now been downloaded 66,550 times in English: 40,279 audiobooks, 24,414 ebooks, and 1,360 paperbacks. Best month was May 2024, with 7,930 downloads.The French version, Un Été Pas Comme Les Autres, had 20 preorders. It's now perma free, has been downloaded 48,368 times, has 1,843 ratings on Amazon France, and the translation got picked up by a publisher that was part of Hachette — which is how I became a hybrid author.So preorders really don't make or break a book.I also talk about:Dictation finally working for me — two days this week with more than 6,000 words, which hasn't happened in foreverA very funny dictation fail from my walkLast week's newsletter (Elodie Now): 205 subscribers, 48.19% open rate, 0.49% click rate, one unsubscribeFun fact: more than 50 subscribers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and I didn't know that until this week. Thank youThe two YouTube videos that helped me with dictation:Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me — Alyssa in the Books https://youtu.be/I7rpvAGPgv4?si=4Oju1Ob5MjjukVNcBook Dictation for Beginners — The Courtney Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVQ2vd_w1MThe Margie Lawson Deep Edits packets: Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More: https://www.margielawson.com/product/deep-editing-rhetorical-devices-and-more/Make Endings POP! Deep Editing Style: https://www.margielawson.com/product/make-endings-pop-deep-editing-style/PublisherChamp: https://www.publisherchamp.com/If you'd like to tell me you're listening and where from, I would love to hear from you: authorelodienowodazkij AT gmail.com
Elodie Nowodazkij 