What NOT To Do When Crowdfunding a Comic
001 - Things I See That Don't Typically Work
Crowdfunding is fantastic. Use it.
This is a new era in publishing. For the first time ever an independent publisher can survive — and even THRIVE — without the “middle man”: DISTRIBUTION. You, an indie creator, can reach readers and comics shops directly. You don’t need Diamond or Lunar or Simon & Schuster or anyone else for that matter.
(Though distribution is a great marketing & “reach” vehicle!)
You can publish, print, and distribute your book yourself. Period. Welcome to 2023!
That said, there are some very common mistakes and miscues made in indiecomics crowdfunders that I see all-too often. It’s worth mentioning, addressing, and potentially correcting.
Now, first thing I’ll say is this: all of this is my opinion, based on what I’ve seen with successful & unsuccessful crowdfunded campaigns. My opinion isn’t definitive but I’ve also been very successful as an individual crowdfunder, and I’ve backed over 700 indiecomics campaigns in my life.
Is that an appeal to authority? Maybe, but likely it’s just a singular individual expressing his educated opinion based on hundreds of campaigns over the years. 😉
Don’t Undersell Your Project
I see it all the time: Joe Comic Creator has a book and they spent $5000 creating the book (before printing and shipping costs). They build their Kickstarter campaign and set the funding goal at… wait for it… $500.
One-TENTH of what they paid for the book. Forget printing costs. Forget shipping fees. They’re willing to EAT 90% of a book’s production costs.
There are a couple of things going one when this happens:
They’re not confident in the project -OR- not willing to invest the time and social connections to promote the book properly. They’re hoping to get some sort of adulation for funding quickly and get noticed. I’ve seen this one far-too often: “Funded in ONE HOUR!!” Yeah, it was funded in an hour. You set the funding goal at $500 USD, despite spending 2.5-10x that in production costs. How is that a “success”…?
They’re intentionally trying to cheat the system and get noticed. This is only slightly different from the first comment - except this one is done intentionally with knowledge of how the algorithms work. Will it make you successful? Maybe. It’s possible. But, I’d caution you to not sell the farm just to get a billboard.
Problems with underselling your project:
Not sustainable. Sure, you can undersell you book and get “funded” but for what? Can you still fund the next book/chapter? If not, then what was the point??
Public perception. Some will see through this undersell and avoid it altogether. I know: I’ve done it. It’s okay to set a crowdfunding goal lower than your actual costs — it’s an investment for everyone - but, don’t set it so low you look like a manipulator. If it’s too good to be true, most folks will assume it is and move on. Be wary of underselling your value.
You may fund! That sounds great, until you realize that shipping eats into your funding and now you’re running “in the red” (negative income). Watch out. There are legit business reasons to do this, but if you don’t understand business it’s best to avid this model. Just… don’t do it.
Over-Priced Shipping
I’ve seen SO many campaigns lately that think it’s okay to over-charge for shipping. “My $10 book will ship domestically to you for $10!”
Okay, let’s ignore reality for a minute and ask the question: is your book worth the $20 you’re charging for it?? Maybe, maybe not, unless your name is Pat Shand or Charlie Stickney I wouldn’t count on that without caveats.
So, why are you overcharging for DOMESTIC shipping?? The obvious answer is you’re afraid of over-pricing the book itself.
At least, that’s the most honest “easy answer”. No one wants to assume you’re being malicious, so let’s stay with the easy answer.
An average 48-page, prestige format comicbook weighs 0.5lbs when bagged and boarded.
On the HIGH side, shipping is $6.35 USD. Add in $0.85 for a Gemini Mailer, and $1 for shipping/handling labor, and the MOST one should charge for shipping is $8.20.
So, price your book accordingly. I recently backed a book that was $10 for the print copy (at the most costly a printed 32pg comic is $4 to the publisher) and ANOTHER TEN DOLLARS to ship. W. T. F???
If you’re going to overprice anything, over-price the book. Don’t do it on the shipping. That’s insane. NEVER should a $10 book cost $10 to also ship domestically. NEVER.
Be Thorough!
I’ve seen a number of crowdfunded projects lately that lack: a) a good cover photo/video, b) interior page samples, c) cover samples, d) a clear goal (aside from funding), and e) quality story presentation.
Fix these. ASAP.
I’ll go into each of those elements in future installments of this series, but that’s all for today!
I hope these tips are helpful! Let’s grow independent, crowdfunded comics together! And, let’s do it the RIGHT WAY!!