Whitechapel - Kickstarter

Kickstarter

2010-01-04T22:59:09-08:00

I searched and could not find if there was a thread for it here, so if there is, please to move this there? (beseeches the Great Ariana)

So, Laurenn inspired me to go out for a kickstarter project of my own. Is anyone else here in Whitechapel using Kickstarter to fund their next project?

You can find mine here:

Kickstarter

2010-01-05T15:20:40-08:00

Been toying with the idea of using Kickstarter for a San Francisco history book I have been collecting notes for, but that whole Invite thing has put a pause on the plan. Writing out a proposal for the book does help to focus the intent, though....

Kickstarter

2010-01-05T17:28:57-08:00

It's certainly an interesting idea (I could probably go for something like that once I get to working and finishing my audio boxset) but I have neither a US address or bank account.

So for now it's going on the list of "interesting ideas that I can't use", right next to Blurb (which doesn't send out earnings through Paypal yet and cashing in 25$ checks in my bank eats about 50% of them, heh) and Magcloud (not shipping beyond a couple selected countries).

Kickstarter

2010-01-05T20:51:04-08:00

That's kind of an interesting idea - my brother-in-law wants to do an online comic with me (he draws, I write), but needs either a scanner or wacom tablet type thing. Maybe once I get a good bit written, I'll have him draw up a bunch of it, maybe go to Kinko's to scan in a sample, then give it a go.

Guess I should give you a couple bucks for the idea.

Kickstarter

2010-01-05T21:15:23-08:00

Thank you, @sacredchao!

I'm surprised there aren't more Kickstarter folks lurking around here. I would have thought that Whitechapel of all places would have had more than me and Laurenn.

Well, if nothing else, please check it out, and not just my own project. There are some truly amazing projects burning along over there. I'm supporting two of them, one of course being Laurenn's which just funded (WOOHOO!) and a dance project, because I am a complete nut for dance.

Here's the dance project:

Kickstarter

2010-01-08T23:10:38-08:00

Kickstarter is something that I've been contemplating for a while...to be honest I'd love to do a project where I travel (hitchhike, bus or fly) around Canada and parts of America and just take photos (eventually to either be put in a book or in an exhibit or both) but have no way of doing such a thing. But first I want to hammer down my skills first and stick the traveling to fairly short in distance stuff. I feel that if I'm going to be asking people for the amount of money I would need, I better make DAMN sure that I'm going to produce some knock-out stuff. As it is now, the ratio of hit and miss isn't where I'd like it. So maybe I'll use it for the future, but not now.

Kickstarter

2010-01-08T23:19:35-08:00

Yeah, Kickstarter is only good if you have a project ready to go *right now*. It's not a future thing. I happen to have three projects in the hopper and I'm starting with this one, because it was the most ready to go. Either way, I'm putting the exhibition on in some form in March, this just makes the difference between shoe string and possibly in my front yard to, actual gallery space and actual wine with actual exhibition book, among other awesome goodies. In short, from scraped together bits to actual event.

What's awesome (for me so far) is also the direct feedback I'm getting from people.

It's just made of total awesome.

Kickstarter

2010-01-10T18:29:13-08:00

I've got an update on my project! I've just gotten the web gallery of the show live. You can see it here:

Between Heaven & Hell

and here:

Between Heaven & Hell at my main site

I foolishly realized that you couldn't see what I was talking about straight from the Kickstarter page. So! La! Make with the clicky!

Kickstarter

2010-01-10T23:44:08-08:00

It's something that I recently got an account for, but it's down the To Do list for getting my collective off the ground after Build the Goddamn Website and Start Promoting Ourselves. Because, like you, we have a shoestring budget for art shows and while we've had a few NYC venues give us showing space, we'd like to be able to get something absolutely wonderful going, perhaps supporting our installation-based artists or just getting a space that we can absolutely transform into a work of art.

As an aside, your main site's link to view the statement about the show breaks in my 12" macbook firefox window. On the rollover, the text goes further down the screen than is visible & I can't scroll down, since then my mouse falls off the link. I lose the part that starts "I hope..." and it doesn't fit in that rectangle that appears behind it. I can read it in my second, giant monitor fine, though it still doesn't fit in the rectangle.

How are you going about promoting your project? Is it something where it seems to pull potential contributors just by folks who visit the site or are you doing external promotions? Is there a way to find out where your patrons are coming from or any sort of analytical system?

Kickstarter

2010-01-11T22:53:04-08:00

Well, bugger. I'm using Firefox as my browser and it's working fine. Sadly, I don't control the engine. Can you please kick a comment to the Kickstarter crew and let them know that you're having an issue?

I am promoting my project *everywhere*. Emailed my list, though I have some personal emails to send out to people that I need to still do, Facebook, Twitter and I've done the Digg thing for the project. It's pulling in contributors out of the woodwork and people who are looking to pledge in the future when funds come free. I've also gotten a couple of *totally* random pledges, just out of friends of friends of friends of friends visiting the site and liking the project.

I have quite the dashboard on my end as the maker of the project, but I don't think it allows just anyone to see it, to protect the privacy of the pledges and all that jazz. Right now, my patrons are literally coming in from all over the world, and from all sorts of vectors. It's actually pretty damn cool.

If you're on the self-promotion kick right now, I can't recommend enough Self-Promotion for the Creative Person. Been kicking my ass. I'll link to the book later, right now, I've got to head to bed before I crash like the Hindenberg. Gotta be up stupid early for the dayjob.

Please keep me posted, by the by, when you get your stuff live. I'll shove it out to my peeps too.

Kickstarter

2010-01-14T20:08:07-08:00

My friend and I are working on a proposal for Kickstarter for our web show. We need a new camera, first one that we actually own (our current one is on loan) and two, so we have one that isn't grainy when it's inside even with us using nearly as much light as the sun. This wouldn't be a big problem, if the whole show isn't going to be shot inside except for a single scene. We could also use a nice mic too. Everything is all ready for filming minus that. We'd rather not have the film quality be points against us right off the bat and lose viewers before we can bring the funny.

Kickstarter

2010-01-17T23:39:09-08:00

@Allen

Do you have examples of the kind of thing that you are doing? Email me at angela.n.hunt at gmail dot com

And to toot my own horn, please do spread the word on my project. It's still cooking along and I got some great feedback, so I've added a, this is what the money buys you description to the project. Please to make the clickie!

I am not as cool as Melissa and Meaghan, but I really believe in my work and I really want to put on a kick ass exhibition that will rock people's socks.

Kickstarter

2010-01-17T23:48:33-08:00

Just have a question and please feel free to point at me and say "WRONG" because I have absolutely no idea how things like this work in America, not to mention just starting to think "hey, maybe this art thing would be a good life choice". But is applying for a grant to help/completely fund exhibition space an option or is that just too tedious a process?

Kickstarter

2010-01-18T02:43:19-08:00

It is an option, but it is also very time consuming just trying to find all the ones that still remain since the gov't started cutting its funding to the arts and the economy has also cut off a lot of private patrons from contributing.

There's also a reason why people pay for grant writers - competition is incredibly fierce and there are a lot of starving artists out there. It's something that's a bit tough to be doing by oneself. It isn't a reason to not do it entirely, but it's not something many of us have the time/patience for - especially if what one plans to do has a time limit for getting done.

Kickstarter

2010-01-18T16:24:16-08:00

@oldhat No, it is absolutely not a bad question and to answer it fairly, as an example, I am currently in the middle of working on applying for *four* separate grants. The issue is, as you rightly point out, with the funding having been so bitterly cut, competition for grants is cutthroat. Also, frankly, the work I do doesn't really appeal to most of the grant giving foundations. As for funding exhibitions, typically grants don't do that. Completion grants, yes, or residencies. Three of the grants I'm going for are residencies/fellowships. Only one is a completion grant and it's very time constrained.

Oh, I see that @glukkake answered this pretty much. So, ditto. Time consuming/fierce competition. And like I said, in my case, because of the nature of my work, it made a thousand times more sense to go Kickstarter and go straight to the people who actually dig my work.

Kickstarter

2010-01-22T23:47:28-08:00

Here's one that I'm doing the artwork for:

It's beyond fully funded with still another week to go<3<3 . . . But I'm hopeful that we'll pick up more pledges because ~~GOD I'VE BEEN SO FUCKING HUNGRY~~ we still have plenty of pages left to pre-sell.

Kickstarter's a super extraordinary site! It makes my heart all warm to see support for creativity out there like that. I expect to someday be making enough money (doing what I love!) to help fund other people's projects through it myself. :)

Kickstarter

2010-01-24T18:09:31-08:00

@zas Fuck yeah!!! Congratulations!!!

Yes, I am all about spreading the Kickstarter love. I've supported two funded projects at this point and I'm always looking for other projects.

As for me, still perking along. Spread the word, eh yo!

Kickstarter

2010-01-31T12:40:10-08:00

Molly Crabapple set up our first Kickstarter project for SketchyCon, a conference for Sketchy's leaders around the world to descend upon NYC & join us for skill-shares and branch improvement:

Kickstarter

2010-02-02T14:26:13-08:00

As mentioned above, you do need a US bank account and address (as it is done through Amazon.com) but they do accept suggestions and people can add their voice to the one to expand it globally. They have also posted on their blog about why they don't use someone like PayPal, and they say they are working to make it more international. So fingers crossed.

Kickstarter

2010-02-05T23:15:28-08:00

I just adore how the Kickstarter love is spreading. So happy to see that Molly's project got fully funded.

I hope some of it rubs off on me. :)

Kickstarter

2010-02-06T19:40:19-08:00

I've been thinking about using Kickstarter for a book that features stories from the unemployed. I actually posted a thread about my idea here on Whitechapel a couple days ago but didn't specifically mention Kickstarter as a source of funding for it.

At this point I don't know how to continue with the project. What I'd like to do is something similar to what oldhat said: travel around the country and interview people. This would require me to quit my current job. As much as I want to, I fully recognize that it pays the bills.

The other option would be for me to solicit stories from people across the country, on a website or something like that. This would require just a fraction of the budget for the first method since I wouldn't need money for travel, but I feel like I wouldn't get the full story unless I got to do the traveling and meet with people in person.

I'm unsure how to proceed. I'd really like to move forward with the idea but I don't know how well it'd turn out just by phone/email. Plus, getting people to find my website and submit their stories might be a little difficult, too. First I'd have to worry about just getting the word out, but besides that only certain people would even hear about my website and be able to submit stories...plenty of factory/blue collar workers have been laid off, and I would like to get their stories, but it's doubtful that many of them are very good with computers. I work at an unemployment office and can tell you that about half the people I see don't know very much about computers at all.

Kickstarter

2010-02-06T22:57:13-08:00

How were you planning to find people in the "hit the road" idea? Is there a way to integrate finding them & getting them to a computer - perhaps someone who can help arrange the meeting via the internet/skype, perhaps post fliers on local bulletin boards to solicit interviewees for you. If you could get most of it done via the internet in that way, that might then allow you to travel out to only a few locations, which might work better to help you keep your job.

On the other hand, quitting the job and taking off would make a neat final entry to the book.

Plot out all of your options & find ways to compromise between them to make the most of your funding.

(edited for redundancy edit)

Kickstarter

2010-02-07T01:53:55-08:00

I present to you, the Zombie Conversational Kickstarter! Aka, we need a decent camera so we can make fun of zombies!

Kickstarter

2010-02-08T18:59:16-08:00

@glukkake

What I've been thinking about doing is just interviewing people in the southeast, which is where I am. That way I'm never traveling too far but will still be able to visit a bunch of different areas. I really like the idea of meeting the people in person. For one, I think the interviewees would open up and be more honest. For two, I was thinking about taking some photos along the way. I'm not a professional photographer so at the end of the day the first reason would be more important.

So basically, as long as I set it up beforehand I could leave Friday night/Saturday morning and come back home Sunday night in time for work Monday. Not too shabby.

I'd need a website though, that much is for sure. Something minimalist, just something SEO friendly that I could point people to on flyers/posts/etc. The big question is just how I would get the word out about the project. I know from personal experience that the most effective advertising is often the hardest kind to create: the local stuff, like in newspapers and on bulletin boards at local shops. I don't know how I'd be able to set that up for all the different cities.

Here's a question that I haven't done much research on yet: Can I go the Lulu/POD route while simultaneously releasing the file for free digitally? I definitely want to give it away for free, but at the same time I'd like to offer something POD for the people that donate more than X amount of dollars. The price of the POD book would strictly cover the cost to print and ship the book, nothing extra for me. I don't know if Lulu would allow me to release it digitally if I was also using their service. Anyone got any experience with this?

Kickstarter

2010-02-08T19:06:48-08:00

Still, I don't know...I can't seem to get very much feedback about the project. It's not that I'm trying to write a bestseller or anything, I'd just like to write/edit something that has some level of interest from the general public.

Kickstarter

2010-02-08T23:22:57-08:00

Newspaper ads seem like a good idea - especially if the newspaper also has a website & advertising fees include exposure on both.
If you know anyone in other cities along your route you could ask them to post on bulletin boards & the like, perhaps if there are online communities (places like LJ have city-based groups) that you might be able to churn up a street team to help out/refer you to people they know.

Lulu might stop you from also releasing a free PDF (their distribution section of their website is a bit iffy - but if you're just doing a one-time run and not having them continuously sell, then I don't see why not) but Blurb is not about that from their Terms & Conditions Policy. This was just after going to their pages and running a quick Find for "free PDF" or "distribution rights".

As for whether or not to do it based on current level of interest from the public, I can't give any real advice on it. I know that with my personality and if it were me, I'd go ahead and start the research, create the budget and make the Kickstarter anyway. The best way to gauge proper interest is to just see if they throw down money in support - I've had tons of projects where there seemed to be a high level of interest and then nobody stepped up to help, while at the same time, projects with seemingly no interest drew a huge crowd. At the very least, doing the leg work behind getting it set up means that one might be able to fashion a budget where it can be done by oneself, instead of requiring outside funding.

Kickstarter

2010-02-09T20:41:16-08:00

@glukkake

Thanks very much for the feedback/encouragement. I'm going to keep looking into it and hopefully have most everything laid out in a week or two.

@Everyone

Does anyone know how easy/hard it is to set up a nonprofit and get 501c3 status? Because, you know, I'd like to not have to pay taxes on the money I'd get if I met my Kickstarter goal. Seems kind of pointless, getting this money for a project and then have to pay 20% of it to the IRS...

Kickstarter

2010-02-10T00:21:08-08:00

...I'm taking over this thread but I do know a little bit about starting a non-profit and it is DAMN hard.
Tons of paperwork, you need to have board members, there are issues about what's legal to use the money for, etc. I wanted to establish my art collective as a non-profit with the guidance of a comptroller for a non-profit and... after one of our members made a valiant, yet futile attempt to draw up the paperwork himself we decided to put it off. We ended up finding an established non-profit to help us do what we wanna do.

An excerpt from an email from her explaining our starting steps for setting up in NY, for reference in case anyone is interested:

"You have to incorporate first, make sure you tell them it is for a non-profit organization or 501 (c) (3), then you have to get your ID number and finally you apply for a 501 c 3 status. The attorneys can do all of it or part of it. The incorporation is the most difficult. Also you have to register as a Charitable organization with the State of NY CHAR 410.

You have to develop your By-Laws, include a sample and write a Mission Statement.

SS-4 is the application for ID number.
Publication 557 is for tax exempt status from 1023 and 872c

At the beginning you and your friends can be on the board and later on if any of you want to be paid and work as an employee you have to resign from the board and find another board member. The Executive Director position is a paid position. The President, Secretary, Treasurer and Vice Presidents are unpaid they are part of the Board."

I'm a simple bookkeeper, not an accountant, so take the following with a grain of salt: You'd probably be better off trying to balance the income from Kickstarter through deductions, especially if this is just going to be a one-time thing you're doing yourself. You'd also want to consult an attorney if you do go the non-profit road to get the full run down.

Kickstarter

2010-02-10T06:27:36-08:00

@tcatsninfan

I really like the idea of meeting the people in person. For one, I think the interviewees would open up and be more honest.

Have you ever read about the WPA Writers' Project? It's an ancestor of your idea.

Can I go the Lulu/POD route while simultaneously releasing the file for free digitally? I definitely want to give it away for free, but at the same time I'd like to offer something POD for the people that donate more than X amount of dollars.

If you just want to print X number of copies for your contributors you have all sorts of POD choices whether or not Lulu restricts downloads (I doubt that they do or should since they don't own the book - you do). You could try Amazon's CreateSpace, for example, and even Cafepress prints books.

Whatever POD you use, you'd just order however many copies you need for your contributors and keep the product private since you don't seem to want to sell any of them.

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T07:41:13-08:00

@Bradley

Actually, I do want to sell it, just not for a profit. As far as Lulu goes, they have instructions for getting an ISBN and listing the book on Amazon. Assuming only one book is ordered at a time (which is what most people would do if they were ordering it from Amazon), a 200 page paperback would cost $8 to print and a hardcover would cost $18 (estimated page count). $18 is a little pricey for the hardcover but I want to make it available for libraries and such.

The next question: How do I go about getting an invite for Kickstarter? Does anyone here have one or should I try contacting people directly on the Kickstarter website?

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T09:39:31-08:00

I have a handful of invites I'll send to whoever. Just need an email I think

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T10:22:26-08:00

@tcatsninfan
If you want your book on Amazon then probably the simplest way is to use their own CreateSpace service. Now that I think of it it might be difficult to completely avoid making money because their cut of a sale varies depending on whether it's an Amazon sale or a sale through your own store. Avoiding making money on purpose is a sort of interesting problem that I haven't run across before. :)

Off the top of my head I think you'd want to price the book so that you would make no profit on an Amazon sale and then never post a link to the private store page they create for your book. Then all your sales would come through Amazon at the no-profit price.

You could order your contributors copies yourself, and mail them out.

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T10:23:38-08:00

@sgrsickness

Though I don't need an invite immediately, I think I would like one if you have them to spare - I'm at bws at webomator.com

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T13:33:04-08:00

@sgrsickness

I would like one as well if you have a spare. My email address is tcatsninfan at gmail.com. Thanks!

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T13:48:39-08:00

@tcatsninfan, @Bradley -

INVITES SENT. I got 3 left for anyone interested.

Kickstarter

2010-02-12T14:00:57-08:00

This is a very odd question, and I should probably know this, but do libraries typically carry trade paperbacks? The reason I ask is because Createspace looks great for the most part but they don't do hardcovers, and I know HC's are what libraries carry the most of.

The reason I mention libraries is because I'd like to offer multiple copies of the book to pledges and suggest that they maybe donate one to their local library. For example, one of my incentives could be "Donate $25 and you'll receive 3 copies of the book: 1 copy for yourself and 2 to give away to friends, family, or your local library."

Createspace is a bit cheaper though. For a 200 page paperback measuring 6x9, Lulu would charge $8.00 whereas Createspace is only $3.25 if you have their Pro plan set up. That's quite a bit of difference.

@Bradley

I like your suggestions, thank you. Yes, admittedly it does seem a little weird even to me to be thinking about working on this with no profit. I think this will be a good opportunity for me, though, and I'd like to keep the price as low as possible so more people will buy it. I'd rather have 1000 people read my book and make no profit than 100 where I make a few bucks off each one. I'm going to include all my contact info in the book so afterward they can follow me on Twitter and such so that they can read about my new projects and such.

Kickstarter

2010-02-15T10:39:52-08:00

So, basically, if I don't have nonprofit status then I'm gonna have to pay taxes on this money? That seems kind of...not cool, considering there's no way my deductions could get anywhere near the $4000 or so I would need to do this project.

I had a thought, though: if all the donators/pledges/whatever get some sort of incentive for donating, even if it's just access to the project updates, couldn't that technically be considered a fee that they're paying in order to receive a product or service, in which case taxes might not have to be paid?

Kickstarter

2010-02-16T20:54:11-08:00

@sgrsickness - got it, thanks!

@tcatsninfan -

RE trade paperbacks, that'll vary from one library to another.

RE taxation... well, you're sort of painted into a corner there. You're soliciting funds for the project and that income should be taxable; but you don't want to make a profit from the book so you've got no sales to pay those taxes. That one's sort of a head-scratcher.

(It sounds like you're in the U.S., so...) Since you plan to quit your job and travel, the expenses for the project include all your living expenses while you work on it, too. These deductions would be figured against your self-employment income, not your regular itemized deductions.

I would never suggest you should live dangerously when dealing with the IRS because it has its very own court system. But it's interesting that payments of less than $600 don't have to be reported to them by the payer. Your contributors would be unlikely to do that but there's a possibility that Amazon might (since Kickstarter uses Amazon Payments to handle money).

There must be some delicate and poetical mathematical solution: to set your project's goal high enough to cover your costs + the costs of the premiums you offer contributors + the taxes on the contributions; or to increase the sale price of the book just enough to more or less cover the taxes on X number of sales. The former is a lot simpler, but would increase the amount you have to raise for the project; the latter is a problem because you have no idea how many copies will sell in that first year when the taxes are a problem.

Kickstarter

2010-02-16T21:26:39-08:00

@Bradley

Thanks for all the feedback. Yeah, I've heard too many horror stories about the IRS to think about ever leaving them out of the loop. The only way I could cover all my bases for sure would be to include the tax amount in my funding goal, i.e. if I need $4000 for the project, I'll set my funding goal to something like $5500.

I actually saw a successful project on Kickstarter where the creator had done just that. He mentioned something about not having to pay as much taxes as he thought he would. I'm currently trying to get a hold of a CPA to figure out how much I'd have to pay in taxes. Hard to meet with a CPA when I work 8:00-5:00 and so do they.

The only downside to including taxes in the funding goal would be the higher goal I'd have to reach. There isn't really a way around it, from what I can tell. I wouldn't be able to work on the project if I owed the IRS $1500 or something like that.

I think the key to it would be transparency. In the description for the project I'll include what all the money will be going toward: hotels, gas, newspaper ads, etc. I think more people would be willing to contribute if they knew exactly where their money was going.

(BTW, I'm not planning on quitting my job. I work a regular Monday-Friday gig and will only be out of town on Saturday and Sunday.)

Kickstarter

2010-02-26T18:58:50-08:00

@tcatsninfan

The hard and fast rule on capital gains is to retain 30% for taxes. (I was a tax preparer in my other life.) Now, that being a lot, you can also just factor in 10% for taxes on the project, since you're keeping your dayjob, and being employed will give you a certain amount in deductions. The key with any creative project is that you have to keep every frikken' receipt and you have to make sure you deduct every single expense related to that project. If you do so, the tax burden won't be as onerous.

If you don't, see the previous paying of 30%.

* * *

Sorry I haven't been around. I had a health emergency come up and just a ton of other things ate my presence on the web. But I wanted to stop in and let you know how my project is doing. It could still use some love. At this point, I don't know if it's going to fund or not and I'm okay with that. My plan at this point is to figure out how to do a stripped down version (pun fully intended) if it does indeed fail to fund, and go from there.

If nothing else, I've learned an enormous amount about crowdfunding and my art in general. I heart Kickstarter.

Kickstarter

2010-03-02T02:51:20-08:00

Haven't logged in here in awhile.

Here is my project, it is over, but I am still working on it. Just got the ozalids and proofs for the book. Even though we raised a ton of money I am still going to be broke from this. One of the most rewarding and joyous experiences of my life.

Kickstarter

2010-05-06T10:26:05-07:00

Okay, thanks to the invite from sgrsickness I've finally launched my project and as a result I have some invites to spare, if anybody needs one.

Kickstarter

2010-05-15T21:44:30-07:00

Wow. I'm really impressed with the Kickstarter results. My friend just recently met her goal so she could have a gallery showing of her work. After years of having to put it off because she couldn't afford the $1000 or so to rent a space and have an event, she reached it in less than a month with the help of that site. Pretty amazing.

I'm a little worried about it becoming a bit saturated with bad ideas, however, but I guess it doesn't matter with their very smart "all or nothing" set up. I saw a couple comic book projects that were... less than appealing. Including one asking for a ridiculous sum.

That being said... I just sent them a long proposal for my own comic project. Which isn't so much to just make a comic as it is to get my name out there to people and publishers. I basically just want to make as many ideas into comics as possible and then hand them out for free. After years of keeping my work close to my chest, I suddenly want everyone to read my stuff. Confidence! What a concept.

Anyway. Congrats to those that have met their goals or are on their way. I'll gladly pledge when I can.

(and if my proposal gets shot down or ignored, an invite would be super swell... since I didn't even know it worked like that)

Kickstarter

2010-05-16T10:30:41-07:00

I've got invites, if anyone could use 'em. Contacting me is easy via one of the site listings in my profile.

Kickstarter

2010-05-20T17:04:11-07:00

I went the hard way and got my proposal approved. This gives me faith that I'm doing something right already, since there are only a handful of comic-related projects up there. Now to amass my material for the Great Beggening of Moneys!

Kickstarter

2010-05-20T18:17:17-07:00

Goodluck, Adam!

Kickstarter

2010-05-22T08:51:29-07:00

I did a Kickstarter project for SWEETS and hit my funding goal in the first 36 hours. Mine is closed, but you can still check out the video, I guess they keep them live for a while after the project ends.

Kickstarter

2010-05-25T09:16:03-07:00

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hollowearthradio/hollow-earth-radio-moves-to-its-own-community-spac-0

Hollow Earth Radio is trying to raise money for a move outta the house and into it's own public space.
Big step for us.!

Kickstarter

2010-06-01T20:42:25-07:00

Just started my kickstart project! I am looking for help financing my trip down US-50 in search of the american dream, empty horizons and crushing loneliness. We will see if anything comes out of it, but those who are looking to support art, and want fabulous prizes click the widget below :)

Kickstarter

2010-07-20T12:57:07-07:00

Just wanted to update everyone.

I got my exhibit funded! Granted, for a lot less than ideal and through IndieGoGo, but it got funded and on top of that it has a venue and a date!

If you're in Los Angeles on August 7th (a Saturday), come to the Artist Reception. Here are the details:

Between Heaven & Hell - Artist Reception
August 7 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Hangar Gallery, South Hall, Santa Monica Art Studios
3026 Airport Avenue
Santa Monica, CA
Full Exhibit runs from August 7th through August 21st, 2010

Phone: 310.397.7449 Fax: 310.397.7459
Public Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12 to 6

Hope to see some of you there! There's an open event page for it over at FB and at it's indiegogo page too:

http://www.indiegogo.com/between-heaven-hell

Kickstarter

2010-09-10T07:09:06-07:00

Hmm. I seem to be pondering using crowdsourcing to fund a tour. How would you guys feel about funding something that is not quite as tangible as, say, a book? Of course perks for folks chipping in is one way to go, and that will definitely happen.

IndieGoGo seems to be the way to go, as I'm on the old continent.

Kickstarter

2010-09-12T18:03:07-07:00

Hey there folks! I'm glad to see a page dedicated to Kickstarter projects on here. I may still start a thread focused solely on my project if it seems I'm taking up too much room in here with my updates.

We have until December 2nd to reach our goal of $16000, daunting I know, but it's for a large graphic novel, so whaddya gonna do?

Anyway, if you're the type, please pledge to our book, and if you're not the type, please pass this along to someone who is!

Kickstarter

2010-09-12T18:53:34-07:00

A local chef/butcher in the 'eat local' movement in the Boston area got the startup for his business funded through kickstarter.

Akimenko Meats strives to bridge the gap between the city dweller and our local farmers. Our commitment to our neighbors is to bring in local, organic, and sustainable products while supporting the local agricultural community, building customer awareness, ultimately aiding our local economy....

Check it more info at his kickstarter.

It's worth checking out just for the awesome video at the top of the page! Especially if you want to see a pig get cut up by a professional butcher!

Kickstarter

2010-09-16T01:04:56-07:00

Hey folks, just a quick update that we're over 10%!!! I feel like this is a really good start and that the next 75-ish days have a lot of promise... Please jump on my little bandwagon!

Kickstarter

2010-09-16T11:35:29-07:00

My friends and I run a DIY arcade called Babycastles (LA Times | Rhizome | BushwickBK) where we feature games made by small and independent developers. Our normal location is in the basement of an underground music venue in Ridgewood, Queens called The Silent Barn. BUT! We're working with Chashama to set up a temporary location in Manhattan on 42nd St. and 3rd Ave (near Grand Central) where we're going to curate a bunch of 2-week arcades right in the heart of the big city. We'll also have art galleries curated by the folks at Showpaper and a series of musical guests far more impressive than I was initially expecting when we started this adventure.

We'll have the space from early October to December 29th. Please come, if you'll be in NYC during that time.

We're trying to offset the costs of setting the space up a little bit with a kickstarter fund. We've got some great rewards if you're in a giving mood: zines, games, and a few copies of Katamari Damacy signed & arted up for us by Keita Takahashi only days before he announced that he was leaving Namco.

Thank you for what you can contribute.

Kickstarter

2010-09-16T17:19:23-07:00

I've been pushing our project for a few weeks all over the place. We have rewards coming from Jake von Slatt, Lastwear, and Improbable Cog, but we are lagging behind in funds. We're CC licensed, open source world, and doing some really unique things in the book.

Kickstarter

2010-09-21T10:49:14-07:00

I just wanted to say that with nine days to go and being nearly halfway there, the time is now to donate!

Kickstarter

2010-09-26T13:36:58-07:00

@ Jon Wake: Hey there, sir! You guys are up on Kickstarter's front page today, so congrats!!!

That said, I've broken $2000, so we're 1/8th of the way there. Yay!!! Keep 'em coming!

EDIT: Also, just posted Virtuoso on my Facebook and popped in a pledge. You all should do like-wise!

Kickstarter

2010-09-27T16:22:22-07:00

Hey y'all.

Babycastles hit our $6000 goal today with 6 days left on the clock, so thanks to all of you who donated. Also, videogame/culture site IGN announced today that they will be matching 100% of all donations between now and the end of our fund drive on October 4th, so if you haven't given yet, now would be a great time to do so.

Kickstarter

2010-09-28T07:09:54-07:00

I think it's a very cool idea, but there's some stuff about it that I still don't get: just for argument's sake, what's to stop me from spending all the money that was pledged for my project on booze and hookers?

Kickstarter

2010-09-28T16:35:22-07:00

You could be sued, for one. No one would ever work with you, for two.

Virtuoso just got funded, thanks to my grandmother hunting me down online. Which was weird. But I very much doubt I'd have made my funding goal otherwise.

Kickstarter

2010-09-29T06:29:45-07:00

An artist friend of mine has an almost perverse fascination with werewolves, so I wrote him a comic script to draw. We're using Kickstarter to raise funds to actually get a print version made.

(Edited because I'm mildly retarded, apparently, which is a good thing to admit when soliciting money.)

Kickstarter

2010-10-01T03:35:15-07:00

@ Jon: Whatever it takes, sir. The important part is that you hit the goal. I look forward to the day when I receive my copy in the mail! Also, I would like to second your statements in regards to the idea of people running off with funding.

I have also gotten a lot of "What if a bunch of your backers drop out when it comes time to pay?" My answer to that one is "Whether you want to believe it or not, most people are decent folk who'll pony up when the time comes."

@Epalicki: I would've pledged just for the use of The Man in Black, but it's also a nice looking book as well.

Hopefully it's my turn now :oD

Kickstarter

2010-11-29T07:39:36-08:00

Christoper Salmon is trying to raise $150,000 to make a CGI version of Neil Gaiman's short story The Price. 40 hours to go and $28K left to raise:

Kickstarter

2011-03-09T07:22:54-08:00

Anybody ever heard about Ulule?
A friend is setting up a black and white photo exhibit with other 3 artists, and they're looking to find some funding to print a catalogue and pay back some of the expenses.
But they couldn't set it up with kickstarter because it didn't like their non-Us bank account, so they found about Ulule and now are trying to fund the catalogue printing through it.

Well, the widget wasn't working so here's the link: http://www.ulule.com/lentaconversazione/

Kickstarter

2011-03-09T12:12:52-08:00

YIkes, didn't see this thread before I posted this [reposted in here, in case Warren cleans house]

So I have less than 30 days to raise 2k toward my 2011 convention circuit and as an incentive to help me out, I'm putting together a photobook of images shot in the Graphoscope Travelling Photo Dispensary throughout the year.

I even made a ridiculous video

And of course I'm offering various pledge prizes. Fellow Whitechapelers, Lastwear, have partnered with me to offer some of my higher level contributors custom garments. Meaning you can get a bunch of Lex Machina photography [keep it for yourself, give it away, make a shrine, whatever] and some Lastwear for less than it would all cost retail.
Plus, every pledge comes with free warm fuzzies.

What exactly is it? This project specifically is a photobook from my 2011 con tour. The more I make, the more events I can reasonably expect to do.

Graphoscope, as a side-business, will be based in Detroit and operate much like one of those "old time" photobooth businesses, except that I will specialize in victorian-style sittings and real, physical, photoprints that look like antique cabinet card portraiture. Also, most of these photos will be seriously anachronistic and contain subjects that are steampunks, bands, artists, dancers, cosplayers, comic creators, DJs, circus folk, alt models, and other fellow weirdos.

Which means the book (hopefully books) will be full of really interesting images.

So help out if you can, get the word out, and give Detroit something slightly more worthwhile than a Robocop statue.

I'm @lexmachine on twitter and lex machina on facebook if you pledge and help pimp the project, be sure to tag me/add me

Love and sprockets!
-Lex

Kickstarter

2011-03-09T15:10:12-08:00

Goddamnit Kickstarter and your snubbing of PayPal.

Kickstarter

2011-03-15T12:40:17-07:00

Kickstarter

2011-03-15T21:06:39-07:00

These guys are doing really well so far. Last night they had under $1000, and now they're at almost $2000!

Kickstarter

2011-03-15T21:55:59-07:00

indiegogo looks like it does international business and it looks like it's been around longer.

~R

Kickstarter

2011-03-17T20:29:12-07:00

Alex Steffan of Worldchanging fame has started a new Kickstarter project to fun publication of a book, Carbon Zero: A Short Tour of Your City's Future

Linky

Kickstarter

2011-03-22T16:23:19-07:00

Two friends of mine from university have put together a project to make the "trebuchette," a desktop "seige toy."

They look pretty amazing, actually.

Incidentally, I have no idea how to embed kickstarter widgets into Whitechapel.

Kickstarter

2011-03-24T20:57:11-07:00

@ John Skylar- I've been trying to do so and have come up with nothing but abject failure.

Kickstarter

2011-04-05T02:33:20-07:00

Here's a kickstarter project made for Whitechapel - something you put in your coffee to cool it down to drinkable temperature that then keeps it warmer for longer. They are already at nearly 10 times their goal so they don't need your money, but you might want to fund it anyway to get your Joulies. They've gone a bit viral already this week so you might have seen them on Gizmodo or Wired.

Kickstarter

2011-04-05T19:21:13-07:00

I can't believe that I hadn't run across all of the great projects on this thread that got funded through Kickstarter. I've got a project that I just put up to see if $300 is too much to ask to make a photography book. I'm too poor for art school, so instead I'm invading my friends house and documenting her life to try to show you who she is (which is worth finding out).

Kickstarter

2011-04-05T19:57:45-07:00

I was thinking of using Kickstarter when I get one of my comics drawn, so as to raise enough cash to get said comics printed. It seems like a wonderful tool. :D

Kickstarter

2011-04-06T09:59:18-07:00

I've noticed Kickstarter is much better at raising funds to print completed comics than to fund creating comics. I only mention this as I'm encountering an increasing number of would-be creators looking toward Kickstarter to fund their first comics project.

An increase of largely unknown and untested people raising money to start their vanity comics that may or may not be of any quality if ever completed will start poisoning the well. I've seen quite a few failed or marginally successful bids along these lines and I hope the folks over there realise they need to filter the projects a little more sharply as they grow.

At the moment it seems best able to serve comics as financing the jump from webstrip to printed collection or co-financing the development of new creator-owned works from established pros such as with Tony Harris' ROUNDEYE .

Kickstarter

2011-04-19T11:37:00-07:00

Oh how I wish this was available to Canadians such as myself.

Kickstarter

2011-04-19T14:07:48-07:00

Big fan of Kickstarter as a funding tool.

Anyone else here using IndieGoGo? Working on a series of comedy web shorts and my production team decided to go with that site instead.

Hope it isn't an over-reach on my part, but I figured I'd throw the link to our IndieGoGo here:

Thanks!

Kickstarter

2011-04-21T15:14:28-07:00

Hey all, I'm a long time lurker. Not a comic book artist, but I do have a Kickstarter project going right now for a horror feature I'm producing.

We went with an unusual approach... make it in the style of a public television pledge drive. We're looking for $7500 for special effects and art department.

Click the link below for the video. If you dig old school monster movies, why not chip in?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindrip/mindripfx

http://mindripmovie.com

Kickstarter

2011-04-22T11:58:08-07:00

I'm using IndieGoGo too.
YouTube Trailer

Kickstarter

2011-04-26T20:46:03-07:00

hey everyone, pretty awesome discussion

I have a crime comic I'm writing with my friend and we got some "mainstream" talent on board (Joe Kelly, Mike Oeming, Byran Glass).I seriously think everyone here would enjoy it. take a look and drop a line.

Kickstarter

2011-04-30T00:08:46-07:00

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/604600967/ruin

Here is my kickstarter project attempting to fund the production of an artbook. Thanks for looking.

Kickstarter

2011-05-27T16:30:27-07:00

This is not my project, but rather a GN by Ozzy Longoria, the artist responsible for the pencil-and-inky goodness on my perhaps-heretical Captain Miracle (currently being serialized online).

Kickstarter

2011-07-15T19:53:45-07:00

Kickstarter really is amazing, but you gotta bust ass to promote it. I was able to successfully fund my movie THE WOLFMAN'S HAMMER using Kickstarter. For the sheer amount of hustle (fliers, shamelessly spamming facebook and message boards, advertising it on my famous podcast KREEPTOWN (where I've interviewed the likes of Jason Aaron/Julie Strain and upcoming Dana Gould) traveling around getting out word-of-mouth, begging), less than 1 percent of the people who saw the trailer we posted actually donated. But it got through.

Kickstarter

2011-07-15T20:13:07-07:00

Been considering using kickstarter to fund my short film/web series. I really need a camera, and I'd like to be able to pay costume designers and other essentials. I could probably beg/borrow/steal that stuff, but if I decide to go the series route, I'd rather not have to beg/borrow/steal every time I need to shoot a new episode.
@The Brad, can you give me some pointers? I've heard of IndieGoGo, is that also worth using?

Kickstarter

2011-07-16T12:50:19-07:00

I have to say, @Richard Pace, I kind of disagree. Not with the whole point you make, most of it is rather apt, but just the part about Kickstarter having to filter projects. It IS true that many untested people are using Kickstarter to fund their projects - be they vanity or not - but Kickstarter has grown a largely intelligent community full of people who know what they want to see funded. I think that the community self-filters in this way and projects that are not up to snuff just sit in the abyss of failed projects forever, no harm done. While Kickstarter absolutely is a huge help for time-tested, brilliant artists like Tony Harris in making their creator-owned projects, the site also allows complete unknowns to edge onto the turf previously very difficult to break into. In fact, Kickstarter may go as far as showing artists fairly quickly if they are American Idolizing themselves or if they actually should continue pushing until they get some sort of recognition for their work.

Of course, I myself am an unknown and untested person starting a comic at Kickstarter (and you can see it here), so my opinion is biased towards such like me :P

EDIT: Also, just realized Richard's comment is 3 months old! Sorry about that- I just read this whole thread at once and replied. Oh well, such is what happens when one's brain is addled by the 100 degree weather..

Kickstarter

2011-07-16T13:41:16-07:00

@Vera -- no worries about the three month callback, my brain cells are still active enough to recall that far back at least!

I only suggested a filter inasmuch as to exclude the hopeless or obviously inept projects. If only to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio in the comics corner of Kickstarter. Projects like yours (and its previous installment) would make easily make it through. Perhaps I should explain I'd see this as less of a filter and more of a "you must be this tall to get on this ride" and by 'tall' I mean looking like your project might actually attract an audience. There's at least three projects running right now with a week or so to go that probably shouldn't have been put up -- at least not in the ramshackle manner they currently present.

Now, I don't think these inevitable failures hurt the larger and better organised pitches, but they might distract from the smaller projects. That being said, the watching failed pitches are an education in themselves as much as observing which ones hit or exceed their targets.

~R

BTW -- I was really charmed by both your Recipes listings and congratulations on your success -- I hope you eventually do some sort of collection of weight (4-6 issues).

Kickstarter

2011-07-16T14:15:18-07:00

@RandomEntity - Honestly, the biggest and best pointers I can give came directly from Kickstarters website itself when I set up my page. The most important one I can think of, is to have a video. Show your audience SOMETHING, let them know what your capabilities are on your own before you ask for help. Even if its just you talking, it really makes the page personal, its something tangible that the audience can connect to, so its not just a bunch of words on a screen. Make it worth someone's time to visit the page, let alone give you money. Also, be sincere and be direct. Sincerity and passion, I feel, go a long way with potential contributors. Keep it simple, from explanation of the story to what you're gonna do with the money. I suggest you check out other, successful pages for movies and see how they did it and what their rewards system is.

Aside from that... HUSTLE. Like I stated before, shamelessly spam facebook, message boards, pass out fliers. Talk a big game, make people feel like you are a bandwagon that they want to jump on because when you get where you're going it will be the promised land. People like to follow leaders, and they want to know that YOU know what you're doing (even if, like me, you haven't the slightest fucking clue).

I'd like to point out here that my advice probably isn't that sound, its just what worked well for me, so I imagine its reasonably close to a tried and true template/model of how these things get done. But judging from the guy who got 90,000 dollars to write a fucking book which he had NO story or plot description for, maybe I should keep quiet.

Good luck sir, go for it, message me if you got anymore questions or if the above was too vague.

Kickstarter

2011-07-16T15:05:52-07:00

@Richard Thanks so much for the kind remarks about my project! If ever a collection would be possible, I would be happy to jump on that glorious train. Maybe one day..

The funny thing about Kickstarter is that it actually DOES have a proposal phase: when the creator proposes the project to the moderators of the website. I don't know how deeply they filter themselves, actually I have a suspicion that some people are deterred by that initial stage and end up not proposing their projects for fear of being rejected, consequently self-filtering. But that's just speculation - for me, it was quick and dirty. I proposed and they accepted and now there I am and maybe it's not like that for everyone else.

Honestly, this site and concept is fairly new and I am curious where it will be 5-10 years from now. Your fears may be well warranted; if there are 10 years worth of poor projects to go through before one hits something interesting, then Kickstarter will probably will have to start seriously moderating or lose the interest of their audience. But if they end up being gatekeepers as such, it may defy their own mission. The whole thing is fascinating and I'm glad that I got to test-try this tool while it is still in its roots.

Kickstarter

2011-07-17T07:21:04-07:00

This is my brother's kickstarter project:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1738994529/kikori-open-source-cnc-gantry-router

I can't get the embed image to work -- but here's some of the text from what he's working on:

"What is the Kikori?

The Kikori is a 4’x8’ open source CNC gantry router designed to be a solid, adaptable, entry-level machine for small businesses. It is made out of Medium Density Overlay board, or MDO, which unlike MDF is both very strong and highly resistant to swelling due to moisture. It’s essentially a robot capable of milling complex three-dimensional shapes out of wood, soft metals, and plastics."

He's setting up a new business involving this router, and if he can raise $20k, he has a backer who will match it with another $20K. He's at 12K right now, and has two weeks left to raise the rest. The rewards he offers are very nice, and at the higher levels, he will even supply you with the parts and such needed to make your *own* router if you're interested in having one.

Kickstarter

2011-07-17T10:01:46-07:00

Here is one I helped put the video together for:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/briarrabbit/the-tale-of-briar-rabbit-and-the-veggie-oil-bus?ref=live

Only a few days and a few hundred dollars to go.

Kickstarter

2011-12-07T03:22:49-08:00

Not sure if this thread is deceased or not but here goes:

A friend and I have finally gotten our asses in gear and made ourselves a comic. It's called 'Blackbones McGee vs The Sub-Human' and it's about a professional wrestler from the year 3009 who gets bodyslammed back to the present and must fight all manner of bizarre monster weirdos including a sandwich person, the titular Sub-Human. It started out as a podcast then became a radioplay but with our love of comics we couldn't not see it as one. We're super excited we got a great artist Carlos Aguirre and we're hoping to raise the funds to get it to print within the next few months. If you guys can't donate thats fine and totally understandable but any kind of word of mouth would be great. Thanks infinitely. Brandon.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969933326/blackbones-mcgee-vs-the-sub-human

Kickstarter

2012-01-15T21:38:02-08:00

Some game industry / comic industry buddies, Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, are participating in a superhero animation spoof, "Hero Bar."

Strangers with Candy's Greg Hollimon stars as a bar owner who provides a safe haven for off-duty superheroes (and the occasional villain). Hero Bar will explore (and exploit) the awkward and often disturbing behavior of superheroes after a long hard day of fighting crime. The show will feature a rolling cast of talented Chicago-area actors and comedians as the heroes and villains.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1452434156/hero-bar-the-super-hero-comedy

Kickstarter

2012-01-20T05:46:12-08:00

Time came to start a tour funding project. So, if you'd like to maybe see live Taphead musics in your neck of the woods, chip in. And do spread the word, thanks!

Kickstarter

2012-03-06T11:19:18-08:00

Molly Crabapple has launched a new Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mollycrabapple/shell-game-an-art-show-about-the-financial-meltdow

It's a crowd-funded gallery show about the financial meltdown. I've been helping out on it for months and if this gets funded, will probably consume the rest of my year. Hooray! If you like what we're up to, please spread the word. We would love to get to see this through!

Kickstarter

2012-03-06T13:36:20-08:00

@glukkake, I've already chipped in my two cents for Molly. The first painting is delightful!

Kickstarter

2012-03-07T20:26:12-08:00

Thank you! It's absolutely insane when you look at it close up. Plus I gilded the stars :D

Kickstarter

2012-03-08T12:14:13-08:00

Howdy,

My name is Dahveed, and I too have a Kickstarter, if you'd be so kind to check it out.

Last year, my friends Matt, Jason and I came together to create comics together as the Dread Arts Company. We made 40 page horror anthology called The Exquisite Corpse Collection #1.

This year we're putting out two more books. In April, just in time for C2E2, we'll have Modern Tales of the Future #1, a 36 page sci fi anthology. We've finished the art and have sent it to the printer. In August, we'll be putting out ECC #2. We're invested in this, but we're trying to get Kickstarter to help. I'm heartened by our success thus far. We have just over two weeks left and are over halfway to our goal. Please check us out. We have some preview art up on our tumblr.

Further, if you're going to be in Chicago for C2E2, please stop by. We'll be at booth 709. It's always good to meet the people behind the handle.

http://kck.st/zbx4K1

Kickstarter

2012-03-09T06:11:39-08:00

42 hours to go on my tour funding campaign, so still time to pitch in and/or spread the word. Now with video!

Kickstarter

2012-04-02T17:46:53-07:00

CREATURE ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS by Juan Navarro — Kickstarter.

I started my comic/film company in 2008, CREATURE ENTERAINMENT, and we're finally getting somewhere with it! We started a KickStarter to get the word out on our upcoming trip to SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON! Please read and contribute what you can, we are constantly trying to get our reward to be more awesome all the time! You can see various example o four work on the Board, and we're adding rewards all the time!

Kickstarter

2012-05-23T14:59:07-07:00

Earlier this year I started hacking together a modern day spy themed card game and after looking around at publishers decided I should just do it myself. Instead of launching a new publishing effort with my little known name and no experience I opted to convince some big names I knew who had a game dropped by a publisher at the 11th hour, now collecting dust on a shelf.

Enter: The Doom that Came to Atlantic City!

"Once people came to Atlantic City to seek their fortune, to construct fine hotels and establish powerful monopolies. But you’re not here to build, you’ve come to destroy!

You’re one of the Great Old Ones – beings of ancient and eldritch power. Cosmic forces have held you at bay for untold aeons, but at last the stars are right and your maniacal cult has called you to this benighted place. Once you regain your full powers, you will unleash your Doom upon the world!

There’s only one problem: you’re not alone. The other Great Old Ones are here as well, and your rivals are determined to steal your cultists and snatch victory from your flabby claws! It’s a race to the ultimate finish as you crush houses, smash holes in reality, and fight to call down The Doom That Came To Atlantic City!

The Doom is a labor of love and terror from three exceptional talents. It is the brainchild of artist Lee Moyer, inspired by his love of the Cthulhu Mythos and disdain for a certain board game that shall not be named. Game designer Keith Baker is best known for the Origins Award winning card game Gloom, and he brings the same dark sense of humor to the devastation of Atlantic City.

Keith and Lee have enlisted the help of their friend Paul Komoda to design some of the more eldritch visual elements of the game. His talents can be seen on-screen in the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing and Cabin In The Woods. He brings that vision and long association with H. R. Giger to his designs of the Great Old Ones."

Kickstarter

2012-05-23T21:22:37-07:00

Enter: The Doom that Came to Atlantic City!

Auntie Ariana endorses (and is backing) this project. So do our friends at Coilhouse. And, look, if you guys have never seen Paul Komoda's work, hit that link hit that link now.

Kickstarter

2012-05-23T21:45:40-07:00

@ETChevalier

*pledges $75* SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Kickstarter

2012-05-23T21:50:31-07:00

My first Kickstarter and fifth graphic novel is going to be THE GARLICKS: Pandora Orange, Fail Vampire. I'm raising production and printing costs, I've love for you to be a backer--you'll get to be a part of a new book coming together over the course of a year.
More details, art and the requisite video are here:THE GARLICKS

Thanks for your support! Please share this like crazy!

Kickstarter

2012-05-26T04:09:18-07:00

Hah, thanks guys! Glad you like. We've just announced our $100k stretch goal: The Colours Out Of Space, where we'll be opening up Lee Moyer's art archives full of Lovecraftian goodness and polling the people one what should be printed and sent to backers. Also trying to put together one more stretch goal for next week with Paul Komoda, but no promises as he's a busy man these days.

@Lea Hernandez: The Garlicks look wonderful, I'll share on my feeds and our kickstarter comments in the next couple days to see if we can get some crossover backers!

Kickstarter

2012-05-27T09:09:33-07:00

@ETChevalier Thanks very much! Save your signal boost for after Monday. Everyone's at the beach!

Kickstarter

2012-06-05T07:19:37-07:00

THE GARLICKS is trundling along at a measured pace...and it needs to RUN, already!
Please share the linkage far and wide and back the project AND share the link. (Please.)

THE GARLICKS has been well-spoken of by Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Kurt Busiek and Jill Thompson (who is writing the intro)! I'd venture they've got something on the ball, and you can back me with confidence.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/divalea/the-garlicks-pandora-orange-fail-vampire

Thanks, all!

Kickstarter

2012-06-10T14:42:22-07:00

Hi Whitechapel. It's been awhile.

I'm attempting to self-publish my graphic novel ORPHANS, and I'm using Kickstarter to raise money to pay my artist, Branko Jovanovic.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/epalicki/orphans-volume-1-a-digital-print-graphic-novel-pro

I'm offering some nifty rewards for backers, and cheap: Digital issue downloads for $1, digital collections for $5, custom flashdrives loaded with comics, trades, t-shirts, autographs, etc.

Adrianne Palicki, who starred on Friday Night Lights and NBC's attempted Wonder Woman revival, and who appears in the upcoming Red Dawn and G.I. Joe: Retaliation has agreed to write an introductionn. She will be signing a limited number of copies of the trade for use as backer rewards.

And help or spreading of the word would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Kickstarter

2012-06-16T15:51:36-07:00

i am supplying some of the artwork to this kickstarter
Companions of the Firmament - Pathfinder RPG Compatible

if you pledge $70 or more you get a 20"x24" sign and numbered art print by me.
please take a look if you have time and maybe pledge something if you like what you see
thanks

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T04:25:44-07:00

Since the thread isn't quite a month old, I feel like it's probably okay to reboot it. If Si or Ariana feel differently, of course, that is fully within their rights to shut this one down.

The reason I'm resurrecting this thread is because it seems like maybe we should move the conversation currently happening in Newstrange to here, as it's more appropriate, and because at least one of the aspects of the conversation is about the nature and future of Kickstarter itself, beyond just what the Penny Arcade guys are doing with it.

Personally, I support Penny Arcade in just about everything they've done so far. I'm a big fan of what they've done, but even more so I'm a fan of how they've done it. As Oddbill pointed out in Newstrange, Robert Khoo has been a steady, prescient hand at the wheel pretty much since Mike and Jerry (or Gabe and Tycho, if you prefer) brought him on, and Tycho in particular has been a pretty consistent voice of reason in the sometimes tumultuous video games community. Child's Play is certainly among the coolest things nerds have ever done for the wider world, and Tycho has acquired the title of "Kickfather," the guy who, just by mentioning the name of a Kickstarter project he likes, can guarantee that project's success. With this last point in mind, I'm not actually all that surprised that they've decided to give Kickstarter a try for themselves.

Penny Arcade is part of the video games world. This world is, fairly or not, often seen as being split into two halves - the industry and the community. For a long time, PA has straddled the line between the two halves - they've commented on games while making their own, they form relationships with high-profile professionals in the industry while also speaking directly to the fans of those professionals, and, of course, they get their funding from both fans buying T-shirts and ads placed on their website by game publishers and indie developers. Now, I don't have access to Penny Arcade's annual income reports, so I don't know what percent of their income comes from where, but the point is, they are currently supported by both the fan community and the industry.

I'm going a bit out on a limb with this theory, but I feel like asking their fans to support them entirely, rather than getting some of their funding from professional gamemakers (be they Tripe-A, indie, or anything in between), is, in a way, declaring that Penny Arcade wishes to edge a little closer to the community, rather than the industry. They've already sort of done this with the Penny Arcade Report, which started because a bunch of people at Penny Arcade were sick of video games journalism that was really little more than a PR machine for the industry as a whole - they felt like there were no Citizen Journalists with much of a voice reporting on things that weren't the latest release (or the latest scandal). By asking the fans to fund them directly, Penny Arcade is, in a very real way, saying they want to work for the fan community, which is to say, not working for the industry.

Doing this on Kickstarter could be a statement in and of itself. Penny Arcade might be showing that they believe this is the way business should be conducted in the entertainment and commercial art world, that the old model that they used for a long time (and which did not always work in their favor, even with Robert Khoo in charge of things) is just that - the old model. They may be trying to set an example to similar companies, or they might just be moving in with what they consider to be the "winning side" in a battle that hasn't fully started yet, but only because the big publishers haven't quite decided how to react to it, yet.

Will it draw money from other projects? It's possible, but I feel like this is saying that if you put a Lamborghini Aventador on the same lot as an old, used AMC Gremlin, that the Lambo will draw customers from the Gremlin and people will be less willing to buy the Gremlin. It's not a perfect analogy, since no one's actually purchasing either Penny Arcade or a charming little startup vinyl stickers company (or whatever), but just because one is bigger and flashier doesn't mean it will outshine everything else. Even when Double Fine Adventure was going full steam ahead, plenty of other projects got funded as well - they just didn't get the same kind of press when they did. Heck, I could have donated to Double Fine, but I chose not to, and instead donated it to Shadowrun Returns (which was almost a direct competitor to DFA, in that it was another return-to-form game helmed by an old-school developer and driven by a mix of innovation, charm, and nostalgia), because that was the project that really spoke to me. If something speaks to a Kickstarter member more than the Penny Arcade thing does, then they'll go with that.

Do the donations sound wonky? Maybe, I think there are some good arguments to be made there (Though I have to wonder if "Gabe will follow you on Twitter" is more of an inside joke than anything). Is this going to attract more attention to Kickstarter than it's already getting? That I kinda doubt - Kickstarter's about as big as it can be, right now (I could be wrong about that, though). If I'm right about the whole "we're with the fans, now" thing, will that message come across to both the community and the industry? I don't know - that's gonna depend on how they handle this thing while it's up and running.

As a few people, both here and elsewhere on the net, have said, Kickstarter isn't just for the underdogs, or at least it isn't anymore. The fact that a juggernaut like Penny Arcade has chosen to throw their lot in with them all but proves that. If nothing else, if they meet their goal (and they almost surely will, though I suppose anything could happen between now and the deadline), it will only amplify the message Kickstarter has been broadcasting since even before the success of Double Fine Adventure: "people are willing to spend money this way. People want this to be the way they buy things. There is an alternative way of doing business to the way we've always done business." That is a message that I, as someone who wants to make a living off of things I create, would dearly like to see amplified.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T06:07:40-07:00

I'm very much in opposition to the project. I think it's contrary to the entire point of Kickstarter, which is to fund creative projects. Getting rid of advertisement is a worthwhile business endeavour, but it is certainly not a creative one. PA has been around for a long time, they've had successful pledge drives before and they are financially secure with the ads.

The pro-arguments only engage with it as a good business strategy and rarely has anything to do with whether or not it's a legitimate creative project or even a good one. It's a corporate strategy, not a creative project, and thus it's contrary to Kickstarter's guidelines and requirements. It's not a project in any sense that is defined in the guidelines, it doesn't fit any of the Kickstarter categories, and even if we accept that it's a project, it's extremely close to being a "Fund My Life" project, which is explicitely prohibited by Kickstarter's requirements.

The only reason it's being allowed by Kickstarter is the dollar signs in their eyes and because of Penny Arcade's popularity. It's a corruption of the entire Kickstarter ethos.

A considerable amount of the rewards are laughable and the first couple of them are flat out jokes that aren't going to be fulfilled. Chasing a duck, while shouting your name? These are quick, obvious jokes, but in the long run they're detrimental to Kickstarter and its legitimacy. I don't mind jokes, but there's a reason there are explicit prohibitions against lying in your reward descriptions.

This is about corporate ease and removing a very minor inconvienience, not creating a sense of community or being creative. This is about a business endeavour.

I'm all for ditching the ads and switching to crowd funding, but given PA's size and reputation, I don't see why they need Kickstarter to do it. Other than to play an enormous joke on everyone and exploit the fact that Kickstarters are popular at the moment. It'll be detrimental to Kickstarter as a concept and to all future user, who need Kickstarter to fund their creative products.

It's gross that a corporation that is already making so much money decided to exploit a well-intended indie crowd funding instrument. If Double Fine had asked to fund their entire operation for a year without any actual creative project that they weren't developing already I'd have felt the same way.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T08:03:50-07:00

As for the argument that the PA kickstarter is drawing attention away from other worthwhile kickstarters, I don't think so. I also think it's untrue that people are donating to PA what they would be donating to other causes. Maybe it's true that they could be donating elsewhere instead, but it's like that they're not. If people want to fund this, then let them fund it, I am fine with that. But as I've said in the Informus thread, the rewards just look like they're making fun of their audience. Why not give people a sketch? A sketch with color? A sketch of the donator?

I do agree that kickstarter is for everyone and not just the underdogs. Thing is, I think there is a sliding scale as to what "underdog" is. Sure, Double Fine is already established, but compared to the AAA games that get released, it's still an underdog. Firely may have been a Joss Whedon show on Syfy, but compared to other shows that get extra seasons like it's nothing, it's still an underdog. Imagine how quickly people would be throwing money at Firefly to get another season going (though that'd be unfeasible given the amount of money they would need, but people would be willing).

Kickstarter is intended to fund creative products - removing ads cannot be considered creative in the slightest.

I do agree with this, though. If PA were launching some sort of project that they needed funds for, I think it'd me a more legitimate kickstarter.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T08:52:17-07:00

As I touched on in the other thread, I've got to agree with Solario on this one. I don't think Kickstarter was ever intended to be used as fuel. Rather, it's the engine. It's even right there in the name.

On another note, I posted this already in Around the Net but here it is again:
Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T09:10:45-07:00

Yeah, see that's a good example of someone who can be considered a big fish using kickstarter in a great way. He could probably get the funding elsewhere, but he'd be getting it from people who would want to change the film to suit their tastes rather than leaving the creative process to the team. And for only $20 you get to download the film when it's done! It's basically a pre-order but you also get to fund something cool while you're at it.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T10:07:55-07:00

There's been an update on the PA kickstarter:

Something that might not have been clear is that when we say no advertising that also means no PA Presents. I love working on comics for publishers but we spend a huge chunk of time every year on stuff that isn’t ours. Working on things like comics to promote games and pre-sell bonuses fill in all the cracks between our Mon, Wed, Fri strips. I’ve been honored to work with some of these properties but I’d love to devote that time to our own projects. I feel like we have all these cool worlds that we’re neglecting because we just don’t have the time. This KS would change all that.

Solario's point about it not being a creative project felt like a good point to me, and it's nice to see that PA is actually doing something creative with it if they manage to meet the goal.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T10:33:10-07:00

They probably should have advertised it that way from the start. They clearly wrote the kickstarter proposal to look like a "Hey look you can fund us to get rid of those annoying ads you all hate!" rather than "Oh hey, if you help us go ad free, we can spend more time on our own creative projects instead of working for other companies." They chose not to go with the creativity spin from the get go. However, kickstarter is meant to fund specific projects, and not just creativity in the general sense. You don't see kickstarters from artists going "Hey, give me money to live off of for a month so that I can work on my art projects." Instead you see them asking to fund specific projects for which they have a plan of action ready.

That being said, I am also glad to see that this isn't purely a business move. If their fans really will be getting more original content from them as a result of this kickstarter, that's awesome.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T13:14:42-07:00

Gabe made an attempt to answer some questions, but I think the closest he ever got to a good reason for it was by saying that certain things that they want to do can be freed up if they stop getting their money from ads. He didn't go in to detail and as I understand there's a very "wait and see" thing going on in regards to the unlockables. But still as I said in the News thread, they really do seem to be taking a piss by coming up with crap rewards.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T13:41:26-07:00

I dunno...as everyone here is so fond of saying, if you like the art, pay for it. Everyone has gotten a free ride on PA for 16 years or whatever, it's not like they aren't offering anything. This would ostensibly free up two artists, both of whom people clearly love, to make their living directly from their fanbase instead of taking time to do projects that aren't their own. After years and years of reading PA I don't mind giving them a few bucks to help further them along their careers.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T13:46:11-07:00

@steevo

Do they, or do they not, have a Paypal donation button?

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T13:56:24-07:00

@Ren Thing - I'm not sure why that is relevant. Clearly that hasn't been working as a means to keeping PA crowd sourced so they're trying something different. I'm just not sure why there is so much animosity towards this project. Pay if you want, don't if you don't. I don't think it will make a difference in terms of funding for other kick starters besides the fact that PA brings with it a ton of eyeballs and other projects will be viewed by more people because of them.

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T15:12:48-07:00

@steevo

The point is that if they did have a method to which they could solicit said funds, without offering such "rewards", then they could've done so. Furthermore, people who felt the need to contribute could've done so in that fashion.

I think part of the issue, at least for me, is the reward structure that is an inherent part of Kickstarter. When I contribute to a project, I do so at a level that I am comfortable with combined with the level of thank you for the project. Honestly, I think the rewards of PA Kickstarter are not an actual reward for contributing or are they a "thank you" for helping the project; IMO, they're insulting. I actually wouldn't have had any issue with them soliciting money if they'd done it on their own through PayPal and begging on their homepage. *shrug*

Kickstarter

2012-07-12T22:47:39-07:00

Wow, people who think PA are doing the wrong thing think so really hard.

I've got no problem with it. Yes, PA are the big boys with an established business, but so was Double Fine, inXile, and several other high-profile projects of the last few months. Those developers wanted to do something different, so does PA. It's not technically what Kickstarter is for, but Kickstarter are the ones who approve or disapprove projects, so if they say it's fine then it's fine.

Also, these big projects don't take money from the little ones. That's not how it works. If you've been tracking things in the gaming section of Kickstarter you'll probably have noticed the funding levels seem to be dropping, mostly due to the big projects wrapping up and moving on. There are getting to be noticeably more losers than there were before among the big-ticket Kickstarters, like Retrovirus and the anemic performance of Skyjacker. It could be (easily) argued that the games that pulled in the cash were point & click adventure and RPG, but there's still overall less funding going on, and having a few big engines like PA and that Ouya gaming console can only help increase traffic.

Also, the $1 reward levels are generally little more than thanks or something equally odd. The neat-looking Rubicon offered to not mail the donator a bobcat at the $4 level. As is usual for this kind of thing, if you don't want to participate, it's simply a matter of not participating. Those that want to will, and they'll have fun doing it.

Kickstarter

2012-07-13T00:52:01-07:00

PayPal really isn't an option for the kinds of money we're talking here, they're pretty rubbish at just closing things down if they decide there's too much cash moving too quickly.

Anyway, there's an article about this in Business Week now, so if this does work for PA expect many more to follow.

The Ouya console is pretty interesting actually, cause that one strikes me that they're going to need waaaay more cash than they're asking for. There's a piece by Ben Kucera about it, and how it's a lot more suspect than it at first appears.

Kickstarter

2012-07-13T03:17:42-07:00

Carmageddon Dev warns of 'Kickstarter fatigue'

Responding to this week’s furore surrounding Penny Arcade’s decision to raise money through Kickstarter, Barnden maintained that crowdfunding might be controversial, but it is here to stay. “I don’t think there should be any limitations on what Kickstarter is used for," he said. "There’s bound to be an amount of fatigue – and we saw some of that with ours to a certain extent – but we saw the success that other games had had and thought we better get in there now. I don’t think that there’s any worry about this going away, but I do think people are going to have to have a damn good pitch.”

Kickstarter

2012-07-13T04:38:33-07:00

I've got no problem with it. Yes, PA are the big boys with an established business, but so was Double Fine, inXile, and several other high-profile projects of the last few months. Those developers wanted to do something different, so does PA. It's not technically what Kickstarter is for, but Kickstarter are the ones who approve or disapprove projects, so if they say it's fine then it's fine.

All those people and corporations had concrete creative projects they were attempting to get funded (The DFA game, Wasteland 2 etc.), which would not get funding otherwise. Penny Arcade's kickstarter is not about a creative project, and they already have funding. It's a business venture that amounts to little more than "pay my rent for a year, so that I'll maybe continue doing what I've already been doing for massive profits the last twelve years". Which would be fine for a pledge drive on their own site, but it's not what Kickstarter is for. Kickstarter is for funding individual projects.

The fact that Kickstarter as a corporation is endoursing this is just proof that if you have money and reputation, then the rules don't matter. It's flat out corruption of the Kickstarter system. If Kickstarter openly changed their guidelines and rules, then that would have been more acceptable. But no, they're just making an exception because it's profitable in the short-term.

I don't want to start screaming about the decline of the Kickstarter Empire, but this is certainly giving me second-thoughts about donating to projects via Kickstarter, if a lying, cheating corporation gets 5% of my donations.

Anyway, TL:DR, Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum.

Kickstarter

2012-07-13T05:34:02-07:00

...But they've already announced TWO projects (i.e. new Lookouts and new Automata) that they are saying would be unfeasible without this funding. Seemingly they have others as well which have not been announced yet. That is what I'm looking forward to and paying for.

"pay my rent for a year, so that I'll maybe continue doing what I've already been doing for massive profits the last twelve years".

I feel it's more like, "pay my rent for a year so I don't have to be a stooge for the companies who pay my rent now. Instead, I can be YOUR stooge and do the projects that you would rather see."

So if you're arguing that it's not for a specific project, I suppose you're right. It looks more like they are asking for funding for a year rife with otherwise impossible projects...

Kickstarter

2012-07-13T06:06:03-07:00

If PA had created the Kickstarter page with an explicate plan to redesign and relaunch the website and explain how they hope to expand their service (full comic RSS for example) I think there wouldn't be a problem.

But given how information has come in drips and drabs and largely as a response to direct questioning; given the utter nonsense of the rewards offered and given that (to paraphrase oddbill from the old thread) they had more mature business options available to them...

I can't help but view this as opportunistic because it reads, to me, as if they started by seeing the cool new fundraising tool and wanted to rewrite history (what if we had this at the start) and... hate to say but can't help but feel that they created the page almost with a sense of entitlement.

There's a part of me that thinks good luck to them - but then, what I don't get is - if this Kickstarter is to free them from their corporate masters for one year - what are they going to do the following year? Are they going to launch a Kickstarter PA 2014 page? Will they keep giving Amazon $100000+ for administration purposes? They seem happy to accept large sums of money off Kickstarter, I'd imagine future pledges will be taken more directly - which they could do now if they wanted to.

I know they can go back to advertisers at any time in the future but wouldn't that be a backwards move if their intentions are true?

They’re getting mainstream publicity from this I suppose – and I don’t want to be cynical but… the whole thing is just a little to silly not to be.

Kickstarter

2012-07-15T11:20:57-07:00

I've had many discussions, with many people regarding the topic of PA and Kickstarter. I feel like I can summarise my opinion in the following: I don't think they announced it or tackled it in the right way, but it's a noble goal to get your fan-base to try and help you fundamentally change the way your business is run.

If you want a wordier version of what I think, you should probably look here, I'm happy to discuss it with anyone. What I'm not happy with is all the people who think calling Penny Arcade a bunch of jerks "just because" (mostly on my Twitter feed) is a credible argument. It isn't.

Kickstarter

2012-07-26T07:35:55-07:00

If you like your rock n' roll Raunchy and Rocky, then these fine young men are your ticket.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/CadaverDogs/superloose

The Change Up
Video NSFW

Kickstarter

2012-07-28T20:24:40-07:00

Many moons ago I was on Duotrope.com and saw a listing which, upon first viewing, left me with a level of dubiousness that I generally reserve for conversations about black helicopters. The listing was for an anthology combining the concept of erotica with the Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft.

I envisioned tentacles. Lots of tentacles. And Japanese girls' boarding schools and some combination of the two together.

Like I said, dubious.

Of course, that did not stop me from writing a story and submitting it.

What came from this listing was Cthulhurotica an anthology which I was not only to be happy to be paid to be a part of, but proud to be a part of.

Why? Because Carrie Cuinn, who I will also admit is a friend of mine (although, honestly, I didn't know she was helming Dagan Books at the time nor has our friendship guaranteed me getting into her anthologies as made evidence by the rejection letter she sent me for Fish), is an excellent, excellent editor. Combining the topics of the Mythos and erotica, an act rife with possible pitfalls and devolution into ridiculousness, she constructed a great anthology, one with quality stories that has received many positive reviews (I haven't seen one that was wholly negative to date).

What other awesome things has she done? Well, for Cthulhurotica she made it so that everyone, regardless of what the word count of their story, was paid a minimum of $25 so that we could qualify for membership with the HWA. Also, with so many small, indie presses keeping their payment schemes small (some insultingly so), she's actually worked to increase the amount of money she can pay her authors.

So, to help Dagan Books and my friend Carrie, can you please take a look at her Kickstarter? Dagan Books is a great company producing quality books, please pledge some money and help out.

Kickstarter

2012-08-02T12:03:07-07:00

ULTRASYLVANIA, my unique comic collaboration with Jeremy Saliba (Dynamite's Wheel of Time) and students from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, has been rolling out as a webcomic since May, and we've gone to Kickstarter to garner support for our first print collection. If successful, Volume 1 will ship in October.

In a nutshell: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and a certain Egyptian resident don't lurk in the darkness in 19th century Europe - they're world leaders, struggling to hold their nations together amid assassination plots, romantic betrayals, and political intrigues.

The story for Volume 1 clocks in at 75 pages. This 96-page first edition will also include character designs, page roughs, early layouts, and much more, taking you behind-the-scenes and giving you an inside look at the various processes of the artists.

Check it out. See what we've accomplished. If you want to pledge, great. If not, maybe consider sharing the link about. Any and all support is welcome.

Kickstarter

2012-08-10T09:42:31-07:00

A kickstarter? I've got one of those!

Internetting on my phone so copy paste the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17393957/the-paranormals-3

We've put out 2 issues of THE PARANORMALS so far, a noir horror written by A. Diallo Jackson & illustrated by me.
Digital sales have put us in the top 40 graphic novel downloads, and we're now looking to get it in stores. Actually, if you're in London you can pick up issue 2 in Orbital Comics, but THAT'S IT!

My personal favourite incentive is the PLEASE DON'T KILL ME tier, where YOU (or someone you utterly despise) will appear in the next issue and suffer a horrible violent death! Who wouldn't want that?

Kickstarter

2012-09-15T08:07:41-07:00

I think some of you may have gotten word of this little Kickstarter Project yesterday. If not, here you go...

STAY ALIVE - NOT UNDEAD (Zombie Coloring/Activity Book)

Back in the day, local police departments used to supply coloring/activity books to school children to promote such things as fire or traffic safety, and to educate about the perils of drugs. Now, the C.R.A.Z.E (Community Resources Against Zombie Epidemic) unit is pleased to present STAY ALIVE--NOT UNDEAD: A ZOMBIE SAFETY & AWARENESS COLORING/ACTIVITY BOOK.

Illustrated by artist Darren M.A. Calvert who has provided artwork the likes of Mattel Toys, Green Ronin Publishing, Kobold Quarterly Magazine, White Wolf Games, Alderac Entertainment, and Fantasy Flight Games, the ZOMBIE SAFETY & AWARENESS COLORING/ACTIVITY BOOK will not only feature pages to color, but activities such as mazes and word-searches that will entertain and educate about the importance of zombie safety and awareness. But, the Kickstarter Project doesn’t only provide you the opportunity to get the STAY ALIVE--NOT UNDEAD: A ZOMBIE SAFETY & AWARENESS COLORING/ACTIVITY BOOK. Other reward incentives for pledging to the project include membership into the C.R.A.Z.E. Junior Police program which includes such nifty swag as personalize I.D. Cards, Certificates of Merit, Stickers, Plastic Police Badges, T-Shirts, and more.

Please consider backing and supporting STAY ALIVE--NOT UNDEAD: A ZOMBIE SAFETY & AWARENESS COLORING/ACTIVITY BOOK. As always, thanks for the supportt.

Kickstarter

2012-09-15T11:07:22-07:00

This isn't my project, just something I really like and figured some of you may enjoy.

Innsmouth Free Press has an indie-go-go project right now for their newest anthology titled "Sword and Mythos" - combining Lovecraftian mythos with Howardian(?) sword-and-sorcery.
Their previous anthologies include "Future Lovecraft", "Historical Lovecraft", and "Fungi". They also regularly put out a magazine. There's about 10 days left so check it out.

Kickstarter

2012-09-19T11:10:33-07:00

I have yet to look at the whole thread but some great looking stuff here.

I've made my first dive into crowd funding as of last weekend. The drive is off to a great start. I'm using indiegogo, being in Canada it's a hell of a lot easier to use for me. Here's the link...

And here's a pitch clip and animatic trailer

Kickstarter

2012-09-19T14:32:01-07:00

Creature Academy, a steampunk comic, might be worth your Kickstarter interest: Creature Academy

Kickstarter

2012-09-25T12:59:10-07:00

@Chrisanthropic I've just had a story accepted by Innsmouth. Cool project.

And on the subject of Kickstarter

Kickstarter

2012-09-30T19:41:35-07:00

I launched a Kickstarter last week that’s trying to play with the crowdfunding-vs-retail models.

It’s at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexwilson/the-time-of-reflection

or KICKALEX.com for a shortcut.

The big idea: for $3, backers get the comic, plus I’ll send an additional comic to an LCS (or other independently owned retail bookseller) of the backer’s choice. Includes shipping within the USA or to US Military bases overseas.

What do you think?

Alex.

Kickstarter

2012-10-11T14:24:21-07:00

Lea Hernandez here!
You may recall I busted my ass trying to get my vampire comedy GN THE GARLICKS funded on Kickstarter. It didn't happen, but it was wild. With Kurt (astro City) Busiek's help, I retooled the book (4 60-page volumes instead of 1 140-ish GN), lowered the goal to a hair less than half (from $40,000. to $19,000.) and relaunched--
--on Indiegogo:

THE GARLICKS on Indiegogo

I've got perks like $10 for an ebook and magnet, $25. for a signed book, print and magnet, $60. for a custom book with a sketch of Kurt Busiek eating a bug of your choice, and etc.

I hope if you supported THE GARLICKS before, I can count on you again. If you haven't, I hope you will this time. And please use the Like, Tweet, Share, G+ and Email buttons on the campaign page, they keep THE GARLICKS on the front page of Indiegogo's Comics page and in front of other people.

Back THE GARLICKS! Woot!

Thanks again!

Kickstarter

2012-10-11T19:07:08-07:00

Cool, Lea. I remember reading about your Kickstarter when I was looking at past campaigns to see what had been done before, lessons learned, best practices, etc., but it was well over by the time I heard about it. Glad I get a second chance to be a part of it. Best of luck and will check it out tomorrow.

Alex.

Kickstarter

2012-10-12T09:58:03-07:00

Hey guys!

My name is Quinton Miles, and I recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for my new sci-fi action comic entitled DAMON _______. In a nutshell, the story's about an alien nomad in the midst of a never ending war against the leaders of race in their attempts to take over humanity. There's obviously more to it than that, but here' s the link to the project page for you to check out for yourself:

Damon ______ (Graphic Novel)

Any and all support is appreciated, so if you like it please spread the word. Even if you can't pledge anything a "like" would be great, too! Thanks!

Kickstarter

2012-10-12T13:54:34-07:00

HELP FUND THE GOON MOVIE.

Kickstarter

2012-10-31T14:14:03-07:00

Sentinels of the Multiverse, one of the best table games I've played in a while, is doing a Kickstarter for their next expansion. It's already funded and then some but it's a good way to help the project along and pick up some of the other components of the game if you don't have them.

Kickstarter

2013-01-23T11:33:58-08:00

Hey, gang!

As of yesterday, we are back on Kickstarter to fund the printing of Volume Two of Ultrasylvania. As you can see we're already off to a great start. We even scored the amazing trifecta - we were the #1 Staff Pick for Comics, the #4 for Staff Pick for ALL projects in San Francisco, and ultimately the Kickstarter Home Page! Quite a day! So flattered that this project has managed to attract a following and that it continues to blossom.

Kickstarter

2013-02-14T04:59:36-08:00

I don't think I see this mentioned anywhere on the site. It involves a couple of Whitechapel favourites and might need a little love:

And Brian's project above still needs a little push to reach it's goal by tomorrow ^^

Kickstarter

2013-02-22T15:24:27-08:00

Oy, there are so many incredible projects going on, I am about to be pulverized! But I'm trying on Kickstarter with my dark fantasy project called PAPA. It's about fathers that are put in bizarre fantastic situations, and they all make decisions that will alter the lives of their children.

The book isn't super graphic or gross or anything like that, but it's mature and thoughtful and parts of it are darkly humorous. I'm working on it with three amazing artists - Ben Jelter (of The Tumor and a video game called Sidius Nova), Joseph Lacroix (of Diablo) and Lizzy John (of Fraggle Rock).

Well, that's it, if you want to hear me talk about it in my Russian accent, and watch me get scared by poltergeist books at the end of the video... you can check it out here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/veragreentea/papa-an-indie-comic-book-collection

Here's the first page of the comic, PAPA.

Thanks so much for checking it out!
Vera

Kickstarter

2013-03-17T13:25:14-07:00

Howdy folks.
I'm involve in a Kickstarter trying to fund a 4 issue one shot comic. I'm lettering the comic, and have worked with the writer before (checkout http://jonahcomicbook.com, which I'm also lettering), and he's pretty good. So if y'all could check it out, give it some love, and spread the word, it would be appreciated muchly.
Thanks,
Keith

Kickstarter

2013-03-25T21:18:06-07:00

Anything That Loves is a comics anthology focusing on sexuality that falls outside the gay/straight dichotomy. Think "bisexual", "transgender", "pansexual", etc. I'm one of the creators who is contributing a story to this project, an episode from my quasiautobiopornographic novel JAQrabbit Tales. (The book itself will be R-rated.) The money from this kickstarter goes to pay for the book's production costs, and if enough money is raised, the creative contributors (who are all donating their work) will also see some money. Most importantly, it's a project designed to combat the prejudice that bisexual-or-otherwise-queer-identified people experience, from both the straight and gay communities.

Kickstarter

2013-03-25T23:55:17-07:00

Aww, that reminds me of when I tried to come out to my mom as pansexual and she gave me this speech about how bisexual people are just promiscuous sluts who use the label as an excuse to be promiscuous and they just need to pick a side :( What still baffles me is that part of the gay community is bi-phobic. I mean, I've found the majority of my queer allies in that community, so you'd think they'd all understand, but nay.

Kickstarter

2013-03-26T04:34:03-07:00

I never needed an excuse to be a promiscuous slut. :) And for real: my most promiscuous periods were times when I was only doing guys.

Gay and lesbian people have leaned so hard on "it isn't a choice" to win social acceptance, that the existence of people who can (on some level) choose to be sexual with either gender, threatens to undermine that. Of course we don't choose who turns our crank any more than a Kinsey 0 or 6 does, and we shouldn't have to rule out possible matches just to satisfy someone else's arbitrary standards. Which – to steer this back on topic – is just one of the things that the stories in this anthology will be talking about.

Kickstarter

2013-03-26T06:08:39-07:00

Best ever Bi slogan T-shirt included one that said:

"Mmmm... this fence feels good!"

Kickstarter

2013-03-26T11:15:23-07:00

Oi, fuck knows I've been bi-bashed several times, by people both communities...

Not promiscuous in the slightest, just don't think the gender of a person I fall for is particularly relevant.

Heard about this kickstarter through Erika Moen. I can never use Kickstarter because it's credit card only, but will make sure to stop by a Prism booth at a con or, if I can, order a copy when it's out. :)

Kickstarter

2013-03-26T18:38:06-07:00

This is my theatre company's kickstarter for our upcoming play. We've got most of our budget covered (I wish the page noted that) but we're going to be producing this in a space other than our home theatre and therefore we need to come up with the rent for the new space.

OUR CLASS West Coast Premiere, or why the ^@#$#% can't I get the damned widget to post.

I totally believe in our work but this kickstarter is moving forward more slowly than the one we ran last year. I don't really know why but it's a little dispiriting. I rather wish we had gone with IndieGoGo which lets you take home even a partial amount, if you fail to hit your goal.

I also like IndieGogo precisely because they're not so picky about what projects go up - they can be ongoing, they can be straight up "fund my life," they can be soliciting start up capital, and, most important to my thoughts on a crowdfunded project, they're fine with alcohol being offered as a funding reward. I've been thinking of crowdfunding a wine tasting evening that I would host and IndieGoGo suits my needs best - I can tailor the evening specifically to my donors because I'll have exactly the amount per attendee. That is, I can say "donate $25 and that's your admission, and I know I won't have to worry about getting more attendees or buying extra wine because I have too many people coming....

I've even been thinking lately about a sensory fooding/dining play... telling a story with tastes and textures, scents and flavors. (this is an example I came up with today) It's strange and different enough that I can just imagine I wouldn't be able to raise much interest, let alone money, but if even one person jumped on board to help with the cost I could give that person one hell of interesting evening.

I dunno... I've been mumbling to myself all day about what I could do. But I'm still mostly worried about my company and what we'll do if we don't make our goal.

Kickstarter

2013-03-27T00:03:11-07:00

Hey folks, i'm in the second week of my second fundraiser, this one on Kickstarter, with Mark....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2vroMTjSB8

DRACULA: SON OF THE DRAGON - The Kickstarter Campaign is live!

Part historical fiction, part horror fantasy, DRACULA: SON OF THE DRAGON is a comic book chronicling the transformation of Vlad the Impaler into the vampire seen in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

We need your help funding the first of four 60 plus page graphic novels by Mark Sable (Graveyard of Empires, Unthinkable) and artist Salgood Sam (Dream Life, Sea of Red, Therefore Repent, Ghost Rider 2099). The first editions of which will be offered exclusively through Kickstarter. To bring that book to you a we’re asking a modest $14,000.

You pledge is greatly appreciated, any support you can give by publicly sharing the drive with your social networks a huge help in making this comic happen.
We’ve been slow cooking the project for a while, after first developing it as a web comic idea.
You can read the pitch and eight page pilot of the story here.

Please take a moment to share Dracula: Son of the Dragon with your friends on Facebook and Twitter: marksable & salgood .

Hope you dig it!

Kickstarter

2013-04-10T10:45:56-07:00

Tiny Games is being developed by some friends of mine.

It's basically an app you can run that asks you a bunch of questions like where you are, how many people are there, and various things you have access to, then it gives you the rules for a simple game you can play with those parameters. Spoons in the kitched, twigs in the park, pints down the pub... all suitable props for games.

It's a cute idea, and not a very complex app so they're not asking for a huge amount.

It's a couple of hundred quid away from being funded now, be ace to get it nudged over the line...

Kickstarter

2013-04-27T05:10:48-07:00

The campaign for Anything That Loves is in its last couple days. The funding goal has been met (and then some) but there are still reasons to back it, including snazzy limited-edition rewards like this t-shirt, and the fact that if it gets another $1540 in the next 39 hours, I'll get paid over $230 for my story! :)

Kickstarter

2013-05-11T05:12:10-07:00

Finally have my own campaign on the go, and I thought I'd share it here...

Last In Space is a web series about 2 spaceship pilots (in the future, when humanity finds out we're the last intelligent species to make it out into the cosmos)

Our goal is modest (just trying to get enough money to build the set) and if nothing else we have an animatic of the first episode about 40 seconds into our pitch video which seems to be going over quite well.

Please share this if you think it's funny.