Yes, it’s not Friday but I had to tell you about this :)
I’m running my first ever Kickstarter, for Undertow (bit nerve-wracking, to be honest, but if you never try, you’ll never know, right?)
So, what is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a crowd-funding platform specifically for creative projects. You won’t find people trying to raise money to pay medical bills on there, or buy a house or anything like that. What you will find are some unique and groovy artistic projects, ranging from film, to photography, to art work, to app development and of course – books!
It’s a way to buy some really beautiful, often limited edition books. It’s a different way of doing a pre-order and in making a pledge of Kickstarter, you will be supporting the creator of the project directly. That’s me J
This is important for indie authors! Amazon, for example, don’t pay out royalties for at least two months after the sale. Other platforms vary but it can really stuff up your cash flow and make it impossible to budget more than a couple of months in advance. With Kickstarter, although they do take a small percentage in fees, the money raised will be paid to the creator two weeks after a campaign finishes (providing of course that the campaign is fully funded). So by supporting my Kickstarter campaign for Undertow, you are making it easier for me to write more books for you!
As a purchaser, you are only charged for your pledge if the campaign reaches its target goal. You’ll be able to connect with the creator directly through updates and messages and share in their Kickstarter journey.
I won’t lie, learning a brand new platform has been rather scary, and of course, trying something for the first time is always rather daunting. I must say, there is a lot of support for authors undergoing this, on Facebook and other writing groups, which I found very useful and helpful (there is a great deal of collaborative support in the indie author world – it’s heartwarming).
Why am I doing a Kickstarter Campaign?
I’ll be (hopefully – if funded) a beautiful limited edited hardback book, with a special cover, printed end papers, gold foiling on the cover and a black bookmark. There will also be a paperback and ebook produced, again with the limited edition cover.
These limited edition hardbacks and paperbacks will not be printed or available outside of this Kickstarter (possibly from my direct website in the future but not guaranteed). So if you want a gorgeous copy of a special edition of the book, make a pledge!
This Kickstarter will also provide early access to Undertow. You will first be able to get a copy of Undertow through the Kickstarter and then I will be selling the ebooks from my store celinagracebooks.com after the Kickstarter has been fulfilled (I may also provide print copies as well but these will not be the limited edition ones you see on this Kickstarter).
Undertow will not be published on the main retailers until August 2024 so Kickstarter backers will get access to the book weeks earlier than this.
I also want to provide a special Bundle deal as an Add-On, which will not be available from the main retailers. This will be ALL the Kate Redman Mysteries, including the novellas and short story.
Any questions, please do let me know, whether in the comments or by email at hello@celinagracebooks.com. I hope I’ve persuaded you that this is a great opportunity to access the new Kate Redman story in a variety of lovely ways. Why not go to the pre-launch page and sign up to be notified of when the campaign begins?