New readers — welcome! This blog is where I set up feedback threads for the latest draft story in progress. Right now I’m up to story #7. You should probably start at story #1, though.
Current readers — Here’s the big finale. Well, some bridging scenes, THEN the big finale.
Technically this is about two weeks of small updates rolled into one large update. I asked on my Twitter/FB whether my readers wanted it all in one go and then an empty week after, or spread out over two weeks. As proof that these are vital issues of import in your lives, a whole two people replied. I ended up flipping a coin. If it came up tails and you wanted heads, well, you’ll somehow have to carry on despite this mighty burden.
One thing I definitely would like to hear from you guys on is the upcoming Kickstarter, launching early March. I wanna make sure this is appealin’ to you. Prior post I asked for some feedback on it but got nada, so lemme entice you with more details. Here’s the backer level / tier reward scheme I’ve got in mind. Keep in mind each tier includes all previous tiers, so for example, $25 has Wallpaper + eBook + VIP, etc.
$1 Desktop Wallpaper
$15 CoA eBook
$25 VIP Club Membership
$30 CoA Print Book (limited quantity early bird special, add $15 for international shipping)
$35 CoA Print Book (add $15 for international shipping)
$45 CoA Character Bookmarks, Stickers, and Other Fun Bits (mailed to you)
$60 All anachronauts eBooks
$75 CoA Autographed Print Book (don’t get 2 books, I just sign your book)
$100 I write a CoA short story based on your idea (limited 2 only)
$200 Co-publisher’s credit (limited 2 only)
Look good? Price points okay? (Note the print book costs a minimum of $10 to make and ship, so I have to tier it high, but.) Any other things you’d be interested in getting as a reward?
And lest I misdirect, I also would love some feedback on the finale of 007. So, this blog post works for postin’ up those thoughts too. Thanks for your help!
EDIT: I swapped around the Print Book and bookmarks. I think I can afford to ship a book at the lower tier and still make enough to put it towards the overall costs.
EDIT 2: Changed all the prices again, dropping everything a bit. The book itself is now only 35, but there’ll be a limited-quantity-only 30 early bird special too.
Also wanted to let you know that I just couldn’t make Greyscale have a squeaky voice in my mind. It’s more of a broad, expansive voice. Think Samuel L. Jackson. Shows confidence.
Yeah, I might be editing that. I could see just omitting tone and having the reader imagine what they like. The point is to say he LOOKS average, that this could be a guy like Dave, except he has far more swagger and bluster and confidence which makes him seem more important.
Dagnabbit. If only I had some okane. Unfortunately, being unemployed is a bummer for that. It’s also the reason why I didn’t sign up for the secret fourth story. I won’t be able to buy the book. T_T Not until I get paid.
Go ahead and email me, I’ll send the 4th along. You’ve been a long-time and reliable fan, and I’ve got no doubt you’ll buy the book at some point in the future.
*Much* appreciated.
Also, wicked story these past few weeks.
$40 is still pretty tough for me. Some people do a limited number of the same reward but at a lower level. Say 10 to 15 print books available for $30.
That’s a good idea. I’m doing an overall price drop across the tiers, but I’ll also add a $30 early bird special — other Kickstarters have done that. Better get in the door early, though, or you’ll have to pay $35.
It’s a tough sell since by that point 1/3rd of the money being kickstart’d goes to the book print and ship, but I do want to encourage backing the project in general. Hopefully the lower price points’ll do that.
Very nice story. I particularly like the way Dave tolerates the chaotic things in life.
About the Kickstarter: I have no idea if those levels are right. The only such thing I’ve been involved with was offering a very different product. But may I ask what you have based them on?
Other Kickstarters, mostly. It’s standard issue to offer the digital version of your product (game, book, etc) at the $15 price point since it’s the most popular one, then slightly higher up you offer the physical one, and beyond that you get goodies or personalized limited rewards.
For the books, I have to factor in shipping and manufacturing ($8 per, for domestic US) as well as the fact that this is a funding venture rather than just pre-purchasing (gotta cover the publishing costs). I think the edit I made yesterday, putting the book at a lower tier and an activity fun pack of bookmarks and stickers higher up, will help. $40 is within reach for most folks who want the book, and $50 gets you the book plus fun exclusive stuff.
Bedlam, Lucid and Echo. I like the names.
They make a fine trinity, albeit for reasons which won’t be entirely clear until 008 is finished.