We’re setting up to do something we haven’t done in a long time…launch a Kickstarter for our next manga. Even if you’ve run a successful campaign before this can be a daunting prospect. Sending your creative ideas out to the mercy of the crowd, waiting for a collective thumbs up after 30 nerve-wracking days of promotion.
Nervous moments aside, Kickstarter is a fantastic platform for funding independent comics and building a community around your work.
Our very first manga, Samurai Chef, was brought to life by a successful Indiegogo campaign. The Complete Edition of Samurai Chef was made possible on Kickstarter a year later. So we’re really excited to announce we’re returning to Kickstarter to launch our next graphic novel, Hot Lunch Volume 1, on Wednesday 30th May.
Since it’s been so long since our last Kickstarter success we’ve gone back to the drawing board, re-educating ourselves on all things crowdfunding.
As we work up to hitting the launch button, there are some great tips we’ve picked up that you can keep in mind as you prepare to launch your own crowdfunding campaign:
1) Create a realistic project
Kickstarter news is often accompanied by stories of massive successes. Campaigns that raise hundreds of thousands, even millions in what feels like the snap of a finger. It can give the impression that Kickstarter is an easy route to raising lots of money. It’s an easy trap to fall into.
Yes, The Order of the Stick can raise $1.2 million and Exploding Kittens can raise $8.7 million. But that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily raise even 0.001% of that. The only question you need to worry about is what is realistic for you?
Our very first Kickstarter was a great example of setting completely unrealistic goals. We set a goal of $10k to produce 4 comics…when we had never written a comic before and had no track record…and no idea what was coming! We ended up raising $4k. Impressive but still well short of the lofty goal.
In many cases, massive successes come from creators with an already established audience, either built outside of Kickstarter or over successive successful campaigns. So think about where you are in your creative journey. What you can actually produce and how much you need to get in done. No more than that.
2) Make a plan, and follow it
We know the magic of Kickstarter is allowing independent creators to gain the support and financial backing of strangers to bring their dreams to life.
But actually running a Kickstarter? That’s not magic. That’s planning and execution. How well you plan your project and how well you carry out that plan will go a long way to determining your success.
After failing with our first Kickstarter, we turned to Indiegogo with a single story, Samurai Chef. We also put together a plan. We reached out to our friends and family for early backing, then approached comic websites and continued promoting the campaign through social media.
Successful Kickstarter campaigns don’t just happen, despite how it may look from the outside. Every successful campaign is based on a well thought out plan and a team executing on it every day.
So before you launch, take the time to plan. Think about how many backers you need to make your campaign a success, where they will come from and how will you reach them?
3) Don’t be afraid to ask
So Kickstarter isn’t magic, and it’s certainly not charity. You’re not asking for donations or a helping hand, you’re offering an opportunity for people to get involved and support a fantastic creative project. In return for their hard earned money, they are getting the result of your own hard work.
It’s value for value, not charity.
Believe in your work and remember that you are offering something valuable. So don’t be afraid to ask for that pledge, share on social media, or write up from a comic website.
You might be surprised to find the response is a lot more positive than you expect. You won’t know until you ask, so go ahead. The worst they can say is “no”.
4) Ditch the “one and done” mentality
This is a mistake we didn’t realised we’d made until three years after the Samurai Chef campaign.
Kickstarter is more than just your funding goal. It’s about the community of backers who have invested in your creative idea. It’s a big deal for you, and for them. So keep them involved.
While at the Thought Bubble Festival, a backer of our Samurai Chef Kickstarter visited our stall. He had the copy of the book with an exclusive variant cover. Three years after the campaign he told me he carried it around in case he ran into me so I could sign it, which I was more than happy to do!
Your Kickstarter backers will be some of your best fans, so don’t forget them after the campaign is done and include them in your subsequent projects. Not just your first comic, but the future releases and Kickstarter campaigns too. If they’ve backed you once, chances are they want to continue supporting what you do in future.
5) Continue to Learn and Improve
As with most things, your first win is just the beginning. Regardless of the success you’ve had, never think you know everything. You don’t become an Eisner Award winning creator after one comic, and you won’t become a Kickstarter mastermind after just one successful campaign.
There is always more to learn.
However your campaign has ends, take the time to review the campaign. What went well that you can take forward? What can be improved on next time around?
You next campaign may be for a different category of product, or maybe you need to step things up and raise a lot more than you previously raised. Either way, you can always learn and there are so many great resources to do just that.
ComixLaunch is just one example and a personal favourite. Their podcast series is an invaluable resource when launching your comic, whether you’re planning a Kickstarter or not.
There is so much to consider when preparing to launch your Kickstarter campaign, and these are just a handful of things to help you on your crowdfunding journey.
And if you want to take part in ours you can, we’d love to have you! You can head to our Kickstarter page and check out the Hot Lunch Vol.1 manga for yourself.
Do you have any tips or lessons from running comic Kickstarter campaigns? Let us know in the comments below and see you soon!
