Broken Frontier

Readers of this column know that I’ve been keeping a close eye on the new website and funding platform, Kickstarter.com, because of the many positive implications it could hold for small press publishing.

Back in September 2009, I wrote a column on Jamie Tanner’s (The Aviary) Kickstarter project. In it, I showed how Jamie was using the website to pitch a new graphic novel project in order gain support and funding at the start of the creative process rather than wait until the book was already finished and published before seeing any return. And the most interesting thing about Kickstarter is that instead of asking for open donations, Jamie was offering a number of incentives and rewards for backing him, such as an exclusive blog, artwork, or becoming a character in the book. Supporters are only charged for their pledges (through Amazon.com) once the project is successful.

I realized shortly after writing that column that Kickstarter was something that I could really use to help my new graphic novel project, American Terrorist. The creative process for the book was already underway, and while still costly and time-consuming, it was something I felt I could handle on my own. What concerned me, though, like many indie publishers, was the large, up-front expense of printing a full-color graphic novel.

So having been aware of Kickstarter before going in, and talking with creators who’ve done it as well as people who’ve supported projects in the past, I decided the best thing for me was to take a slightly different approach in launching my Kickstarter project.

Instead of pitching a creative idea that I would someday like to create by using the funding from Kickstarter, I proposed a graphic novel that was already in production. My goal was to get enough people interested in American Terrorist to help fund the printing of nice-quality hardcover graphic novel.

I wanted to strike the right balance between having the creative material to show people the story and pages, and give them a sense of what the final product would look like, while still leaving enough of the book to be finished. My hope was for supporters to jump on board during its creation and take part in the process.

I wanted to strike the right balance between having the creative material to show people the story and pages, and give them a sense of what the final product would look like, while still leaving enough of the book to be finished. My hope was for supporters to jump on board during its creation and take part in the process.

With my incentives, I also made sure to strike this balance. I set up a behind-the-scenes-blog for my backers so that they would be able to follow along with the creation of the book, seeing everything from reference materials, layouts, inks, the corrections we put in and graphic we add, to the finished colored pages.

And since one of the major themes of American Terrorist is people getting involved in the process and working together, I decided to make a number or incentives based around the inclusion of my supporters as characters or allowing them to write lines from the story, and even to make their own protest signs to be shown during the final climactic scene.

But even though there’s still time for people to jump in while the book is still being made, the end is very much in sight. We’ll have the graphic novel completed shortly after the Kickstarter funding period is over. I really wanted to make the option to pre-order the book as appealing as possible, making sure to send it directly to my supporters as soon as it’s available, even before I solicit it to retailers. 

I’m hoping that the direct approach of pitching a graphic novel in progress will appeal more to people than a pie-in-the-sky dream. I know that I’m thinking of funding a project, seeing as much of a book as possible and the work that went into it are important considerations. And I also want to make sure that I’m getting good value and/or something I couldn’t get anywhere else. There are all tenets I’ve maintained in my Kickstarter project. I feel pretty confident that what I’m offering as far as rewards will be more than enough to give supporters the feeling that it was worth it to get on board. 

What I’m most concerned with now is making sure my Kickstarter project is a success. If we don’t reach our goal, there won’t be a printed version of American Terrorist, and as much as I praise the advantages of digital distribution, it’s still not the same as seeing something in print. I would like to see this happen for American Terrorist and I would like to be able to deliver that book to my supporters.

I’m excited by the possibilities and am looking forward to this experience. Please check out the site here and get involved if you’re interested. You’ve got to at least see our video.

###

Tyler Chin-Tanner started his own publishing company, A Wave Blue World, where he wrote and drew layouts for Adrenaline, its flagship series, Adrenaline and wrote its latest graphic novel, American Terrorist.

© 2008 Tyler Chin-Tanner.  All rights reserved.
Email: tyler@awaveblueworld.com
www.awaveblueworld.com