Note to guys doing a comic Kickstarter….

I’ve been real disappointed lately to see so many projects with way overpriced (over-donation-ed?) single issue tiers.

Seriously, I know there’s shipping, and sure I get a digital wallpaper. But no one likes paying (or donating or flushing down the toilet) $12 or $15 for a regular 24-30 page comic book. Yes, even yours.

Personally, I like what Top Secret Press has been doing, and that is ship out a single issue to you in the US for only a $7 ‘donation’. I’ll even mention that they have a Kickstarter going on right now, and yup…$7. With shipping.

The worst are those at $15 or some and then they want another $5 shipping! Argggh! 

And that digital file? How aboot $3, not $5. Yes, even your book. $3 for that digital file bud…you get a little something for the Kickstart, and perhaps get a new fan.

And that’s the point I think too many are overlooking…if I laugh at your reward tiers, then you’ve lost the chance to make a new fan. I took the time to look up projects online, laid eyes upon yours…and then moved on. Over a couple bucks. 

Think about it. 

PS: If you have a decently priced, quality book on Kickstarter, drop me a line and maybe I’ll help you promote it. Or not, could go either way 🙂

Edit: From the comments on another post, but worth sharing here:

Here’s a great read on the subject:

http://www.comixtribe.com/2013/09/23/the-kickstarter-laboratory-7-experiments-in-crowdfunding-a-floppy/

From that article:

“Here’s the thing that bugs me about most Kickstarters that are trying to fund a single issue (aka “a floppy”)…it’s the pricing of the reward that gets you a single physical copy of the comic.

What exactly are you supposed to charge for a single issue? At conventions and in comic shops, the most the market will bear, seems to be around $4. But obviously, you can’t charge $4 on Kickstarter, because the cost of packaging and shipping a book is close to $3. After Kickstarter takes their cut, you’re left with less than a dollar to print your book….and most projects can’t print a book for that. So, inevitably, you have to raise the price. And if your campaign is also trying to raise funds for the book’s creation (art, color, lettering, pre-press), you need to charge even more. (Thankfully, my latest project is already complete and paid for, and I’m just trying to offset the cost of the printing with this run.)

I’ve seen the price for a single issue on Kickstarter run $7, $10, even $15. The higher you go, the more likely that reward will help you hit your goal, but it also has the effect of turning off potential backers. Altruism or no, no one likes to pay significantly more than $4 for a floppy.”