I’m thrilled with the results of my first Kickstarter campaign ever. The 15th Anniversary HardCover Omnibus Editions of the Dragonfire Novels funded at 350% which was great. Now, there’s processing at Kickstarter’s end (they have to collect the money pledged) and in two or three weeks, I’ll be able to start fulfillment. In the meantime, I’ll be finishing up the designs of the family tree postcards – I’ll probably order them from the printer – and finalizing the interiors of the hardcover editions. I plan to send the downloadable coloring page and digital wallpaper to all backers next week, even before I’m paid. I’m also working on Orion’s story, Kiss of Enchantment, which is shaping up really well. I’ll order a cover for it when I’m further along with the story.
What happens next? I’ve already had several people ask where they can get the omnibus editions now that the Kickstarter campaign is over. Well, they’re only available via Kickstarter, so the real question is when will they be offered with another campaign there. My plan for 2023 is to work on building my platform at KS, so I’ll be offering other existing series in new editions – with the occasional addition like Kiss of Enchantment.
Based on this campaign’s performance, I’m not going to bother with stretch goals and my new campaigns will be shorter. They’ll be more like flash sales and limited-time opportunities to buy both digital content from me and signed print books. I’ll only be selling print books directly through Kickstarter. In 2024, I plan to offer more new content through Kickstarter and Patreon early, before it’s available at the portals.
Kickstarter requires one campaign to be completely fulfilled before I can create even a landing page for a new one, so my planned campaigns for this year won’t have long previews. My second campaign will be for my alter-ego Claire and will feature hardcover omnibus editions of the Bride Quest trilogies. There will be two omnibus editions, one for each trilogy, and the covers will look a lot like the digital bundles. That will run in the spring, ideally in April, but maybe in May.
My third campaign will be for a hardcover omnibus edition of The Dragon Diaries with interior illustrations. (I’m excited about this!) This trilogy isn’t currently available in new print editions (there are used copies available of the NAL trade paperbacks) and I’ve always wanted to gather Zoë’s story into a single volume. That campaign will run in the summer. I may offer the Dragonfire hardcover omnibus editions as add-ons in that campaign.
I’d like to run another Delacroix Kickstarter in the fall, but we’ll see how the timing works out. Fulfillment of print editions can be an issue in November and December. Ideally, there will be a Dragonfire Kickstarter campaign for new stories in January 2024 and the hardcover omnibus editions will definitely be offered in that campaign.
If you love special editions for your keeper shelf or early access to new stories, you’ll want to follow me at both Kickstarter and Patreon so you don’t miss out.
I’m also going to start sharing Kickstarter campaigns with you that I find intriguing, so that you can get an idea of what’s available there. Here’s one from Lainey Davis featuring new covers for her contemporary sports romance series, The Stag Brothers. I think these covers are so pretty, and she’s adding illustrations to the interiors, too.
Deborah Cooke & Her Books 