Perfect Pawn - Kickstarter (FAQ)

I’ve gotten some emails in response to my Kickstarter campaign to self-publish my novel, Perfect Pawn. I thought it would be best to answer some of them to clarify things and correct any misunderstandings. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

How do I get your book?

You can’t, at least not yet. The book is finished, but it has not been published yet. Which is the reason for the Kickstarter campaign. It is my goal to fund the self-publishing of the book.

What is Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is a site that helps to connect artists, designers, inventors, etc., with supporters to bring their project to life. It is what is referred to as crowd funding. You go on the site, find something that appeals to you, and make a donation to fund that project. By sharing with friends and family, and asking them to share with their friends and family, you increase the odds exponentially of successfully funding it.

What’s in it for me?

Well, besides the satisfaction of helping a worthwhile cause, there are generally rewards for your donation. For my campaign, you can click on the link (Perfect Pawn Kickstarter Campaign) and as you scroll through the outline you can see all the different rewards listed on the right hand side.

What happens if you don’t meet the goal?

Nothing, literally. This is an all or nothing campaign. If we don’t meet the goal I don’t get anything and anyone who donated doesn’t get charged. It’s as if it never happened. I could get pledges of $8,499.99 and being short that one penny means the whole thing is a bust.

Why not submit it to a publisher?

Because to them it is simply a business of dollars and cents. The  model for this genre of books is 80k – 100k words. Which is fine, but what happens if the story goes beyond that? Well for a brand new author paper is money and the extra 17k is going to be trimmed. But everything in the book is there for a reason. So do I cut something out or self publish? To me the answer is self publish. This allows me to give the reader everything I intended.

Why does it cost so much?

Like the old axiom: Garbage In, Garbage Out. Cutting corners at this point would be a waste of time and money. If you have ever walked into a book store and looked at the rack of books you are immediately drawn to a book with a dynamic cover. When you pick the book up and flip through it you expect a level of quality. Or, if you have ever read an e-Book, then you know how infuriating it is when the formatting is non-existent. You get frustrated and give up. In this business you have only one opportunity to make a good impression with readers and I want to give them the best book possible. I’m a writer. I’m not a copy-editor, graphic design artist, or formatter. When it comes to these folks, you get what you pay for.

Will this be an actual “real” book?

Yes, despite what you may have heard, or think, self publishing a book shouldn’t have any impact on the finished product. However, like I said above. You get what you pay for. Instead of having the book done by the big publishing house, I’m doing the organizational work and choosing the best people to accomplish the job.  This way, when you pick up that hardcover or paperback, it is the same as one you’d get from your local book store.

To read a free excerpt from the book click here: Perfect Pawn – Prologue (Excerpt)

To contribute to our Kickstarter campaign click here: Perfect Pawn Kickstarter Campaign

Please remember, this project is only as successful as the outreach. If you enjoyed the excerpt from the book, please forward this to all your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail. Taking the time to send this out might make the difference between success and failure.