This is, tentatively, the book cover for Unspecified. (See my last post for more information on this heart-wrenching poetry collection and the paintings I’m trying to sell to raise funds for a print edition.)
Click to see it a little bigger. That, of course, is the full wraparound cover. This is the front cover by itself:
If I don’t hear from anyone who is interested in buying one of my paintings (heck, any of my paintings, even a new commission) to help fund the print publication of this book in the next day or so (you don’t have to pay in the next few days, just let me know you’re interested & can pay, say, by 10/1), I’ll go ahead and launch the Kickstarter project. I’ve been mapping it out and it looks like I’ll probably have the following reward levels:
- $1+ – Your name in the book’s ‘Special Thanks’
- $10+ – The above, plus a copy of the eBook
- $25+ – The above, plus a copy of the print edition
- $50+ – The above, plus a 2nd copy of Unspecified, plus both of my poetry collections in print
- $250+ – One backer gets everything at the $50 level plus ‘without you’
- $250+ – One backer gets everything at the $50 level plus ’embers of you in a sea of me’
The goal will probably be $300 or $330/$350 (I just remembered to add the Kickstarter/Amazon fees, each around 5%, to the $300 I actually need), and I don’t think I’ll bother running it more than 2 weeks – I like the end of the day on 9/16 as the end date; it’s a Friday and right after a payday, whether you get paid weekly, bi-weekly, or bi-monthly. Then, whether you email me right now to say you want to buy a piece of art or whether the Kickstarter fundraising is successful, the book should be in print by 10/1… and if neither works out, I can publish the eBook 9/16 and the print edition as soon as one/both of those paintings sell (or profit from eBook sales covers the print cost).
Oh, and the final prices on the eBook and print editions won’t be anywhere near $10/$25 – these pledge points are based on the idea of “you’re pledging because you want to support this project,” not based on trying to reach the thriftiest of book shoppers… I fully expect to price the eBook at $2.99 and the print edition somewhere in the $9.99 to $14.99 range – I’m worried that a print edition price lower than $12.99, even for a 66-page book, will devalue the collection… based on prevailing prices for similar books. In my research I even found that several of the most popular single-author poetry collections under 90 pages had list prices at $24.99. (Also that, while some publishers are sticking eBook prices to ~80% of the print edition’s list price, an equal number seemed to just stick the eBook at $2.99-$3.50, regardless of the print prices.) So… if you’re concerned with the price & don’t think you can afford to pledge, please at least pledge $1, then try to remember to order the book when it’s published.
I’m getting sleepy and may be rambling a bit, now. Sorry about that. Anyway, if this art doesn’t jump up and find a buyer soon, I’ll be rambling at you again, soon! More promotion! More fundraising! Plus, there’ll be a deadline! A countdown! A community! Kickstarter, ho!
