Crowdfunding Campaign for fantasy series
To launch the first book of Explorers of Somnium, a fantasy sci-fi book series, Adam Vineyard ran an epic Kickstarter campaign that ended up overfunding to more than $2,300. It was a challenge getting the project set up, but releasing the book in such a spectacular way made it worth it.
61
BACKERS
Half were from Kickstarter's algorithm, half from my existing audience.
1
MONTH
I ran the campaign for the duration of 1 month. If I failed to fund the goal, it would fail.
4.7x
OVERFUNDED
The campaign ended up funding more than 4x my initial funding goal, which was a huge surprise!
Crowdfunding Campaign for fantasy series
To launch the first book of Explorers of Somnium, a fantasy sci-fi book series, Adam Vineyard ran an epic Kickstarter campaign that ended up overfunding to more than $2,300. It was a challenge getting the project set up, but releasing the book in such a spectacular way made it worth it.
61
BACKERS
Half were from Kickstarter's algorithm, half from my existing audience.
1
MONTH
I ran the campaign for the duration of 1 month. If I failed to fund the goal, it would fail.
4.7x
OVERFUNDED
The campaign ended up funding more than 4x my initial funding goal, which was a huge surprise!
VIDEO TRAILER
Here's the video trailer I made for the campaign. After researching several inspiration pieces (including this Destiny trailer) I used a combination of Midjourney, Magnific, and Premiere Pro to bring this trailer to life. My uncle Zach, who does a bit of film for his job, helped me out a lot.
Here's the video trailer I made for the campaign. After researching several inspiration pieces (including this Destiny trailer) I used a combination of Midjourney, Magnific, and Premiere Pro to bring this trailer to life. My uncle Zach, who does a bit of film for his job, helped me out a lot.
CONCEPT
After hearing the success other authors in my genre had with Kickstarter—particularly Brandon Sanderson's history-making $40 million campaign back in 2022—I really wanted to try it for my book, as opposed to a normal boring launch on Amazon.
I soon came to learn that boring launches on Amazon have their pros. Because I soon was overwhelmed with oceans of research, planning, and analyzing. I froze multiple times as I did so, because I didn't know anyone who had already run a campaign and was worried about taking the wrong steps.
Only my desire to see my book on the platform drove me onwards. And testing several reward concepts with my beta group and receiving positive feedback, I decided the campaign would be worth the effort.
After hearing the success other authors in my genre had with Kickstarter—particularly Brandon Sanderson's history-making $40 million campaign back in 2022—I really wanted to try it for my book, as opposed to a normal boring launch on Amazon.
I soon came to learn that boring launches on Amazon have their pros. Because I soon was overwhelmed with oceans of research, planning, and analyzing. I froze multiple times as I did so, because I didn't know anyone who had already run a campaign and was worried about taking the wrong steps.
Only my desire to see my book on the platform drove me onwards. And testing several reward concepts with my beta group and receiving positive feedback, I decided the campaign would be worth the effort.
PRODUCTION
I was gobsmacked at the amount of time it took me to get everything ready. It took 10 months. And that's not even counting the time it took to write the story itself.
(Surprisingly enough, in hindsight, it probably would have been smarter to take even longer. Particularly publishing the Pre-Launch Page way in advance).
But to my perspective, the time whizzed by in a snap, and each project felt like a rollercoaster. The book in particular was a mountain to wrestle, especially the printing bit. Making sure the illustrations I made with Midjourney and Photoshop met the requirements . . . well, let's just say that I have a new respect for interior designers.
I was gobsmacked at the amount of time it took me to get everything ready. It took 10 months. And that's not even counting the time it took to write the story itself.
(Surprisingly enough, in hindsight, it probably would have been smarter to take even longer. Particularly publishing the Pre-Launch Page way in advance).
But to my perspective, the time whizzed by in a snap, and each project felt like a rollercoaster. The book in particular was a mountain to wrestle, especially the printing bit. Making sure the illustrations I made with Midjourney and Photoshop met the requirements . . . well, let's just say that I have a new respect for interior designers.
RESULT
You wouldn't believe how nervous I was when I hit "Launch" for my Kickstarter Page. After all, Kickstarter campaigns don't always meet their goal, especially if you haven't had the Pre-Launch Page up beforehand, and especially if you have a small audience. I was worried.
But after getting the video, the campaign page, all the rewards, and all the planning done, I knew I was ready. I punched the green button, and immediately my friend Christian Hebert backed the Early Bird Tier.
I watched, jaw dropped, as the numbers climbed. My audience quickly streamed through all the links and emails I'd broadcast to the world.
In just one hour, the Kickstarter for The Mapmaker was funded.
And after a thirty-day campaign of further promotion and updates, we cleared three stretch goals and made a grand total of $2,380.
I still can't believe the project's success, and I know I'm going to be looking back at this campaign with joy for many years to come. All that effort really was worth it.
You wouldn't believe how nervous I was when I hit "Launch" for my Kickstarter Page. After all, Kickstarter campaigns don't always meet their goal, especially if you haven't had the Pre-Launch Page up beforehand, and especially if you have a small audience. I was worried.
But after getting the video, the campaign page, all the rewards, and all the planning done, I knew I was ready. I punched the green button, and immediately my friend Christian Hebert backed the Early Bird Tier.
I watched, jaw dropped, as the numbers climbed. My audience quickly streamed through all the links and emails I'd broadcast to the world.
In just one hour, the Kickstarter for The Mapmaker was funded.
And after a thirty-day campaign of further promotion and updates, we cleared three stretch goals and made a grand total of $2,380.
I still can't believe the project's success, and I know I'm going to be looking back at this campaign with joy for many years to come. All that effort really was worth it.
GRAPHICS
Working on the graphics was my favorite part of the whole campaign—aside from watching the funding climb, of course. Adding a little character and a cool landscape background for each header really made the whole page burst with Somnium-esque life.
Working on the graphics was my favorite part of the whole campaign—aside from watching the funding climb, of course. Adding a little character and a cool landscape background for each header really made the whole page burst with Somnium-esque life.
To make them, I used my superpower combination, Midjourney and Photoshop. I layered each AI created asset—the character, border, background, then used Photoshop controls like gaussian blur, outer glow, and exposure adjustments to get them all to work together. Each one took about twenty minutes.
To make them, I used my superpower combination, Midjourney and Photoshop. I layered each AI created asset—the character, border, background, then used Photoshop controls like gaussian blur, outer glow, and exposure adjustments to get them all to work together. Each one took about twenty minutes.
For the reward graphics above, I discovered how to harness the power of reflections to make things look professional and realistic. All you have to do is duplicate the layer, flip it vertically, and move it down beneath the original one!
For the reward graphics above, I discovered how to harness the power of reflections to make things look professional and realistic. All you have to do is duplicate the layer, flip it vertically, and move it down beneath the original one!
Thriving on the extraordinary.
Adam Vineyard is a multi-media creator on an epic quest to bring his vision of quality to life.