From Scripts to Ships (Kickstarter Update)
October 20th, 2015
Kickstarter, Shuffling Horrors
There are just two more *little* things I need to check off before I can submit the Shuffling Horror Shuffle Board project for kickstarter approval: video and shipping. Ok… these aren’t little…
Video: the good news is that the script and storyboards are fleshed out. I laid down the audio narration track last week, mimicking the original Night of the Living Dead movie trailer and doing my best to channel my inner B-Movie horror host. The next step is to sync the audio with various still product images. No small task, but we’re on our way.
Shipping: A daunting and dizzying decision point, maybe the most important decision point. There is much to consider when opening your project to an international audience. Every country or region (such as the EU) can trigger a string of logistic quandaries and financial consequences to you and your backers (from freight expense to customs charges to VAT tax to lost/damaged shipments). While one wants to open their project to the world, sometimes this is just not feasible: the cost of shipping can easily double the price of a backer’s pledge (i.e. the price of the game).
Luckily, there’s a guy named Jamey Stegmaier who has *some* experience in this regard. He blogged extensively about the challenges he faced when launching his 2012 kickstarter game, Viticulture (which gained 942 backers and raised $66,000). Jamey has continued to openly share his knowledge straight through to his current game, Scythe (which, at the time of this writing, has upwards of 10,000 backers and over $1,000,000 raised).
Stegmaier is a guy who knows what it takes to orchestrate a successful kickstarter. Not only that, he is an innovator and leader in the kickstarter realm. His commitment to do things right, share his experience, stay sensible, stay positive, and, most importantly, encourage others along the way is what kickstarter is all about.
Here is the first post I read on his blog (it was not my last). This will certainly give you a taste of what is involved in the background set-up of every kickstarter project:
Stonemaier Games-How To Provide “Free” Shipping
With each successful campaign, Jamey refines his process. Post after post, he lays out what worked, what didn’t, and who he worked with along the way. Fans of his blog respond with their questions and insights, making every post an ideas forum inferno.
If you’re thinking about kickstarting a project,
I highly recommend you spend some time (i.e. LOTS) on his blog.
