Things have been a whirlwind this week and I finally get to sit down and talk a bit about STARSLAM and the Kickstarter experience. We got funded. At last count it was $2,890. I asked for $300. This whole thing has absolutely blown my mind. What started out as a whim of an idea, went through many phases and was completely shelved twice, has now become my fastest pre-ordered book of my career. On one hand you could argue that it was the sexiness of the project that made it get the attention. But I think its one simple answer: CROWDFUNDING WORKS.
When I considered Kickstarting this project, I looked to other folks doing erotica and releasing it on there. I saw a writer who put together a comics anthology. She asked for $5,000, she got $120,000. Another got $168,000. My pal Tim Fischer got over $6,000 for his project. So I knew that there was a potential to not only get funded, but also capture a new audience.... which is ALWAYS my intention. Getting paid is great, don't get me wrong. But I just want people to READ WHAT I DO! I cannot tell you how many free copies I've tossed to people over the years just to get people to read what I do. But I was stinged by older Kickstarters I tried. I tried to fund my ARTBOOK but failed. I barely got funding for both TALES OF SEQUENTIAL MAYHEM books. So it stood to reason that I might fail at launching STARSLAM that way. But I felt like I still needed to try. So I asked. And the people answered.
As of now, the funding process is complete. Sometime next week I should recieve my funds. I'v already handed out the digital book version to my backers. Next week when I recieve my funds, I will place the order for the books at the printer. A month later, I'll get them. Then I got a ton of sketching, signing and mailing to do. Its part of the gig when you are a one man operation. And I'm happy to do it. The majority of the money I raised is going to printing the book, shipping the books. The rest, which is probably around $500 will go to outstanding bills we have at the house. I won't see a dime of it. But that is TOTALLY FINE! Because I proved a point to myself. I proved that I can do this. I proved that I can ask the universe for something and get an answer. I proved that it is always a good idea to chase the whimsies. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But when it works, hoooo boy!!
If you kept up with this process, donated, RT'd, sent vibes, whatever... THANK YOU! You have no idea what this means to me. Not only did I have the biggest pre-sale of my career, but I also stepped forward and contributed to the sex positive movement.... which is what I always wanted to do. I hope that people read and enjoy this book for years to come!
SO- what to do if you missed out on the Kickstarter? Well, I got news:
If all goes according to plan, in January, I will have physical copies of the book. You can order from my online store at that time. Also sometime around then, I will be launching digital versions of ALL my books. You can purchase and get them for your tablet devices or read them on your desktop. Your preference. I'm finally moving into the 21st Century with my shit! Also, I will have copies to take with me to conventions. Trust me, STARSLAM ain't gonna go away. Its just beginning. I'm already working on a sequel and I'm 10 pages into it. Its bigger, better and bolder. Sexier. More dynamic. I'm really gonna go all out with this one. So expect that next year.
As for other stuff like ANNA POCALYPSE 2, PORN STORE MEMOIRS and PLEASANT LIFE 2? Thats all in the works as well. You'll most likely get ANNA 2 and the PORN STORE MEMOIRS books next year as well. Depends on my time on when I can get things done. But it is my intention to get them all completed. I've caught a wave of inspiration and success and I intend to ride it! I've also got two more Sketch Card sets I am on currently.
Anyway folks, thats the wrap-up on STARSLAM. Thanks to all who ordered the book. I hope you are enjoying it! Onward and upward!
Cheers, T
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