WHAT IS KICKSTARTER?

FAQs for Cara's Kickstarters

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that allows creators to raise funds for their projects. Unlike GoFundMe, however, backers of Kickstarter campaigns are essentially pre-ordering product! For Cara's Luxe's Lullaby Trilogy Kickstarter, funds were raised to produce Luxe in Between as an audiobook. Rewards included exclusive special edition print books, as well as ebooks and the audiobook.

Custom special edition hardbacks are pricey, though, so this way Cara doesn't need to pay out of pocket to buy a bunch of books that may or may not sell.

Next Kickstarter: Launching the Venandi Venator series!

How does it work? 6 simple steps!

Step One: Promote
Step Two: Campaign
Step Three: Payment
Step Four: Boring Backend Stuff
Step Five: Answer Survey
Step Six: Fulfillment

You will see promotions for the campaign before it launches, for obvious reasons! You DO want to click on the pre-launch page and follow the campaign, because that will make sure you're notified when the campaign is live. There are early bird deals and bonuses, so you don't want to miss out on those!

When the ‘campaign’ goes live, you can choose a ‘tier,' 'add-ons,' and ‘pledge’. These are Kickstarter terms explained below:

  • ‘Campaign’ is the stretch of the actual live event in which you can claim a pre-order.

  • ‘Tier’ is the type of reward you’re ordering.

  • 'Add-Ons': You can only choose ONE tier to purchase and you can only back a campaign ONE time. Add-ons are there so that you can build your own bundle in the event that you desire to purchase more than one tier.

  • ‘Pledge’ is your actual order, or commitment to ordering. It’s you saying, “why yes, I will buy this.”

You don’t actually pay for your pre-order until the campaign has been fully funded AND has ended. (Kickstarter is ALL OR NOTHING; if the campaign doesn't meet its goal, nothing is funded or purchased.) So if the campaign lasts 4 weeks and you pledge on day 1, your card you won't be charged unless the campaign was fully funded and only after the 4 weeks is over. Everyone’s cards get charged at the same time.

This span of time (months) is when Cara males the orders, handles logistics, and navigates general WTFery that inevitably happens when working with printers on big projects.

This is a long stretch of time in which Cara will give updates on the Kickstarter page. Don’t worry if things are quiet. The truth is, a lot of this is super boring and Cara is just waiting for stuff to arrive in the mail.

Cara will need to collect details, so you will be sent a survey to complete your order by providing an up to date email and/or shipping address and any other important info. If you purchased anything that allows you to choose between different items, this survey will collect that information as well. This will not be sent out right away. In the time between the end of the campaign and fulfillment, some people may have moved, so you will not receive this until everything is ready to ship.

This is when Cara will get your rewards to you! If you purchased only digital items, you will receive a link to download them via a website such as Bookfunnel. If you ordered physical items, Cara will package them up and you will receive an email with a tracking number.

What do you need to know about Cara's next Kickstarter?
  • When is the launch date?: February 7, 2025

  • How long will the campaign last? 21 days

  • When is payment due? After the 21 days ends, and you are only charged if the campaign is successfully funded. Late pledges will be accepted once the campaign is over for a few weeks at a touch higher price; those will be charged immediately and can't be canceled.

  • Are payment plans available? Yes! For this Kickstarter, there is a payment plan tier for the Collector's Book Box. To take advantage of the payment plan, you select the payment plan tier, which covers part of the total cost. That amount is nonrefundable and will be charged when the campaign ends and you will then receive a Paypal invoice for the remainder with a 30 day deadline. If you aren't able to make the second payment, you will still receive a partial reward as outlined in the tier.

  • When will items ship? By the end of July!

  • Will there be international shipping? Yes. Canada will automatically be included, but if you want to order from a different country, contact Cara via Kickstarter. She will get you an estimate. If you wish to proceed, she will add your country to the shipping options for the tier you wish to purchase.

  • Will there be a limit to how many items are sold? Yes, the highest tiers will be limited. They include hand annotation of the book by Cara, which is time-consuming enough that she needs to limit the number offered.

  • What are stretch goals and rewards? Many campaigns succeed to fund well over their initial goal, which is where stretch goals and rewards come in. As incentives for backers, when the campaign meets different stretch goals, a new reward will be unlocked and automatically provided to some or all reward tier backers. Rewards may include digital items, new add-ons, or an upgrade to the special edition.

  • What are the early bird specials and bonuses?

    EARLY BIRD BONUS 2: TBD