The Kickstarter campaign has finished, and it was WILDLY successful!
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Jul 06, 2023 at 10:07:15 AM
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this original story would capture such an audience. Not only did Early Bird Vol. 1 hit its funding goal, not only did it reach all of the stretch goals, not only did the campaign achieve over 500 backers, and not only did this Kickstarter gain way more funding than my two prior campaigns, but it reached over $19,000USD. I'm truly having a staggering time trying to wrap my head around it!
From the outset, the funding goal for Early Bird would have been enough to pay for most of the illustration of the book itself, but production and shipping costs for rewards would easily have been thousands more (for reference, the cost of rewards and shipping for my previous graphic novel campaign, Lordran & Beyond 2nd Edition, came to around $10,000USD). These were costs I was willing to risk shouldering myself just because this was something I wanted to see done so badly.
But with the funding you've all made happen with Early Bird's Kickstarter campaign, I'm confident the expenses for the illustration of the book AND reward production/fulfillment will all be thoroughly covered. You've all added so much security and confidence to this project. Federica and I are going to spend the next year making Early Bird the best it can be, and we're beyond excited to share it with all of you.
Once more, thank you all, so so much. I'll have a Backers-only update tomorrow with the congratulatory "Thank You!" illustration, as well as some details about what to expect with updates going forward.
THREE DAYS remain! Early Bird fan art, what to expect after the campaign, and more!
almost 3 years ago
– Mon, Jul 03, 2023 at 08:02:34 AM
Hey everyone! There's less than 3 days remaining for the Early Bird Vol. 1 Kickstarter, and the success and support for it has blown away all of my expectations. Thank you so much!
With the campaign nearly over, I wanted to provide some details about what to expect when it ends:
- There will actually be more than a single special "Thank You!" illustration! The first of these images is featured above, and the other will be shared once the Kickstarter is over. High resolution versions of both pieces of art will be sent as rewards for the backers later.
- I know some folks will be interested in checking out Early Bird after the Kickstarter campaign is over, or may not discover it until later. I will have a BackerKit storefront prepared to accept pre-orders, however the prices for rewards from pledging during the campaign will be cheaper than pre-ordering later. Additionally, not all items available as rewards will be available for pre-order. I'm also working to prepare a dedicated site to help with long-term availability of Early Bird after it's released, at least in terms of digital/PDF format.
Plus, Veitstanz has been amazing, and did some fanart of our two leading love birds in the style of Disco Elysium-esque portraits! This is something that her skill really brings to life:
And lastly, I wanted to highlight a team for another on-going campaign that was kind enough to promote Early Bird to their backers! New Blood is a project to fund two new slick looking paranormal shows featuring Michelle Belanger. Definitely one to check out for fans of the occult!
I'm really thrilled with how well the campaign has done, and with how many folks are on board with a story like this. I hope you all have a great week!
Today's SCOTUS rulings.
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jun 30, 2023 at 03:06:58 PM
I had planned to make a more spirited, energetic post today showing off some new art and sharing details about Early Bird post-Kickstarter campaign, but it no longer feels appropriate to do so, as if ignoring the devastating news of the recent United States Supreme Court rulings (rollback of affirmative action, overruling student debt forgiveness, and essentially legalizing businesses to discriminate against their clientele).
Conservative setbacks like this are dangerous, disappointing, and disheartening, and they're of course not exclusive to America; I don't want this to appear strictly US-centric, since I know queer people suffer globally and are always fighting for their rights, all over. I also don't want queer communities, or our allies, to ever compromise by separating any of the letters characters from each other: L, G, B T, Q, I, A, 2, and beyond.
The more typical updates focusing on Early Bird will resume after this weekend, but for now I just wanted to express the following on this very sullen final day of Pride Month: this sucks; fuck the Supreme Court; don't let these developments permanently damage your optimism or willingness for action.
ALL stretch goals met!
almost 3 years ago
– Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 05:54:00 PM
Just a quick update here to emphasize that all planned stretch goals have been met! This means:
- All backers getting a physically shipped book will get the sticker set for free.
- All backers getting a physically shipped book will get to choose between the default cover art, and what will be a newly drawn variant cover by V.V. Glass for. The digital PDF version of Early Bird Vol. 1 will feature both of these covers for display.
- A bonus mini-chapter will be included with digital and print copies of Early Bird Vol. 1 to expand on the story and characters.
I'm still considering the possibility of other potential bonuses or freebies for backers before the campaign ends, and will keep you all posted!
TWO stretch goals for Early Bird have been met!
almost 3 years ago
– Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 07:43:53 AM
I'll keep this update short and sweet, but I just wanted to highlight that not only has Early Bird Vol. 1 been funded, but two of the stretch goals have as well! All backers getting a physically printed book will get a free set of the stickers featuring Satoru & Hector, and their respective Crane & Capra designs. Backers will also be able to choose which cover they want for their printed graphic novel, with a new variant cover being drawn by V.V. Glass (digital PDF versions of Early Bird will include both covers for display)!
With still three weeks left in the campaign, I have great confidence that we'll reach the $10,000 USD stretch goal of including a smaller scale, bonus mini chapter with all physical and digital versions of Early Bird Vol. 1. I'm currently considering the possibility of adding some sort of majorly ambitious stretch goal past that, with the intent of this goal also being a nice freebie for as many backers as possible.
I'll keep you all posted, and again, thank you all so much for making this campaign such a success!
