Link - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elayna/darkness-undone?ref=thanks-copy
BACKED THIS POETRY BOOK PROJECT!!!
Story
In 2018, I set out to do something I had never done before—self-publish a poetry collection. I came to Kickstarter, hoping that perhaps this crowdfunding platform that had made so many other creator's dreams come true could help make it happen for me. To say that campaign was successful was an understatement. It reached it's goal in about 72 hours, and led to me being able to put my first book baby out into the world—UNRAVELING LIGHT.
That very summer, as I was working through finalizing that first book (and being inspired by the Summer of Poetry that Kickstarter ran that year, where I even got to speak at an event!) I knew that UNRAVELING LIGHT was only going to be a beginning. I hoped that one day I could publish its twin, a book that would serve as the answer to the first book's call. And after two years, I'm finally back. Finally here, ready to make it happen. Enter DARKNESS UNDONE.
Also split into five sections (this time titled: OTHERS, DEATH, HEARTBREAK, DESTROY, and REMAIN) DARKNESS UNDONE digs even deeper into my life, by tackling things like losing my grandmother, too many unrequited loves to count, and how I rose above the a life's worth of depression & anxiety to become who I am today. It is a call to arms in these trying times, here to remind you that no matter how bleak the world may seem, there is still hope to be found in the dark. There can still be love even in the face of so much loss.
Below you'll learn more about the budget, timeline, and awesome rewards you can claim, but if you've come this far into reading, let me just take a moment to thank you. By supporting art and poetry during this global pandemic, you're reminding me why there is still so much left on this scary planet to be hopeful for. Thank you for helping me on the next leg of my journey as an author, and I hope you enjoy these new poems!
As you can see, there's a number of awesome rewards that backers can claim when contributing to the project! On a budget? A small donation of $5 gets you a PDF eBook of DARKNESS UNDONE upon release! Want to dig a little deeper into my published (and never before seen!) works? Then the $10 digital bundle might be for you.
Then of course there's the really exciting stuff, like a first edition copy of the book, which will feature original artwork by yours truly! And to make things even more exciting, at the $50 Umbra reward level, I'll even do a tarot reading for you & write you an original poem of guidance based on the reading!
And at the highest donation level, you can even inspire a poem in the book yourself! Suggest a topic and I'll pen an entirely new poem to be included in the book, with an extra special thank you to you in the acknowledgements section for your support.
Publishing a new collection is a complex process, but I've put together this easy to read budget by splitting things into four categories. Here's how that $1700 initial goal breaks down...
Editorial Services — $500
This includes hiring a professional editor, designing the interior, and readying the files to be printed so that the final project is a beautifully crafted book.
Production Costs — $510
This includes registering the book through Ingram Spark, the company who will print the books and make them available to retailers around the world, including Barnes & Noble or the shelves of your local booksellers. This will also include an initial 150 book print run of first editions, which will be available as perks during the campaign, and available for purchase on my website after its conclusion.
Rewards Fees & Marketing — $500
This part breaks down into the cost it will take for supplies to craft the handmade & photo printed perks, shipping fees for the signed copies of the book to backers, as well as the fees for me to upgrade my professional website so that folks can purchase my books directly through that platform. A small portion of this will also go towards marketing fees to promote the book around the time of its release.
Kickstarter Fees — $190
In order to remain a fully functioning platform for creators, Kickstarter requires a 5% fee for all successful campaigns, as well as an additional processing fee for payments. This amount will cover those fees without taking away from the funds needed to actually bring the project to fruition.
Putting together a book takes time, but thankfully much of the work has already been done before this campaign even launched! The poems to be featured in the book are ones I have written and curated into a collection over the last two years, so now all that will be needed is for the book to fund, for final edits to be made, and it to be printed and shipped out into the world. But how long does that take, you ask?
Publication &Shippingof Perks — Fall 2020 (September & October)
My favorite part of crowdfunding has always been engaging with backers, so I'm excited to share that during the campaign, there will be several online events where we'll get to do just that! This section will be updated as the campaign goes on, so be sure to check back for when the next one will be happening! You can also watch past events you might have missed at the links below!
KickstarterCampaignWrapParty — Saturday June 20th @ 7pm on YouTube LIVE (link coming soon)
Risks and challenges
As we've definitely seen in 2020, the world can be extremely unpredictable. It is one of the many reasons I decided to launch this campaign. This pandemic has reminded me how not one day is promised. That being said, there are always potential risks of needing to adjust the timeline, and potential for delays, especially when it comes to shipping. I experienced some of this with my last campaign, so I definitely feel more equipped with that element of the campaign this time around.
I learned so much from my last campaign, and those lessons on managing deadlines and meeting expectations helped me grow both as a creator and beyond. I'm so honored that anyone would take their hard earned dollars to help me bring my creative visions to life. It is because of that incredible kindness you've shown me that I can't wait for the rewards of this campaign to be in your hands in the coming months.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me a message here on Kickstarter, and I'm happy to chat with you! Thank you so much for sharing your love with this campaign. Be well!
