Resources: Kickstarter Guides

For good or for ill, Kickstarter has been an incredible resource for creative individuals to help make their artistic projects a reality. Many comic artists have used the website to fund their work and some have met a phenomenal amount of success.

Here are some links I’ve compiled from artists who’ve completed successful campaigns. Not everything is exactly comics-related but I believe the mix is a good way to capture the many different aspects of crowdfunding. I wanted to keep these in one place for when I actually decide to launch one for myself.

Daniella Jaeger‘s 5 Tips for Running a Comics Project
Travis Hanson’s So you want to run a successful Kickstarter Project? (The Bean)
The Ultimate Crowdfunding To Do List Before you Launch
How to Get Started with Crowdfunding
Savvy Crowdfunding or Annoying Spammer
Keith Knight’s 14 Tips for More Successful Funding (I was a Teenage Michael Jackson Impersonator)
Tips for a Successful Kickstarter
Accounting for Crowdfunding: What you need to know before starting a Kickstarter Campaign 
Kickstarter Tips from Kicktraq.com 
Kickstarter is not a Magical Pony
How to Succeed at Kickstarter. From Someone Who Did.
How to Set-Up a Successful Kickstarter Campaign [infographic]
My Approach to a Kickstarter Campaign
Kickstarter: Learn from my Mistakes

Considering only about 45% of Kickstarter comic book campaigns actually get funded, it’s useful to also read about elements that could hurt your campaign.
Why some Kickstarter Campaigns Fail – a must-read article by Seth Godin
When A Kickstarter Campaign fails  via ComicsBeat
Thoughts on Lengthy Kickstarters by Johanna Draper Carlson.
9 Lessons from Failed Kickstarters via Outright.com
Six Lessons from kickstarter so far
The Agony! The Ecstasy! Turning Failure into Success: A Kickstarter Story

Less about comics and more about Kickstarter in general.
Ugly Side of Kickstarter: The Risks of Backing Game Development Campaigns
Amanda Palmer, Kickstarter and Everything 
Seth Godin podcast interview on Kickstarting projects

More resources for research purposes!
Kicktraq vs Kickspy vs Crowdlogs

*Don’t forget to factor in Kickstarter income as part of your taxes for the year and determining how much you can actually dedicate to your project. In general, consulting an accountant for big and small projects alike is a good idea! (Thanks to Katie & Taneka for this tip.)