by Clay Adams 

David F. Starr worried his list wasn’t big enough.

Not only was he concerned about hitting his outward-facing Kickstarter goal for his book A-Z Baby Animal + Scientists: ABC Fine Art Book for Everyone, but like many other creators, he had a private goal he wanted to hit as well. 

David had spent months building his list in anticipation, but now that it was time to launch, he found himself wondering:

“Did I put in enough work?”

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• how to grow your mailing list--and convert them into backers
• tips for finding a printer for your publishing project
• why managing your expectations is the key to Kickstarter success

Building Your Audience Ahead of Your Kickstarter Launch 

David knew that the success of your Kickstarter launch is set months before it starts. He got to work building a mailing list well before his planned launch, but he wasn’t...

by Clay Adams

Kurt Zauer was kicking himself.

Caught in a time crunch, he didn’t have his Kickstarter page peer reviewed before launch, which led to some embarrassing errors in his tiers. 

And as he played clean-up in the first few days of his campaign, Kurt made a promise to himself:

He’d never make the same mistake again.

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• the importance of “backwards planning”
• how to fight the Dead Zone with gratitude
• plus: two key ingredients to Kickstarter success

The Importance of “Backwards Planning” Your Kickstarter Launch

Based on this experience, Kurt came up with a system for getting his page ready in time.

“Backwards planning will help you avoid delays. Call your launch day X-day. Think about everything you want to accomplish before X-day. How much time do you want for your friends/peers to have to look at your page to review and give feedback? A week?...

by Clay Adams

M Sorcier felt like she was banging her head against a wall. 

A quiet, introspective type, she was struggling to stay energized throughout her 21 day campaign for Sacrimony #2. How many times—and in how many ways—could she say, “Hey, please check out my comic?” It was especially hard on those days when she didn’t get any backers at all. 

So M decided to do something about it.

She decided to chill the heck out.

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• Why taking it easy during the Dead Zone isn’t "giving up"
• How to grow your audience between campaigns
• Plus: the one thing you *must* do before you launch

Zen and the Art of Kickstarter: Why Chilling Out Isn’t "Giving Up"

M has made peace with the fact that trying to generate excitement during the Dead Zone can be draining and often futile. With no opening day excitement or final 48 hours FOMO, she knows it's harder to...

by Clay Adams

Frank Martin knew the risks.  

He'd heard the advice to stick with one thing until it was successful. To pick his genre and focus his efforts there as a specialist. 

But that's not where his passion lies, and he knew if he faked it, his audience would sense it. 

So the question nags him every time he launches a new project:

"Will my audience show up?"

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn: 

• The mindset shift that led to Frank's success with Facebook ads
• The benefits of Kickstarting one-shots & two-parters 
• Plus: Why you need a little “sexy indifference”

Frank’s Facebook Ad Strategy

One way Frank mitigates this fear is by constantly looking for ways to grow his audience. He's tried viral giveaways to varying success, but ultimately decided his efforts would have better results elsewhere.

So, like many comic creators, he turned to Facebook ads. Frank freely admits he's...

by Clay Adams

John Edingfield II felt elated.

His first anthology—a collection of fractured fairy tales he called Not So Fair Tales—had been named a Project We Love and reached its $12,000 goal early in the campaign.  

But with plenty of time still left on the clock, John couldn’t help but wonder…

“What now?”

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• Best practices for running a comics anthology on Kickstarter
• How running an anthology can level up your Kickstarter game
• Plus: tips for keeping the momentum going when you fund early

Best Practices For Running A Comics Anthology On Kickstarter

Before launch, John spent countless hours putting together the book. He had a clear vision of what he wanted—a 172 page hardcover anthology collecting some of the best professional indie creators and new creators in comics. Many of these creators were seasoned veterans who had been on his...

by Clay Adams

Drew Morrison knew what to expect. 

This wasn’t his first Kickstarter, and he knew the dead zone could be brutal. After multiple campaigns, he'd learned how to take it in stride. Still, this one felt particularly long. 

But like a pro, Drew didn’t panic. 

He got to work.

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of outsourcing your Facebook ads
• Dead Zone strategies that work
• Plus: how to maximize reward stacking on Kickstarter

Outsourcing Your Facebook Ads for Kickstarter and Cold Calling Shops

Drew was no stranger to hard work and shoe leather. He’d spent considerable time and money growing his readership through paid Facebook/Instagram ads and cold calling retail shops to see if they would carry his series Brokenland.  

“From September 2020 - March 2021, I spent $500 per month on paid ads. I worked with a small marketing company to handle the audience...

by Clay Adams

Eric Erdek was ready to take a leap of faith. 

He knew his campaign for Espresso Detective #3 needed to raise more money than he ever had before. With a goal of $10,000, Eric was ready to jump into the deep end of Facebook ads.

But he couldn’t help but wonder:

Would he be throwing his money away?

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of running a 30-day campaign
• Why pricing your tiers right is important for Kickstarter success
• Plus: How to use Facebook ads before and during your campaign

The Benefits of Running a 30-Day Kickstarter Campaign

Eric initially planned to run a 15-day campaign in order to shorten the emotional rollercoaster the dreaded Kickstarter dead zone brings. In the end, he says he "chickened out" because with such a tall ask, he felt he needed more time to get the word out.

And in this case, "chickening out" was the right call. 

“I’m so glad I did a 30-day campaign...

by Clay Adams

Farhan Qureshi was apprehensive.

As the first wave of Covid forced entire countries into lockdown and social unrest roiled the world, he was getting ready to launch his latest Kickstarter campaign for his sci-fi series DIGITOPIA.

With the world falling apart around him, he couldn’t help but wonder:

Would anyone care?

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• Why you should still launch during a bad news cycle
• The importance of quality—not quantity—of email subscribers
• Plus: How to apply the 80/20 rule to your Kickstarter

Focus on Quality of Email Subscribers, Not Quantity

Like most successful Kickstarter creators, Farhan had been putting in the work long before he launched his campaign. He took time to build up his email list, although he admits he found this difficult to balance with all of his other duties as an indie creator. 

“This has been a really tough one for me to make progress on as I...

by Clay Adams

Henrike Dijkstra had no idea what to expect.

Her course on “How to Start a Comic” was ready to launch, but she didn’t have a lot of case studies to examine. There weren’t many other courses offered on Kickstarter, and those that did well already had a massive audience.

So Henrike took a leap of faith that all her hard work over the past few years would pay off…

And hit launch.

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• Why focus is your friend when it comes to creating online courses
• Tips for creating a good lead magnet and growing your audience
• Plus: Henrike's top takeaways for launching a course on Kickstarter

Focus is Your Friend: Finding Your Niche 

Before she decided to create her course on making comics, Henrike tried several different things: she created a webcomic, she wrote a blog from 2013 to 2017, and she tried to grow an audience using social media. 

“I...

by Clay Adams

For Bitsy Tandem, the Kickstarter dead zone was “emotionally crushing.”

She found it hard to think about anything else, let alone keep up with any work. And as her campaign for Maiden in Disguise Manga #1 dragged on, she couldn’t help but think…

How would she ride it out to the end without going crazy?

In this edition of the ComixLaunch Spotlight, you’ll learn:

• Why Kickstarter burnout is real—and what you can do about it
• How drop shipping can help take the pain out of fulfillment
• Plus: first steps on breaking into a foreign market

Why Kickstarter Burnout Is Real—And What You Can Do About It

Many creators know the pain of Kickstarter burnout: your campaign becomes all-consuming, and the feeling that you should be doing something to promote it at every possible moment overwhelms you. For Bitsy—like most creators—that promotion didn’t come easy.

“There was a lot of pressure to promote...