To help keep the subreddit free of consistent self promotion we will be altering the self promotion rule, the new rules for self promotion posts are as follows:
- Self promotion posts are only permitted on Fridays
- You must use the 'Self Promotion' flair else the post will be removed and you may be banned.
- We will remove the 500 Karma requirement for posting links
- Your account will still need to be older than 30 days to post
- We will only accept self promotion posts for Kickstarter campaigns.
I just wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign and now I’m trying to figure out the accounting side of things. The invoices Kickstarter provides are kind of barebones. They only show the fee that they took breakdown and my business address.
The issue is that in my country the tax office requires both the company name and the address to be on the invoice. Since Kickstarter’s invoice doesn’t include the company name, I’m not sure how to deal with this.
Curious how other creators handle it. Do you just work around it somehow? Or do you reach out to Kickstarter support to get an updated invoice? And if you did, were they willing to add the company name or did you just make your own internal docs for tax purposes?
Would really appreciate any advice from those who’ve been through this.
If you have a currently live or even a 2+ year old Kickstarter, check your Kickstarter dashboard!
Last week, the Kickstarter Team made an update to Kickstarter's Follower analytics where it now shows in the dashboard how many pre-launch followers converted into backers versus post-launch followers.
As I had suspected and written about here on Reddit, pre-launch followers convert at substantially higher rates than post-launch followers (most likely because prelaunch followers are warmed up to your brand prior to launching).
For both categories of traditional Physical Products and Gaming Products, the average conversion rate of prelaunch followers is now shown to be about 30%.
However, the most alarming part of this new data from the Kickstarter dashboard is that it reveals how the average conversion rate of Kickstarter Followers(29.5%) is actually greater than those of $1 Deposit VIP systems(28%, from my experience working at LaunchBoom and with other Kickstarter marketing agencies).
Furthermore, the average project's Cost-Per-Kickstarter-Follower is roughly $2 to $3 (see myKickstarter Lead Tracking Spreadsheet, here), which is substantially cheaper than the average project's Cost-Per-VIP of $20+...
Does anybody else want to share the new Prelaunch Follower conversion rate stats from their Kickstarter dashboard? Curious to know others results
Im currently in prelaunch for my campaign and wanted to optimize my email signup, the goal of this post is to share what I learned about how to get the most people signed up.
I started off with a website on google sites without a custom domain using google forms to collect emails, In the form I had the prompts name email and additional comments, this had about a %2 conversion rate from people that visited the site.
Then I got a custom domain and linked it to the google site with no changes to the website. I saw no improvement from this, besides being more likely to view emails.
Recently I coded my own website that only has an text field and submission button to gather a interested backers info. This drastically increased email conversion with ~%20 of people signing up once reaching the site. Reasoning? Im guessing less friction from the additional questions made it simpler and take less time, also if you are not signed into google sheets makes you do this.
This has not happened but I want to add a counter with the current # of emails I have to the website, I invision this will make people feel like they are joining a community of others further increasing conversion rates.
Summary: Looking back on it, the data is kinda obvious but I didn't start off with the best option and maybe someone else out there might find this useful
After spending 148 hours down a blurry-image rabbit hole, trying PNGs (8, 24, bicubic everything), TIFs, GIFs, JPGs, BMPs, Photoshop, Lightroom, TinyPNG, Canva, lossless vs. lossy, giving up and restarting 13 times, I did not fix the problem. Images look great when uploaded, but as soon as I hit preview, they’re terrible. If Kickstarter allowed SVG, all my problems would melt away.
BUT I did find a few workarounds that helped (images from terrible to decent):
High resolution is essential. I think 1360w and 1920w look about the same (no visible improvement), but anything under 1360w is too small. From what I can tell, KS compresses to 680, then weirdly resizes to 200%, which is why it’s blurry no matter what I do.
Zoom your product within an inch of its life. Ever see a Kickstarter project and think the images are ginormous? Like a single playing card takes up the entire page? Well, that’s how you “improve” the quality. It felt wrong (the graphic designer in me yelling it was waaay out of balance), but making my images 3x larger than planned made a significant difference.
Less text is best (in the image). Except for me (mine are text-heavy by nature). I did the best I could (zooming my cards to 5x my original size), but I can’t change the font/size/layout. But if you can, use big bold fonts.
Workaround: Link to a gallery. I added my Instagram and am building a gallery on my site. I know there’s probably sage salesy wisdom about not directing people away from KS, but for my prelaunch, at least they can see crisp images somewhere.
If you cracked the code to beat the KS compression machine, please share what worked for you to add to the collective survival guide.
TL;DR: KS shrinks images down and then blows them back up, which makes everything look blurry. My best results came from using high-res files (1360px+), zooming images way in (even though it felt too big), using heavy/bold fonts (where I could), and linking out to a gallery for better images. Still not fabulous, but at least not terrible.
Has anyone shipped rewards to the US recently?
I am still greatly confused about tariffs and whether they change anything at all. And I am about to ship my books from Europe to most of my backers in the US.
How realistic is to try to crowd fund the necessary money to start a construction company on the very skilled Carpenter something like 7,500 for trucking tools maybe some kind of trailer
I’m working on a SaaS project, and I’m at the stage where I need to start thinking about seed funding / initial startup funding. From what I understand, there are groups or networks of investors that you can connect with to pitch your idea, and I’d like to learn more about how start-up founders actually make those connections.
For anyone who has been through this "dilemma", where do people typically find the right type of investors in the SaaS space? Are there specific platforms, communities, or events that I should be looking into? And how would I approach them without coming across the wrong way?
I’d really appreciate any pointers or personal experiences you might have had. Thankyou!!!!!
Working on a new card game — what if there was a 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse? I’m experimenting with mechanics where players harness the chaos of the apocalypse. Curious: if you were making a “5th Horseman,” what theme/power would you give them?
I’m trying to set up my budgeting spreadsheet using their spreadsheet but when I’m trying to open it, it automatically tries to open it google sheets, but it won’t open and says I need to ask for permission. I’ve tried asking for permission though google but have had no response. Has anyone had any experience with this.
I'm building a niche product for a Kickstarter campaign. Our team has validated interest from some core users, but has little clue about how regular Kickstarter backers (who are not specifically interested in this niche category) perceive the value of our product.
Does anyone know how to find real persons who regularly buy things on Kickstarter and with whom I can have short chats?
TL;DR Yarro Studios uses bait and switch tactics. Promising on one front, knowing they cannot deliver, and providing their customers with an inferior lackluster product. Do not support them or provide them with your patronage.
I intend for this post to be a critical review of the business practices and shortcomings of the creator Tanner Yarro including his company, Yarro Studios. I might let my own emotions play into this as I am one of the fleeced backers in this latest project but I will try to keep this as evidence based as possible. While this post is tied more specifically to the Diceomatic Campaign, the bad faith practices I will describe also extend into previous campaigns, i.e. FlipDice, that I did not back.
The Campaign
The Diceomatic Kickstarter campaign was launched February 2024. It became wildly popular and was backed by over 11,000 individual patrons and accumulating $1.2 million dollars in investor dollars. This very well could have been driven by receiving the "The Projects We Love" badge form Kickstarter. Hopefully something that will not happen in the future.
The project timeline was set to complete by June 2024. When I first read this I thought it was ambitious but doable. I am no stranger to Kickstarters or possible timeline delays so I was giving them the benefit of the doubt. This could have also been a factor of massive turnout from backers and the projects overall success.
Another possible contributing factor were the claims from Yarro Studios as to how well they did in their previous FlipDice campaign.
These claims, however, were false. The timeline, the proven track record, the happy clients. All of these are a fabrication. While certainly some of the backers for FlipDice may have been happy with receiving their rewards over a year late, more than likely they were just simply relieved to get anything at all. But keep that year late timeline in mind. It is important.
Production
March 2024 pledges are collected for Diceomatic. Backers await the pledge manager. And boy do they wait.
Pledge manager for the project does not go live until August 2024. 2 full months after the project was slated for completion. Yarro Studios cites delays in Pledge Manager development but does not provide specifics. But didn't they say int he campaign that they have a proven track record? Shouldn't all of these issues been found and corrected in the FlipDice campaign? As it turns out, this is just the start of delays.
October stretches to December stretches to January. Mass production of the Diceomatic does not begin until nearly a year after pledges were collected. I told you we would come back to the year long timeline. This is Yarro Studios true proven track record. Unrealistic timelines and backers forgetting they even spent money on this product.
Fulfillment
Yarro Studios claims they want to do an initial 200 customer run of the product before moving to mass production .... in May of 2025. We are one month away from annual anniversary of when the product was initially stated for fulfillment. A test run has not yet even been completed.
So I guess when they said "Full Steam Ahead" Yarro actually meant like "Slow Ahead", but can't come out and say that right? Have to drag your investors through the glass a bit longer huh?
Back to being objective.
The next update comes as of June 2025. We have officially reached the year anniversary. Yarro starts 35% of Diceomatics have been shipped to customers.
Contrary to their claims however, few backers have received anything. This could be due to the fact that a large portion of these backers have forgotten about the project over the egregious delays or they just might not be very vocal within the community. 35% of the total number of backers is 4,000 backers. And only a few reported receiving anything? It begins to look like Yarro might be lying embellishing the truth to their investors at this point. I also want to draw your attention to bottom line of the image. July 2025 a new set of delays is blamed and a new timeline for fulfillment is provided. All remaining order will be delivered by August 2025. Huzzah! ....right?
Well actually no. It is apparent that many backers have not received anything. Ever. Some that have received items are missing add-ons or stretch goals. There is some good news. If you want to get a Diceomatic, you can apparently just order one on Yarro Studios web store. No way these are the pledge rewards that they are just selling again right? Right?
The Communication
Through out this Kickstarter it has been apparent Yarro Studios does not care about their investors. Because let's be honest. When you back a project, you are investing in that project for a material reward that also allows that project to get a foothold in the market. The way they communicate this most clearly is through their deceptive communication practices or just straight up not saying anything at all. When replying to comments that are concerned about the state of the project or asking very reasonable timeline projections that a company with a "proven track record" should be able to answer, this is quite often the reply.
Wait. Do these responses seem a little ... robotic to you?
Ah. Well. To the surprise of no one, Yarro Studios cannot ship out a product on time even when assisted by AI. The communication team, which probably doesn't exist, cannot even take the time to draft responses to their investors and answer questions properly.
The Product
All that aside, Yarro has definitely taken this year to produce a good looking product that works great. Wait. No. Not even that.
Remember this was a product the Yarro said they "poured their heart and soul" into and it doesn't work right out of the box? How pleased would you be if you received an item a year late and it didn't even work when you went to try it for the first time? What was Yarro doing for this year plus if they aren't even functional?
Conclusion
So I have definitely been harsh on Yarro Studios. I could understand delays. I could understand projects getting bigger than anticipated. I could understand that life gets in the way. But what I cannot understand is not communicating these issues openly and honestly to the people who brought the project to life in the first place. All I am left with is being an investor who has been deceived for over a year into thinking I will receive a product in three months. No, wait, six months. A year! Definitely a year. Well wait no, they are planning another update this week. BUT definitely after that.
I am just one of MANY. I am based out of the US so its likely I'll get something in the mail at some point. If it works, who knows? The ones who are probably truly screwed are the international shipments. Not one international shipment has gone out as of the writing of this post to my knowledge.
The responsibility falls on us, the community of backers, to warn one another of possible pitfalls. Kickstarter also bears some of the blame for the Diceomatic frustrations as they do not provide an avenue for reconciliation when projects go poorly. Especially after promoting this one with its "Projects We Love" badge. In the future, I hope Kickstarter will more thoroughly vet the projects it chooses to highlight since Yarro Studios definitely missed that bar.
Please take the time since you made it this far to check out my sources and read some of the comments from these other backers. Invest your money wisely out there. And stay away from Yarro.
Hello, I'm S.L. Rowland, and I invite you to explore the Kickstarter for the Deluxe Collector's Editions of the first three novels in the Tales of Aedrea Cozy Fantasy Series. We've already unlocked three stretch goals for Bonus Recipes & a Bestiary, Dual Color Foiling on the cover, and Illustrated Endpapers to go along with the many premium base features.
Base level included features:
Faux-leather Bound Hardcover
Smyth-sewn Binding
Premium, Acid-free Paper
Foil-stamped Cover (single color)
8 Full-color Illustrations per book
Full-color End Papers with World Map in front
Custom Chapter Headers
Custom Interior Formatting
Ribbon Bookmark
Sprayed Edges
Hand-Signed by the Author
Some of you might be wondering what cozy fantasy is. I guess that depends on how you define cozy. For me, it's comfort, warmth, and relaxation--a drink with a friend after a long day, a cool breeze as you watch the tide roll in, or getting lost in a book. When it comes to cozy fantasy, even though the journey may take twists and turns, you can always count on a happy ending.
My goal with this series was to write feel-good stories that leave the reader a little happier for having read them.
Check out the project and see what other stretch goals are in store!
Michael has everything that many other mid-level corporate managers have, a devoted professional wife, a nice car, a job everyone wants, and a great home in a safe neighbourhood, all signs pointing to a life trending up. He also has a net-connected brain implant and a bad day at work that goes viral. Not everything happens as expected, in fact most things haven’t worked out. A novel about love labour and loss in a future so near we may have already passed it, presenting a corporate world of wonder and misery where machines have a better chance of connecting with each other than people do.
Read the first of four chapters available now for free (linked below). I describe the story as industrial gothic because it focuses on decaying personal relationships within the framework of a failing industrial economy. Copying the 1990s shareware model for independent software distribution, the first chapter (episode one ?) is available to read and to share for whatever reason you may have. If you like the story and want to read more, support this project to get the rest of the novel. Unlike those famous 1990s shareware games, however, I cannot promise an expanded arsenal for later chapters despite several changes in scenery. Actually, this story is not lasergun spaceship sci-fi but another kind, though there are some robots and a fight or two as well as a slowly overcoming horror.
My wife and I just launched something that we are really excited to share!! The Comprehensive Dictionary of Cinema 📖🎬. It’s a painstakingly researched A–Z reference with over 1,500+ entries covering film history, culture, and craft. We funded in 15 minutes and are now pushing to make it one of the most-backed film books on Kickstarter.
Grab your copy of The Comprehensive Dictionary of Cinema at 17% off with our Early Bird discount, available only until August 29th.
If you’re a film lover, collector, or just want to support indie publishing, check it out:
I feel like the people who paid the most money should be prioritized and shipped first or am I crazy? I paid over $300 to this company and because I have add ons they won’t ship until November probably but then it will be by ship so that’s another 30-60 days. So I won’t see this till almost a year after initial estimated delivery. How is that right at all? But this whole kickstarter has been backwards and full of lies. So I doubt I will ever even see it. The people who paid the least will get there units because it’s the cheapest to make. And then on November they will come on saying they ran into another snag and everything will go radio silent for another 3 months and then promises of shipping some items and then nothing. So yes I have no hope I will personally see anything even though I’m one of the ones who paid the most.
Hi guys, I'm Jackie, bit new here, I launched my first campaign yesterday dropping now on Kickstarter: Melancholic Dreamers - an exclusive, limited streetwear drop of oversized heavy tees (100% cotton) + premium hoodies with bold screen-printed designs. No restocks, no reruns - once this campaign ends, the collection is gone forever. Back the first drop here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melancholicdreamers/the-fallen-angel-drop
Would be so cool if you checked it out! THANK YOU!
Over the past year, I’ve been developing a Hydroponic growing system that doubles as a Sculptural piece. The goal is to make growing fresh greens indoors not only practical, but also beautiful. Its sculptural frame holds integrated LED grow lights, creating a clean, functional design without relying on flashy apps or unnecessary tech. For those who prefer ready-made parts, there will also be food-safe injection-molded cores that pair with customizable 3D-printed frames.
I’m getting ready to launch on Kickstarter soon, and one of the rewards will include the complete set of .STL 3D printing files so you can print and DIY your own version at home.
If you’d like to stay updated, here’s the pre-launch sign-up page:
👉 www.formhydro.com
5 days left on my second kickstarter campaign we’re I’ll be creating two enamel pins for people that’s has experiences either sleep paralysis or lucid dreaming. I had this idea for people to wear to show “yes, I’ve been there”. I need your guys help for the remaining 5 days to make this campaign successful. So if you believe in this project and find it interesting then I would be so happy if you’d check it out. Link down below ⬇️
It's hard to think about my campaign having success with just the exposure of my idea.
I really have all figured out and I know how it has to look and work, I'm talking about my first indie videogame, it's a great story and it'll be fun in general, of course it's not gonna be the best but it's gonna be a start.
My question is, is it FAIR for pledgers to support a campaign that has just too much text and very little visual references or none gameplay to show?, I know there's many ways to show of something but I just don't have time or tools to make a good representation.
The pledge is to get a tablet that I can bring to work and make all the art and music then I'll program on my weekends.
If you're curious follow @elcuatrostudio where I'm gonna be trying to get a community to form. Have a good and very successful Friday!!
Edit: The campaign is for buying the tablet and payments for the game to be on steam, the goal it's to actually make the game.
The 2026 National Park Posters Calendar Campaign is LIVE!
Hi Reddit!
I’m excited to share an update on the 2026 National Park Posters Calendar. Thanks to the incredible support of backers:
We were fully funded in less than 8 hours!
On Day 2, Kickstarter awarded us the “Project We Love” badge.
On Day 3, we hit our first stretch goal, meaning the calendar will now include 14 months instead of 12!
There are still some Early Bird rewards for calendars available, giving new backers a chance to grab their calendars at a special price.
This calendar features 14 WPA-style poster designs of America’s national parks, and backers get to vote on which parks appear. It’s printed on 100% recycled paper, with soy-based inks, and supports the parks we love.
If you’d like to join in and secure a calendar (or vote for your favorite parks), click below:
I’m right in the middle of my very first Kickstarter and, wow, what a ride. The launch went better than I expected, but now comes the real challenge: keeping the ship steady and the momentum alive.
The game is called Kraken : it’s a fast-paced 30 min game about fishing, piracy and sabotage. Each player upgrades their gear, sabotages rivals, and hunts for legendary sea creatures while keeping their secret mission hidden. The setup takes less than a minute, and the mix of bluff + take-that creates some really fun chaos around the table.
I’m doing this as a one-person studio, which has been both exciting and terrifying. Between designing, testing, doing the art, and now running the campaign, it feels like a full-time storm at sea haha.
If you are curious and want to check the project, you can follow the link :
Unleash anime-inspired action in your D&D games! Secrets of Myst is both a cinematic rules expansion and a rich setting book, introducing a brand-new world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. Inside, you’ll find new classes, new subclasses , powerful feats and spells, and rules for cinematic combat like beam battles and finishing moves.
Explore new spells, magical items, and enemies that bring high-energy, shōnen-inspired storytelling to life. Whether you want to run a campaign in the world of Meliora or bring these options into your own setting, Secrets of Myst gives you everything you need for epic, over-the-top adventures.
I'm running a Kickstarter for my debut novel, Lament of Light.
There are exclusive limited special editions in the campaign, that you can only get here and now! As well as an unlimited amount of the standard eBook, paperback, and hardback. Plus lots of art and stickers. And anyone who backs the campaign is getting the book before everyone else! It's basically a fancy preorder.
Here's the blurb: Two hundred years have passed since the Xyri last bonded with humans, granting them special powers and abilities. No one knows what happened to them, or why they left. But now one of the Timeless has gone missing, and the Xyri are back...
Ren Riversis just a normal girl with a normal life. Except she's also a superhero namedKaida. At sixteen years old Ren struggles to balance high school, friends, and dating while protecting her secret and protecting New York City with her partner, Lycan.
Lycanmade a grave mistake when he fell for Kaida. They are not allowed to be together. At seventeen years old,Bellamy Greymust navigate just being friends with the love of his life, while hiding his secret identity from everyone around him.
After facing the worst serial killer to walk the streets of New York, a new threat is on the horizon. Kaida and Lycan must follow a trail of rubble and flora to find and stop this new mysterious villain, before more people die.
- There are 2 tiers for the limited hand bedazzled edition, one comes with all the art and stickers, plus the book is annotated. And all the illustrations inside the book will be in full color.
- There's 1 tier for the limited handbound tier (and only one of them is left!) Which will never be made again, and includes bonus content in the book, plus full color illustrations, and comes with all of the art and stickers.
- There's 2 tiers for the hardback, which also comes with full color interior illustrations. One tier with all the art and one without.
- There's 2 tiers for the paperback, which will have the interior illustrations in black and white. One tier comes with all the art and one without it.
- There's 1 tier for the eBook, plus a digital art pack with all of the high res files of the art to use as wallpapers.
Please check it out if you're even a little bit interested, it would mean the world to me! Thanks.
