CMLADL is an Etsy shop that features artwork about games and gaming culture. Last month, they added a book to their shop: A Brief History of Magic Cards, by CML (Chris Morris-Lent). This Etsy book printing began as a Kickstarter that raised $5,152 with 150 backers!
Why Kickstarter and Etsy?
As the author CML said very well on his Kickstarter’s campaign page:
A Brief History of Magic Cards—rich in design and detail, with high-quality production values, seemingly oriented towards a niche audience—is a tough sell to the world of traditional publishing. It is a perfect fit for the Internet, where Magic content is published every day and read by thousands. With the help of this community, we can bring to high-quality Magic writing what Magic cards offer players—a beautiful, collectible physical object. I want to tell the world about Magic, and Magic about the world. Through Kickstarter, I can reach out to my audience directly, without mediation.
Via Kickstarter, Chris was able to raise the funds needed to publish the book and sell them without a publisher or retailer taking a cut of the sale. And once the backer rewards were fulfilled, Etsy was a great place to sell Direct-to-Consumer to new readers. The illustrator of the book, Cassie Murphy, also sells her artwork on Etsy, at KittyCassandra—Etsy is a great community of artists and makers!
The Kickstarter and Etsy Book Printing
This book came to us as a referral from another Kickstarter client, Alex Davis-Lawrence, who printed Moss, a literary journal, at Bookmobile (which you can read more about here). Alex contacted Bookmobile earlier this year for the printing and binding estimate, used the quote to plan the financials of the Kickstarter campaign, then was back in touch with minor adjustments and questions once the Kickstarter was funded. The files came in at the end of July, and after a few rounds of proofs, we shipped in mid-August. From Alex,
A Brief History of Magic Cards is the type of book that lives or dies on its production quality. With color pages, black and white illustrations, textured backgrounds, unusual formatting, and a vibrant, intricate cover, there was a lot of complexity to work through, and Bookmobile helped us make sure that everything turned out just right. Our target audiences—gamers, esports fans, and Magic players —care about how how their art looks and feels, and we needed to know that A Brief History could stand on the shelf next to the beautifully printed books and cards of companies like Wizards of the Coast and Fantasy Flight Games. The fact that Bookmobile is able to offer that level of production quality to independent creatives at an affordable price continues to amaze me . . . I don’t see a reason to ever print with anyone else.
Why Bookmobile for a Kickstarter or Etsy Book Printing?
Bookmobile provides all the services a Kickstarter publishing project might need: graphic design and typesetting, eBook conversion, printing, distribution, and fulfillment. Our short-run print quality is excellent, our pricing is affordable, and we offer many options, like square trim sizes, translucent vellum inserts, foil stamping on paperback covers, and more. Browse our Gallery to see the full breadth of what we offer! And with a minimum run quantity of just 25 copies, Kickstarter creators can print short runs and order reprints as needed—which means no worries about storing inventory or cash flow complications. Get a printing quote here!
We offer services together in one package, or à la carte. Interested in any of our services? Contact me!