Written by contributor James Aquilone
When she’s not busy skating for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league, Margot Atwell runs the publishing department at Kickstarter. The crowdfunding platform has changed the game for indie writers and artists, and despite the pandemic is still breaking records. I checked in with Margot, author of Derby Life, to talk about Kickstarter and how it’s handling things in the time of COVID-19.
First off, can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Kickstarter?
I’m the Head of Publishing. I work with creators in the Publishing, Comics, and Journalism fields, helping them understand how best to use the platform, creating resources to help them, and representing their needs back to the team at Kickstarter’s so we can create a platform that is as useful as possible.
Kickstarter has seen some layoffs and a downturn in campaigns, what does this mean for creators who are thinking of launching a project this year?
The layoffs were extremely challenging, and there are a lot of amazing people who unfortunately were let go in that process. Kickstarter’s leadership had to make a really tough call and ensure the survival of the company over the long term.
Though we saw a substantial drop in the number of projects launching back in March and April (around 25%), over time, the number of projects launching has returned almost to normal levels.
Backers have been pledging to projects, in spite of everything that’s going on in the world. In May and June 2020, the categories I work with saw more money pledged than there had been in the same months in 2019. So Kickstarter is definitely still working for creators.
The Frosthaven board game raised nearly $13 million in April. So creators are breaking records and doing very well at this time. Is this actually a good time to launch a campaign?
We also saw the most-funded Publishing project ever launch a few weeks ago. The Way of Kings Leatherbound broke that record in less than 10 minutes, and passed $2 million pledged in under an hour. It’s currently close to $6 million with time left to go. How to Think When You Draw 3 became the second-most funded Comics project of all time in June. In April, Todd McFarlane launched a project to create a Spawn action figure, and it raised over $3.7 million.
Creators often get hung up on the best time to launch a project, and from what I’ve seen, the best time to launch is when YOU are ready to. That means you’ve done your homework, you’ve built a good project draft, you’ve got a plan to promote your project, and you’re not completely busy in other areas of your life.
What initiatives has Kickstarter launched to help creators at this time? Are there any initiatives you plan to launch?
We’ve got several live right now:
Signs of Change is a spotlight on broadsides, posters, and zines that will be live through the end of August. If any comic artists are missing summer conventions, this is a great way to connect with fans and make something special.
Inside Voices is a spotlight on work that creators are making inside their houses, primarily with digital rewards.
Lights On is an initiative to help people sustain their creative spaces, whether that’s a cafe or a comic shop.
Kickstarter recently started “The Case for Creative Work” series for artists and creators “to discuss the vital importance of creative work, now and far into the future.” Where would we have been during the lockdown without art? How important is creative work during this time?
Creative work is still extremely important. So many people I know turned to art and creative work to help them deal with the difficulties of quarantine, from comic books to poetry to the newest Netflix show.
I think a lot of artists and writers have been struggling, wondering if the work they do still matters, if it’s appropriate to make escapist art in a time of pandemic and a national social justice awakening. But we still need art. Art helps us understand the moment we’re living through, and see the world in different ways. It can inspire us and console us, and provide a way for us to connect with each other.
I really understand that now is a moment when it is very difficult to make creative work, whether you’re a parent quarantining with and helping to educate kids, or an essential worker exhausted from long shifts, or whether you’re cut off from your community and the places and events that typically inspire you. It’s OK not to make art now if you don’t feel like you can. It will come back someday. It’s not gone forever.
What are the biggest mistakes people make with their campaigns?
One of the biggest reasons that good projects fail is that the creator hasn’t made a good plan to let people know about the project, or they’ve overestimated the size of their audience. A strong outreach plan is really key to success.
For a comics project, it’s important to have a great main project image and samples of the art from the comic on the page. That might mean paying for a few pages of art out of pocket if you aren’t the artist yourself. Comics is such a visual medium, you have to have something to show people.
What are some of the best tools creators can use to help them with their campaigns?
I created this Publishing and Comics resources page specifically to help folks plan, run, and promote their projects. One tool I love is custom referral tags. I wrote a whole article about how to use them!
One issue some people I’ve talked with about Kickstarter is the lack of a shopping cart for people who want to pledge for more than one reward. Is that something we might see in the future? Any new and upcoming features you can discuss?
Kickstarter isn’t a store, and we’ve really tried to differentiate ourselves from that to ensure that first-time backers aren’t confused or disappointed by their experience. But I think the creator community might be pleased with some things we’ll be rolling out soon, so keep an eye out.
