The Vika’s Avenger Kickstarter launches!

Okay, it’s not exactly a serial, but it’s close enough — I’ve just launched my Kickstarter campaign to finance the publication of a science-fantasy novel entitled Vika’s Avenger. You can get the details on the Kickstarter page, but here’s a little about the story:

On a distant planet, 12,000 years in the future, a country boy named Tulzik Ambroz comes to the ancient city of Ragbaan seeking the man who killed his sister Vika. Ragbaan’s civilization has risen to astonishing heights of power and technology several times — and then collapsed each time, so that now most of the city is abandoned and empty, and the three million remaining inhabitants make no distinction between magic and technology. How can a stranger, with only a portrait his sister drew to identify his quarry, hope to find a single individual in such a place?

And if he does find him, what will he do about it?

If you want to have a chance to read the book, come pledge something. You have just thirty days: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/217993880/publish-lawrence-watt-evans-vikas-avenger

Meanwhile, the fine folks at Wildside tell me that advance copies of The Sorcerer’s Widow should be along in another week or so. I’ll post further details when I have them.

20 thoughts on “The Vika’s Avenger Kickstarter launches!

  1. This site does tracking of kickstarter projects

    http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/217993880/publish-lawrence-watt-evans-vikas-avenger/

    At the moment, it says trending to $71,000, but that is just a linear extrapolation.

    There is generally a group of funders who will fund immediately, and those who leave it until the last minute. This causes a day 1 surge and a day 30 surge (can be around 5X the average daily rate).

    The site also does a more complex trend line under the “[Exp] Trend” tab. However, it doesn’t seem to be that much more accurate. They claim they examine other projects to take into account start/end surges.

  2. Heh, right.

    It looks like it just multiplies the total so far by 31 for the first day. The day one surge makes it overestimate the total, since that donation rate isn’t maintained. That is what the advanced trend line is supposed to compensate for.

    Having said that 50%+ for the first day means it should fund. Do you have any plans for stretch goals?

  3. Basically, the first couple of stretch goals are just hiring a better cover artist — my minimum funding covers a non-specific low-end pro artist. (I’d be consulting friends in publishing as to who’s available and appropriate.)

    First stretch goal would be a cover by Bradley Schenk — I’ve consulted him about it.

    Second would be either Bob Eggleton or David Mattingly, depending on schedules.

    After that, I think we start talking about interior illustrations. If you have any other suggestions, I’d be interested.

  4. I don’t see the great incentive of an improved cover. However, I can see how it would help with actually selling the book.

    Presumably, “A Traveler’s Guide to Ragbaan” would go to the ebook pledge level too (in ebook form)?

  5. Hey, I think a better cover is an incentive, but maybe other readers don’t. I suppose if you’re getting the hardcover it’s pretty meaningless.

    Yes, the guide would be in ebook form, too.

  6. Personally, above a certain minimum, I’d rather the extra money went to the author vs a cover artist. The cover is less than 1% of my enjoyment of a book.

  7. Hey. How much input do we get into our character as a Gene-Cutter contributor? Can we dictate things like personality? Profession? etc? Or is it a name only thing?

  8. It’s pretty much name only. For the henchman, the Phoenix resident, and the hired hand, maybe a detail or two of appearance; for the adventurers there might be some input on a past adventure. They’re all very small roles, though; there just isn’t room for much detail.

    Actually, if you want to specify the occupation of the Phoenix resident, that would probably work, as long as it’s something that would be found in Phoenix in 1882. The adventurers are full-time adventurers, though, while the henchman is a junior officer on an airship, and the hired hand is a hired hand/teamster based out of Flagstaff or Tucson.

    For the adventurers, if you want to get a mention of a specific past adventure (e.g., “She was the one who held the Tsar’s weasels for ransom,”) that might be possible.

  9. Hey, I just donated for the Gene-Cutter. I don’t know if you’d email me to ask what character I’d like, but I’d like to make it known that I request to be a villain’s henchman. Thanks 🙂

  10. Not to worry — once the Kickstarter closes everyone will get a survey, tailored to their reward level, and I’ll be asking the Gene-Cutters which character they want, and working out details.

    Thanks!

  11. I was wondering if we (gene-cutters) would leave our request for a character here? Or should we email?

    If here, then I request to be a villians Henchman, and as far as specifics to ethnicity, I’m Scottish.

  12. No problem. Actually, your first comment was held for moderation, and I just got to it about ten minutes ago.

    (The rule here is that the first time you post to the Serial Box, I have to approve it; after that, you go straight through. It keeps the spam out.)

    And I know well that “Watt” is a Scottish name; my grandfather, Jock Watt, grew up just outside Dundee. (I wonder if we’re related?)

  13. Arg, I didn’t read carefully enough before I sent in my pledge. On previous books, when you sent out books, they were autographed as part of the deal. I assume you will allow for minor upgrades, like upgrading from getting a book to getting a book, autographed outside the 30 days?

  14. I see you don’t use the power of social websites like pinterest and facebook on your website.

    You can get big traffic from social sites on autopilot using one useful app,
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    1. While I suspect this comment is at least slightly spammy, it deserves a response.

      In fact, I used Facebook extensively for advertising my Kickstarter. Also Twitter. Pinterest got some attention, but I’m not as comfortable with it, and at the time I had almost no one following me there. That’s changed somewhat, but it still wouldn’t be a central part of any push.

      And running serious connections to any of them off my own website seems pointless; my Facebook and Twitter accounts get far, far more traffic than my website.

      Of course, posting about it here is kind of pointless, since the Kickstarter ran long ago and collected 250% of goal.

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