Lo Scarabeo Encyclopaedia on Kickstarter

Callanish

Why in the world would a PUBLISHING company use a kickstarter to PUBLISH BOOKS?

It's an excellent Marketing Channel.

Its one thing to create something that people want, that's the fun and easier part.
Finding those people is harder.

Kickstarter has had a lot of well funded Tarot projects.
It's proven itself to be an excellent store front for tarot folks.
Getting paid upfront makes it less of a risk too.

I'm mulling over the idea of launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the porting of my Tarot App from iOS onto Android.
Seeing how well Tarot decks get received there's a good chance it'll work too.

Callanish
 

Cocobird55

I'm very happy about the free shipping, too.
 

rwcarter

Missed the early bird goals, but I have backed this project.
 

Padma

backed it earlier tonight. Thanks Gregory for telling us :)
 

RiccardoLS

I woke up this morning (Italian time), and I found the project reached the £ 5000 pledged in 1 day. So I went from "wow" to "oopsie, this year I will really have to work".
Anyway, thank you everyone here for backing the project. We will really try our best to create an amazing volume: something lasting.
If the trend of backing continues as this first day, at the end we will have the budget to create something amazing both in content (more content) and in production quality (hardcover, to last years and years).

What else... any question: just ask. Questions are good. :)

Difficult questions... (eh eh eh). Welcome as well.
Why a Publisher resorts to Kickstarter? (which is a great way - sometimes the only way - to give space to independents projects).
I think that Kickstarter is not just good for indie project, but it's the best and only way for all projects that go outside the mold. And that would betray themselves is forced inside any standardized production. Sometimes Publishers have those as well.
In LS we had been musing on this book for years, but every time it didn't work. Too much expensive. Too high the price to the public (a book like this would probably go to 40+ US$ in a bookstore or around that). Too small the print run. Unconvinced distributors. Etc...
Basically this book is not for the big distribution (for that there are tons of book around), but it's for the Tarot community. So we went to Kickstarter.

And if Kickstarter takes into the Tarot Community at large, I think the future will see many more projects coming in from many different sources. But Publisher founded or Indie... most of them will be quality projects.

Let me know any question, or ask Andrea in the Kickstarter page. :)

Thanks again,

ric
 

RiccardoLS

About the volumes II and III
(Please note: the following is NOT about the present volume)

We have almost all volume II rough material.
And quite a bit for volume III.

Regarding Volume II (called: Tarot Experience), this is (very roughly, very sketchy) what should be in:

- Advanced meanings for the cards
— specialized meanings for different area of life
— astrology, cabbala, alchemy

- Pychic vs Intuitive approaches/techniques/differences

- Focus on Querient
— querient types and needs
— communication
— recurring Querient
etc…

- Focus on Questions
(most common questions / questions evolution / questions for yourself…)

- Untraditional Tarot
(like name changes, order changes (Strength-Justice to name one), additional Arcana)

- Techniques
— Timing
— Clarification Cards
— Narrative Approach
— Fool’s Journay
— Elemental Dignities
etc…

- Spreads
(including designing and modifying spreads, dynamic spreads, spreads specifics for questions….)
 

gregory

So art would be in vol III ? (impatience is my middle name... !)
 

Shade

I think that Kickstarter is not just good for indie project, but it's the best and only way for all projects that go outside the mold. And that would betray themselves is forced inside any standardized production. Sometimes Publishers have those as well.

A few game developers have said that for them Kickstarter was a great way to find out if a project they wanted to create would be financially successful. Instead of spending the time and money creating it before finding out if it had an audience they could learn ahead of time what people wanted and didn't want. Sounds like a great idea to me. Also, people love feeling like they helped bring a thing to life.
 

gregory

A few game developers have said that for them Kickstarter was a great way to find out if a project they wanted to create would be financially successful. Instead of spending the time and money creating it before finding out if it had an audience they could learn ahead of time what people wanted and didn't want. Sounds like a great idea to me. Also, people love feeling like they helped bring a thing to life.
And how much better than indiegogo, who let you have the money as it comes in - before you have all that you need. So it can be spent (with the best of intentions and enthusiasm) - and not enough comes in to complete, so everyone loses. No-one has to pay on kickstarter until they get as much as they need to go ahead.

I think it's brilliant - I've only once ever not got something I backed - and I live in hope even that will work out in the end... and yes, it makes you feel part of something.
 

nicky

£60 got you the book, Tarot 2010 by Lo Scarabeo, 5 Tarot decks., 2 uncut printing sheets and some stretch goals thing - can't hep but wonder how much money they have been making sellin decks since doing the math here it looks like each one cost them a dollar...