Here is the link to the Kickstarter!
This is my first crowdfunding project, which is apparently exactly like self-publishing your first novel, in that you think that every new donation or purchase is a fluke and you obsessively monitor your stats while trying to not lose your shit completely or think about what might happen if you fail (oh God oh God we won’t be able to afford dog food and the monster will eat me…).
It’s not really that bad.
(it’s totally that bad…)
I know not everyone likes audiobooks, so over the past month I’ve been working on different products that would be worth the purchase price, as it were. The first of these is a new Rachel story, where she takes Shawn for his first social outing. Shawn’s getting better, but “getting better” in the OACET mansion and “getting better” in a public place are two very different things.
The second is a laser-cut custom name plate:
There’s NO adjustment of the colors on this image. Our buddy Steve took a photo of a nameplate on a black satin background with a light above it, and removed the stands and some dust specks in post, but otherwise this is an untouched image. We’re working with a local laser cutting shop on these. Brown and I have been to the shop a couple of times, and the design’s been tweaked so the detail glows. We’ve had some of the samples out on the counter and when the sunlight hits them, you have to move them or they’re distracting.
The next is the Cuddly Hippos t-shirt:
I thought long and hard about using Rosie the Riveter as the basis of this design (feminist icon > and is also ≠ to gang of assassins), but you see that Latin motto there? It translates to “underestimate us at your peril.” So, the spirit of the homage is consistent, and if anybody makes a joke about how hippo = woman, just don’t hang out with that person and maybe let a little air out of their tires when they aren’t looking.
Finally, the badges. I talked about these in the last post. All in all, I’m pretty happy about how it’s going, but I’ll be happier in a month when it’s over. And then I can freak out about releasing MAKER SPACE…
I think I lied. It’s never over.
K.B. SPANGLER 
I contributed!
Although, honestly, I personally don’t use audiobooks. Assuming it goes to fruition, feel free to donate my copies of the audiobooks to someone.
(Also, why PDF for the story?)
Anyway. Throwing money at you is fun! Good job! 🙂
Thank you so much! I personally don’t use audiobooks either, but there were a lot of requests.
I don’t understand the .pdf question? I do all of the bonus stories in that format.
I prefer ePub or MOBI or even HTML to PDF — my eyes are bad and I increase the size of the font significantly on the iPad when reading. PDFs don’t do that; it’s the reason why I waited to buy “Digital Divide” until it was available in a non-PDF version.
My question is: why PDF? As opposed to HTML or ePub or MOBI or whatnot.
Ah, I see. This story will be have some illustrations, so it converts best to straight .pdf. I can always convert an e-reader compatible version for you if you remind me.
Once my tax returns come back I am soooo in. *keeps fingers crossed for challenge coins*
I enjoy audio books and am very excited at the possibility of having both books in that format.
I was wondering if you know who the narrator will be.
Any chance of getting the Hippos T Shirt as either a store item or a stand alone at a lower level on the Kickstarter?
Believe it or not, I’m currently waiting on a third-party backer rewards system to ANSWER ONE STUPID SIMPLE QUESTION so I can set up that very thing…
Thank you! I’ll keep an eye on the kickstarter and the comic in case that works out.
I should point out that hippos are hugely, hugely dangerous animals. Of all the vertebrate species in Africa, they’re second only to other humans in # of humans killed per year. They are big, they are vicious, they are fast, and they do not stop.
*Crocodiles* tend to be afraid of hippos.