Here is our actual budget, reflect real spending we engaged in after the Kickstarter for And Seek (Not) to Alter Me funded, raising $14,914.
Book Printing Budget
| Item | Number Needed | Total Price | Source/Notes |
| Front Cover Art | n/a | $250 | Gio Guimarães (Facebook (giovannabcg) | Facebook (giosdoodlesandartworks) | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter) |
| Back Cover Art | n/a | $300 | Gio Guimarães |
| Manuscript Formatting | n/a | $250 | Hermit |
| Payments to Authors | n/a | $792.47 | 1 cent per word US, for 16 authors, writing stories up to 5,000 words. |
| Payments to Artists | n/a | $1,012.50 | $50 per page, per artist; 16 artists are contributing, and 4 are doing two pieces; includes Paypal fees for paying artists outside the U.S.A. (17th artist is the cover artist) |
| Barcode | 1 | $5.65 | CreativIndie |
| Book (Proof Copy) | 1 | $76.08 | Mixam; this price includes shipping to us |
| Book Printing (A4 size – 8/3″ x 11.7″, full color) | 125 | $3,530 | Mixam; this price includes shipping to us |
| ISBNs | 4 | n/a | These were paid for as part of a prior project |
| Protective Packaging | $78.08 | Papermart | |
| Total to Produce 100 Books | $6,294.78 | ||
| Price per Book (all) | $26.56 | Actual Sales: 157 print books + 80 e-book-only sales = 237 total sales |
Merchandise
This is the merchandise we are producing for the Kickstarter. Everything is customized with graphics made in-house or by the listed artists. Additional merchandise will be offered as stretch goals; you can read more about those in the FAQ. These vendors are either ones we’ve worked with before, ones that have been recommended to us, or ones that we’ve selected based on online reviews, price, samples, and other factors. Prices include shipping to me, sales tax where applicable, and packaging necessary to safely distribute the merchandise to Kickstarter backers without damaging it.
| Type of Merchandise | Number Made | Total Price | Source | |
| Bookmark (2″ x 9″, with a tassel) | 150 | $136.27 | Art by Alicia Matheson; printing by UPrinting | |
| Tea Cup and Saucer (8 oz. deep, 3″ tall, 6″ saucer); Teapot | 90 teacups; 16 teapots | $1,166.57 | Art by Cris Alborja; china stamping by Maryland China | |
| Journal (6″ x 8 1/2″) | 50 | $668.11 | Art by Alessa Riel; printing by 4Imprint | |
| Bookplates (3″ x 4″, self-adhesive, set of 20) | 1,000 (50 sets of 20) | $475.65 | Art by Huaepiphany; printing by Bookplate Ink | |
| Note Cards (3.5″ x 5″, blank interior, with envelopes, set of 10) | 500 (50 sets of 10) | $415.05 | Art by Miss Aceriee; printing by UPrinting | |
| Art Prints (8″ x 10″) of the Front and Back Covers | 250 | $159.98 | Art by Gio Guimarães (front cover); printing by PrintKeg | |
| Die Cut Sticker (approximately 3″ x 3″): Bard Dux | 130 | $217.99 | Art by Alessa Riel; printing by StickerMule | |
| Die Cut Sticker (approximately 3″ x 3″): Artist Dux (for monthly backers) | 30 | $173 | Art by Alessa Riel; printing by StickerMule | |
| Enamel Pin (1.5″ circle) | 100 | $340 | Art by Meredith Pancake; metal stamping and enamel fill by Alchemy | |
| Dux Plush Add On | 2 | $50 | Made by EmpowerFantasy Plush | |
| Tea | 24 | $194 | The Whistling Kettle | |
| Total Cost to Produce Merchandise | $3,961.02 |
Packing to Mail Items to Kickstarter Backers
We’re offering six backer tiers—e-book only, trade paperback only, e-book plus “items that ship flat” (such as art prints, stickers, etc.), trade paperback plus “items that ship flat,” trade paperback plus all the merchandise., and a “tea for four” backer level with some fancy extras We buy all our packaging materials from Papermart.com. We also have some packing materials left from previous projects; those we’ll be using and this project won’t be “charged” for the expense of purchasing them; those savings are taken into account already in this budget.
| Item | Number | Total Price |
| Bubblewrap Envelope for Merchandise Only (9 1/2″ x 13″) | 12 | $9.99 |
| Box for Book Only or Book + Flat Items (12 1/8″ x 9 1/8″ with a variable depth) | 150 | $182.94 |
| Box for Book + Bulky Merchandise (12″ x 9″ x 6″) | 50 | $60.26 |
| Bubble Wrap (in two sizes) | 3 | $117.65 |
| Software to Facilitate Shipping (Shipstation) | $12.88 | |
| Shipping to us | $136.07 | |
| Total Packaging Costs | $519.79 |
Total Estimated Cost for the Proposed Kickstarter Campaign
| Book Production | $6,294.78 |
| Merchandise Production | $3,961.02 |
| Shipping and Handling Materials | $519.79 |
| Refund Given | $50 |
| Payment Declined Backers | $142 |
| Shipping Costs to Backers | $1,647.66 |
| Estimated Kickstarter Fees | $1,225.56 |
| New York State Sales Tax | $93.27 |
| Total Estimated Costs | $13,934.08 |
Our campaign raised $14,914, so we have a small surplus of just under $1,000; this money has already been sent on a few essential supplies (such as pens and paper) and on editing; the price of editing this anthology was NOT built into this budget and is not currently included in these numbers, and that cost more than the $979.92 “profit” we have here. All in all, this campaign essentially broke even!