Budget Transparency

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

ItemNumber NeededTotal PriceSource/Notes
Front Cover Artn/a$250Gio Guimarães (Facebook (giovannabcg) | Facebook (giosdoodlesandartworks) | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter)
Back Cover Artn/a$300Gio Guimarães
Manuscript Formattingn/a$250Hermit
Payments to Authorsn/a$792.471 cent per word US, for 16 authors, writing stories up to 5,000 words.
Payments to Artistsn/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)
Barcode1$5.65CreativIndie
Book (Proof Copy)1$76.08Mixam; this price includes shipping to us
Book Printing (A4 size – 8/3″ x 11.7″, full color)125$3,530Mixam; this price includes shipping to us
ISBNs4n/aThese were paid for as part of a prior project
Protective Packaging$78.08Papermart
Total to Produce 100 Books$6,294.78
Price per Book (all)$26.56Actual 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 MerchandiseNumber MadeTotal PriceSource
Bookmark (2″ x 9″, with a tassel)150$136.27Art by Alicia Matheson; printing by UPrinting
Tea Cup and Saucer (8 oz. deep, 3″ tall, 6″ saucer); Teapot90 teacups; 16 teapots$1,166.57Art by Cris Alborja; china stamping by Maryland China
Journal (6″ x 8 1/2″)50$668.11Art by Alessa Riel; printing by 4Imprint
Bookplates (3″ x 4″, self-adhesive, set of 20)1,000 (50 sets of 20)$475.65Art by Huaepiphany; printing by Bookplate Ink
Note Cards (3.5″ x 5″, blank interior, with envelopes, set of 10)500 (50 sets of 10)$415.05Art by Miss Aceriee; printing by UPrinting
Art Prints (8″ x 10″) of the Front and Back Covers250$159.98Art by Gio Guimarães (front cover); printing by PrintKeg
Die Cut Sticker (approximately 3″ x 3″): Bard Dux130$217.99Art by Alessa Riel; printing by StickerMule
Die Cut Sticker (approximately 3″ x 3″): Artist Dux (for monthly backers)30$173Art by Alessa Riel; printing by StickerMule
Enamel Pin (1.5″ circle)100$340Art by Meredith Pancake; metal stamping and enamel fill by Alchemy
Dux Plush Add On2$50Made by EmpowerFantasy Plush
Tea24$194The 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.

ItemNumberTotal 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!