The Better World Book Kickstarter (May 2019)

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We are still sorting out stretch goals 6-10. But everyone wants to know where the audio book is at so we decided to post #11 anyways!

Somebody expressed that it was a bummer that some of the stretch goals were limited to people at the $100 and up level.  

Well, yeah, I guess it would be awesome if a person could support the kickstarter for $10, and then with that $10 I could ship them 40 excellent books, a new car and a full blown, fully assembled hugelkultur bed complete with several fruit trees.

But, of course, that sounds like I would be taking on about $100,000 in expense for that $10 so I can't pull it off.  

What I am trying to do is figure out stuff that can work.  At the $100 level there are fewer people, so fewer things to pay for.  I can get the numbers to work out.  

Further, I think that when compared to other kickstarters, our $10 is already super loaded.   For most other kickstarters offering a book, you will pay $20 to get the ebook, and there is nothing else.  Here is what you get for $10 on this kickstarter:


  - Permaculture Playing Cards eBook (4 gift codes)
  - Care and Feeding of a Rocket Mass Heater (4 gift codes)
  - Rocket Ovens Cooking Microdoc (4 gift codes)
  - Hugelkultur Microdoc (4 gift codes)
  - 21 Podcast Review of Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture
  - Cool Public Thanks
  - Permaculture Experience eBook (gift code)
  - Build a Cob Style Rocket Mass Heater DVD (Stream) (4 gift codes)
  - Build the Giant Solar Dehydrator (81 min stream) (4 gift codes)
  - 5 Hour Video Tour of Wheaton Labs (4 gift codes)
  - Access to the Secret Inner Circle Forum
  - 2 eBook Gift Codes for the Book

So I feel like the $10 level is already super heavy loaded.  Compared to other kickstarters, it is 20 times more stuff for half the price.  

Plus, I think the most compelling reasons shawn and I worked so long and hard on this book is to infect brains.  We think that this recipe is REALLY going to make a massive difference in solving global problems.   And the key is to get a whole bunch of books and give them all away.  We think that the people at the $100 level will have those books and they really will give them away.  

Sure, a person at the $10 level is thinking "maybe I will give these away - I want to read at least one first."  But the people at the $100 level really believe in me and shawn.   And they are putting their money up to really make a difference.   That simple act really puts the wind in my sails.   That simple act makes me think that all this effort is worth it.   I am grateful to the people at the $10 level, and I am a hundred times more grateful to the people at the $100 (and up) level.  I wish to express additional gratitude to those peeps.  

Plus, I am hopeful that a lot of people that are casually supporting the kickstarter at the $10 level will find a way to bump their pledge to the $100 level.  Maybe even pull together a couple of friends and say "when the box arrives, we will each get four books".


I think it is fair to wish for more goodies at the $10 level.  Mix that right in with wishing for winning the lottery and wishing for a slice or really excellent huckleberry pie.   And I think it is okay for me to wish for stuff too.  I'm just trying to find a way for all this stuff to work out so everybody feels great that they supported this kickstarter at any level.

Im not sure exactly what the scuttlebutt says about the $10 category, but perhaps its the motivation behind the scuttlebutt that is more important. I suspect that people who have the money to support the kickstarter below the $100 level might have some wiggle room to offer a little more money, but not be able to offer $100. I wonder if any disgruntlement lies in the financial distance between $10 and $100. The financial distance between $10 and $50 is much less. Perhaps people would be willing to bump up their donation somewhat but not all the way to $100 if there was a stretch goal in the middle.

I agree with and respect your position, Paul.

At the same time, Bryan has a point. My cost to support this endeavour is already approaching $50. And my personal want is simply to have a hard-copy of my own.

So if there were an option to top up my total out-of-pocket expense to $50, which would maybe cost me $10 more, I would almost certainly be amenable.

But there's no way I can justify topping up to $100 plus shipping.

And it's not because I don't value permaculture; I am already giving what I can.

But I hope there are elements of the demographic for whom this strategy will work. This endeavour certainly deserves it.

-CK

My take was this. How do i get the most amount of books(for least $) to distribute to area waiting rooms? That was the $80 level. Rewards played no role. I'm in the "just the books" category.

Chris Kott wrote:I agree with and respect your position, Paul.

At the same time, Bryan has a point. My cost to support this endeavour is already approaching $50. And my personal want is simply to have a hard-copy of my own.

So if there were an option to top up my total out-of-pocket expense to $50, which would maybe cost me $10 more, I would almost certainly be amenable.

But there's no way I can justify topping up to $100 plus shipping.

And it's not because I don't value permaculture; I am already giving what I can.

But I hope there are elements of the demographic for whom this strategy will work. This endeavour certainly deserves it.

-CK

And you too are correct.

I don't see any reason for those who can't afford to offer more to be disgruntled about not getting shinier rewards. We're all getting a lot for our contributions.

There undoubtedly are people who could afford to support this kickstarter at the $100 level but don't for whatever reason, whether it's not believing in the message as much as others or something else entirely.

At the end of the day, Paul and Shawn have to do what works best for them, makes the most sense, and doesn't have them killing themselves trying to meet all of the stretch-goal-swag obligations. You can't please everybody, and the most important part of all this is to get the book out...the rest is frosting.

Molly Kay wrote:

Chris Kott wrote:

-CK

whether it's not believing in the message as much as others or something else entirely.

At the end of the day, Paul and Shawn have to do what works best for them, makes the most sense, and doesn't have them killing themselves trying to meet all of the stretch-goal-swag obligations. You can't please everybody, and the most important part of all this is to get the book out...the rest is frosting.

Yes, something else entirely - like their spouse not being as sold on the idea.

Do what is best for them - exactly.
Technically it is their book.  They should be able to do what ever the &&%^$*& they want.

$44,001!

We are now 500% funded!

Surprise motherfuckers! :) Here is my silly take on doing an audiobook! Nothing serious! I'm pretending to be an ESL teacher!

$45,067!

I really like the idea of additional stretch goals being a "fleshing out" package for certain parts of the book- Erica offering the new RMH plans for example; perhaps it includes an excerpt from her responding to the RMH part of the book, going into more details or providing real-world examples or maybe discussing the work with Portland's building code staff?

This could include tie-ins to other sources of info like her RMH Builders Guide (not necessarily as a sales pitch, but more as a "here's additional details/insight from a subject matter expert in the area, with references to additional material you can research").

Since you have some others offering their own e-book those could be the deeper dive for the related parts of the book, so you could try targeting the other sections for the deep dives as well. If Jacob is offering something related to his ERE book, maybe that could also be an excerpt package. The same could be done with growing/preserving food, reducing waste, graywater systems, you name it. Like maybe David the Good might do something regarding composting, which would tie into his book Compost Everything, that kind of idea.

You might be able to create some incentive for those subject matter experts by  packaging it as "you can provide your (we hope positive!) feedback on the book and get into the next level of detail, which would tie in naturally to any books or sites they have as well.

I wonder how many books, total, have been ... uh .... "pre-ordered?"  so far ...

$10 level - 2 ebooks, 319 backers = 638

$15 - 1 physical book, 508 backers = 508

$25 - 2 physical books or 6 ebooks.  Let's say 1 physical book and 3 ebooks on average, so 4 books and 297 backers = 1188

$60 - 12 at 51 = 612

$80 - 24 at 18 = 432

$100 - 24 at 47 = 1128

the rest - 24 @ 41 = 984



5490 books!

wowzers!  That's a lot of books!!!

r ranson wrote:wowzers!  That's a lot of books!!!

I would say a lot of us have faith that it will be worth the investment.

we recorded a live youtube thing about chapter 12

$46,023!

We were funded in 3 hours. We are now 520% funded. I have known now for days that the book will officially happen, yet somehow it didn't sink in until just now. Why just now?

I just sent the manuscript to the editor.

Just $3752 away from the first stretch goal!

BTW, I love the comment in the $95,000 stretch goal...tehehe

David Pagan Butler just agreed to having his complete book be a stretch goal:



You can learn more about his book here.  And more about his movie here.

Which stretch goal is yet to be determined.

i just now noticed ...



$47,588!

$48,058!

I just checked...

$48,628!

Is it possible we might hit our first stretch goal today? We're only $1400 away!

$49,058!

I don't know what is a doodle.... sounds like a cool english word....

What I know is that no way to pay kickstarter with PayPal and I have "lost" my credit card so I cannot enter the magical 3 numbers...
I had to cancel the payment Grrrrr





By the way, I don't know how this guy had the idea to make the kickstarter website, but he has sure changed the world in a way that must make him happy!

If you wish to change your pledge level, as Shawn wrote, here's how to do that:

If you log into Kickstarter you can manage your pledge. It should allow you to change your reward level. Just make sure you select the new reward instead of just upping the $ value.

Shawn makes a good point. If you up your pledge amount, but do not change the reward level, that tells Kickstarter, and us, that you simply want to give more money for that (lower) reward level.

If you did not make a Kickstarter account, I'm not sure how or if you can change it. Does anyone have experience with this? Does the confirmation e-mail tell you how?

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:If you wish to change your pledge level, as Shawn wrote, here's how to do that:

If you log into Kickstarter you can manage your pledge. It should allow you to change your reward level. Just make sure you select the new reward instead of just upping the $ value.

Shawn makes a good point. If you up your pledge amount, but do not change the reward level, that tells Kickstarter, and us, that you simply want to give more money for that (lower) reward level.

If you did not make a Kickstarter account, I'm not sure how or if you can change it. Does anyone have experience with this? Does the confirmation e-mail tell you how?

In the original email you got, click manage, then you have to create an account, then you can change y our pledge.

Sandy

We’re so close to the stretch, had to bump up the pledge to hit that now magical $100 mark to get the goodies

M Johnson wrote:We’re so close to the stretch, had to bump up the pledge to hit that now magical $100 mark to get the goodies

And there has been zero activity since.  Wacky.

Didn’t mean to stop progress...dang

WooHoo!!!  Over $50,000!!!

($50,054 actually....so already $54 towards the next stretch goal!

Get doodling Tracy!

:)  :)  ;)

Awesome!  It was a hundred dollar pledge from an old housemate of mine!  Spiffy!