Spooky Money
As a publisher, the scariest parts of any project is the finances. Wayward Sisters was one of our most successful Kickstarter campaigns, and also our most expensive to fulfill.All prices below are in CAD, and often reflect heavily discounted services from friends and suppliers.
Creator costs
| Item | Source | Notes | Cost |
| Cover Art, Artist and Writer payments | Creators | Thanks to a stretch goal, we were able to boost page rates. We paid $61 USD a page. Writers received $13 a page, Artists received $31 a page, and Colourists received $18 a page. Our cover art was created by the talented Alise Gluškova. | $15,076.73 |
| Editor payments | Editors | Editors need money too! | $3,050.00 |
| Subtotal: | $18,126.73 | ||
Promotional costs
| Item | Source | Notes | Cost |
| 500 Promotional Postcards | Adam Graphics Inc | We printed those for TCAF 2017 asking for submissions. We start our marketing campaign early! Double-sided 6"x9" prints on 110lb cardstock. | $100.56 |
| 25 Promotional Minis | Studio Comix | We handed out these small minis at a convention to promote the book. | $122.46 |
| 4,000 Bookmarks | Adam Graphics Inc | Both a Kickstarter reward and a promotional giveaway. Double-sided 2" x 6" prints on 14pt coverstock with rounded corners. Illustrations came from the gifted Tess Eneli Reid. | $406.80 |
| 1,500 Promotional Prints | Adam Graphics Inc | These were a Kickstarter reward. We printed them at 8"x10" prints on 110lb cardstock, but we really should have used either the same dimensions as the book or a more standard 6x9. We paid a higher than normal price because of the unusual size. | $593.24 |
| 100 Gift bags | NoblePack | Classy looking gift bags for in-person pickups. | $94.38 |
| A/V Tech for Launch Party | Supermarket | We rented the back room at the Supermarket Bar for a launch event, and Allison organized trivia and prizes. | $80 |
| Subtotal: | $1,397.44 | ||
Production costs
| Item | Source | Notes | Cost |
| 2,000 Books | Marquis | Marquis has been a reliable partner for years, and I strongly recommend them. 12pt glossy 4-colour cover, 80lb Coated Text paper, 6.75" x 10.25", 224 pages. 4 week turnaround time including delivery. | $16,496.55 |
| Mailing 773 parcels | ChitChats Express | A USPS broker is an enormous help in reducing the cost of shipping fees. They saved us $2-6 on every parcel for both domestic and international shipments. Shipping is a cost that doesn't scale, so it can very rapidly overwhelm a project. | $5,343.06 |
| Subtotal: | $21,839.61 | ||
Lessons Learned:
Books need storage!
I pay a monthly $230 for a storage unit large enough to hold our stockpile of books. This operating cost is very steep, especially during the long months between conventions.
Shipping is an existential crisis
I almost had a nervous breakdown mailing out this mountain of books over many weeks. Future books will use a fulfilment service.
I welcome feedback and suggestions at @cardboardshark!
-Steven Andrews,
Lead Editor