PORTAL INTO THE PAST: Our first KICKSTARTER funded 4 years ago TODAY!
We tell you about the process that led up to the campaign for TALES FROM NOCTURNIA #1 and what we learned from it!
Now that #TeamINSYM has moved over to SUBSTACK, we've decided that, alongside of our current projects and appearances, we're going to take a look back at memorable events in our history. Why? For those that are our long-time supporters, it'll be a review and a reminder of what may have brought you into our fold. For those that are newer to our fanbase, this might be the first time you're hearing about certain releases and projects... and that's GREAT!
Today’s article focuses on our first step into the crowdfunding world - TALES FROM NOCTURNIA ISSUE #1!
On this day four years ago, we completed the funding for our very first Kickstarter - TALES FROM NOCTURNIA Issue #1 of 3. Today we're gonna take a look back at that project, what happened with Tales From Nocturnia since then, and what we're up to in the Crowdfunding realm as #TeamInsym. Make sure to hang around until the conclusion of the article for TFN offer, and if you’re a PAID subscriber check that section for an even more awesome code just for you!
First, we'll give you a little history on TALES FROM NOCTURNIA itself. TFN is a parallel spinoff from our anchor title HEIRS OF ISILDUR. While the Heirs arc at the time (The Crossroads Conundrum) was steampunk/time travel, TFN allowed us to explore medieval fantasy, like Dungeons & Dragons / Game of Thrones / World of Warcraft etc...
The main link between the two series is KING LUCIEN aka KING LOVELORN. In issue #6 of HEIRS OF ISILDUR -The Crossroads Conundrum we meet him, and during his flashback scene we meet (very briefly) his executioner named BENONOCH. We never intended on having a full-blown story in NOCTURNIA, but our artist at the time drew this panel (of the executioner looking upwards at a tragedy that had just befallen the Kingdom) and we kept revolving back to it: “What’s the heck is going through this guy’s head?”
We had to know the answer, so BOOM: Tales From Nocturnia was born.
We needed a way to get the story out there and we knew the way we’d been previously doing things (issue by issue, promoted on our website and shows only) wasn’t going to cut it. There had to be another way.
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Here’s a short Q&A of an interview we did with… ourselves… that helps explain what brought about that first crowdfunding campaign in March / April of 2019. We did this with a twofold purpose - helping to educate and encourage those considering getting started in the biz, and to show how far we’ve come in that time.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GO INTO THE CROWDFUNDING REALM?
Matt: We'd just finished doing an event and were driving home. While decompressing we talked about what would be needed just to make a profit if all we did was do shows like the one we had just completed. The number of units we'd need to sell was absurd and astronomical, and there was no way to grow and sustain our business on that singular path. We made the decision right then that we needed to explore other ways to 'expand our brands', and Kickstarter / crowdfunding was that way.
Steph: I think we both knew it was inevitable that if we wanted to grow our brand and our business, we'd have to at least consider crowdfunding. We watched a lot of our peers have success in running campaigns, and we are always of the mindset to be open minded and give something a try before ruling it out.
WHAT HESITATIONS DID YOU HAVE?
Steph: Oh, many. But that just goes with the territory of jumping into something with such great risks and rewards. At the time, I knew very little about Kickstarters and what it takes to successfully run them. We've since learned it's a LOT more work than we ever could have imagined, but we also now can't imagine our business sustaining itself without them. They are now an integral piece to how we run things, not only from a financial standpoint, but also from building our brand and fanbase.
Matt: Both Steph and I had experience in different areas, but neither of us in crowdfunding. So both of us learning on the fly together was great, but neither of us knew if we were gonna steer the car in the right direction or send it over a cliff.
WHAT PREP WORK WAS INVOLVED PRIOR TO THE FIRST CAMPAIGN?
Steph: We did MONTHS of research ahead of time. Matt is a very organized person, so there were lots of spreadsheets and data collecting. We took a look at other campaigns that had been successful, and broke down the reasons why - everything from what rewards they offered, different price points, how many backers they had, how many days they ran their campaign, etc... We also reached out to peers in the industry whose opinions we valued and we knew were doing well running campaigns of their own. Many were incredibly helpful and patient in answering our questions and giving us advice - a lot of which we still implement to this day.
Matt: We didn't know what we needed and DIDN'T need to know, so we went far overboard on the info collected. We also compared successful campaigns to those that failed to see if there were consistent pitfalls we needed to avoid.
WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THAT CAMPAIGN?
Matt: Absolutely. For a first campaign to exceed $5,000 blew our minds. I can tell you where we were and who actually helped us cross that level (we were at a live event and one of the attendees backed our campaign on his phone right there and sent it over). We also knew that we COULD be successful at this new venture so it gave us fuel for the future.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY DURNG THAT FIRST CAMPAIGN IF YOU WERE RUNNING IT TODAY?
Matt: We definitely would have had more art done prior to the start of the campaign. As soon as we launched our artist got REALLY sick, so what we thought was going to happen during the campaign went a little sideways. Out of our nine campaigns, that one had the LEAST interior art done when the final seconds ticked off the clock. We still delivered ahead of schedule, but the stress was real to make that happen.
Speaking of stress - I definitely wouldn’t have stressed out so much. KS campaigns are TOUGH and knowing the ebbs and flows they take can help you to not lose your mind.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SINCE YOUR FIRST CAMPAIGN?
Steph: I think the way we run campaigns now vs then is vastly different, because we learn from each one and try to take that knowledge with us into the next campaign. We'll always be learning and adjusting based on the performances of prior campaigns, but that's just good business practice.
Matt: We could do seminars on this topic (and we do), but in short I would say these things:
1) Previous campaign performance does not determine future campaign success
2) Just because a portion of your fanbase supports a single title / genre that does not automatically mean they'll migrate over to all of your projects
3) Be VERY careful with inventory levels, ESPECIALLY on non #1 issues, and minimum order quantity items.
4) Be ready to pivot and adjust your tactics not just from campaign to campaign, but day to day within a single campaign.
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WHAT ALL HAS HAPPENED SINCE THAT FIRST CAMPAIGN?
A lot! We’ve completed NINE campaigns of our own across 3 different titles, for comics, graphic novels, and metal music releases, with a plethora of support merch (woodwork, leatherwork, shirts, socks, trading cards, and more). We’ve also been a part of 5-6 anthology (and other) campaigns from other publishers, with more in the works on all those fronts!
As for TALES FROM NOCTURNIA, the title was a part of three MORE campaigns (Issue #2, #3 + the Trade, and the Heirs of Isildur vs Tales From Nocturnia metal album). We are proud of the story we told there and love the reaction that we got to the twists, turns, and characters.
WE TOLD YOU TO HANG AROUND UNTIL THE END OF THE ARTICLE FOR A SPECIAL OFFER: Because we love TFN and we want you to do the same - From NOW until Wednesday April 26th we have all TFN #1 issues that are in stock (Variants and sketch covers) for just $5 (that's $10-$15 less than the regular price).
B: Rulers of Darkness (Beth Varni)
C: Throneroom (Drew Pritchett)
D: Blank Sketch Cover
(Where’s Cover A? It’s out of print ahhhhhh)
If you’re a PAID SUBSCRIBER check that section as you can get yourself a FREE TFN #1 as well!
HERE’S THE LINKS:
OUR STORE / TFN #1 COVER B / TFN #1 COVER C / TFN #1 COVER D
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look back on the funding of our very first KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN 4 YEARS AGO TODAY and the very first issue of TALES FROM NOCTURNIA!
Until next time!
Matt & Steph #TeamINSYM
www.linktree.com/insymmetrycreations
