Advice on Kickstarter

Hello everyone!

I’m curious if anyone has used Kickstarter for a book launch. I’m thinking about running a Kickstarter campaign for my WIP, but before I launch it, I want to do a practice Kickstarter to see how the process works.

My project for the “pilot Kickstarter” would be adapting a short story mini-series I have on YouTube (and soon to be rapid-released as a short story mini-series on Draft2Digital) into a novel, and just raising $500 to pay for a cover illustration and the proof copies.

Is this a good idea to learn the ropes of the platform? I know Russell Nohelty and Bethany Atazadeh have used Kickstarter to successfully fund all of their creative endeavors, but I’m looking for some user testimonials before I commit to this release strategy.

Alternatively, should I just Kickstarter my current WIP once it has been fully edited and critiqued and forego the novelization of my short story mini-series?

I’m hoping to get some advice on all this. 😅😸 I’ll probably be posting more on Kickstarter here to get some advice.