Tag: kickstarter

What the Hell is a Social Media Strategy?

Let’s say you’re, oh, I don’t know, an aspiring writer with a project (or two or three) under your belt, and you’re looking to expand your readership, as well as grow interest in your future projects. I’m asking for a friend.

Then you look around and read stories like this one and this one and this one, and maybe good books like this one, where everyone talks about how writers need to have some sort of “social media strategy.” And because you live in the 20th century and are at least mildly interested in new technology, you think you know what that means. It means to have an idea why and how you’re going to use the various social media tools to communicate with your loyal and ever growing fan base. And hell, you’ve got a blog, a Facebook author page and Twitter account, so there you go! You’re set for life! Now you can just sit back and let the Benjamins drop on your lap.

But then, as you sit back and stare at your empty lap, you realize that you really don’t have any idea what do now that you’re past the point of no return. You’ve got the tools, now what do you do with them? Let’s figure this out together, you and me, right now. Because it ain’t gonna social media itself and I need to make some progress on this before I launch Sun Spots next month.

So the first thing we need to do is figure out the WHY — why do I need a strategy? Well, when I look at some of my favorite authors, they all have used the internet quite successfully to interact with their readers, and I want to put the infrastructure in place to best enable that (notably, Hugh Howey is awesome at this). Even if you can’t currently tell, I have a whole lot of writing to get done, and with my upcoming Kickstarter, I want to use social media to: a) get the word out about my projects, and b) talk to my readers and engage with them, find out what makes them tick, and share cool stuff with them (because that’s what I want from my favorite writers).

The next thing we need to examine is the tools I am using, as well as those I am not (yet). For instance, I really need to get a YouTube channel going, because I have a lot of ideas for cool content, discussions, stories, lectures, etc. But I’m going to start today with those that I have at hand: Facebook, Twitter, and my blog (which you’re reading). Furthermore, I have two Facebook pages: a personal one and an author one. I recently reached out to a couple of my favorite authors who don’t use an author page, and they answered: “Too lazy, basically. If I had an Author page I’d have to update two FBs…” and “I think facebook should be fun and an author page is just a bit too formal for me. And even at the 5k limit, people can still follow me if even they aren’t my friend, since my posts are public.”

But then I see other authors who clearly use both (Christopher Moore comes to mind) and I go back and forth on which I should be using for what use. At this point, I’ll just list what I’m trying to do, and list the various tools I have, and see where things match up.

Here are the actions I would use social media for:

  • Create and share content, both long and short, whether writing on music and games, excerpts from projects, or just writing cool stuff
  • Update on what I’m working on, whether my own self-publishing or when I’m a contributor
  • Share stuff I like, as in links and posts of other cool people
  • Interact with like-minded folk, sharing ideas and having conversations
  • Place people can contact me for whatever reason

I’d really like to put this in a table, but I’m now just realizing that WordPress doesn’t allow that. Hm. So here’s a list of how these social medias could best accomplish my actions:

  • Blog: Create and share larger content (gaming, music, writing, kickstarting); project updates
  • Twitter: Share stuff I like; Create and share micro-content
  • Facebook Author: What I’m working on
  • Facebook Personal: Just stuff about me and my life

 

So you’re really stuck again, and go and do more research. You read this writer, and understand that your Facebook author page is a great place to produce more content. Well, that makes sense and falls in line with my overall goals. The other point she makes it to fully lock down my personal page, and hide it completely from anyone not specifically a fan. Hm. That also makes sense, as I have some privacy concerns with my family and other items. Finally, she says I don’t have to do this until I have hordes (even small) of followers.

I do think it’s a good idea to figure how whether I’m going to keep my personal FB page totally private or open it up for others. And I should figure that out before I start my next Kickstarter, so that, if and when backers want to find me on FB, I am easy to find and communicate with.

Maybe I’m putting the cart before the horse here. Maybe I need to focus on creating more content before I worry about a strategy. It would certain do me well to be creating more, more often. As a middle-aged adult (I hate saying that) with a family and career, that’s my challenge — not enough time to write. I would love to write more, publish more, and share my crazy ideas with everyone.

But this exercise has taught me a few things and I hope sharing them will help as well. First, you need to know what you want out of your social media. For me, I really just need to know what I’m using each platform for, and this exercise helped me figure that out. Second, each platform is used for different things. It’s good to know the strengths and weaknesses of each of the platforms and how they can help/hurt your overall readership. You need to use the platforms for specific things, and not expect the same results from each. And finally, as mentioned, it all comes down to content. If you’re pumping out new content on a weekly or daily basis, sharing new ideas and writing all the time, then you really have the opportunity to optimize your various platforms. But until that time, you’re just another dreamer.

I’m going to keep things the way they are right now, but I am going to work harder at generating content to share. And I’ll share my content through specific channels. I am also going to drive people to my Facebook Author page and see how that works. Finally, I need to make a decision about how to use my personal FB page.

And you — it’s time for you to share some content! Get to work!

New Kickstarter “Sun Spots” is coming in September

Things are finally underway! Again! Less than two months until I kick off the Kickstarter for my Cthulhu Dark scenario “Sun Spots” and momentum is gathering as we speak.

Here are components of the project that are already complete:

  • The core text, playtested multiple times (~27k words)
  • The cover art by Chris Huth
  • Multiple interior illustrations by Jason Eckhardt
  • Interior art by Caleb Cleveland

Furthermore, I am already assembling the following items to be ready for the Kickstarter launch:

  • Interior art by Reuben Dodd
  • Blind playtesting
  • Layout and design by Gregory Geiger
  • Maps, including one hand-drawn, by Jake Coolidge
  • Interviews and press
  • Budget, pledge levels and possible stretch goals
  • Tentative “Director’s Cut” version of the book

So everything is coming together for the actual book. The video for the launch is nearly done, as is much of the art for the project page. I’ve got plans under way, and deadlines on the calendar. And over the coming weeks I will post here regularly, sharing planning and providing visibility into the project itself.

I can’t wait to share more with you. In the meantime, read some previews here.

Tales of the Caribbean Kickstarter

It seems like such a long time ago, but sometime in 2014, I submitted a scenario proposal for a Golden Goblin Press book of Call of Cthulhu scenarios set in the Caribbean. Much to my surprise, my scenario was selected, and I spent some time this spring writing the dang thing up in preparation for the book’s Kickstarter.

Well, now the day is finally here, and the Tales of the Caribbean Kickstarter is live!

You can even see a picture that’s already done for my scenario…

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It’s so amazing to work with talented people! So you should go back it, now!

What I’m Working On

I’ve been a bit silent here lately and not without good reason. Things have been very busy not only with real life but with my writing life as well. So I wanted to take this moment and update my blog on what I’ve been working on…

But first, I wanted to talk a little about real life. Last month I started working at Apple, going back to JIRA administration as a full time job. The most important part of this pertains to how program management and working in a larger role (with more responsibilities) really seemed to sap my energies and take from my abilities to write consistently. With my new job, I certainly work hard, but I have a lot of time at my desk, working, as opposed to spending my days in meetings, getting people to do their jobs. It was a critical change for me to move away from a more intense role and to a position that allowed me to process my work and get things done during the day.

Now I come home and have still have mental energy, so I can wake up refreshed and ready to write. This has been a great change for me and I’m very excited for my new opportunity. Back to my current writing projects…

1. Recently I finished a first draft of a Call of Cthulhu scenario for the upcoming Golden Goblin Press Kickstarter, Tales of the Caribbean. It was a unique honor to be approached by Oscar Rios and asked to submit a proposal for a Caribbean scenario. It was an even greater honor when they accepted my proposal! So I was on the hook, and got to work immediately (this was last fall). But then work got really busy and my mental space got gobbled up (see above) and I put off writing for far too long. There was a convergence in the late spring when I realized I needed to get a new job, partly because I wasn’t writing at all! But the new job came through, and I quickly retooled my lifestyle to get back to writing. So the first draft has been delivered. Lots of work still left, but the big effort is complete.

2. While my scenario He Who Laughs Last was delivered last summer, I still have one remaining stretch goal — a fictionalized version of the scenario.  I have it mostly outlined and some of it written, but still need to just sit down and write the damn thing. If I had been more productive last winter, it would already be done. But I aim to finish it soon because…

3. I am poised to launch my next Kickstarter on July 26th, 2015, for my Cthulhu Dark scenario Sun Spots. This scenario is actually 95% complete already, and there is much history to this project that I started in 2007. Suffice to say that I’m very excited to finally have this see the light of day. You will definitely hear more about this very soon. But even though the writing is done, there is a ton of project management and preparation for this next KS project. I’ve learned a lot from my previous project and aim to make this one even more successful. Stay tuned.

So that’s it — a lot on my plate and I’m really looking forward to moving through it all. I hope you’re as excited as I am about Sun Spots (and the Caribbean scenario as well), and I can’t wait to share more. Soon!

Delaying Next Kickstarter

I have made the decision to delay my next Kickstarter project, a 1920s Cthulhu Dark scenario titled “Sun Spots,” until the June-July time-frame. This decision originally came from not being able to get the two artists that I want to work with until then. But then real life got in the way of any more planning and it has turned out to be a good decision overall.

Because here’s the thing — while the scenario I plan to publish is written, the planning required for a KS project is quite the task and I’m just not ready for it. I created my project plan for the overall project, and most of the work is up front with PR, marketing and all the other stuff that goes into making the crowd part of crowd-funding successful. Even with one successful project under my belt, there are still a lot of doors to ring to raise awareness and all that just takes time.

My biggest struggle as a writer is not content — I have dozens of stories, blog posts, novels and screenplays in my head that I could work on every day if given the opportunity. But my life with my family, job and friends is quite busy and I find it hard to carve out the time necessary to make it all work. I feel like I am trying hard, which just means that I’m not doing if you listen to Yoda.

This is the backside of the 21st century writer’s ability to do it all himself. Yes, the barrier to entry has fallen away, but there is so much more work to do, all in the name of progressing one’s career. It’s no longer enough to just type at one’s masterpiece, then send it off to your editor and wipe your hands to go work on the next project. The flexibility of the modern writer cuts both ways, certainly.

But we go and climb back on the horse and hit it again, like some sort of Don Quixote charging at the windmills of literary self-sufficiency. So, yeah, the Kickstarter’s delayed.

Regardless, the projects need to be written, if only to keep me sane, so look for more writing as the year progresses. Onward!

The Companion is Finally Live!

The Masks of Nyarlathotep, if you didn’t know, is often hailed as the greatest Call of Cthulhu campaign of all time, and even gets logged as one of the all time great RPG campaigns of any genre. But one of its problems is that there is a lot of room left in the story — there are so many details undocumented, questions unanswered. It’s a great campaign but could really be so much greater.

More than five years ago, Bret Kramer came up with the idea of building a companion for the campaign, and the Kickstarter for that companion is finally live. Back in 2009 I wrote a number of pieces for the book, one of which was about how to run and organize the massive game. Apparently I had some good stuff to say, because it’s one of the first pieces in the book, and my name ended up on the cover.

There is a lot of vaporware in the tabletop RPG world — material that people write that never sees the light of day. The Companion was definitely heading toward that and I am so excited and proud that it is finally going to be published. I distinctly remember writing my Companion pieces on my deck in Oregon, with my work laptop in front of me and a beer next to me and trying very hard to stay focused on completing what I had agreed to. I was so desperate to complete something, to be a part of a project, and I had no idea it would take so long for it to see print.

More importantly, I really wanted to write something that other people would read and understand and be thankful for. My key contribution for the Companion is the keeper introduction, wherein I try to help keepers wrap their heads around the enormous task of running Masks. I really enjoyed writing the piece because I felt like I had something to say and the writing came easily and naturally. You mean people want to hear what I have to say about how to run a better game? I was glad to step up and write all I could on the matter.

And with the Kickstarter now up to 20k pounds (~$30k), it’s clear my contribution is part of the greater whole that people are excited to support. The project is finally a success, and though my part in the overall book (which is bigger than Masks itself) is relatively small, it’s huge for me.

For me, 2015 is a year of “out with the old” as I not only take care of some health issues that have been dogging me for a while, but also try to clear my backlog of personal and writing projects. That the Masks Companion is finally done and going to print is very cathartic to me as it validates some efforts that have been sitting around for at least five years, and allows me to move onto other pastures.

The timing couldn’t be better.

4 Things I Will Do Differently in My Next Kickstarter

As I gear up for my next Kickstarter project (March 2015!), I wanted to reflect on the lessons I learned over the past year as project creator. But then spending time thinking of the things I didn’t do well seemed the wrong way to go about it. Instead I want to talk about the things I will do better this time around.

Running and publishing the He Who Laughs Last was one of the greatest experiences of my life, mostly because it allowed me to truly engage with my community when I had just been an observer before. Many of my friends and associates are writers, artists and designers in the RPG space, and now I am too. Writing and publishing a book is hard, but with the help of all the great people out there, you really get the feeling of being a part of something. That was definitely my favorite part of the experience.

And certainly, publishing my scenario, having people run it and getting feedback on the book (both good and bad) was enlightening and validating. And while it’s great to get positive feedback, you really haven’t made it until you’ve had someone complain that they “expected more from this project…”

So that’s all goodness — but what am I going to do differently?

1. Prepare Stretch Goals Ahead of Time: I love the idea of engaging with your backers and getting their help in figuring out aspects of your project, but damn, stretch goals can kill you. And while my project had nowhere near the stretch goal over-commitment of some projects, I still found myself a bit over my head when it came time to finish everything up. (Actually, I haven’t finished everything for my project, as I’ve still to write up a fictionalization of the HWLL story for my backers.) This is mostly because, in the heat of battle (aka during the project), I just came up with stretch goals on the fly, without really planning how I would go about finishing them (and all the various efforts I would need to enlist others in, which is a bigger challenge). Furthermore, stretch goals should be about continuing momentum and not just a given — there’s no reason to add stretch goals in the first few days if people are still backing. Instead, wait until the momentum slows and THEN add stretch goals. This time I will plan all of my stretch goals ahead of time, some big, some small, and only publish them once momentum slows.

2. Be Very Clear About Int’l Shipping: Ah yes, international shipping, the scourge of all Kickstarter projects. I had been warned about how expensive it was to ship internationally, but holy shit! Basically it costs $25 to ship a book from the USA to pretty much anywhere else in the world (Canada is cheaper at $20), which is just a lot of money to ship a book that only costs $7 to print. Oh, sure, you can skimp and pay $10, have it take 3-4 weeks and have no guarantee that it will arrive, or you can pay the higher cost and provide better service. I think it just means you need to be very, very clear up front how you’re handling shipping, and hopefully not turn away people with the high cost. Until I can deal in high enough quantities to justify working with overseas printers and distributors, it’s all POD and hand-shipping for me. That means higher cost for my customers, unfortunately. We’ll see if this impacts my overall project…

3. Find Collaborators Ahead of Time: I did a lot of preparation for my campaign, and it showed when I funded within 36 hours. Great — now what? As I floundered around on my first project, trying to figure out what to do next, I stumbled upon something amazing: other KS project owners. During my project I had three key collaborators help me: Oscar Rios of Golden Goblin Press, Kevin Kulp of Pelgrane Press, and Shane Ivey of Arc Dream Publishing. Each of these folks helped me by spreading the word during the project, which drove noticeable traffic to my project. You can see the bumps in the Kicktraq data, there at those bumps at the end of February and beginning of March. But all of these connections were made during my campaign (except Oscar, whom I knew before), and without any preparation at all. Really, the time for getting in touch with people is right now, just about a month or so before my project starts. I already have a number of people I can reach out to, but putting those people into the plan ahead of time just reduces risk and increases the chances of success.

4. Shorten the Project Length: After all was said and done, I’m not really sure my project needed all 31 days to fund at $9k. Looking again at the Kicktraq data, the only mid-stream bumps came from other campaigns (see above) and not from general momentum. And while Wednesday is the best day to get backers, I started on a Sunday and finished on a Friday, which isn’t the best time-frame overall. This time I’m going to try just 3 weeks, starting and finishing on a Sunday, and just nip the whole thing in the bud. If I have all my reviews and collaborators setup ahead of time, then there shouldn’t be any scramble mid-project to get them in line. I should hit my funding in the first few days and then use momentum to grab a few, key stretch goals. Then I rope in the remaining folks in the final 48 hours and, BAM, done.

So, yeah, I have some work to do.

Thanks to my Kickstarter Backers!

As part of my Kickstarter project for He Who Laughs Last, I promised to put a list online of all my backers, which you can now find here.

Nearly a year later, I still look back in amazement at my 385 backers who took a leap of faith in me and my project. Yes, I knew a few of them personally, but most I didn’t know and had not even encountered in the greater online community. Furthermore, I had folks like Shane Ivey and Kevin Kulp, as well as the amazing Oscar Rios, share my project with their own backers, which was a huge boon to our project. All of this help came during the project from people I’ve never met in person.

But that’s what the RPG community is about — we’re all geeks of varying degrees, and our support for everyone here cannot be overstated.

I think that, ultimately, the community is why my project (and others like it) was so successful. I’ve received amazing amounts of support and feedback (both good and bad) for this project, both on Kickstarter and when I’ve run the game at conventions. It makes such a difference to know that people enjoy the game and book, and that they look forward to more work from me and my team.

My next Kickstarter project is already being planned and I hope it is even crazier than the last. I look forward to working with my team again, and interacting with my backers. Thanks to you all.

Delta Green Conversion Notes for He Who Laughs Last

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR HE WHO LAUGHS LAST FOLLOW

REALLY, YOU SHOULDN’T

 

 

The following are notes on converting HWLL to the Delta Green RPG setting…

As a contemporary horror story, He Who Laughs Last can easily be integrated into Delta Green, Pagan Publishing’s modern day RPG setting of conspiracy and terror. The scenario needs very little to be inserted into any DG game, but there are two key components that require discussion: the scenario introduction and the use of a green box to distribute clues.

For the scenario introduction, there are a few different ways to bring a group of Delta Green investigators into the story:

  • The most straightforward option is to transform Becca’s father, Dale Kingsley, into a DG friendly who reaches out to the party for help, knowing they are capable in these sorts of investigations. Dale can be a doctor/surgeon who has helped DG in the past but now has nowhere else to turn. A simple phone call from Dale outlines the problem – his daughter has died mysteriously and he is desperate for their help. Or this call could come through “proper channels” to have the PCs reach out to Dale, again, as a DG friendly who is in trouble.
  • Perhaps Dale is a friend of one of the agents. Dale contacts his PC friend (they were college roommates or served together in the same branch of military), distraught and overcome with despair. This is just a slight change from the above suggestion – Dale still reaches out to the PCs, panicked and desperate for help.
  • Another option is to have one or more of the PCs be friends with Becca (through family or work) who are directly impacted by her “suicide.” Becca is in her mid-20s, and if any of the party is generally her age, they could have been friends with her either during or after college. Pulling the party together for this might seem like a challenge (to find a justification for all the agents to travel to LA for a funeral of someone they don’t know), but given the size and scale of the larger LA area, it shouldn’t be too hard to justify a handful of agents taking a vacation for a week to help their friend.
  • One last option would is to have Cell A (or whatever infrastructure your campaign uses) assign the DG agents directly to investigate the mystery.  Just Becca’s suicide alone could be enough to get the party involved, or the investigation could be bootstrapped by having a DG friendly point out some of the irregularities coming out of the coroner’s office.

With the introduction covered, there are still a couple of considerations to make this scenario work smoothly in the DG universe. First is that the PCs probably won’t be from the LA area and so won’t have the Hollywood connections that make it a bit easier to navigate the story (as mentioned in The Industry, pg. 12). They can, of course, play up their law enforcement credentials, or just play it straight as they try to uncover the mystery. The PCs will just have to be a bit more thoughtful and creative as they work to make connections with the various NPCs.

Finally, one easy way to get the PCs the information from David Lee (Package from the Coroner, pg. 29) is to provide it in a green box. While there is no specific need to deviate from the narrative, if the PCs ask about a green box or the party doesn’t end up meeting with Lee, send the PCs a key from a small green box located in a Burbank industrial park. You are free to put any additional information there for the PCs, but otherwise you can just substitute the green box for the the package from Lee as the mechanism to deliver the clues. Instead of receiving the package at the front desk, inside the green box they find a number of boxes, smelly and old from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, stacked in the corner, ready to divulge their secrets.

Those are all the elements that should be necessary to convert HWLL to a Delta Green scenario. Please let me know if you have any further questions on this, and I would love to hear if you successfully convert it to DG.

You can buy the scenario at DTRPG.com here.