She took a perfectly good mug out of its shipping-safe box to fit it into a prettier presentation box for her Kickstarter — and broke two mugs before they even reached backers. It cost her $20 a mug to replace them. It's a small, honest example of the kind of lesson you only learn by actually running a crowdfunding campaign, and this week's guest has run three of them, learning something new — and expensive — every time.
Ember May (formerly writing as Emmy B) writes cozy mysteries and holiday rom-coms full of found family, scheming pets, and off-leash laughter. She's published ten cozy mysteries and is two books into a holiday rom-com series, all while running a farm in Guam and building an active presence in Kickstarter-focused author communities. Her most recent campaigns have moved her away from Amazon-first thinking entirely — Amazon isn't where she makes her money, and rapid release was never part of her strategy.
We get into what actually goes into a well-built Kickstarter page — from trope cards to \"about you\" sections written in first person — the real difference between which genres perform well (romantasy and paranormal) and which underperform (contemporary romance), and why simplicity in your reward tiers matters far more than most first-time campaigners realize. We also talk about the algorithm's attention-based mechanics, the \"shelf trophy\" appeal of special editions, and why in-person, human-first selling is starting to matter more than social media ever did.
🎙️ What we get into:
Links & Resources:
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🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair
📚 About Ember May
Ember Mae writes books where found family thrives, pets scheme, and laughter is always off-leash. She writes cozy mysteries and holiday romcoms, and one day plans to mix those two genres together. She writes cozy and romantic books that will have you laughing, swooning, and crying with characters that feel more like friends.
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