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The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

How do you take down a bloodline curse? You don't. You succumb to it.

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The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

The Syphoner Saga: Your New Fiction Obsession

How do you take down a bloodline curse? You don't. You succumb to it.

How do you take down a bloodline curse? You don't. You succumb to it.

How do you take down a bloodline curse? You don't. You succumb to it.

How do you take down a bloodline curse? You don't. You succumb to it.

Kiersten Hill
Kiersten Hill
Kiersten Hill
Kiersten Hill
1 Campaign |
Roaring River, United States
$0 USD 0 backers
0% of $18,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
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Long story short

The Syphoner Saga is an addictive ongoing paranormal+horror+romance mashup series about the young, self-deprecating, but lovable Divina LeBeau as she stumbles through one dark cloud after another on her way to adulthood. On the eve of her 18th birthday, a literal pandora's box of secrets is unleashed, bringing about horrors Divina and her "cursed" family have only ever dreamed of. It's the end of the world as she knows it, but it could quite possibly be the end of her life as well.   

Book 1 is completed. Book 2 is in revision. Book 3 is in drafting. The next step is getting this series officially launched, published, printed and into the hands of readers. That's where you come in!

Who am I?

I'm a 30-year-old novelist, writer and poet with the pen name Munzie LeStrange. I've been writing for over half my life and my style resembles if Anne Rice and Jeff Lindsay had a lovechild who happens to be both a hopeless romantic and a critical cynic. 

I write mashup fiction - specifically horror+ [i.e. horror + paranormal romance or horror + sci-fi, etc]. I've focused my writing career on serial novels in the last five years and I have a backlog of four other series' that I plan to complete once The Syphoner Saga is out of production. 

Why Indiegogo?

After taking the leap into indie publishing, I'd crossed my i's and dotted my t's. I did my marketing research, signed up for every "10-steps to your first 10,000 readers" webinars that hit my inbox, and went work building my reader network. I'd developed a pretty good-sized readership excitedly awaiting my upcoming book launch and the interviews and library tour that were to follow. 

After the pandemic halted life as we know it, all the hard work I poured into making my book a success was suddenly irrelevant. Book launch? Cancelled. Interviews? Cancelled. Signing tour? Cancelled. I had nothing to show for my hard work except the book itself. From my beta team, my ARC readers and the few sales I've made so far, the book is exceptional, you can read some reviews here and here. I get emails every week from the few readers who've picked up the book asking when they can expect the rest of the series to be released (tentatively, Book 2: 12/2021, Book 3: 12/2022). 

According to the formula, catchy cover + pristine book + good marketing = successful book.

Catchy cover? Check. Pristine book (edited and proofread)? Check. Marketing strategy? Check. 

Success? Hardly. A great book can only matter if it's being read. Readers can only read books they know about. Despite everything I'm doing, I still can't reach readers. So, I'm trying something different. Crowdfunding.  

First, I tried Kickstarter, and my first-ever campaign (for $2500) was a success - much to my shock and awe. I found out that there were people out in the world, states and countries away that wanted to read what I love to write. I learned a lot through that experience, and I was ecstatic about the success! But, a few days after my Kickstarter campaign ended - much to my dismay - the majority of my backers were dropped! And along with them, more than 70% of my funding. I actually had to come out of pocket to fulfill the benefits I promised my backers.

Rather than wallow - because, let's be honest, who isn't having a difficult time right now? - I did more research about Kickstarter. I compared it with it's main competitor, Indiegogo.

Indiegogo seemed a little more involved with all the helpful articles and access to experts on the platform. I'm still not expecting much traction, because I'm supposed to already have 30% of my goal funded by people who know me before I can expect any kind of success. 

Here's the deal: There are a total of six family members who actually support my writing career: my mother, my grandmother, three cousins and an uncle. Since my move to a much more rural area in January, my attempts at reader outreach are extremely limited. Not only do I have nowhere to go and network, I can't even venture out into the town to find out where my potential readers hang out. Everything is closed - and for good reason, of course - but that still leaves me at a disadvantage no matter what avenue I try.  

At most, I'd like to gain readers even if this campaign falls short of my goal. But, if by some miracle it does reach the goal, my whole series will be published, marketed and distributed, converted into audiobooks and promoted through very reader outlet I can get my hands on. I'll also livestream a virtual launch and signing where readers and supporters can watch their books be autographed in real time just before they're shipped out. 

So,  what is the goal and how does it all break down?

What I Need

To successfully self-publish, market and distribute a book, a minimum of about $6,000 is required. For a trilogy, it's about 3x that amount. On the surface, this might seem inflated, so here's the official breakdown. 

For 1 book
Editing = $1500 ($30/1,000 words [at the cheaper end of the spectrum for this service])
Proofreading = $1000 ($20/1,000 words)
ISBNs = $125 for 1, $295 for 10 

 - note: each format for each book requires it's own ISBN, ex.: 1 ISBN for an ebook, a different ISBN for paperback and another for hardback of the same book. A trilogy would require a minimum of 9 ISBNs.

Email Marketing = $720

[Mailchimp is $20/month
Prolific (an email builder source) is $20/month
Bookfunnel (another email builder source) is $20/month]

Social Marketing = $2400

[$50/month for Amazon
$50/month for Instagram
$50/month for Facebook
$50/month for Twitter]

Influencer Reviews (not required, but highly impactful)

Readers Favorite: $59 (cheapest option
Kirkus: $425 (cheapest option)

Total: a minimum of $5915 [or $6399 including reviews)

Also, keep in mind the following:

  • I'm a digital content creator, so I make my own book covers. 
  • I do all my own formatting
  • I do all my own publicity and marketing (book launches, appearances, event scheduling)
  • If I added the costs of the last 3 bullet points, it could add as much as $5000 to the total

No book is truly professional published (self-published or otherwise) without a marketing investment. No one can read a book if they don't know about it, and the marketing industry is 100% pay to play. It's critical for any author who dreams of making a career as an author.

The total for 3 books breaks down like this:

Editing = $4500 ($30/1,000 words for 3 books, 50k words each)
Proofreading = $3000 ($20/1,000 words for 3 books, 50k words each)
ISBNs = $295 for 10 (3 ISBNs per book, 1 for paperback, 1 for hardback, 1 for ebook)

Email Marketing = $720 (I can market the trilogy the same way I market a single book)

Social Marketing = $2400 (I can market the trilogy the same way I market a single book)

Influencer Reviews = $3063 (for the full trilogy: $891 - OnlineBookClub, $1575 - Kirkus, $597 - ReadersFavorite)

Total for the full trilogy = $13,978

So, it's $14,000 for the series - but since Book 1 is already completed, and I already have the ISBNs needed for the other two books, it would actually be closer to $12,000.

So, why is my goal for this campaign is $18,000? Three things: Audible, Google Ads, Word-of-mouth. This campaign isn't just to launch this series, it's to launch my career in writing.

More and more readers are using platforms like Audible for their book intake. Non-readers are also stepping into the reading world with audiobooks. In some cases, if not for audiobooks, this audience would never think of opening a book. A bigger audience means more potential readers. More readers = a more successful book. 

Along with running regular social media ads and converting my books to audiobooks, I'm also planning to run ads thru Google. This alone will broaden my marketing strategy to reaching readers through Youtube, Gmail, Google Search and more. 

Lastly, the podcasts and the blogs. This is where word of mouth comes into play. While not all bloggers and podcasters charge for promotion, many of the top tier ones do. Much of book promotion is pay-to-play if a writer wants to get any kind of traction going. 

So, to recap, my goal is $18,000 and includes the full production, printing and delivery the of full trilogy, converting the series to audiobooks, funding the marketing strategy needed for ads and promotion, and to getting perks to backers.

Speaking of perks...

What you get

Every backer, no matter what tier, will receive:

  • an eBook of Syphoner: Book 1 of the trilogy
  • a social shoutout on Facebook, IG and Twitter
  • a Syphoner-themed desktop wallpaper (formatted for either desktop, phone or tablet)

Other perks include:

  • Syphoner Swag (mugs, totes, bookmarks)
  • Autographed copies (paperback and hardback)
  • Exclusive backers-only versions of the trilogy
  • A secret perk option for Ultra-fans
  • Much more (check the perks details for specifics)

What happens if I don't reach the entire goal:

If I don't reach the funding goal, the funds will be applied to as many of the steps required for publishing as possible, in order by priority, as follows:

  1. Editing
  2. Proofreading
  3. ISBNs & Publishing
  4. Printing & shipping to backers
  5. Designing, purchasing and sending swag to backers
  6. Marketing
  7. Conversion to audiobooks
  8. An official virtual launch for the series

Your Impact

If you're even considering contributing to this campaign, one of two things must be true:

  1. You're a reader (in any capacity, voracious or occasional)
  2. You support the arts

As a supporter of the arts, your contribution will bring me that much closer to making my dreams of becoming a renowned serial novelist a reality. 

As a reader, you're even more important, in that your support doesn't end here. When you receive The Syphoner Saga, and fall in love with these characters and their stories, you'll hunger for more of my work. You'll recommend my books to your friends and family, and other readers and groups you know. You, important soul, are the reason I write. Without someone who enjoys the art of the written word, someone who loves getting lost inside the world between the pages, I would have no reason to work as hard as I do on my stories. By supporting, you are forever a part of my journey as a writer. When I do achieve the goals I have set for myself, you are who I will look to in appreciation because it all starts here and now. 

Risks & Challenges

Some potential risk might be:

  • Issues with shipping delays due to Covid-19
  • Printing delays, also due to the coronavirus
  • Personal delays/publishing delays

Solutions

My method of resolving any issues always starts with communication. 

Obviously, I can't control the postal system, nor can I control the virus or any book printing company I work with. What I can do is keep you informed every step of the way. 

The same goes for any personal issues that might come up throughout the duration of working through this series. 

If any issues come up, you will receive updates here, via email (if you subscribe to updates), my social media, and my author's site. If everything goes smoothly, you can expect about 5-7 updates here throughout the duration of campaign and some form of communication after at least once a month with updates until all perks have been shipped out and delivered. I'll also update you on any new projects I start (but you are free to unsubscribe at any time). 

Aside from keeping you informed, I can only vow to work my hardest to solve any issues that may arise. I'm pretty creative, so I usually think my way out of seemingly impossible situations. 

So what's the story about?

The Syphoner Saga is a 3-part (maybe 4-part) paranormal-horror-romance series staring protagonist Divina LeBeau. Syphoner is the first book of the series, followed by Phoenixsoul and Cimmerian

In Syphoner we meet Divina -- a quirky, sarcastic and genuinely good-natured 17-year-old from Louisiana -- her love interest, Bastien Loukas, and their crazily intertwined families. We also meet Satrina, in a very odd and suspicious way...her funeral. I won't spoil it for you, but through the course of untimely "shifter" puberty (a thing entirely different from it's human counterpart), Divina discovers the truth about her estranged and presumed-dead father who is, in fact, very much alive. And he isn't the only one alive after an alleged certain death. The thing in the mirror, the one that takes over Divina's reflection sometimes, seems to be more than just a haunting spirit. It also doesn't seem to live solely in the mirror. As stated earlier, everyone who contributes will get an ebook copy of Syphoner.  If you're not sure about supporting yet, check out this excerpt from Chapter 3 of the book and see if your interest is piqued. 

I can't give away too much about Phoenixsoul and Cimmerian, but I will say Divina's biggest fears and wildest dreams come to fruition and she must fight against the darkest parts of herself or risk losing everything that truly matters to her. 

Book 2, Phoenixsoul, delves more into the truth about the "family curse" the LeBeau family believes they're under and the history of Divina and her mother Farrah's heritage. 

Divina's is a story filled with dark magic, beautiful and powerful beasts, and unforgettable characters. From dragon-shifters (Draaks) to the mysterious - but auspicious - magic wielding Druids. 

 

    Other Ways You Can Help

    If you can't contribute, it doesn't mean you can't help.  If you'd still like to support, you can do so. by:

    • Sharing this campaign to your social media (tag me! IG @munzie_lestrange, Twitter @munzielestrange, FB @mzlestrange)
    • Recommend the campaign (or my books!) to your friends, family and any readers you know
    • Subscribe to my email list
    • Follow me on social media here, here and/or here
    • Use Indiegogo's share tools

     

    Thank you for considering supporting my work. Together, I know we can make this campaign a success! 

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