Last Night at Wigan Casino - Kickstarter - New book

These photos are fabulous, amazing quality  - I emailed Francesco about them a few years ago and I think he said he had 150 or so that had never been seen.

Can’t believe it needs crowd funding - what a shame if insufficient funds raised and they go back on the shelf - you’d think someone (previous book publishers like R. Winstanley / Tim Brown or whoever) would take a punt and put up the funds - let’s hope it’s not an opportunity missed

Doesn't look like it's going to get funding either - 2 days left and only about 30% I can't see it doing it. Kickstarter is great but you really have to push it everywhere and this hasn't been seen that much. A friend had a book published but they drummed up a lot of interest online before even going onto kickstarter. 

Apologies if I'm sounding really stupid but, if you pay your money and the amount isn't reached, what happens to your cash??....thank you....Rob

22 minutes ago, Lionelonthevinyl said:

Apologies if I'm sounding really stupid but, if you pay your money and the amount isn't reached, what happens to your cash??....thank you....Rob

I wondered the same thing - do you just pledge an amount now and it only gets taken if the target is reached? 

Seems a long way short with only a couple of days to go

1 hour ago, Lionelonthevinyl said:

Apologies if I'm sounding really stupid but, if you pay your money and the amount isn't reached, what happens to your cash??....thank you....Rob

1 hour ago, Chris Turnbull said:

I wondered the same thing - do you just pledge an amount now and it only gets taken if the target is reached? 

Seems a long way short with only a couple of days to go

From the Kickstarter website FAQ:

Quote

Why is funding all-or-nothing?

All-or-nothing funding means that no one will be charged for a pledge towards a project unless it reaches its funding goal. This way, creators always have the budget they scoped out before moving forward. 

All-or-nothing funding is a core part of Kickstarter and has a number of advantages: 

It's less risk for everyone. If a project doesn’t reach its funding goal, creators will not be expected to complete their project without the funds necessary to do so, and backers will not be charged. 

It motivates. Adding a sense of urgency motivates your community to spread the word and rally behind your project. 

It works. Of the projects that have reached 60% of their funding goal, 98% were successfully funded. We find that projects either realize and surpass their goal, or they never fully take off.

Source: https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005047893

Oh I see. Thank you Russ.

ashame if it doesn't make it. I would definitely buy it but I'm always very sceptical about giving ££ before hand, I'm a Luddite . As Chris mentioned before some of the guys who have written, been involved with books would have a punt on it. I will watch with interest...kind regards, Rob

All the above comments are correct regarding funding and pledges .

All you are doing is pledging the amount to start off with and as a consequence no money will be taken if any venture fails to reach its specific target amount. Maybe failed to publicise this book as much as he could have to start off with and in the right places,  but anyway what’s done’s done .

Kickstarter has quite specific and ridged guidelines and rules with its crowdfunding .. and as a result this particular fund looks like it’s going to fail to reach its target . As such , nothing will happen , no money will be taken but they will have details of who has pledged and that may be helpful in future .

I spoke to Francesco today , and while he’s disappointed that his target won’t be reached by Kickstarter , he will persevere next year by other means. He does not want to approach a publishing house for his own reasons , but his pictures are some of the best quality shots out there . It’s a kind of shame it was only the final night , but at least that’s a snapshot of a historic moment. 

He’s trying to do it in conjunction with a photographic exhibition ( probably in starting in Liverpool ) but one that could do the rounds hopefully . 

He’s also been interviewed for TV , which may come out when the book gets confirmed or close to publication . 

Either way , these pictures are some of the best shots of the Casino ... maybe not it’s hay-day  .. but great none the less . 

That could be 3 new books for next year . 

Call me old fashioned and I really have no idea how these things work but....could you not take deposits, pre orders, see where you are and borrow a few quid from the bank? This book is obviously finished or as near as damn it....might be talking out my derrière!!!...thank you...Rob

No Rob , far from it .

What Francesco has are all the pictures and very fine pictures at that ... but not much else .

Like a lot of crowdfunding ideas , these things can look glossy finished products to try and attract funds . I hear what you say about deposits / bank loans / or pre orders, but of you want to do things independently and try and have more control than handing things over up a publication house , then crowdfunding is one way to go ... but you have to get the word out in time and in the right places . 

38 minutes ago, Lionelonthevinyl said:

Call me old fashioned and I really have no idea how these things work but....could you not take deposits, pre orders, see where you are and borrow a few quid from the bank? This book is obviously finished or as near as damn it....might be talking out my derrière!!!...thank you...Rob

It's the same thing really except Kickstarter does it for you, as it says above you have to enter bank details but if not funded no money is taken. The problem with taking deposits is you need to set up a bank account, deal with tax on it, collect the money, keep people informed, refund it all if it doesn't happen etc. Which is a load of work if you just want to put a book out and don't normally do it as a business. 

Sadly Kickstarter have announced that the project is not going ahead as today was the deadline and they didn't get enough pledges to proceed.

"But, it’s not the end of this project. We are planning a couple of pop-up exhibitions of the photographs with Q&As over the next few months and we will relaunch this campaign in the Spring."

By huge co-incidence a friend just sent me this link, just goes to show the kind of thing that is likely to get crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Not obviously mass market either! 

15 hours ago, Timillustrator said:

By huge co-incidence a friend just sent me this link, just goes to show the kind of thing that is likely to get crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Not obviously mass market either! 

 

Man alive.