Welcome to Booktopia 2024! 📚 a literary extravaganza of creativity and collaboration from a diverse group of writers and artists collectively running book crowdfunding projects from September 5th toSeptember 26th.
The more Booktopia projects you back, the more limited FREEBIES you will earn ✨
⚔️ 2 FREE Cross Collaborative Freebies for every Cross Collab Project Pair you support!
📚 1 FREE Limited Edition Booktopia 2024 reward if you back FIVE [5] or more projects at a reward tier*
*Only pledges to physical reward tiers or main digital offerings qualify towards earning these FREEBIES. Please refer to individual campaigns for unlock requirements.
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Just a quick update to let you know what's happening and a rough timeline of events.
If you've added items to your rewards during the survey, I'll be charging cards at the end of March for those items, but it doesn't include shipping fees. I plan on ordering the books and any final rewards early to mid-April, but if there are any delays, I'll let you know as soon as possible. Once I have everything here, which will hopefully be by late May/early June, I'll be able to work out the shipping costs.
I signed up for Backerkit's beta trial for charging shipping later, so I'm not sure at the moment how you will be charged or when, but as soon as I have more information, I will share it with you in an update.
I don't take the best pictures, but I wanted to share this one I took of mine and Cara North's collab pins. I'm so happy with how they turned out and I hope you will be too. If your pins have arrived, I would love to see them on display 😊
Before I forget, I'll be closing the pre-order store at the end of March as well. So if you missed out on backing the campaign, you can still pre-order the books and rewards.
Happy New Year, everyone! I’m Ruby, the new Marketing Lead here at Crossed Paths. I’m super excited to be joining the team and keeping you in the loop with all the updates for all things Throne of Luster!
Let’s jump right in:
📦 Production: We’ve locked in our printing partners, and sampling for pins, cards, and all the extra goodies begins next month. With that underway, our main focus now is completing the book!
✍️ Edits Progress: Ash and our editor are making fantastic progress—rewrites are now 60% complete! We will be getting the pledge manager up and running to deliver the first draft of the books. They’ll be sent out as a PDF and epub file. Limited edition backers will get early access, and then it will be rolled out to all backers!
🎧 Original Soundtrack: While we polish the story, we’ve got something special for you: “Kingdom of Light” - an epic original track to immerse you in the world of Akeroth. Grab your headphones, hit play, and let us know what you think!
💼 Welcome to the Team: Crossed Paths has also spent some time on the hiring train and is finally growing with two new team members!
Jan, our In-House Artist, is already working on stunning illustrations and concept art.
Ruby (that’s me!) is here to keep you updated, share behind-the-scenes peeks, and make sure you’re always in the know.
2025 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for Throne of Luster and we’ll have more updates soon - so stay tuned!
I have some news about the cross-collab rewards for Ruthless Wolves and Fangs & Furs Forever. If you backed both of those projects, you'll be receiving both of the pin badges very soon.
Cara North and I were originally going to send out our own half of the sets with our rewards, but we've decided to send them together instead. Since Cara plans on fulfilling her rewards before me, she's offered to kindly add the collab pins to her packages, so you don't have to wait to complete the set 😊
If you missed out on getting the cross-collab pins for free with Booktopia, I might have a few spare sets available to purchase soon. And if you want to add even more pins to your collection, then you'll be happy to hear that Pintopia launches this Thursday on Backerkit. With 150+ pin and plush projects, there's something for everyone.
I'm so excited to be launching my first enamel pin campaign with Pintopia 3 this week! I've had so much fun coming up with different designs for the Smut Lovers Club collection. I thought I might have 2 or 3 designs, but I've ended up with 7 completed designs, 1 still in the works, possibly 4 mini designs (I think some of the toys would make cute mini pins 😊), and so many ideas for more. There's also a new cross-collab pin set 😍
I've still got lots to get done, so I best get back to work/writing.
Much love and happy reading Georgina x
Join the launch party and follow the teaser page to be notified when the Smut Lovers Club campaign goes live!
Don't forget to check out my Pintopia collab partner, Hellaverse Cuties by KittenCries 😊
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Festive holiday!
Just a quick update today to remind you that I'll be locking the surveys at the end of December. So if you want to make any last-minute changes, now's the time to do it. You'll still be able to update your address details, I'll give plenty of warning before locking addresses, but you won't be able to change your rewards.
There are still a couple of outstanding surveys, so please double-check you've filled yours in because I can't lock those orders until they're done.
It's been slow going with Elspeth and Ajax's story over the last couple of weeks. Preparing for Christmas always takes up a big chunk of time in the lead-up to the holiday, but this year I had the added extras of putting together another campaign while also studying at college and working on the next book, so it's been an extremely busy month. But now the holidays are over and I'm almost done setting up the Smut Lovers Club Enamel Pin campaign, I'm hoping to speed things up with the story.
I'm so excited to launch my first enamel pin campaign in January for Pintopia 2025! I still have a lot to learn when it comes to digital art, but I've had so much fun coming up with different ideas and then designing the pin badges. I've partnered with KittenCriezPinz this time and we've created two pins that'll look awesome together! (Check out the picture below 😍)
Right, I'm off to finish prepping the next campaign and to work on Ruthless Wolves. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and happy New Year!
Much love and happy reading Georgina x
P.s. For Pintopia project news and updates, follow the Smut Lovers Club teaser page, and don't forget to check out my partner's project over at Hellaverse Cuties
A quick update today. The story is moving along, albeit, slowly at the moment. I've had a few health problems the last couple of weeks, which has hampered my progress, but hopefully things are starting to pick back up now.
As long as the characters behave themselves, I should still be on track to finish early in the new year. Once the book is finished, it'll spend some time in editing before being sent to Beta readers. After I've received the feedback from the Beta team, I'll do some final tweaks and formatting and then it'll be sent off for printing.
I don't have a timeline for production and shipping just yet, but I'll post an update as soon as I have that information.
Just a reminder that I will be locking surveys at the end of December. I'm still waiting on a few people to fill in their surveys, so if you haven't filled yours in yet, please do so by the end of this month.
Look what arrived today! A box full of Midnight Blade MC enamel pin badges 😍 The skull is black, but it comes with a little surprise that makes it appear lighter in some angles/lights. I'm not going to give away the surprise, but I think you'll love it as much as I do!
This box is full to bursting!
I'm in love with these pins 😍
Surveys won't be locked until at least the end of December, so there's still time to add one of the MC enamel pins to your rewards pack. I'll post an update and send out an email before locking the surveys. After that time, you'll no longer be able to adjust your survey because I'll need the final numbers to order the books and the rest of the rewards.
There are still a few outstanding surveys, so if you haven't filled it in yet, please do so as soon as possible.
Once the surveys have been locked and I have all of the books/rewards, I'll be able to work out and add shipping costs before charging cards (this will be next year closer to fulfillment). Then it'll be time to lock shipping addresses and begin fulfillment. I'll post updates and send emails before each stage in the process, giving you plenty of notice before locking/charging/fulfillment begins.
Thank you for going on this journey with me ❤️ I can't wait for you to receive your books and rewards! 😍
Much love and happy reading Georgina x
P.s. Digital rewards will be sent when physical fulfillment is ready to begin.
I had planned on posting this update on Sunday after Mr K and I returned from Shrewsbury, but I was exhausted and in pain from traveling, so I took the night off. The trip was well worth the pain, though. I had an amazing time in Shrewsbury Prison for the Author's Behind Bars signing event! I got to meet and chat with so many wonderful readers as well as spend time with my fellow authors. And the prison setting was just epic! Unfortunately, I didn't get my own cell because there was a problem with the lights (I'm convinced a ghost was behind the problems), but I had a great time sharing the prisoner kitchen with Jade West's PA's (unfortunately Jade couldn't be there) and author Tracy Jukes.
Right, that's enough signing event talk. Now it's time for the update. The poll has ended for the colour of the skull and there was a clear winner. The black skull received 100% of the votes 🥳 I must admit, I do love this design exactly as it is 😍
Midnight Blade MC Enamel Pin
I've already placed the order and production has begun on the Midnight Blade MC pin, but the good news doesn't end there. My collab partner, Cara, has received both parts of the collab pin badges and she's sent me some pictures! Cara will be sending my pins over to me soon 😊
White Pearl Wolf
Red Glitter Bats
I have received some more goodies! The Booktopia Oracle Cards arrived while I was in Shrewsbury and they are lush 😍 I can't wait to see the complete pack together with the box!
Booktopia Oracle Cards
One more thing before I go. Now that I'm back from Author's Behind Bars, I can finally make a start on Ruthless Wolves. I only have the last couple of chapters to hash out, but I'm sure they will come to me as I begin to write (the story will probably change slightly by then as well 😅). The first draft begins tomorrow 😊
I have some exciting news to share! The first book in the Midnight Blade MC series, Savage Wolves, has now been released into the wild, which means my attention has turned to Ruthless Wolves. I've almost finished with the rough outline, which should be done by the end of next week, so I plan on starting the first draft once I'm back from the Author's Behind Bars signing event next weekend (Nov 9th). I have a lot of prep work to get done between now and the signing, so I won't be able to make a start beforehand.
I have a couple of updates about the other rewards. I have most of the postcards and Storyteller's Oracle Cards already, but the good news is, the Booktopia Oracle Cards are now on their way to me as well. I've also been working with my collab partner, Cara, on the pin badges. We want both halves to fit together perfectly, like in the pictures we've shared, so we decided to order both parts together as one order. Both Cara and the manufacturer are based in the USA, so to save on shipping costs and time, the cross collab pins badges will be sent to Cara and then she'll forward mine to me. They've already been sent to production and will hopefully be shipped to Cara soon. Once she's confirmed they're on the way to me, I will post an update.
I've also been in talks with another manufacturer about the Midnight Blade MC logo pin badge. After a little back and forth about the colour of the skull, the manu have sent me these two mock-ups. I love both versions, but alas, there can only be one. I can't decided between the two, so I need your help. Which one do you prefer? Black Skull or White Skull? Vote for your favourite on the attached poll by Sunday 10th November 😊
Much love and happy reading Georgina x
P.s. I'm going to start numbering these updates so it's easier to keep track of what information is in which update.
If you love enamel pin badges, then you won't want to miss Pintopia in January 2025
Or more like, letters from the future. I hope you all enjoyed the in character updates during the campaign! WE FUNDED!!! And hit some stretch / community goals to boot. I’m working with BackerKit to figure out how to send the survey to get your rewards, which is much more involved and confusing than I first imagined. So sorry that is taking so long to send. Also, my partner Shiloh will be sending out the cross collab reward on my behalf so don’t worry when it’s not in your package! More updates soon, including a date for a livestream! And since the carnies won the trivia challenge, I’ll have something special for you all soon as well.
I am blown away! I truly am! Thank you so much! I am humbled by your love and support. Thank you to all those who have shared on social media or have told your friends! Keep sharing. It makes a huge difference!
With just 30 hours or so away from our finishing line, we have just a few hundred dollars left to unlock all the digital goodies! WE CAN DO IT!
Don't forget about my amazing collab partner! I had a lovely chat with her last Saturday and we have so much in common. She also loves Japanese anime. If you haven't had a chance to check out her project, I highly recommend hopping over there. She is also fully funded. I was impressed with her story when we talked during our streaming event. And she just seems like an amazing person. PLUS if you back both projects at a physical tier, you get six oracle cards delivered with your goodies. Thanks for taking part in Booktopia! It's been so much fun!
Once we reach $3000, we will upgrade both maps and include a digital download for an arrangement of a song and get digital downloads for coloring pages!
Goal: $3,000 reached! — We did it! This project reached this goal!
I hope all is well. I'm sending out updates and getting ready to fulfill everyone's pledges, but there's just something I have to know:
For those who haven't pledged yet, what's stopping you?
I'd love to include you in my decision-making process, but the only way I can do that is if you respond to my polls and discussions. So, be honest with me.
In fact, make it as brutal as it needs to be, because I value your opinion and I'm hoping to build a long-term community.
So, drop a comment telling me what I can do better, or if there's something I need to explain better, or just to vent. Whatever it is, let me know in the comments, and I'll do my best to offer you the reward you deserve.
