Kickstarter Pre-Launch
What We Locked In (and Why)
At some point in every Kickstarter pre-launch, the conversation stops being about possibilities and turns into decisions.
Not exciting decisions. Not hype-worthy ones. Just the quiet, slightly uncomfortable moment where you say: Okay. This is what we’re actually doing.
For Once and Future Hearts, that moment came when we finalized the formats.
The hardcovers are the special editions.
Full stop.
That sounds simple, but it wasn’t. We spent real time circling a different idea: a bespoke, gold-foiled, fancy-dancy special edition of Born of No Man (Book One). The kind of book that exists to be admired from across the room. It would have been gorgeous. It would also have split the focus of the campaign in half.
And focus matters.
This Kickstarter isn’t about one beautiful object. It’s about completing — and celebrating — an entire series. Thirteen books. One long story. The hardcovers serve that purpose better than a single, spotlight-hogging edition, no matter how shiny.
So we locked it in:
The hardcovers are the special editions
They will be Kickstarter-only
If we do that bespoke Born of No Man edition, it’ll be its own campaign, another year, with the attention it deserves
As Tracy’s husband, this was the right call. I’ve watched her work on this series for years. The hardcovers are about honoring the whole journey, not just the starting line.
As the publisher, it was also the cleaner decision. One story. One promise. One reason to back now.
No drama. No hype. Just the kind of decision you make when you want to sleep at night and still be proud of the campaign when it’s over.
If you’d like to see the pre-launch page, it’s here at the end — quietly waiting, like the rest of us.
This hardcover collection feels like a great way to experience the whole Once and Future Hearts journey, especially with how the series builds romance and myth across Arthurian-era events. For you, which book or moment in the series are you most excited to revisit in this special edition, and why?