Tim Worstall

20 responses so far ↓

• 1 Richard Allan // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:15 pm

  The free rider problem means that most people won’t even pledge until the dying hours of the kickstarter. “Clang!” by Subotai Corporation didn’t get funded until the last day, for example.

• 2 James James // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:20 pm

  Write a book on it, perhaps? You could fund it via Kickstarter…

• 3 James James // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:21 pm

  Richard Allan, surely the whole point of Kickstarter is you don’t actually have to contribute any money unless everyone else does. You “pledge” a certain amount, but you get it back if the total isn’t reached.

• 4 Nick Luke // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:41 pm

  I’ve paid up only to know Tim’s gonna have to do some work!

• 5 Chris M // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:46 pm

  One point is your marketing. To be brutally honest, the photo/video you have on your kickstarter page isn’t the most flattering imaginable. I’m sure you could have done better on that front. You also need to sell your proposition in the first paragraph. Most people will have clicked away before the end of your first paragraph.
  The proposition of the book is OK but you’ll need to try harder to make people part with real money.
  Sorry for the brutality. Love your blog!

• 6 thomas jones // Aug 29, 2012 at 5:58 pm

  Yes looking at it now, it seems a target of 10K might have worked, but not 30K. From memory, much of this money came in pretty quickly too, though that’s just an impression (my contribution came in very quickly I’ll note here).

• 7 William M. Connolley // Aug 29, 2012 at 6:13 pm

  Ha ha, my money is safe

• 8 Mithrandir // Aug 29, 2012 at 6:46 pm

  James James, Richard Allan’s point is that if you wait long enough, other people might cover all the cost and then you don’t have to pay at all but still enjoy the benefit of the project being funded

• 9 Paul // Aug 29, 2012 at 9:53 pm

  @Chris M.

  I’m 100% in agreement with you. Down to and including the “love your blog”.

• 10 Fred // Aug 29, 2012 at 10:35 pm

  Agree about the photo. You look like the sort of Brit who wears socks and woolen trousers on the beaches of the algarve. Surely your webcam can take a snap of your new look.

• 11 SimonF // Aug 30, 2012 at 8:16 am

  James James, Richard Allan’s point is that if you wait long enough, other people might cover all the cost and then you don’t have to pay at all but still enjoy the benefit of the project being funded

  Or like me you can’t find your round tuit.

  I will today though.

• 12 David // Aug 30, 2012 at 9:05 am

  I wish I had pledged now. Perhaps you should have tried to get money from a few rich people than from lots of not so rich people.

• 13 Stuck-Record // Aug 30, 2012 at 10:39 am

  I pledged.

  But the earlier comment is correct. Your video is pants. Next time hire someone, instead of doing the Webcam thing.

  You have speculate to accumulate.

• 14 David Hall // Aug 30, 2012 at 1:04 pm

  Being politics of a particular sort, I suspect the book had a rather limited appeal compared to some of the other niche products that become quite successful via Kickstarter. A shame as I was hoping it would be successful (and contributed accordingly).

  But as others have said, there is a large marketing component to it and the webcam thing didn’t work too well!

• 15 MRLC // Aug 30, 2012 at 1:12 pm

  I was confused by seeing the familiar still image of Tim As Tory Boy replaced by some beardy chap. Affable enough fellow, but where’s Tim?

• 16 Andrew Ducker // Aug 30, 2012 at 2:11 pm

  For next time:
  http://www.thedailymuse.com/entrepreneurship/9-tips-to-ace-your-kickstarter-campaign/

• 17 BenSix // Aug 30, 2012 at 2:18 pm

  Perhaps you should have added vampiric or sado-masochistic themes…

• 18 Matthew L // Aug 30, 2012 at 5:56 pm

  BenSix: I thought that the politics of taxation covered both of those.

• 19 Fred // Aug 31, 2012 at 9:43 pm

  Maybe the title was too provocative in the wrong way.

  “Fifty shades of liberal america ”

  would have been provocative but in a positive way and would have been fully funded by the ladies.

• 20 dcardno // Sep 2, 2012 at 11:03 pm

  A real shame that the project didn’t get to the goal, Tim. If you try again, I am up for it – it sounds like a good subject, irrespective of the video and the promotion strategy.

  Dean

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