Kickstarter (KS) always defined on their pages that a successful project is a "successfully funded" project.
It’s hard to know how KS can calculate a successful project by the way we understand it : a project that have at least delivered all its rewards and "shipped" the product advertised.
"KS's terms of use require creators to fulfill all rewards of their project or refund any backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill." But KS do not track those data. They are the responsibility of the creator.
Hence the column "successful" just mean "successfully funded". And the column Launched just mean "launched on KS and asking for funding".
Art 49% Comics 46% Dance 74% Design 40% Fashion 26% Film & Video 41% Food 38% Games 33% Music 56% Photography 36% Publishing 30% Technology 38% Theater 67%
Dance 74%
Theater 67%
Music 56%
Art 49%
Comics 46%
Film & Video 41%
Design 40%
Food 38%
Technology 38%
Photography 36%
Games 33%
Publishing 30%
Fashion 26%I don't think it makes sense to consider "Kickstarter projects" as a whole when looking at success rate. Hardware projects are very different from software projects, which in turn are entirely unlike most tabletop RPG books which have been funded. The method of funding is the same, but the paths to completion are nothing alike.
(Note that Kickstarter has a fairly selective application process, these figures pertain only to projects accepted on the platform. No idea what percentage of projects are accepted on Kickstarter)
Bravo! I wish you a lot of success and certainly redirect my friends to it.
I always thought a real shop was the missing link at KS. I understand KS concern to stop their "service" at the funding level, but from a user point of view, it’s a bit short. And from a creator point of view, KS fees of 5%+taxes+etc. might be a bit steep. One example is once the project has been funded, KS could at the very least display the link of the website creator without "nofollow".
To me it looks like KS is missing tools to help creators to really understand how they can manage their backers and their fulfilment after the funding. It would give KS so much data in this critical phase.
But it looks like KS is already working addressing this issue. In 2012 they’ve implemented the deadlines for creators and made clearer the refund for failed rewards.
On any case there is an opportunity here for third party services to KS projects that have been funded (and maybe failed as well).