Kickstarter Highlight: Emaneska

Kickstarter has definitely become a go-to place for indie comic creators looking to get their work out there without having to go through the process of a big-name publisher. And Ben Galley is no different as he embarks on his Kickstarter to adapt his own novel series, The Emaneska Series into a graphic novel.

Described as “Lord of the Rings meets Sin City“, Galley’s crowd-sourcing project focuses on The Written, which is the first novel in the series. It’s “an epic and gritty fantasy book, part mystery, part thriller, crammed with bloody and brutal action, more magick than you can shake a sword at, and twists and turns that will keep the edge of your seat firmly occupied.”

Galley has decided to adapt his novel series because he feels the contents of the book translate well to the visual aspect of creating a graphic novel. With the help of artist and indie game developer Mike, together they’ve decided to tackle the task creating this project. On top of creating the graphic novel, they’re building a mobile app which is an enhanced interactive eBook that allows readers to zoom in on frames and panels as well as interact with maps.

In order to do all of this, their target goal is £5000 which will allow Mike to finish the design and drawing as well as cover printing and publishing costs, marketing and distribution.

Although their initial goal may be £5000, they have a variety of stretch goals (ie: if they exceed their set goal) and will be offering a bunch more things for backers. If Emaneska is able to get £6000, then everyone who pledges £15 or more will get an ebook copy of The Written’s sequel titled Pale Kings (£20 – or more – will receive  e-copies of the final two books : Dead Stars Part 1 & 2 which comes out May 2013). And if Emaneska is able to reach £8000 then everyone pledging more than £22 will receive a free copy of the enhanced mobile app – super exciting.

There are also a ton of different awards being offered for those who pledge: such as the fact that everyone who pledges – no matter how much – will see their name in the graphic novel! Additionally, if you’re rolling in dough and manage to donate £300 or more, you’ll get a gigantic package that includes a one hour Skype conversation with Galley and Mike, a signed copy of the graphic novel, a detailed mention and comment on both the site and in the novel, and your likeness as a background character – to name a few things.

The Written, when finished, will be about 100 pages long.

So if you’re interested, feel free to head over there and make a pledge or help spread the word!