On Thursday petitions against Kickstarter were starting to appear.
Why?
The popular crowdsourcing platform had moved to block retailer rewards or bulk discounts. Kickstarter didn’t want retail chains to muscle in on pledges, paying up thousands in order to qualify for bulk discounts. The RPG community led the protest. It’s not unusual for local RPG stores, not part of a large franchise, to support an indie publisher by pledging money and picking up copies of the book to sell.
Kickstarter has found a compromise. In a blog post the platform explains that they’ll define “bulk quantity” as more than 10. This means small stores will be able to make pledges, support projects and then help sell books.
The blog post finished with an apology and recognition of the role indie stores play in the community.
Backing a project has always been about joining a community just as much as it is getting stuff. That’s one of Kickstarter’s defining traits, and we want that to always be true. We’re incredibly proud of the ways that Kickstarter has helped creators bring their work to life and get it out into the world. Watching independent stores use Kickstarter to promote the work of independent creators has been amazing, and we hope it continues.
Sorry for causing confusion, and thanks as always for your support.
