Ruthless Desires Updates, Special Editions, & Kickstarter Questions Answered
Just pretty pictures of the books + merch because why not?
The amount of people who love Ruthless Desires astounds me on a daily level. It makes me so happy that people adore the characters and story I dreamed up, and I’m so, so grateful for the opportunities that all my readers have given me because of their love for this series.
Opportunities like going to book signing events, turning my stories into audiobooks, and making pretty special editions. And I’d like to give you updates on all of those things!
➡️ First of all, I’m currently scheduled to be at two events—Smut Lovers 2024 (in Orlando, FL in September) and Book Harvest 2025 (in Chicago, IL in October). You can learn more about both of those here!
As for the other things…
Ruthless Desires Audiobooks
Blissful Masquerade is being re-recorded, and the guys’ are getting recast.
Due to creative differences, Corvin King is no longer on the RD narrator team. The guys’ chapters of Blissful Masquerade will be re-recorded, and each character now has their own narrator! (The books will still be dual, not duet.)
Everything is subject to change. I’m hopeful that nothing will have to change, but sometimes stuff happens, and sometimes that stuff is out of our control.
With that being said, I’m beyond excited to work with these narrators, and I’m going to do everything in my power to stick with my initial plan of having all audiobooks out by the end of the year.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. <3
Narrators:
Wren Taylor - Ruthie Bowles
Elliot Hayes - Michael Gallagher
Rhett Brooks - PJ Freebourn
Oliver Moore - Blake Lockheart
Production Timeline:
August 2024: books 1-2
October 2024: books 3-6
And now for the thing you’re probably here for:
Ruthless Desires Special Editions & Kickstarter
My goal is to launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for Ruthless Desires special editions in July of 2024, specifically of a gorgeous two-volume omnibus set.
Don’t know what Kickstarter is or how it works? Or maybe you’re unsure of what’ll make these editions so special? I did my best to answer everyone’s questions below!
What Will These Special Editions Include?
I’m currently still looking into printers, so some features will be dependent on who I choose. The details will be figured out by the time the Kickstarter launches, though, and you’ll be able to see everything when I launch the campaign!
Just a reminder, I’m shooting for a two-volume set. I’ve gotten requests for an omnibus, but the series is too long to fit in one book.
Here’s what I’m hoping the special editions will have:
Full-color illustrations of scenes from the books (I’ll reveal some soon!)
Pretty chapter header art
Silver foiling on the covers (and on the dust jacket)
Double sided dust jackets with art on the inside
Printed end papers for the hard covers
Sprayed edges
A Ruthless Desires prequel at the beginning of Volume 1
A Ruthless Desires extended epilogue at the end of Volume 2
What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform! Creators have an idea for something they want to make (a game, a book, a movie, etc.), and people back their project (with money) to help bring it to life! The creator takes that money from backers to pay for supplies, equipment, etc. and send out rewards!
Why Would I Donate Money to You?
You wouldn’t!
Kickstarter works very differently from other crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe, etc. When you back a Kickstarter, you’re essentially “preordering” a product. (In this case, that product would most likely be the Ruthless Desires special editions or something else I offer through the Kickstarter.) Once the campaign has ended and I’ve gotten the money from it, then I send out all the goodies!
Some of the things I’m hoping to have available in the Kickstarter include:
Early access to a Ruthless Desires prequel and an extended epilogue (ebook only)
Special edition paperbacks
Special edition hardcovers
Other things that are still a secret!
So… How Does it Work?
Basically, I set up a campaign on Kickstarter and offer different rewards at different prices. Anyone who wants to support the campaign (they’re called backers) would select the reward they want, provide payment information, and essentially “preorder” that reward.
Then, as long as the Kickstarter reaches its funding goal, your credit card is charged once the campaign is over. It’ll take about two weeks for me to get the money, and then I can order the books and other goodies and then ship everything out!
➡️ The best way to understand how Kickstarter works is to look at an actual campaign and poke around. You can check out this one, which is for special editions and audiobooks of a dark why choose romance series by Blake Blessing.
Go ahead and explore it! I backed it at the Little Love tier, which will get me the audiobooks once they’re recorded! (If the campaign funds. And if it doesn’t, then I don’t pay anything.)
What if You Don’t Reach Your Funding Goal?
Kickstarter campaigns are all or nothing. That means that if I set a goal for $10,000, and it only funds to $9,500 (or literally anything under $10,000), then you don’t pay anything, I don’t get any money, and you don’t get your rewards.
My goal, of course, is for us to hit our funding goal so you can get your rewards!
But I Don’t Want Other People to Miss Out!
Good news, neither do I! These special editions will not be Kickstarter-exclusive. Once I’ve shipped out all the books to backers, I’ll be selling the special editions in my shop (launching soon)!
So if you can’t afford to back the Kickstarter, that’s okay. If you want the special editions, they’ll be waiting for you in the future. <3
➡️ With that being said, if the Kickstarter doesn’t meet its funding goal (meaning your credit card doesn’t get charged and I don’t get any of the money), it’s going to be a lot harder to make the special editions.
Why? Because I have to order at least 100 books of each volume, in both paperback and hardcover (so that’s at least 400 books that are pretty hefty), and doing so gets pretty expensive! That’s why doing a Kickstarter would be helpful—it gets me the money to pay for the books to be printed!
So basically, if we want special editions, getting the Kickstarter funded will be the way to make sure it happens!
The prequel and extended epilogue will most likely be in the special editions, and you’ll also be able to get just the ebooks of those in the Kickstarter. They’ll be available on Kindle sometime after the Kickstarter ends, but if you get them through the Kickstarter, you get access earlier!
How Can I Trust You to Give Me My Rewards?
I do my best to be transparent as an author and business owner, but when it comes down to it, I’m just a stranger on the internet who happened to write some books you like. I get that.
What I can say is that I want these special editions, and I want my readers to have them, too! It makes me so happy that people love Ruthless Desires and want pretty editions of the books. And no, I’m not gonna scam you out of your money! But I get that you have very little reason to believe me.
➡️ I don’t give money to people I don’t trust, and I’m not going to ask you to do something I wouldn’t do. Trust your gut! If I have your trust, I’m honored. If I don’t, that’s okay!
Will the Kickstarter Be US-Only?
Hopefully not! I plan on shipping internationally. The shipping costs will probably get pretty expensive, unfortunately, but there isn’t really anything I can do about that.
➡️ Have other questions? You can email me at elirafirethorn@gmail.com!