Color proofs have arrived!
7 days ago
– Wed, Mar 04, 2026 at 06:03:27 PM
Hello! Just today I received the color proofs in the mail from the printer! This is a special kind of proof that consists of a series of flat printed sheets (one for each page) showing what the final colors in the book will look like. They also come with a version of the book printed on printer paper and stapled together in the correct order, purely to confirm page count and order. This is a chance for me to make sure all the pages look good, that they are in the right order, and so on.
Here's a peek at a couple of those proof pages:
I've looked over the proofs and so far everything looks good to me. Lorelei will look over them tonight, and then we will approve them.
After that, the printer will print one copy of each version of the book and rush ship them to us as the final proof before they start the complete print run!
In other news, the Backerkit survey is almost done, and I should be sending it out next week. We have a big surprise on the survey... stay tuned!
More soon!
-Caleb
Wow! Amazing finish! Third stretch goal reached!
about 1 month ago
– Sat, Feb 07, 2026 at 10:33:54 AM
In an amazing final day, we raised two thousand dollars and reached our third stretch goal, the one I thought it was possible (but honestly unlikely) that we would hit! Thank you so much!
Here's a look at all the stretch goals we unlocked by the end:
Our Collector's Editions will now be totally fancy. They started out with luxurious soft touch matte covers, boasting 134 pages of story, plus another 48 page bonus section which includes the Encyclopaedia of Dragons. Now they will feature a gold foil logo on the front cover, AND spot UV elements highlighting the artwork on the front cover. These might just be the fanciest softcover books I've ever made.
What's Next?
Over the next week Kickstarter will be automatically collecting pledges, and attempting to collect any errored pledges. If your payment fails and Kickstarter is unable to collect it after a week, you'll be able to fix it on the Backerkit survey.
In a few weeks the Backerkit survey will go out. There you'll be able to select any add-ons, pay for shipping, and answer a few pledge questions. I won't be locking down addresses until the books are ready to ship, but the sooner you get your survey filled out, the better.
Here's a look at the timeline I expect for this project:
- In just over two weeks Kickstarter will deliver the funds for this project to my bank account, at which point I will officially make the order from the printer.
- The Backerkit survey will go out around that time, and digital rewards will begin to go out as surveys are completed. I will also begin fulfilling reward levels that do not include Dragon Grit Volume 1, like the "sticker and bookmark" level (as long as you didn't add a Volume 1 to your order).
- I expect the proofing and finalization process with the printer to take 1-3 weeks, and then the books will be printed and shipped to me, which should take 2-4 months.
- When the books arrive to my home, I will lock down addresses on the Backerkit survey (you will then have 48 hours to confirm your address or change it if you have moved), and then I will immediately start shipping out rewards. My current estimate for that is around June, but I will update you every step of the way. I have set the delivery date for physical books on this Kickstarter for August just in case there are any delays with printing or shipping.
- Once I've begun shipping out the books, I will begin promoting Dragon Grit #6, which will launch as soon as all the Volume 1 books have been delivered to backers!
Thanks so much for your support, as always. I will be back with more updates as we make progress. :)
-Caleb
Second stretch goal reached!
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 03:25:21 PM
Hello! With a little under two days to go, we hit our second stretch goal! That means the digital deluxe edition (which is included in the Digital Collector level, and every level that includes a Collector's Edition book), will now include a complete gallery of every cover, pinup, concept art, and crossover art ever created for the series!
I am not sure if we can reach it or not, but the last stretch goal that feels possible is our 18k goal:
We have about a day and a half left, and about $1700 left to get to this goal. Can we make it?
I do have one final shoutout for the campaign. A very good friend of mine, and someone who has been a huge supporter of mine since even before I ever launched a Kickstarter has just launched his latest campaign. Joe Karg's newest book is an anthology called I Feel Doomed.
This is a huge anthology filled with comics and art from tons of comics pros and brand new creators. There are lots of previews on the Kickstarter page, so I would definitely recommend scrolling through to see if there is anything that catches your eye.
Here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dearbernadette/i-feel-doomed
That's it for now. I'll be back with an update after the campaign ends (unless we hit our 18k stretch goal, then I'll update sooner).
I've been talking to the printer for Dragon Grit, and everything is looking great. I'm even learning about some options I didn't realize I might have with this printer. More details on my next update about printing and fulfilment.
Thank you as always for your support.
-Caleb
Stretch Goal #1 Reached!
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 05:24:39 PM
Hello! Thanks to you, we reached our 14k stretch goal! This means that all copies of the Collector's Edition (both covers) will now have a gold foil logo!
The next two stretch goals we have to look forward to are a complete cover/pinup/crossover art/concept art gallery added to the digital deluxe version at 16k, and spot UV elements added to the Collector's Editions covers at 18k!
With nine days to go, I am confident we can hit both of these stretch goals!
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and enthusiasm.
While I'm here, I wanted to give a shoutout to another long-running series on Kickstarter by my friend Rob Multari:
Night Wolf #1-11: Urban Fantasy Werewolf Coming-of-Age Drama
I've been following Rob on Kickstarter for a long time, and he's always been a huge supporter of mine. He writes in a similar genre to a lot of the stuff I write (fantasy adventure), so we've had lots of opportunities to cross promote. I love both Night Wolf and the spinoff series Snow Paw.
Here's the description from the campaign:
"Born into the outcast breed of werewolves known as the Monoki, eighteen-year-old Rodney Marcelli is reluctantly pulled into an ancient war between good and evil, during a modern time where the line has blurred.
With the help of Snow Paw, the Pureblood Monoki, and the supernatural evil slayer, Night Hunter, Rod must learn to master his newly found lycanthropy and mysterious kinetic energy power that only he possesses. Rod must fight the Dark Covenant in order to avenge his friends and family, and to save the girl he loves from the master vampire, Lord Malice.
Rodney Marcelli is Night Wolf!"
Here is the link to the campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/multari/night-wolf-1-11-urban-fantasy-werewolf-coming-of-age-drama
That's it for now. I'll be back with more updates soon!
-Caleb
Funded! Stretch Goals + A Lancelot Crossover!
about 2 months ago
– Fri, Jan 16, 2026 at 05:22:19 PM
We did it! We funded yesterday, and we still have plenty of time for stretch goals. Thank you so much.
Here's a look at the first stretch goal:
The Collector's Editions will already feature luxurious soft-touch matte covers, and if we hit $14,000, every copy will be upgraded with gold foil on the logo. I think this upgrade is really going to make these books look even more amazing. We have plenty of time and I am positive we will hit this goal.
I'm also offering a special reward for anyone who pledges to both this campaign AND Lancelot #1-2, which is live right now on the Enkidu Studio Kickstarter profile. Lancelot is a comic book I wrote about the strongest knight of the round table going on a quest with his three year old son Galahad in tow. It's got a bit of a Lone Wolf and Cub or The Mandalorian vibe, and I'm super proud of it.
If you pledge to both campaigns you'll get this print by Brian Balondo for free:
The print of course depicts Vera and Blaze on the hunt for Lancelot and Galahad. I'm sure they'll realize they are on the same team any moment now...
Here's the link to Lancelot: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enkidu/lancelot-1-2?ref=bl9hhx
Thanks, and I'll be back with more updates soon!
-Caleb
