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Announcement

The Author tiers have been upgraded. We have added a bonus 500 words to both the Author and Author + Songwriter tiers! The additional words can be used for a longer story or to include an additional story!
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Introducing an exciting and adventurous collaboration between...

Hollywood composers, bestselling/veteran authors, and fresh new voices!

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FOR THE READERS

Digital Reader Tier. Welcome to a new adventure. Enter the many worlds of Tales of The Black Piper, vol. 1, in Ebook and mp3. Price: $20.

Physical Reader Tier. The Adventure Calls. Experience Tales of The Black Piper, vol. 1 with print and CD! Price: $40.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT A LITTLE MORE

We've designed a special ADVENTURER level to give you even more! This level includes early/discounted access to some upcoming projects as well as a copy of some special albums in our catalog, Reflections and Refractions. You can find out more about all of these by clicking on the Pledge Level.

Note: if you already own Reflections / Refractions but still want the Adventurer package, this can be added as an add-on to the Reader level during pledge checkout.

Digital Adventurer Tier. The Tales are just the beginning. Every digital story and soundtrack funded by this campaign and stretch goals! Price: $100.

Physical Adventurer Tier. I'll take one of everything. Every available format of every story and soundtrack funded by this campaign and stretch goals! Price: $130.

FOR THE CREATORS

Your story gets edited and published and receives a custom soundtrack by a Hollywood professional. Let's make an impact! Price: $330. Dynamic Pricing!

Note: the AUTHOR and SONGWRITER levels all receive a copy of Tales of The Black Piper vol. 1. Please see the Pledge Level page for the level in question for more details.

Songwriter tier. Skilled Apprentice. Become an honorary member for the team by composing an alternate track for Tales of The Black Piper! Price: $250.

Author plus Songwriter Tier. The Unsung Hero. Receive all the benefits of contributing both a story and music for Tales of The Black Piper, vol. 1! Price: $430. Dynamic pricing!

Bookmarks: The mark of a dedicated reader. Keep your place in epic style with these Black Piper bookmarks as you devour your copy of Tales of The Black Piper. Price: $3 each and $7 for the full set of 3.

Digital Art: Campaign Artwork Package. Take home some legendary digital campaign artwork, including The Kraken, artwork from Tales of The Black Piper, The Clockmaker, and more! Price: $7 total.

Digital Music: Reflections/Refractions. If you need more Black Piper music in your life, these twin albums are here to help in a meaningful way.

Adventures: Trek into the Creative Wilds. 2 years of mythology, heart-pounding heroism, inspiring reality, and dangerous fantasy - delivered to your inbox monthly beginning January 2024! See SPECAL PROJECTS: ADVENTURES for details. Price: $75.

Please see SPECAL PROJECTS below for details about Reflections, Refractions, and ADVENTURES!

Author Upgrade: 2,500 Words and 2 minutes. If 1,000 words and a one minute theme are not enough, upgrade your story from one thousand words to twenty-five hundred words and your soundtrack from one minute to two minutes. Note: you must be pledged at one of the Author tiers. Price: $325

Author Upgrade: 5,000 Words and 3 minutes. If creativity cannot be constrained, upgrade your story from 1,000 words to five thousand words and your soundtrack from one minute to three minutes. Note: you must be pledged at one of the author tiers. Price: $600

Main Stretch Goals: $4K - fully funded! To celebrate, we will throw a livestream party, to which you are all invited. 40 Authors - Volume 2 - New authors can pledge and vol. 2 added to ADVENTURER tier FREE. $14K - Music Upgrade: Soloists. Nothing increases the quality of the music faster than recording live players. $18K - Hardcovers - All physical pledge levels receive an automatic upgrade from paperback to hardcover. [?] More to Come - like choir/orchestra recording, numbered books, audiobook recording, and more! *The 40 Author tier pledges includes "Author + Songwriter" tier pledges.

Special Author Goals. Every time we hit a multiple of $10K raised (for the first time), all vol. 1 authors will receive a $20 upfront payment! You will see this in the form of a drop in your tier base price - up to a total of $200 off of the cost of a custom soundtrack!

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Vintage typewriter. The kind we all wish we typed on. (Your story is going to be amazing regardless of what you use. It just might not have spell-check if you go with the vintage option.)

For information on:

AUTHOR SUBMISSION PROCESS
AUTHOR CONTRACT
GENRES, THEMES, & PROMPTS
WORD COUNTS
ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES

... please visit the Author Submission Guidelines Google Doc.

Additional information regarding:

ROYALTIES
QUALITY CONTROL (for both stories and music)
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS/STORIES
and MORE

... can be found in the campaign's FAQ, here.

COLLABORATING WITH A COMPOSER

Image of working with a composer. — I feel compelled to tell you that this is a real photo. I know this, because I'm in it. This means that the experience here is authentic. I mean, it won't look *exactly* like this when you collaborate with one of our composers, especially since it will likely all be done through the internet, but you get the idea.

We may be biased, but we think that the collaboration between creatives is one of the best parts of the process, and we hope you'll feel the same way! But if you don't know what to expect, don't worry! Part of our job is to make the job of the "director" (that's you) as easy and seamless as possible. If you are new to the process, we will offer to guide you through it, and you'll be able to communicate with us in terms that make sense for you. No musical background needed!

In the end, you should come away from this process itching to do it again!

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SHIPPING

We welcome international orders! Unfortunately, we cannot ship everywhere. Due to delivery restrictions in place, we are currently unable to ship to the following countries:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, Cuba, Germany, Iran, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Yemen

Shipping Estimates

The following shipping prices are estimates for sending one copy of the Tales of The Black Piper album and book. Your actual shipping cost will be determined at the end of your survey (see below).

UNITED STATES: $12 USD
CANADA: $24 USD
UNITED KINGDOM: $29 USD
EUROPEAN UNION: $27 USD
THE REST OF THE WORLD: $37 USD

VAT

We are unable to cover any VAT fees that may be due for international packages. On the positive side, the UK has a 0% VAT rate for books, and many other countries also have reduced VAT for books. Make sure to check your country's regulations so that there are no surprises from unexpected fees.

Additional shipping information can be found in the project FAQ, here.

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Our composers and musicians have worked on some of the biggest titles on the planet, from Star Wars to Fantastic Beasts to X-Men. For an example of our work as a composers, check out these samplers of The Black Prism, based on the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks and Kaladin, officially based on Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings:

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Something a little different

We are thrilled to be campaigning for Tales of The Black Piper. We've been planning it for years! But we also want to offer you access to some special current and upcoming projects.

Refractions and Reflections hold special meaning for us, while Adventures is more of a captivating "not the same as the other things on the page" kind of project. More precisely... it's an especially exciting series that we've been putting together in pieces over the last three or four years!

REFRACTIONS ARE NOT JUST SOMETHING BROKEN. THEY ARE SOMETHING FOUND AND BEAUTIFULLY REMADE. Go behind the scenes with us as we present to you our rough and broken edges. As composers, there are times we have to start over. A song may not be right for a specific scene; maybe the style is off or the mood is different from the director’s vision. In these moments, we end up with cues that become rejected and broken. This album takes some of these “broken” songs from past projects and gives them some love. They may still have some rough edges, but rather than abandoning them to the dark abyss, we are pulling back the curtain and sharing them with you, allowing beauty to “come out of the ashes.”

Refractions is in the process of being prepared. It will be released in July 2023 as a 20-track album. While many of the tracks are still being decided and the current list is subject to change, you can listen to a sample of a few of the tracks we like for it here.

TRUE REFLECTIONS HONOR THE IMAGE OF WHAT WAS, WHAT IS, AND WHAT WILL BE. Experience the tender, emotional, and... video game-y(?) side of The Black Piper. During the Kaladin Kickstarter, we offered our services as composers to backers. Many took the opportunity to order custom songs for their loved ones, wedding pieces, themes for book characters, and even video game soundtracks. These songs’ stories are quite personal and touching, and some are extremely painful, but our Kaladin backers have agreed to let us share these tracks with you - and in some cases to share their stories.

Reflections was compiled at the end of 2022 and will be released shortly. You can listen to a sampler here.

Black Piper Adventures. Coming January 2024. TREK into the Wilds of Story and Sound. Join us in venturing monthly into the wild tales of mythology, heart-pounding heroism, inspiring reality, and dangerous fantasy. LUMINARIES AND LEGENDS: Pillars of Innovation, Heroes of Legend and Mythology Collide. In Luminaries and Legends, we will musically explore the stories of Earth: the Pillars of Innovation, such as Amelia Earhart, Nikola Tesla, and Margaret Hamilton; the Heroes of Legend, such as Genghis Khan, Princess Pingyang, and King Arthur; and the Titans of Mythology, like Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and Hunahpu and Xbalanque. THE CLOCKMAKER: THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE CAN BE BROKEN WHEN Those you care about are in danger. In development for over three years, The Clockmaker is a mind-bending, seven-season, flash fiction episodic story of covert manipulation, arrogant determination, revenge against a calculating deity, and magic beyond time, paired with an equally captivating and powerful, cinematic soundtrack. AND MORE... TALES OF THE BLACK PIPER (additional volumes). Backers of the ADVENTURER tiers will receive any additional volumes unlocked by this campaign for FREE! PRE-PITCH SOUNDTRACKS: AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE COOKING, BEFORE THE PEOPLE WE PITCH IT TO. As we write music in preparation to pitch (for example, to authors we approach or to studios), we may release some of that to you, as a "behind-the-scenes" bonus. Many, if not most, of these pre-pitch songs will be exclusive to Black Piper Adventures.

BLACK PIPER ADVENTURES - Details

As a Black Piper Adventurer, beginning January 2024, you will receive monthly digital "packages" of creativity in your inbox. A few details:

These may consist of music, stories, artwork, or some combination thereof, with the added possibility of videos, livestreams, twitches, or other shenanigans, but no guarantees. (Well, shenanigans have a high probability.)
Some of what you receive will be exclusive to Black Piper Adventures. Much will not be exclusive, but you will receive it at least a month in advance. (That's a whole month you can brag to your friends. Without spoiling. We call this hype.)
You will also receive behind-the-scenes goodies. Sometimes that may be works-in-progress. Other times that may be notes about what is going on, pictures of work in the studio, etc. Some of this will also be shared with our Discord, but we will find ways to make thing go a little deeper here. Or broader. Or different.
You will have "Adventurer" status for a period of 24 months. That's 24 months of pure monthly awesomeness, if you ask us. (Please feel free to ask us!)
We will start delivery with pieces of Tales of The Black Piper initially, but other series/projects will be mixed in as we go.

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For one of our stretch goals, an audiobook format will be made available. Those in the digital tiers will be able to choose between audiobook and ebook formats (or be able to add both via add-ons if so desired.) Authors will automatically receive the audiobook format for free.

We are currently looking into having two voices for the narration. You can hear a test sample from one of our narrators, Regginald West, here. (This narration is from The Clockmaker, which is available as part of the ADVENTURER pledge level.)

Tales of The Black Piper: Audiobook Narration. Reggie West, Narrator

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CREDITS

The Kraken illustration: Игорь Решетников
Tales of The Black Piper cover illustration: Jamie Noble Frier (The Noble Artist) - https://thenobleartist.com/
Luminaries and Legends cover illustration: Joren Brighton
The Clockmaker (album & book) cover illustrations: Joren Brighton
The Clockmaker episode narration: Reginald Jamall West
The Black Prism cover illustration: Ian Riley
Refractions cover design: Ian Riley (art by Ian Riley x Dall-e)
Reflections cover design: Michael Bahnmiller (art by Michael Bahnmiller x Midjourney)
Tales of The Black Piper paperback and CD Mockups: Carly Kjelstrom
Tales of The Black Piper "I am not The Black Piper" illustration: Michael Bahnmiller x Midjourney
Kaladin cover illustration: Grant M. Hansen

Crowdfunding video:

Actors: Vienna, Emma, and Joseph
Voice Over: Corey Landis
Interviews: Jane Maree and Michael Bahnmiller
Visual FX/Sound FX: Ian Riley
Lighting: Bill Zuehl (through Rex Morris Productions)
Writer / Director / Editor / Producer / Composer: Michael Bahnmiller
Additional music: Luca Francini
- A Tale Of Love And Swords
- We Are The Bounce Addicts

SPECIAL THANKS:

Kristen Britain
Kami Bahnmiller
Lee & Kris Self
Jane Maree
Ian Riley
Lynell Williams
Joseph, Emma, and Vienna
Tamara Tonetti Buono
Teddi Deppner & Havok Publishing*
Bill Zuehl
Richard Williams
Sae Sae Norris

All our amazing volunteers, Discord moderators, focus group and testimonial fans, and others not yet listed anywhere else: Tyler
Yatooma, SpaceCricket, TheBesto, Ian Larsen, Australian Panda, Adam Foulke, Abigail Stewart, Charlotte Beers, and so many others.

* Special shout out to Havok Publishing, purveyors of impactful flash fiction, for whom our editor, Jane Maree, volunteers. Go check them out!

We here at The Black Piper would love to thank all of our supporters - our family, friends, and you! We couldn't do what we do without you! Not even close! Sure, we could write music, and even push it out into the aether for Uncle Bob to listen to when he's sitting on the tractor. But there is something special that comes from knowing this isn't just for Uncle Bob - from knowing that you're here with us, that what we are doing has touched your lives - that it matters.

And honestly, that's what it's all about: the music and stories that lift you up, that take you through the dark times, that calm your souls in the middle of (quite literally) a hurricane. Or - hey! - even just provide a little motivation in the middle of your workday when your boss is breathing strangely over your shoulder.

Thank you for the chance to do this. It means everything!

Here's to being on this new journey with you!

Cheers ~
The Team @ The Black Piper