How to read your Kickstarter digital comic rewards
To read a Kickstarter comic's digital reward, download the file the creator sends you, then add it to a comic reader. LiveComics takes the PDF, CBZ, CBR and EPUB files that digital rewards usually come as, and opens them on any phone, tablet or computer you sign in on: page by page, one panel at a time, or read aloud. Adding your files and reading them is free.
Where are my Kickstarter digital rewards?
Wherever the creator delivers them, and the project's updates usually say where. Many campaigns use a pledge manager such as BackerKit, where your digital downloads live in your BackerKit survey, behind a Get Your Digital Rewards button once the files are ready. Other creators email a download link to the address you pledged with, or send a code for another store. If nothing has arrived, check the project's updates and FAQ first.
How do I read a digital reward?
Download the files first, then add copies of them here.
- Open the download the creator gave you, in your BackerKit survey or the email they sent, and save each file somewhere you can find it, like the Files app on an iPhone or your Downloads folder.
- Make a free account at livecomics.to, or get the app from the App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store.
- In your library, press + Add Comics and pick the files. You can pick many at once.
- Under Import as, choose Pages, Panels or Panels + Audio, pick the reading type and press Add. Tick Use these choices for the other files too, and any issue already in your library is skipped.
Each file can be up to 2.6 GB. A free account imports 30 comics a month and holds 1 GB, about 20 single issues, with no card. For a bigger collection, Collector is $3 a month for 50 GB and lifts the import limit.
What if the creator sent a Dropbox or Google Drive link?
You can paste it instead of downloading. In your library, tap From a link next to + Add Comics, paste the link to one file and press Get it. We download it on our side, so it won't use your data plan. A link to a whole folder is refused, so open the folder and copy the link to each file, or download the files and add them as usual. The file has to be shared with anyone who has the link, and an EPUB can't come in by link.
Which file should I download?
Take CBZ if it is offered: it holds the page images and opens fast. PDF works too, but each one takes a few minutes to prepare, because every page has to be rendered first. EPUB works as well, as long as the book is a comic made of page images.
Can I read my rewards on my phone or tablet?
Yes. LiveComics is in the App Store for iPhone and iPad, on Google Play for Android and in the Microsoft Store for Windows, and it runs in any browser. Your place is kept on every device.
App Store · Google Play · Microsoft Store · Comic reader for iPad · Comic reader for Android · How to read comics on your phone
Can I read them one panel at a time, or aloud?
Yes. Choose Panels and the comic plays one panel at a time, framed to fill the screen, free on every issue. Choose Panels + Audio and every speech balloon is read aloud by two synthetic narrators matched to each speaker, with the drawn sound effects and a soundscape under every scene. Voices come with a monthly plan or a top-up, and you see the price in credits before you press Add.
What won't work?
A reward sent as a code for another store's app stays in that app, because there is no file to add. A PDF with a password is refused, so add a copy without the password. A zip file full of PDFs is refused too: unzip it and add the PDFs themselves.
Straight answers
Where do I find my BackerKit digital downloads?
In your BackerKit survey. Once the creator releases the files, a Get Your Digital Rewards button shows on the survey's review page. Downloads released through a survey don't show in the Digital Rewards tab of your BackerKit account.
Can I read a Kickstarter comic PDF on my phone?
Yes. Save the PDF to your phone, then add it in the LiveComics app or at livecomics.to in your phone's browser. Panels fills the screen with one panel at a time, so you don't have to pinch and drag.
I backed it but never got the file. What now?
Ask the creator. Check the project's updates and the inbox of the email you pledged with, spam folder included. We can only read the file once you have it.
Can I add all my rewards at once?
Yes. Press + Add Comics and pick every file at once. Tick Use these choices for the other files too, and any issue already in your library is skipped.
Do I need another app to read my rewards?
No. Once you have downloaded a reward, you only need a comic reader. Add it here and read it in the LiveComics app or in any browser.
Is LiveComics free?
Yes, to add and read your comics. A free account imports 30 comics a month with 1 GB of storage and no card, Panels is free on every issue, and voices come with a monthly plan or a top-up.
LiveComics is not affiliated with Kickstarter or BackerKit. They are named only to describe where your files came from.
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