While I was in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, I received quite a few questions from authors about how I went about it, and would crowdfunding be a good idea for them.
Background
First, let me tell you about my project and how it came about.
I wrote Not Marked last spring after I wrote a post about sexual abuse for Deeper Story. I shopped the book to publishers, but they passed on it. Yet the message of the book burned inside me. I knew how much heartache lived in this world, where people hurt in silence. Sexual abuse isn’t exactly dinner table conversation, and the shame associated with it makes people keep it silent.
So last spring I decided to publish it myself and do it right. The problem? I didn’t have the funds to hire an editor, pay for formatting, or fund an initial print run. I address why I’m not going with Print on Demand on this post. My friend Thomas Umstattd here at Author Media had recently run a successful Kickstarter campaign for MyBookTable, and he offered to help me navigate the world of crowdfunding.
I paid for a book cover. I paid for a video for the campaign. I pitched the project to Kickstarter and was turned down. (They don’t do self help books). We regrouped and put the project up on Indiegogo, and fully funded after a week. Currently we’re hoping to reach some stretch goals.
Should I Crowdfund my book? 7 Questions to Help Authors Know for Sure
Crowdfunding is not for everyone. So here are 7 questions you need to ask yourself before you begin crowdfunding your staggering work of genius.
1. Do I have an existing, engaged tribe of followers?
I know I would not have funded my project early had I not already developed a strong following of sweet, determined “fans.” If no one knows you (except friends and family) as a writer, it will be hard to gather enough people and momentum to fund your project.
You need a crowd to crowdfund. Not to say it won’t happen–if your project is compelling, the idea may capture folks. But it’s just a lot harder if you don’t have a tribe (email distribution list, Twitter followers, Google + presence, LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, website, blog, etc).
2. Do I have a month of time I can dedicate to this?
I read a terrific ebook by John Saddington that aptly warned me the crowdfunding project would overtake my month. He was absolutely right. You pretty much have to put your other projects on the back burner in order to answer questions, write blog posts, ask folks for help, tweet and facebook about the campaign, strategize on difficult days, etc. Crowdfunding is not for the faint of heart.
3. Is my book about me or about them?
If it’s your pet project that you’ve wanted to do, but publishers didn’t want to publish it, it’s important you evaluate whether this is about you or if it’s about being generous and helping people. Your book should bring a clear benefit to your reader or a group of folks. For me, the people who have experienced sexual abuse (and their spouses) will find healing and perspective from sexual abuse. It’s a clear benefit, and a clear audience.
4. Can you tell a compelling story?
A successful campaign tells a story of a problem and a solution and a conflict or obstacle in the middle. You can’t be shy. You must state your story in simple language. In my video, I tell my story of being sexually abused at age five. I don’t stay there, or wallow in the story. I redirect that story and ask my audience if they’ve had that experience. A compelling story must transfer from the storyteller to the reader/listener/watcher. They have to be able to see themselves in the story.
5. How do I feel about promotion?
This was HARD for me. I don’t want to become a Me Monster about my book or my campaign. But to fund it, I had to advocate for it–quite frequently. You have to feel so passionately about your book that you’re willing to over-promote it. I have definitely been outside my comfort zone in this.
6. Do I know someone who can mentor me through the process?
Truly, truly I would not be funded had I not had Thomas Umstattd mentor me through the crowdfunding journey. I recently spoke with crowdfunding expert Jason Nast about this. He shepherds authors through the process as well. There’s a lot of nuance and strategy to executing a terrific campaign. I would have made 1000 mistakes had I not had help.
7. Are you comfortable delivering a product in a specified period of time?
When you crowdfund, you promise a delivery date. Since others have entrusted you with their money, you must be a disciplined artist and business person to actually over-deliver on your promise. That’s why I wrote the book first. As soon as the project funded, I polished up the manuscript and sent it to my editor. I would not recommend that you pitch a book that has yet to be written.
I hope those questions help you as you make a decision about crowdfunding your book. I’m grateful, so grateful that I’ve experienced success in this area. It’s been a huge encouragement in my career as well as a validation of the years I’ve spent building a tribe.
Learn How to Crowdfund Your Book
Thomas Umstattd and I recently crowdfunded a course on how to crowdfund your book. We talk in this course about how to build your crowd, how to craft your page and a lot more.
What questions do you have about crowdfunding?
Great post! I’ve been considering using Kickstarter to fund my new YA Christian fantasy, but I haven’t decided whether it’s something I want to do. I’m not quite sure if I have the tribe that I need or if my tribe would like this type of thing. I think they’d rather just buy it and not fuss with something new, if that makes sense!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I have seen graphic novels do very well on Kickstarter. If your premise is amazing, it still may resonate with backers.
I’ve seen that, too, but I haven’t seen much fiction, especially Christian fiction, do well. Of course, I’ve only checked out Kickstarter. Why did you choose Indiegogo over Kickstarter?
Kickstarter has a rule that you can’t do self help books on their platform.
Blessings on your YA fantasy!
With crowdfunding it definitely falls on the author to do most of the marketing. If you don’t have fans (or at least a large number of friends, family, or twitter followers) you can turn to, then it’s not as likely that you’ll be funded.
But that’s really the downside of self-publishing in general. You have to do a lot of work, not just write.
So true. And even if you’re traditionally published, a lot falls on the shoulders of the author.
I read somewhere that self-publishing might actually be the cause of that. Publishing companies are really picky now, and they don’t develop authors the way they used to.
Thanks, Mary. I’ve started on a fiction series with child sexual abuse as the backdrop for the plots. It’s a difficult topic, and I don’t know whether crowdfunding would work for me. However, you’ve presented some insight that might be helpful in the future.
I’m glad to be of help, Kathy. Godspeed on your books.
Thanks for the tips Mary. 🙂 Anyone thinking of crowdfunding a series of written works like magazines or novellas might be interested in http://www.pozible.com ‘s upcoming subscription based crowdfuding model. They also have a handbook with tips for crowdfunding, though the ones you’ve covered here are really essential!
There’s also a new site that we just started at http://feedthearts.com. It takes the crowdfunding model and combines it with advertiser-supported virtual currency. So instead of asking for money, you’re directing your fans to a site where they can hang out and have fun and the big companies pay for your project.
I feel left out…I’m the only one on this thread without a picture.
Hi, Mary,
Some good questions, but I would add a couple of others at the TOP of the list.
For better or worse, crowd-funding depends on video. Stephen King doesn’t have to use video to introduce himself and connect with readers. But the rest of us do. Potential donors are not just investing in a great book idea, they’re investing in the person behind it. So the questions would be: (1) Are you comfortable in front of the camera? (2) Do you project confidence and a positive image?
Secondly, crowd-funding is NOT an arts-patronage system or a foundation grant. It is a rewards-based system. What do you have to offer donors, in addition to your book, that is something not only that they would value but that they would want? That’s a toughie and requires a whole series of “gifts” that ought to become more and more desirable as the pledge amount increases. What makes it particularly tough is finding rewards that don’t cost you an arm and a leg, else you’ve counteracted the benefit of crowd-funding. (No-cost gifts include autographed copies, inscriptions, inclusion on the list of acknowledgements, to name a few.)
And my apologies in advance for this, but I run a website emphasizing grammar in the total picture of writing and I would be remiss if I didn’t point out a couple of things. For example, “on again off again gardener” should properly be “on-again, off-again gardener.” And “non-fiction,” something that I had to look up a short while ago, is no longer hyphenated. (And think of a hyphen mistake committed by a person who calls himself “hyphenman.” It doesn’t get much more embarrassing than that.)
Congratulations, by the way, on meeting your goal. I plan to check out your campaign.
David has asked my main question: What’s in it for me as the potential donor? Why should I pay for the production of your book?
And what do you do to overcome potential negative perceptions of crowdfunding? The only time I’ve come across this concept was an author who was asking for funds to take his family on holiday to visit the home of his favourite author. It seemed too much Me Monster (great clip, by the way), and gave me the impression crowdfunding wasn’t something I wanted to engage with.
Iola,
Not every crowdfunding campaign will offer commensurate benefits for funding. We do that because we believe this helps people truly feel the value they receive by backing.
As to the me monster, I agree. Good crowdfunding campaigns show the why. If you check out my first campaign, you’ll see the “back of the napkin budget” at the very bottom. These were actual expenses. And, even though I raised more than my goal, I still ended up paying to publish my book. There are so many hidden expenses in publishing!
And David, thanks for your clarifications and the hyphenation help. My critique group finds those mistakes too, as I’m not so great at them. 🙂
Regarding whether to hyphenate non-fiction/nonfiction, it depends on which country you’re writing for.
“Nonfiction” is commonly used in the US.
“Non-fiction” is commonly used in Australia and the UK, and most probably other countries that use British English.
I’ve chosen to use “nonfiction” because I market internationally to nonfiction authors, and I’ve found through experience that people outside the US are quite adept at understanding Americanisms, whereas people inside the US are more prone to get into a tizzy about an unexpected letter “u” or hyphen. 😉
I looked for John Saddington’s e-book, but can’t find — even with a search on Google. Any suggestions?