Authors
need money to make money. When authors
need to pay for editing, cover design, printing, advertising, and public
relations they might simply foot the bill, borrow money, get an investor, or
petition a credit card. But they can
also do a crowdfunding campaign on a site like Kickstarter. So how should writers go about launching a
Kickstarter campaign?
First,
I would suggest you read up about the process.
It can be a great way to get thousands of dollars to help your
cause. These campaigns can be a lot of
work – and they aren’t always successful.
But when they work, they can be your savior.
Second,
make sure you have a clearly defined project – how much do you need to raise,
for what purpose, and in exchange for what rewards? Set a realistic timeline and then prepare
your campaign and submit it to Kickstarter for review and approval.
Third,
you’ll need to brand yourself and tell a story as to who you are, what you’re
trying to accomplish, and why someone should help you. It’s a little like presenting before Shark
Tank. You have a limited amount of time and ad
space to stake your claim, so think about the look and feel of the campaign you
present to others.
What should you call it? What image best represents the project? Do you have a descriptive blurb that best describes your project? Do you have a short video that really grabs one’s attention? What do you say in your bio? Which category will you list under?
What should you call it? What image best represents the project? Do you have a descriptive blurb that best describes your project? Do you have a short video that really grabs one’s attention? What do you say in your bio? Which category will you list under?
Fourth,
can you have a strong unique selling proposition that can be verbalized in
fewer than 15 seconds? A sentence? A word?
Fifth,
can you collaborate with a known entity or person, to quickly add trust and
legitimacy to your project? Do you have
testimonials to support your work or who you are? Do you instill confidence that people need to
have in you?
You
may need some tools to help you. For
instance, to produce a decent video, consider using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker
or Animoto. You Tube Video Editor can
help too.
To
learn from other Kickstarter campaigns, go onto Kickstarter and observe what
people are doing well. Click through
other projects in your industry and see what works for others.
Estimate
how many different levels of financial backing you’ll need. For instance, if
you seek to raise $6,000, will you rely on 600 people to each give 10 dollars
or 1200 to hand over $5 – or will some give a hundred bucks for the right
incentive? What type of rewards might be
of interest to your potential backers at each price point? Will you give a signed copy of your
book? Will you invite high donors to
meet you? Can you give them swag, like a
T-shirt, mug, or cap?
You’ll
need a compelling call to action – a reason for people to respond to your
request for help. Use social media and
email to reach out to those you seek to raise funds from.
One
of the best ways to raise money is to ask your donors to reach out to their
lists of connections to solicit more donations.
If they believe in your project enough to give you money, I would think
they’d be willing to ask others to help support you as well.
You
can advertise your Kickstarter campaign on Facebook, Google, or other
platforms. You can also hold an event in
person to raise funds for your cause.
But be careful not to spend more than you take in!
Keep
providing updates to everyone about your campaign’s progress. Thank your supporters profusely.
Go
local and use sites like Meetup, Patch, or Next Door to recruit local support
from neighbors. If you hold an event,
consider listing it on Zvents, Eventbrite, or Evite.
Kickstarter
could be your best chance to Kickstart your book in 2019. Good luck!
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1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019 Toolkit For Authors -- FREE
Brian
Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas
expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or
anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and
email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed
in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are
often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.
This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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