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Crowdfunding with Pubslush

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crowd surf

crowd surf (Photo credit: Travlr)by Kori Miller

Crowd. Writer. Funding.

Crowdfunding + Writer = Surfing high on life reaching your goals.

Well, maybe not. It’s not as easy as what the young woman in the picture to the left is doing. It’s not impossible either.

What is crowdfunding? Essentially, it’s you asking other people (strangers) to give up their hard-earned cash to support you pursuing your goals (whatever they are.) That about covers it! Any questions?

(Insert crickets chirping.)

That really is it. Crowdfunding isn’t a new concept. Think about all the artists and writers from as far back as Shakespeare (and before, really) who had “sponsors.” People like being part of something. You are in a great position to offer that something when you create rewards for potential sponsors of your project.

Deciding which crowdfunding platform to use takes a bit of research. And, what goes into creating a crowdfunding campaign (it is a campaign, by the way) is another story entirely! Luckily, there are many examples of campaigns. Some are great! This one is fabulous! It’s engaging, humorous, and she asks for your support (That’s the campaign part. If you don’t ask, why would anyone support you?)

There are at least 7 different crowdfunding platforms (and probably more that I haven’t discovered!) I settled on 2 for my initial research: Pubslush and Unbound. Why? Because these two are for books. Yep! Only books.

Today, I’m focusing on Pubslush. Here’s a bit about the company from their site:

Welcome to Pubslush, a publishing platform for authors to raise funds and gauge the audience for new book ideas, and for trendsetting readers to pledge their financial support to bring books to life. Through a publishing imprint, powered by readers, Pubslush acquires high potential books from the platform, and for every book sold, donates a children’s book to a child in need. The goal of Pubslush is simply to be a risk free starting point for authors to successfully publish via whichever publishing route they prefer. The platform, exclusively for books, is optimized to be a resource and network for authors to navigate the evolving publishing industry.

The idea is a direct tribute to JK Rowling, and the many other authors who struggled. We are also inspired by TOMS Shoes, who pioneered the one for one movement. Pubslush is entirely about giving: giving an opportunity to authors, giving a voice to readers, and giving books to children without access to literature.

Sounds cool, right? A quick (okay, it actually took the better part of a day to see everything in their site) review of the site yields a lot of useful information. The site has a “Publishing 101″  guide to help authors understand how the Pubslush platform works, including fees (Their fee is the lowest in the field so far, at just 4% plus third-party processing fees), campaign length, analytics, and author’s rights. It’s free to set up. Check out their press kit for more details if you’re too busy to check out the site.

On Pubslush you have to raise a minimum of $500. This magic number means you’re ”funded.” You keep the money you raise. A video is KEY. Don’t skip that part no matter how introverted you are. You can use YouTube for the video upload. Get creative! Look at lots of other campaigns for ideas. I mentioned “rewards” earlier. Remember that potential sponsors want to be part of something they perceive to be great. Your reward possibilities are endless. Here are a few suggestions: poster of the book cover, signed hardback copy of your book, a hand-written “thank you” note, — Again, look at what other campaigns offer and use those ideas. (Caution: When you’re deciding the level of funding you need, remember to include the cost of producing and delivering your rewards.)

Today, it looks like there are 12 projects on Pubslush. Four writers already succeeded. If I calculated correctly that’s a 33% success rate … so far. Why choose Pubslush?

  • Focused on writers
  • Readers can easily find and support your project
  • You keep the money you raise even if you don’t meet your target ($500 min.)
  • Platform supports worldwide literacy programs
  • Free to start
  • Low fees
  • User-friendly
  • Connects you with readers
  • Successful projects can get picked up by the Pubslush imprint

Why not Kickstarter? You could go that way. It’s the big dog on the crowdfunding block, but it’s an “all or nothing” scenario. And, your project is competing with lots of other types of projects. It might get completely lost in that ocean. Still, I’m sure it has its pluses. I haven’t researched that one, yet.

I like the idea of a smaller outfit focused on writers. You don’t have to seek much funding. Maybe all you need is $2K to pay for editing your manuscript. Maybe, like Nicole Walters (the example I gave earlier), you want to create an awesome book trailer. Using your social networks, other contacts, and a smaller crowdfunding platform might be all you need to surf above the crowd and achieve your goal.

KDM

Update: Pubslush relauched July 2012

Next: Unbound


Filed under: Education, Kori Miller Writes Tagged: #WPLongform, crowdfunding, J.K. Rowling, Kickstarter, Pubslush, TOMS Shoes, writers, Writers Resources

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