{"id":11626,"date":"2018-02-22T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=11626"},"modified":"2017-11-28T10:49:26","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T15:49:26","slug":"self-publishers-and-crowdfunding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=11626","title":{"rendered":"3 Reasons Self-Publishers Should Crowdfund Their Book"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the explosion of the self-publishing industry and the popularity of platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, crowdfunding has become an increasingly viable option for authors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It only takes a cursory search to find encouraging case studies, like how one author <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/crowdfunding-a-book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raised $12,755 in 30 days<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to get you excited about the possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The excitement is justified, but crowdfunding a book takes a tremendous commitment of time and is a grueling journey for many authors.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> However, for those who navigate the process, crowdfunding can provide value that stretches far deeper than just earning upfront dollars to finance your book.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below are the top three reasons why authors should consider crowdfunding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crowdfunding helps defray publishing costs<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First time authors often <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/crowdfunding-book-good-bad-awkward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">underestimate the amount of money<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that it takes to get their book to market. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to bring a polished book to market, an author must plan to invest in at least the following services:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cover design<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Professional editing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interior\/exterior formatting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These costs can vary widely depending on the level of service you choose. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, a professional cover design will range anywhere from $100 &#8211; $1,500 depending if you choose a provider that repurposes stock images or designs a completely original cover from scratch. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond that, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/how-much-to-pay-for-a-book-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">editing will generally range<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between $.02 and $.10 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">per<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">word<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This means that a 100,000 word novel could set you back anywhere from $2,000 &#8211; $10,000. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are planning on using print on-demand services (such as CreateSpace) or only releasing an ebook, the upfront costs might stop there. But, if you want to do your own print run of physical copies, you\u2019ll have to invest another few thousand dollars to get books in hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s so appealing about crowdfunding is that it allows you to raise money <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you ever incur these costs. Prior to crowdfunding, these costs might have presented an insurmountable challenge to authors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, authors have the ability to bring a professional quality book to market without worrying about the ability to float the expenses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11923\" src=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/crowdfund-book.jpg\" alt=\"crowdfund book\" width=\"350\" height=\"714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/crowdfund-book.jpg 735w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/crowdfund-book-147x300.jpg 147w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/crowdfund-book-502x1024.jpg 502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>2. Crowdfunding makes selling your book easier<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crowdfunding presents a unique opportunity for authors to sell \u00a0books and build an audience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Successful crowdfunding campaigns do more than just get fans excited about your book. They get fans excited about the book\u2019s <\/b><b><i>journey.<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With crowdfunding, your backers are more than just customers. Backers become part of the reason that your book <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exists,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and this creates a level of excitement that simply doesn\u2019t occur after your book is printed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, crowdfunding campaigns inherently impose a sense of urgency. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most difficult objections to overcome when selling your book is fighting people\u2019s urge to say <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ll buy it later.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d The time limit of crowdfunding campaigns (generally 30 days) helps you push people beyond this hurdle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crowdfunding can put authors in a position to sell more books and build an audience faster than they ever could otherwise. The blend of urgency and excitement that crowdfunding provides is a crucial element in turning interested fans into paying customers. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. It can possibly help you get a publisher<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a number of crowdfunding platforms for authors to choose from. They range from the mega platforms (like Kickstarter and Indiegogo) to more specialized platforms that specifically target authors. This is where authors can leverage their campaign to potentially get a publisher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance some platforms such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inkshares<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unbound.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unbound<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> actually act as publishing houses themselves. If you run your campaign on their platform, there\u2019s a chance that they will pick you up and bring your book to market. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, there are platforms such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publishizer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Publishizer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that will act as your virtual agent. Based on the success of your campaign they will query your book to prospective publishers on your behalf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, authors should be aware that many of the \u201cpublishers\u201d that offer authors a deal are actually <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theworldsgreatestbook.com\/self-publishing-vanity-publishing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vanity presses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These companies offer to print your book in exchange for a service fee and provide limited (if any) support on marketing and distribution. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on your goals, this might still be the right decision, but authors should investigate further before signing on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These three factors create a compelling case for authors to launch their book via crowdfunding. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savvy authors can utilize crowdfunding as a tool to not only offset the costs of bringing their book to market, but also to accelerate sales and their ability to build an audience. If you are willing to put in the work, crowdfunding can be your ticket to bringing a professional book to market without paying the price. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Have you considered crowdfunding your book? Let us know in the comments below!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Considering crowdfunding for your next book? Here\u2019s why it might be your best bet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":370,"featured_media":11922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[873,1388,27],"class_list":["post-11626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-crowdfunding-a-book","tag-crowdfunding-for-authors","tag-self-publishing-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/370"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}