Crowdfunding is a powerful and underused tool in the author’s tool kit. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow you to see if there is an audience for your book while simultaneously raising funds to help make it happen.
How they work: You set a goal of how much money you need to publish your book. Then backers pledge money to help you hit your goal. If you fail to hit it, no one is charged and you get no money; but if you do hit the goal, then the backers’ credit cards are charged.
In return for backing your Kickstarter campaign, backers get rewards, like a copy of your book. It is a way of getting presales of the book to help you finish the book.
But how can you use sites like Kickstarter to help crowdfund your book?
To help answer this question, we will be talking with a Marine Corps veteran who writes Christian fiction. He is the author of The Exorcism of Frosty the Snowman and has a fantasy novel, Shades of Black: In Darkness Cast, on Kickstarter.
Jon Shuerger, Jr., welcome to the Christian Publishing Show!
Links:
- CreativeGrumbles.com
- Jonathan’s Kickstarter Page
- A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide: Build a Better Business by Building Community
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A quick update on Jonathan’s Kickstarter: Since we first recorded the interview, the $1,000 level we discussed was funded, and he now has more than $5,000 raised.