Crowdfunding for self-publishing authors: How passionate fans can make your book a reality

Readers who crowdfund self-publishing products get their rewards here on earth

When we think of the runaway successes in self-publishing, we almost always think of ebook best-sellers bounding up the Amazon Top 100 in great leaps. But for most authors, particularly ones in the early stages of their career, it can be hard to reach enough readers to even put dinner on the table, let alone pay the mortgage.

But the ebook isn’t the only game in town. Rather than rely on volume of sales, some authors are looking in the other direction, attracting a small number of generous fans interested in exclusive products. This is made possible by ‘crowdfunding’ sites, like the US-only Kickstarter or European Ulule or Indiegogo.

How does crowdfunding work for self-publishing authors?

Crowdfunding is a simple concept: You:

• decide how much money you need
• pick a deadline by which you want to meet that goal
• offer a selection of rewards at different prices and backers pick the one they like.

Other sites, like Indigogo, work on a ‘keep what you raise’ basis, so when the project hits its deadline, funding ceases but everyone pays what they promised. That can be problematic if you need to raise a certain amount of money to cover basic costs, but can be great if you have already made an investment and just want to recoup as much as possible.

Dozens of authors are using sites like Kickstarter to get their work into print and reach a community of readers who are more than willing to invest in a cool project. And the potential is absolutely huge, especially for niche projects that might appeal to a small but enthusiastic crowd.

My experiences with crowdfunding

I first used Kickstarter in 2010 to raise funds to get a novelette I had written into print. Standing at around 18,500 words, Argleton was a story too long to be a short story but too short to be a novel and would never see the light of day through traditional means. It was self-publish or nothing. So up went a Kickstarter project, asking for a modest $2,700 to cover printing costs.

Back then, Kickstarter and the idea of crowdfunding were still new and unusual. Few people knew what crowdfunding was and, despite thinking I had a good followership online, getting supporters was tough.

What makes a successful crowdfunding pitch?

In this respect, crowdfunding is exactly the same as selling ebooks: You must build up your fanbase and be able to reach thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people in order to succeed. The projects that fail are usually are poorly conceived or badly promoted. But as others succeed on Kickstarter, especially with technology products — one project recently neared $1.5 million and another has exceeded $2 million, and one of them still has 28 days to go — crowdfunding will become an easier sell for everyone.

How are books doing on Kickstarter? I spent some time looking through some recent successful fiction projects and the average sum raised was $3,600, with an average goal of $3,000. That’s significantly less than some of the tech projects raise, but it reflects the lower sums requested and the limited rewards on offer.  

Rich Burlew’s Order of the Stick comic reprint drive, on the other hand, has just a few hours to go and has raised $1,183,588 from 14,195 backers. Burlew has drawn over 800 OOTS strips over nine years and has a huge following online, as well as several books in his back catalogue just itching to be reprinted. But his approach to rewards has been more inventive than most books projects. What Burlew is producing is desirable. It’s not just stickers, postcards and unremarkable paperbacks or hardbacks. It’s something that his fans desperately want.

The rewards have to go both ways

That’s a lesson I’ve tried to take to heart as I plan my next Kickstarter project. As a bookbinder as well as an author, I’m focusing on providing rewards that I hope people will adore. Yes, there’ll be the inevitable ebook and paperback version, but also a selection of sumptuous hand-bound hardback editions. I am particularly looking forward to creating a full leather-bound edition. Oh, that smell!

In 2008, Kevin Kelly wrote a blog post explaining how creators could make a living off 1,000 ‘true fans’. Back then, it seemed a little difficult to imagine how we could turn this theory into reality. Crowdfunding lets us gather up our true fans so that we can give them what they love: Books desired not just for what’s written on their pages, but because they are beautiful artefacts that look amazing on your shelf.

Suw Charman-Anderson is an author, bookbinder and technologist. She blogs at Forbes and Chocolate and Vodka, where you can keep up to date with her latest project, Queen of the May.