Crowd Funding 101 For Writers

I believe I’ve spoken about the cocktail fantasy before. You get your first book published (either traditionally or self) and suddenly you find yourself daydreaming about monthly holidays in the Caribbean and writing from your million dollar villa in Spain. And in your excitement you quit your run-of-the-mill job and suddenly find yourself up Poor River without your Pay Check Paddle. If only you had the money/the apartment to get the second book off the ground that your fans so desperately want. Or at least you hope they want.

What if I told you, you could get paid for writing, or to make your first print run? Especially if you are an already established author? If you are willing to do the work, then perhaps crowd funding is for you. Crowd funding allows artists to raise funds for their project, by asking everyday people to pledge money toward their project. It's not like traditional fundraising where you wear a Santa suit, put out a bucket to collect change and you hand it into the organisation (or I suppose yourself in this case). Crowd funding sets a goal and time limit, if you don't get enough people to pledge in the allotted time, everyone keeps their money, and the project goes back to square one. If the artist makes the funding goal, only then will the project go ahead, and then everyone who pledged gets some sort of reward for their wonderful help.

This is the platform that I used to fund a photography project to Cambodia (http://imagesforjoy.pozible.com.au) and what first time author Alain Guillemain used to edit, print, and launch his book Customer Delight (See his crowd funding project here).Yes you heard me right, Alain is a first time author, not an established author, and in 40 days he raised $7600. I was so intrigued I interviewed him about how he did it.

Lucky for you, I recorded it! See below for the full interview:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Customer Delight is available at http://customerdelight.com.au

Don’t say I don’t find the good stuff for you.  But remember,this is a professional artistic endeavour which requires the ability to produce what you promised. Almost 50% of projects do not get funded in the allotted time. So you need to have a good, creative plan in place, a fan base and dedication.

WANT TO GET THE EDGE?? MAKE YOUR CROWD FUNDING A SUCCESS.

For a limited time I will be offering the full recording, transcript and a one hour conference call with me to help you set up your project, so that you can give yourself the best chance of funding your project and getting paid for your writing. If you are interested in purchasing please email ebookrevolution(at) yahoo (dot) com with the subject heading  “Crowd Funding Help”.

Why do I have the expertise to guide you? I have both conducted a successful crowd funding campaign (raise almost $4500) and interviewed many others who have raised between $2500 and $7600. I know what it takes and how you need to market your project.

If you are interested please email ebookrevolution (at) yahoo (dot) com with the subject heading  “Crowd Funding Help”.

My recent novel a comedy set in Facebook, The Grand Adventures of Madeline Cain, is available at http://emilycraven.bkclb.co/the-grand-adventures-of-madeline-cain. You can also purchase E-Book Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to E-Book Success at http://emilycraven.bkclb.co/e-book-revolution-the-ultimate-guide-to-e-book-success.