Crowdfunding a Book
If you have been following me on social media, then you know that my latest book Sink or Swim: A Survival Story, was and is a crowdfunded venture. Read my story on Go Fund Me here. You may also be wondering how you too can go about crowdfunding a book of your own. If so, read on for my best tips for success to crowdfund and self-publish a book.
- First, you have to have an idea. What is the book or project you want to create? You don’t necessarily need to have it written before beginning a crowdfunding campaign, but you do at least need the idea.
- Make your story share worthy. What made my story so special is that it wasn’t simply about publishing my memoirs. No, I wanted to pay it forward. My goal was and is to get my story out there to people that need inspiration. I want to help the world realize that regardless of what cards they are dealt, it’s how they play the game that determines what the outcome is.With that in mind, what is so special about your story that would motivate people to give you the money to help fund your project? Are you helping people? Is your book going to entertain? Educate? What is the message of your book that would make people want to read it.
- Choose your fundraising platform and the rewards donors will receive. Will you go through Go Fund Me like I did? Or would you prefer Kickstarter, IndieGogo or some other platform? Decide on one and then get your page up.
- Now it’s time to spread the word. How will you share the story that will make people want to give you their hard earned cash? This could be a video, a blog post, a social media post- it could be all of the above. If no one knows you are raising money, how can they give it to you?
- Thank every person who donates publicly, keep sharing and hopefully your crowdfunding project will be a wild success!
Need more help? Check out Forbes’ guide to Crowdfunding Success.
Now, I want to hear from you! Have you ever crowdfunded a project like a book? How did it go? What lessons did you learn? Leave a comment below and share your experience.