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The Guardian, while mentioning the Karen-Klein-Bus and the Tesla-Museum projects, wrote about Crowdfunding: “It’s quickly becoming the world’s incubation platform, changing the role of gatekeeper and finally giving the world true choice in determining which ideas come to life. Such meritocracy has never existed in the world of finance before.” Crowdfunding for your book offers an amazing opportunity as one of the starting steps in the publishing process. You heard it so often here on this blog: Marketing your books should start well before publication. When using crowdfunding, authors can focus their marketing efforts, while reaping the benefits of a successful crowdfunding campaign: raising funds pre-publication, collecting pre-orders and testing market viability.
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Is there a Market for Your Book?
A successful crowdfunding campaign is proof that a market exists for your product or service. Publishing means you have to sell, and a crowdfunding campaign is a cheap way for you to test the waters. If you create an interesting campaign, crowdfunding sites will promote it additionally and let the message go viral. Indiegogo, for example uses an objective algorithm called the “gogofactor” to ensure crowdfunding campaigns earn exposure based on the community’s response to them.
Raising funds pre-publication can help authors to produce a higher quality book. Even if an author tends to go with a traditional publishing house, crowdfunding offers an opportunity to prove market viability for their book.
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Create Buzz for Your Book
Conducting a crowdfunding campaign is a great way to land interest and support around a book pre-publication, an essential part of the overall success of a book. This allows authors to collect pre-orders for their book during their crowdfunding campaign. The ability to collect pre-orders provides authors with an already active audience – and often reviewers – to jumpstart the success of their book once it’s published.
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Get to Know Your Readers
Once your book is sold in retail shops, on- and off-line – these sellers have your customer’s data, and you have very view possibilities to get to know or to communicate with your readers. Maybe when they write a review, but not even then … However, crowdfunding gives you the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with the people who fund you. The reward of crowdfunding is not just in Dollars, Euros or Pounds, but in access to your readers’ contact information.
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Readers and Reviewers
Authors can offer copies of their book to their supporters. For example, let’s say an author’s book campaign gains the support of a hundred people who will receive a copy of the book as a reward. The day the book debuts, the author will already have access to those hundred readers, who will be able to review the book on Goodreads, Amazon or B&N, Kobo or Apple and help to generate attention and momentum immediately after publication. If the book is sold in print through book shops, it has only a couple of weeks to succeed and with an initial boost its likelihood of success is much greater.
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One author explains it: “Kickstarter provided effective market research and publicity for us. We developed an audience that cares about our product, who can convince others to be excited about it too.”
Danae Ringelmann, co-founder of Indiegogo, said: “It’s time to fund what matters to you.”
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Photo Jennifer Pugh
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More Benefits Beside the Money
Crowdfunding for authors could quickly become the natural and necessary step between the writing and publication of a book. Even if an author believes they don’t need the money, the other benefits are immeasurable. Plus, authors can come up with many other enticing ways to allocate their funds if they don’t want to use them for the publication of their book.
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How to Organize Your Campaign:
- Make a business plan. YES, start your crowdfunding organized! This is a business! Check out your suppliers (funding companies), calculate conservatively the money you need and a little cushion for hidden expenses.
- Create a compelling pitch. Your fund-raising pitch should focus on emotions and get donors excited about your business, your product or service and your entrepreneurial passion. Decide the length of your campaign. If you go too short, it might not be enough time to get the word out, most campaigns are between 30 – 45 days.
- Prepare at the same time your update strategy – and prepare help to send out mails, either friends or a professional mass mail company. Don’t stop with one initial offer, your funders love to hear frequently from you, how the funding process and later the implantation process goes along. They love to see a result!
- Create attractive rewards for your funders – it must not be neccessarely monetary, at least not for the under $50 funds, but it should be a customized gift or one that shows your appeciation, such as a mentioning in a book or a film.
- There is a lot of competition on these crowdfunding sites, so if you want to stand out, use not only your social media platform, but also your real-life contacts, your own networks and their networks’ networks. If you want people to back your project you have to tell them about it. More than once… Folks have to hear a message about seven! times, before they act!
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Answer these Questions for Yourself:
- Who is my audience for the whole publishing project?
What is the uniqueness of my publishing project?
Why should people donate to your publishing project?
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Conclusion:
The supporters of your crowdfunding campaign are your customers. Crowdfunding is a way to pre-order books before they are produced – invaluable for a startup author-publisher. Too often, authors write books before knowing the depth of their reader base. Crowdfunding means you have readers before your book is published.
In other words: The author’s knowledge of the audience of their book and how to reach them is the key to success in publishing. Crowdfunding means, an author is able to test the market for the book and find and connect with their audience pre-publication, which gives them a tremendous advantage when the book is published and promoted to a large audience of readers.
Let us know: How did YOU promote your crowdfunding project – besides Social Media?
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More Sources:
Kickstarter Crowdfunding in More Countries
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/great-news-for-canadian-authors-kickstarter-is-here/
How to Organize Your Crowdfunding Campaign
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/12-tips-for-your-crowdfunding-project/
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Savvy Writers & e-Books online 
Grants for Writers: 1 in 3 Proposals Funded!
Writers Residency & Grant
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Among the country’s largest grant makers, in average one proposal in three is typically funded. Read in a recent post of this blog: How to Apply for Funding. Study their requirements carefully, ask for copies of grant proposals they have been previously funded. Some samples can even be found on websites or other resources available online. Write your proposal in a positive manner and language and proof-read it carefully. Create a good cover letter template and an application template and keep it in your computer files, then customize those files to fit specific grants and contest applications.
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Illinois Arts Council
The Illinois Arts Council recognizes that individual artists are the keystone to the creation of art. Individual Artist Professional Development (IA-PD) seeks to support professional development opportunities related to an individual artist’s career. Grant amounts for IA-PD are $500 or $750 Individual Artist Support funds will help Illinois artists realize career goals, take advantage of professional opportunities, and/or produce projects or bodies of work for public viewing. The IAS program represents the Arts Council’s commitment to continuing to support the work of individual artists. Deadline September 14, 2012. If sending via USPS or other mailing service: postmarked September 14, 2012
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs009/1101975251935/archive/1110682278125.html
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Residency at Chateau de La Napoule, Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
LNAF’s General Residency offers up to ten artists a four week period to live and work at the Château de La Napoule. At its core is a belief in the value of the shared experience of personal, professional and artistic discovery that takes place within a supportive environment of peers.
Group Residency: This residency offers up to ten artists a five week period to live and work at the Château de La Napoule. At its core is a belief in the value of the shared experience of personal, professional and artistic discovery that takes place within a supportive environment of peers. This program promotes opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue and artistic exchange. This residency is open to all artistic genres and artists from across the globe. Selected artists receive housing and most meals. Deadline: September 30, 2012. Contact LNAF@clews.org
http://www.LNAF.org
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ART342 Residences
ART342 hosts local, national and international artists for 14-week and 6-week sessions during the spring summer and fall. We are able to accommodate most visual artists, including creative writers, and composers. Free studio space, a modest weekly stipend and living arrangements are awarded to select residents. We restrict the sessions to the artist only without pets, children, companions, visitors or local interruptions. Location Fort Collins, CO. Application deadline: October 1. There are no fees for housing or studio facilities. However, the residents are responsible for their own groceries, supplies and spending money. $100/week for out-of-town residents.
http://www.art342.org
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Massachusetts Artist Fellowship Program
We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2013 Artist Fellowships Program. The Artist Fellowships provide direct, unrestricted support to Massachusetts artists in recognition of exceptional original work. MCC’s Artist Fellowships are competitive, anonymously-judged grants for individual artists, with awards based solely on the artistic excellence of the original work submitted. The 2013 Artist Fellowships Program accepts applications among others in the following categories: Dramatic Writing, and Sculpture/Installation. Online applications available now. Application deadline: October 1, 2012
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/applications/fellows_guidelines.asp
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Pine Manor College Fellowships
The Solstice MFA in Creative Writing offers four fellowships for students starting the program during the winter residency/spring semester: the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction, the Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction, the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent, and the Sharon Olds.
Fellowship for Poetry: These Fellowships provide $1000 toward first-semester tuition for four students who begin the program during the winter residency/spring semester. Applicants who want to be considered for a genre-based fellowship should submit a general application form no later than October 15, 2012.
http://www.pmc.edu/mfa-financial-aid
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The Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University
A fellowship will be given to writers and other artists of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the 2013-2014 academic year. Hodder Fellows may be writers, composers, choreographers, visual artists and performance artists who have “much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts;” they are selected more “for promise than for performance.” Given the strength of the applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the
Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the “studious leisure” to undertake significant new work. Hodder Fellows spend an academic year at Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. A $68,000 stipend is provided! Fellowships cannot fund work leading to the Ph.D. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply. Apply by November 1, 2012 through the Princeton Human Resources website – www.princeton.edu/jobs; search Open Positions and enter key word “Hodder Fellows.”
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Nevada Go Artist Grants
Professional Development Grant (PDG) promotes the continuing education of Nevada’s nonprofit arts industry to advance their work and careers through attendance at regional or national conferences, workshops, or seminars for skills training. For artists, educators, board members, and arts administrators, PDG funds cover costs associated with professional development activities on a reimbursement basis. Must demonstrate travel of at least 100 miles round-trip to qualify. Up to $650 for out-of-state activities, up to $500 for in-state opportunities and up to $350 to attend NAC sponsored activities. Individual artists of all disciplines, including fold and traditional artists and community scholars, teaching artists, arts educators.
New: Jackpot Grants will support arts education projects (previously funded through BETA Grants) that are designed and implemented by teaching artists, nonprofit arts and non-arts organizations, schools or public institutions. Examples of eligible projects include: art exhibitions, performances, readings and concerts, sponsoring of arts-related workshops and conferences, marketing and promotional activities, planning, implementation, and/or evaluation of arts education programs for school-aged students or other target participants. Grant Amount: up to $1,000. Available on a first-come, first-served and reimbursement basis throughout the year while funds are available.
http://nac.nevadaculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1043&Itemid=412
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Check out these websites to find more writers residencies, grants and fellowships:
Mira’s List or Res Artis A database of world-wide residencies, which you can search by discipline, keyword or country.
If you are willing to take a little time and have a bit of courage, you will be able to reap the fruits of your labor. It is a myth that you have to be famous in order to get a grant. Truth is, most people who are awarded grants are on their way up, not already there. Fear of being rejected prevents a lot of people from applying for opportunities that are out there. Fear is your worst enemy. You really have nothing to lose when applying. The best remedy for fearing rejection is to apply for five to ten things at the same time.
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts (there are more than 520 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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And don’t forget to spread the word on other social networking sites of your choice for other writers who might also enjoy this blog and find it useful. Thanks, Doris
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Posted by ebooksinternational on September 2, 2012 in comment on posts, googling social, Grants & Funding, join the conversation, Marketing, post to public, posting, Writers Residency
Tags: application for grants, ART342 Residences, Arts Council, Fellowship for Poetry, Grant proposals, Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, How to Apply for Funding, Illinois Arts Council, Massachusetts Artist Fellowship, Nevada Go Artist Grants, Program, Solstice MFA in Creative Writing, writers funding