Authors: Crowdfunding KickStarter is Here Too!

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Kickstarter finally expanded into Canada!
Canadian writers, artists and entrepreneurs seeking financing for their books, artwork or other projects, got a boost when the world’s largest online crowd-funding platform officially moved to Canada last month.
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New York-based Kickstarter’s co-founder Yancey Strickler says the company had long wanted to move into Canada but was kept away due to financial regulations.  Prior to the official launch some Canadian entrepreneurs had to use American partners or American registered businesses to create a Kickstarter project. Now, Canadian users will be able to enter their own banking information to pledge money to projects on the site.
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Kickstarter gets five per cent of the funds collected by successful projects, and the companies that process the payments will take another three per cent. Add to this the tax to be paid …  Now you know how much to calculate altogether to your core production sum.
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Technically, projects from anywhere, including Canada, could always use Kickstarter, but it has traditionally used Amazon payments to process transactions. And then there were all these tax questions as money received for projects is certainly subject to taxes. Now, Canadian users can enter their own banking information to pledge money to projects.
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Kickstarter expanded to allow U.K. projects last October.  Kickstarter Canada is now live, and one of the first projects up for backing could be described as the ultimate Canadian endeavor: a group of young men are seeking funds to build a better hockey stick.
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Kickstarter  is the world’s most popular crowd-funding site,
with some 4.8 million people having pledged more than $778 million for more than 48,000 projects.  Competitor IndieGoGo might have gotten some tough competition since September 9, when Kickstarter fully opens its doors to Canadian projects.   Those seeking money for their projects can now start working on their pitches, by going to kickstarter.com/canada and selecting “Start a project.”  Canadian projects will be listed in Canadian dollars on the site. The full list of Canadian Kickstarter projects is available here.  Kickstarter has also put up a Q&A in a blog post.
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Kickstarter was founded in 2008 and has since raised over $775 million for more than 48,000 projects.  While the Canadian crowd-funding scene is currently dominated by another platform, IndieGoGo, and to a smaller extend Fundrazr, https://fundrazr.com/ – there is confidence Kickstarter will prevail.  More than 3,000 Canadian projects are currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Kickstarter provides access to a larger community of funders and therefore more money.  Their high-profile projects include, Pebble Smartwatch, Ouya gaming console and even the Veronica Mars movie.
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Here are two excerpts of former articles with wrote about crowd-funding:

Kickstarter – a Way to Finance Your Book?
When I discovered KickStarter on the Internet and I became one of the people who funded a loveley community garden / small park to transform an ugly, abandoned parcel of land in a hideous downtown area into a blooming paradise, I was hooked by the idea.

However, the famous KickStarter is not the only “Crowd-funding Community” on the Internet, many other have been founded in the last years – is it an answer on a small scale to the Wall Street?

http://rockethub.org

http://www.indiegogo.com

https://www.buzzbnk.org/

http://www.causevox.com/

http://www.firstgiving.com/

https://fundrazr.com/
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Crowd-funding became popular in other countries too:

Germanys answer to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo is STARTNEXT, a non-for-profit organization. Their Crowd-funding turns people into fans and supporters. Because their joy and their help allows the creation of projects that do not yet exist – but should be!  Read more about STARTNEXT on our Publishing blog in German language.

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How Crowd-funding works
Crowd-funding pulls together a community over the Internet to fund a project, business or cause. Rules differ from site to site. Generally an idea is pitched, a fundraising goal and a deadline are set for raising funds. Potential patrons can review the pitches and decide if there are any they would like to support. They might be rewarded if the project comes to fruition, but will not own any part of the business or project.

Start with a pitch to launch your own project, describe your project, specify what rewards patrons will receive if the fundraising is successful, and create a funding goal and a timeline.  Pledges are made with a credit card, however, the patron’s credit card won’t be charged until the project is successfully funded. If you don’t reach your funding goal by the deadline, no money changes hands.
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Here are just some of many tips to help you secure funding:

• choose the right crowd-funding site
• know your target audience & leverage your social networks
• plan ahead and prepare email blasts
• create a compelling name, description, image and video to stand out
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“The Order of the Stick” success has shown that crowd-funding can provide funding for authors at a level, equal to or higher than traditional publishers’ advances. Right now is an exciting time to be an entrepreneurial author.  Authors who went through this crowd-funding process have almost a build-in readership / book customers due to the heavy promoting for the campaign.  People who funded a book, will buy it for sure!

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Crowd-funding Success with Kickstarter or IndieGoGo
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/crowdfunding-success-with-kickstarter-or-indiegogo/

Quite a few authors had a successful campaign, securing funds to self-publish and print their e-books for the paper book market, others to print beautiful “coffee table books” featuring stunning photos. IndieGoGo takes 4% of your earnings if you reach your goal and 9% if you don’t. Kickstarter is all or nothing. If you don’t reach your goal no money is exchanged, but if you do reach your goal you get the full amount minus 5%.

There is a lot of competition on these crowd-funding 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 project?
• What is the uniqueness of my project?
• Why should people donate to your project?
• Do your potential audience/backers know about your exciting new project before you start asking them for money?

Start with your friends and family
A friendly, personal message is the most effective way to let someone know about your project. Send an email to your close friends and family so they can be first to pledge, then use your personal blog or website, your Google+ or your Facebook page, and your Twitter account to get everyone’s attention. Don’t overdo it, but be sure to remind your networks about your projects several times throughout the course of its duration. Take the time to contact people individually. It makes a big difference.

Connect to people
Don’t be afraid to take your Kickstarter project out into the real world. Nothing connects people to an idea like seeing the twinkle in your eye when you talk about it. Host pledge parties and organize meet-ups to educate people about your endeavor. Be creative!

News media
Contact your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations and tell them about your project. Seek out like-minded blogs and online media outlets to request coverage. Writers are always looking for stories to write about, and the media has a big soft spot for DIY success stories.

Don’t spam
Whatever channel you use to tell your project’s story, don’t spam. Over-posting can alienate your friends and fans, and it makes every other Kickstarter project look bad too. Don’t do it!

Say thanks & get even more
Post public thanks and updates about the most current donators every other day, always including the link back to your campaign, so people can check out the site and the latest progress and decide for themselves if they want to donate.

Get tips on blogs from successful Kickstarter project creators:

http://craigmod.com/journal/kickstartup/

http://www.remindblog.com/2010/10/14/grassroots-funding-with-kickstarter-com/

http://olganunes.com/2011/01/on-lamp-kickstarter-and.php

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thelostboy/how-to-fund-a-successful-indiegogo-kickstarter-campaign-in-5-easy-steps

http://www.nathanielhansen.com/film-fundraising/the-ultimate-crowdfunding-to-do-list-before-you-launch/
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Last but not least: carefully study all guidelines of the portal you want to use for your campaign.

http://www.indiegogo.com/

http://www.kickstarter.com/help/guidelines

Read also “How Much Does Self-Publishing cost”

All the very best and good luck for your campaign!

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 900 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, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Kickstarter – a Way to Finance Your Book?

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Photo Petr Kratochvil
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When I discovered KickStarter on the Internet and I became one of the people who funded a community garden / small park to transform an ugly, abandoned parcel of land in a hideous downtown area into a blooming paradise, I was hooked by the idea.

Other projects that I funded followed. Then I saw that a couple of writers use KickStarter to fund their book publishing projects.  Maybe you read about the fantastic success of “The Order of the Stick” and its Reprint Drive, a comics project by Rich Burlew. He managed to raise $1,254,120 (his initial goal was only $57,750).

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Paul Jackson Art

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Or a current projects such as the coffee table book “The Wandering Watercolorist“, by Paul and Marla Jackson from Columbia, MO. which is short of its $25,000 goal – they need to raise another $4,400 till the end of the week…  Kickstarter kicks only in when 100% of the amount is raised.  Otherwise card payments from the funders will not be processed.

However, the famous KickStarter is not the only “Crowd-funding Community” on the Internet, many other have been founded in the last years – is it an answer on a small scale to Wall Street? 

http://rockethub.org

http://www.indiegogo.com

https://www.buzzbnk.org/

http://www.causevox.com/

http://www.firstgiving.com/
.

Crowd-funding became popular in other countries too:
Germanys answer to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo is STARTNEXT, a non-for-profit organization. Their Crowd-funding turns people into fans and supporters. Because their joy and their help allows the creation of projects that do not yet exist – but should be! Read more about STARTNEXT on our Publishing blog in German language.
.

Crowd-funding pulls together a community over the Internet to fund a project, business or cause. Rules differ from site to site. Generally an idea is pitched, a fundraising goal and a deadline are set for raising funds. Potential patrons can review the pitches and decide if there are any they would like to support. They might be rewarded if the project comes to fruition, but will not own any part of the business or project.

Start with a pitch to launch your own project, describe your project, specify what rewards patrons will receive if the fundraising is successful, and create a funding goal and a timeline.  Pledges are made with a credit card, however, the patron’s credit card won’t be charged until the project is successfully funded. If you don’t reach your funding goal by the deadline, no money changes hands.
.

Here are just some of many tips to help you secure funding:

• choose the right crowdfunding site
• know your target audience & leverage your social networks
• plan ahead and prepare email blasts
• create a compelling name, description, image and video to stand out
  .

“The Order of the Stick” success has shown that crowd-funding can provide funding for authors at a level, equal to or higher than traditional publishers’ advances. Right now is an exciting time to be an entrepreneurial author.  Authors who went through this crowd-funding process have almost a build-in readership / book customers due to the heavy promoting for the campaign. People who funded a book, will buy it for sure!
.

<><><><><>
.

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/    Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.
Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 785 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, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Startnext – Crowdfunding jetzt auch in Deutschland

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Was in den Staaten sehr erfolgreich mit Kickstarter oder IndieGoGo vorgemacht wurde, und leider nur fuer Amerikaner oder US Firmen genutzt werden kann, laeuft jetzt auch in Deutschland seit ueber einem Jahr an:
Das sogenannte Crowdfunding, die Finanzierung von einzelnen kuenstlerischen und kulturellen Projekten durch gespendete Gelder. Eine grandiose Idee fuer Autoren um zum Beispiel ihr digitales Buch in ein gedrucktes Werk umzuwandeln oder fuer Fotografen, um einen kuenstlerischen Bildband zu erstellen.
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Mit Startnext  koennen Starter wie zum Beispiel Autoren, Journalisten, Musiker, Filmemacher, Designer, Fotografen und andere Kuenstler ihre Projekte durch viele einzelne Personen finanzieren lassen (Crowdfunding). Im Gegenzug bekommen die Supporter, also die Fans, Freunde, Bekannte, Familie, Firmen und Maezene vom Starter einzigartige Dankeschoens, wie z.B. eine unterschriebene CD, eine Nennung im Abspann oder eine Erwaehnung im Buch. Fans koennen hautnah bei der Entstehung eines Projektes dabei sein oder sogar in den Prozess involviert werden, Firmen nutzen Startnext fuer ihr Kultursponsoring und CSR Marketing.
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4.618.624,24 Euro – 870 Projekte erfolgreich finanziert
Startnext ist die größte Crowdfunding-Plattform für Künstler, Kreative und Erfinder im deutschsprachigen Raum. Projektstarter können ihre Projekte auf Startnext mit der Unterstützung von vielen Menschen finanzieren. Die Supporter bekommen als Gegenleistung individuelle Dankeschöns wie Design-Produkte, limitierte Ausgaben von Büchern, CDs oder Kunstwerken, Einladungen zu Premieren oder andere Belohnungen. Das Geld wird erst ausgezahlt, wenn der Starter sein Fundingziel erreicht – andernfalls geht das Geld an die Supporter zurück und neue Projekte können unterstützt werden.

Projekte koennen beim Crowdfunding uebrigens auch ueberfinanziert werden, d.h. wenn eine geplante Summe ueberschritten wird, erhaelt der Starter diese auch.

Und so funktioniert es:
Wer eine kreative Idee hat, aber nicht das entsprechende Kleingeld, meldet sich bei Startnext an und startet ein neues Projekt. Man beschreibt seine Idee mit Texten, Bildern oder auch einem Video, definiert die benoetigte Summe, legt eine Deadline fest und ueberlegt sich gestaffelte Dankeschoens, die die Supporter als Gegenleistung fuer ihre finanzielle Unterstuetzung bekommen.
Danach veroeffentlichst man seine Projektseite und ist zunaechst in der Startphase. In der Phase sammelt man Fans und kann mit dem Feedback aus dem Netzwerk der Fans noch seine Projektpraesentation verbessern. Wenn man eine bestimmte Anzahl an Fans gesammelt hat (die Anzahl ist abhaengig vom Finanzierungsziel), startest man in die Finanzierungsphase.
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Buecher finanzieren
Warum als Schriftsteller nicht diese fantastische Moeglichkeit nutzen um eine unabhaengige Publikation zu foerdern und schon im Vorfeld Leser und Rezensoren zu gewinnen? Ein Pluspunkt – oder vielmehr eine absolute Notwendigkeit – ist es, wirklich erst einmal die Vermarktung anzukurbeln, bevor man dieses Finanzierungsprojekt beginnt. Aber dies ist ja bei jedem Buchprojekt wichtig, egal ob selbst- oder fremdfinanziert.

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Follow on Twitter: @111publishing

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Crowdfunding Success with Kickstarter or Indiegogo

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Quite a few authors had a successful campaign, securing funds to self-publish and print their e-books for the paper book market, others to print beautiful “coffee table books” featuring stunning photos. IndieGogo takes 4% of your earnings if you reach your goal and 9% if you don’t. Kickstarter is all or nothing. If you don’t reach your goal no money is exchanged, but if you do reach your goal you get the full amount minus 5%.

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.

Answer these questions for yourself:

• Who is my audience for the whole project?
• What is the uniqueness of my project?
• Why should people donate to your project?
• Do your potential audience/backers know about your exciting new project before you start asking them for money?

Start with your friends and family
A friendly, personal message is the most effective way to let someone know about your project. Send an email to your close friends and family so they can be first to pledge, then use your personal blog or website, your Google+ or your Facebook page, and your Twitter account to get everyone’s attention. Don’t overdo it, but be sure to remind your networks about your projects several times throughout the course of its duration. Take the time to contact people individually. It makes a big difference.

Connect to people
Don’t be afraid to take your Kickstarter project out into the real world. Nothing connects people to an idea like seeing the twinkle in your eye when you talk about it. Host pledge parties and organize meet-ups to educate people about your endeavor. Be creative!

News media
Contact your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations and tell them about your project. Seek out like-minded blogs and online media outlets to request coverage. Writers are always looking for stories to write about, and the media has a big soft spot for DIY success stories.

Don’t spam
Whatever channel you use to tell your project’s story, don’t spam. Over-posting can alienate your friends and fans, and it makes every other Kickstarter project look bad too. Don’t do it!

Say thanks & get even more
Post public thank-yous and updates about the most current donators every other day, always including the link back to your campaign, so people can check out the site and the latest progress and decide for themselves if they want to donate.

.
Get tips on blogs from successful Kickstarter project creators:
http://craigmod.com/journal/kickstartup/
http://www.remindblog.com/2010/10/14/grassroots-funding-with-kickstarter-com/
http://olganunes.com/2011/01/on-lamp-kickstarter-and.php
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thelostboy/how-to-fund-a-successful-indiegogo-kickstarter-campaign-in-5-easy-steps
http://www.nathanielhansen.com/film-fundraising/the-ultimate-crowdfunding-to-do-list-before-you-launch/

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Last but not least: carefully study all guidelines of the portal you want to use for your campaign.

http://www.indiegogo.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/help/guidelines

All the very best and good luck for your campaign!
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Hyper Smash

 

KickStarter – Have You Heard About It?

Photo Petr Kratochvil

Last year I found  KickStarter on the Internet and became one of the many people who funded a community garden / small park to transform an ugly, abandoned parcel of land in a downtown area into a blooming paradise. Then I learned that a couple of writers use KickStarter to fund their book publishing projects. Maybe you read recently about the fantastic success of “The Order of the Stick” and its Reprint Drive, a comics project by Rich Burlew. He managed to raise $1,254,120 (his initial goal was only $57,750)

However, the famous KickStarter is not the only “Crowdfunding Community” on the Internet:

http://rockethub.org

http://www.indiegogo.com

https://www.buzzbnk.org/

http://www.causevox.com/

http://www.firstgiving.com/

Crowdfunding pulls together a community over the Internet to fund a project, business or cause. Rules differ from site to site. Generally an idea is pitched, a fundraising goal and a deadline are set for raising funds. Potential patrons can review the pitches and decide if there are any they’d like to support. They might be rewarded if the project comes to fruition, but will not own any part of the business or project.

Start with a pitch to launch your own project, describe your project, specify what rewards patrons will receive if the fundraising is successful, and create a funding goal and a timeline.  Pledges are made with a credit card, however, the patron’s credit card won’t be charged until the project is successfully funded. If you don’t reach your funding goal by the deadline, no money changes hands.

Here are just some of many tips to help you secure funding:

• choose the right crowdfunding site
• know your target audience & leverage your social networks
• plan ahead and prepare email blasts
• create a compelling name, description, image and video to stand out

“The Order of the Stick” success has shown that crowdfunding can provide funding for authors at a level, equal to or higher than traditional publishers’ advances. Right now is an exciting time to be an entrepreneurial author. 
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Hyper Smash

 

5 Tips and Funding Ideas for Your Book or Writing Project

Using popular websites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, authors can send out worldwide calls for funding. Don’t limit yourself to applying for official grants – which can be worthwhile, but treacherous to procure. Why not open the door to the exciting possibility of having your latest literary project funded by loyal fans?

Better your chances of getting funded

• It is fundamental for running a successful fundraising campaign to engage your audience with a well-crafted proposal. Spend plenty of time honing your pitch, explaining why someone should support your literary endeavor.
• Give supporters unique and valuable incentives to do so. One author for sample offered the chance to name a character in her novel to anyone donating $50 or more. This sparked a lot of interest, as readers love to be involved in the writing process.
• Choose carefully the total amount you are requesting. If you can give exact figures for your expenses it will show your professionalism of your campaign.
• Keep tweeting, chiming, googling and posting updates about your campaign and how much you have achieved as events progress. A social media presence is vital to getting your message out, gently reminding your readers and followers that you have a set time limit, like: “Just a week left to contribute to my campaign!” or “only $10 to save the day, please spread the word” to show how close you are to your target line.
• Most important: Don’t forget to send each of your supporters a friendly thank-you-note as their contributions come in. You might even inform them about the progress of your campaign, every time you reach a milestone. This way they might even contribute more or at least spread the word. Everyone likes to be graciously acknowledged, even if they send as little as five dollars to support your campaign.

 Did you ever try this funding route? And what was your success?