Launch Your Book Through Kickstarter Panel

With every day that passes, self-publishing starts to look like a more attractive option than going the “traditional” route. But how do you raise the capital that will mean the difference between a successful launch and suffering from the “self-pub stigma?”

Crowdfunding is here to help! In a nutshell, sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo let you post a video and description of your novel project, along with a target goal for the amount of money you want to raise. You promote the project, getting as many people as possible to “back” your idea, and when you’re done you have a nice nest egg to pay for an editor, artistic talent, publicity, and more. (Details vary from platform to platform.)

Benefits of Crowdfunded Self-Publishing

Control over your story, your title, and your cover art A higher percentage of the profits Shorter timeframe: you don’t have to wade through countless rejections over the course of years Gauging interest in your project before you publish Gaining user feedback Built-in publicity Financing professional help that will improve the quality of what you have to offer Whether you’ve never heard of crowdfunding before, you think it could be a cool thing to do someday, or you’re actively setting up or running a crowdfunding project, this event is for you. The members of our panel have experience with Kickstarter projects, traditional publishing, self-publishing, and novel promotion. They’ve researched crowdfunding extensively, interviewed crowdfunding project owners and executives from crowdfunding companies, and done extensive research into what separates successful projects from unsuccessful ones.

Here are some of the questions our panel will answer:

How do I decide if crowdfunding is right for me? Can I access stats and research that will help push me to the top of the crowdfunding pile? Which crowdfunding platform should I choose? How do I decide on my crowdfunding target and rewards? Where can I find help setting up a website, doing social media, and creating a video? How can I build a strong base of support for my project even before it launches? All attendees will receive exclusive packets with tips, research data, interview quotes, and more.

Presenters

Colin Druce-McFadden recently used Kickstarter to successfully raise almost $9,000 for the self-publication of his first novel: Tales Misforgotten, Book One - The Unshorn Thread. From "prepping the pot" by reaching out to likely backers before his project launched to standing outside of Comic-Con handing out flyers, he's been there and done it all. Check out his Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/talesmisforgotten/tales-misforgotten) to get a preview on how a good project is built.

Brooke Borel is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in science. She's a contributing editor at Popular Science, and has also written for Cosmos, BBC Future, and TED.com, among others. She used Kickstarter to successfully raise $5,900 for her first book, a non-fiction, popular history and science narrative on the bed bug titled Suck: The Tale of the Bed Bug. Her book will be traditionally published through the University of Chicago Press. Find more info on her Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/476011687/bed-bug-the-return-of-the-worlds-most-reviled-hous).

Michael J. Wyant Jr. is a skeptic-turned-believer in the self-publication arena. Once he realized that it would take years for traditional publication, he launched The Sundering: Immortal Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/384851391/the-sundering-immortal-lets-get-this-published). Within one day he'd achieved his goal and ultimately doubled that to $2,015. He'll share how he obtained success by using enticing reward tiers, social media marketing, pre-release work, and by leveraging his IT firm--Tech Geekery--to establish a Service Exchange with a local marketing firm.

Emma Larkins recently moved to New York City and found a job doing product research and development for a startup called Knodes (http://knod.es/). Part of her job involves getting to know the crowdfunding space intimately by collecting social data and conducting extensive interviews with people in the space. She just launched a Kickstarter project to crowdfund the self-publication of her first science fiction novel, Mechalarum (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emmalarkins/mechalarum-a-science-fiction-novel).

Amanda Barbara is the development director of Pubslush, a global, crowdsourcing publishing platform for authors to raise funds and gauge the initial audience for new book ideas. Pubslush also operates an independent imprint that acquires books from the platform, and for every book sold, donates a children’s book to a child in need. Amanda earned a bachelors degree in Public Relations and Creative Writing at the University of Miami in Florida. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her family.

Look forward to seeing you there!