I’ll admit it.
I’ve been telling myself for years that I should try Kickstarter. I’ve even worked with a couple of authors who ran successful campaigns on this crowd-funding website. Every time I watched one launch, I told myself, I should try that someday. I just didn’t have the courage.
Until now.
Over the past few newsletters, I’ve talked about my brand-new Kickstarter campaign, which launches on September 29. Then it occurred to me that not everyone—even many experienced authors—knows what Kickstarter is or why so many authors use it.
At its heart, Kickstarter is simply a crowdfunding platform for creative endeavors. Instead of publishing a book first and hoping readers discover it later, authors invite readers to pre-order the book before it goes to print. Those early supporters make it possible to create special editions and extras that might otherwise be too expensive to produce.
Why is it popular?
Because Kickstarter lets authors connect with their audience in a way that traditional online booksellers simply can’t. You may be selling hundreds of books a month on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other websites, but you never know who your readers are. You have no way to thank them. No way to contact them. No way to tell them you have a new book coming out.
Kickstarter lets you meet your audience and build a relationship with them. Then comes the fun part. Have you ever dreamed of creating a special edition of your book instead of “just another paperback?” Gold foil on the cover. Ribbon bookmarks. Beautiful, printed endpapers. Deluxe hardcovers. Slipcases. Companion books. And you can’t, because even with Amazon and Ingram Spark print on demand services, something as simple as gold foil lettering is just too expensive.
And, since you’re selling directly to readers instead of through a retailer, authors often earn significantly more per sale than they would through traditional online bookstores.
Kickstarter isn’t magic. It takes work. Yes, marketing work, and I have yet to meet an author who really loves marketing. But it is easier on Kickstarter because the site emphasizes building excitement, creating a community around your books, and inviting readers to become part of the publishing journey.
Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing what works, what doesn’t, and everything I learn along the way. If you’ve ever wondered whether Kickstarter might be right for your own books, I hope you’ll come along on the adventure.
I had hoped to push the “pre-launch” button on my Kickstarter site this week, but life—or my perfectionism—got in the way. So next week, you’ll have a link to my campaign site where you can check everything out.