My Crowdfunding Experience, by Joshua Veith

Let me begin with a disclaimer: I went into this experience as a novice. In no way am I a savvy internet influencer or social media maven. Everything I learned about crowdfunding I learned from some basic internet searching and from friends. Hopefully the following takeaways will help others in a similar situation.

My project: I wrote a speculative fiction trilogy, The Sudden Quiet, imagining societal collapse and the importance of nature and community in the aftermath. My trilogy is mostly set in northern Michigan and has a strong regional flavor. Before taking the self-publish route I sent hundreds of query letters to agents, receiving nothing but automated rejection letters in response, a familiar predicament for many aspiring authors I’m sure. Feeling despondent about the traditional path to publishing I had no choice but to try the self-publish route. The immediate obstacle to self-publishing of course is cost; every step of the process costs money and as a public school teacher, I had none.

Crowdfunding choices: the only platform I’m familiar with is Kickstarter, there may be others out there but Kickstarter is the platform of choice for creative projects. I found their customer service to be prompt and professional and their site is easy to navigate and includes lots of helpful resources for DIY authors like me. Kickstarter is all or nothing, which means that no money is collected from backers unless your campaign reaches its funding goal. If your fundraising falls short then everyone keeps their pledges and you collect nothing. Kickstarter takes a 5% fee from successful campaigns.

Kickstarter tip #1: the importance of a great cover. If you spend any money upfront, spend it on a quality cover design. Your cover is your handshake, it must grab the attention of potential backers and readers alike. I tried DIY cover designs using software like Canva, but honestly my own efforts paled in comparison to a professional graphic designer’s. You need a great cover not only for your Kickstarter page but also for your social media campaign. Your cover is your brand and it’s never too early to start building brand awareness.

Kickstarter tip #2: timeframe. Resist the temptation to have an extended campaign of a month or two. I took the advice of many and set a two week window for my fundraising. Most pledges happened in the first few days, then there was a lull, then a final flurry of activity near the end. For my project, and for most, 14 days is plenty. There will definitely be a steep decline in interest after a week or two.

Kickstarter tip #3: include an energetic video. Your video should be a one minute introduction of yourself as the author and of your project. Kickstarter places your video front and center of your campaign page and is your best chance to pitch your book. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok reward video plays with wider circulation so the longer you can engage a potential pledger, the better your algorithm will be.

Kickstarter tip #4: resist the temptation to over explain your book. Once you start setting up your Kickstarter page you might be tempted--as the proud author--to include prose from your prologue or chapters, resist this! Visitors to your campaign aren’t interested in immersing themselves in your book at this point, they are more interested in you as a person so keep it light and snappy.  

Kickstarter tip #5: set a Goldilocks goal, not too high, not too low. Every project is different but every project will have to make this same calculation. If you set the goal too low you might run out of funds before your book is properly published, especially once Kickstarter takes its 5%. If you set the goal too high you might not achieve it and then you’re left with nothing. This I know, you do not want to ask twice for donations, it’s embarrassing enough asking once!

Kickstarter tip #6: setting up rewards. Most campaigns offer a variety of levels for backers to choose from. Donate X amount and receive Y as a reward. My advice here is to keep it simple, you don’t want to get bogged down in offering/shipping too many rewards. For my campaign I offered three tiers only. A $50 pledge earned a signed copy of book 1, a $100 pledge earned book 1 and 2, a $150 pledge earned the trilogy. Remember all shipping costs will come out of your pledge-money so don’t over-promise.

Kickstarter tip #7: if possible, acquire an anchor-investor or two. If you are lucky enough to have a friend or family member with a deeper pocket it’s worth reaching out to them ahead of time to assess what level they could support you at. When your campaign goes live, make sure your anchor-investor has the link and can donate first. It helps when potential backers can see that your campaign already is making progress. No one wants to back a losing horse.

Kickstarter tip #8: if you’re not on Facebook, Instagram etc. you need to be! Again, I’m not a big social media user, but I bit the bullet and set up public author-accounts on Facebook and Instagram several months before launching my Kickstarter and it really helped. Most of my pledges came from social media exposure. If you are running a two week Kickstarter, then you need to be promoting your campaign daily on your social media sites, especially using Reels or Stories since those garner the most views and are best for the algorithm. Make sure you are tagging local bookstores, community groups and libraries in your posts. Again, you’re not just raising money, you’re also building your brand for future sales, every eyeball counts! 

It is a brave new world out there. The challenges are unprecedented but so are the opportunities. Good luck with your project!

Joshua Veith’s first book in The Sudden Quiet trilogy releases in September 2023.