Kickstarter: Bringing big publishing to rural authors
As someone who lives in the literal middle of nowhere, Kickstarter has allowed my readers a chance to access my books in new and exciting ways.
Shipping costs are outrageous everywhere–add in my northern Canadian wilderness town’s postal code, and might as well make that triple. This is a barrier not just for myself but many rural authors in various countries.
We were often stuck pushing exclusively eBook sales and saving our pennies to travel to a single conference/event every five years, or is that just me? This lack of access limited what we could do for our readers.
The self publishing industry has been in a constant state of change and growth since I entered the game in 2012, and one thing I’ve found most interesting is the migration back to paperback books.
The boom of eBooks helped put so many of us on the map and in the path of our readers, but as the years passed and Booktok and Bookstagram took the reader world by storm, there was a sudden need for something readers could touch. They needed something in hand to add to their gorgeous aesthetic mock images and creative videos.
There’s no doubt that eBooks are here to stay, but as more and more self and indie published authors are upping their game, the more they are seamlessly integrated into the influencer/reviewers’ marketing prowess.
The move to paperback has inspired romance novelists to include discreet cover options, illustrated covers, and increased merch or swag to accompany the stories.
Enter the envy!
As someone who cannot offer these things without a sharp increase in overhead costs, I’ve watched the industry move faster than I can keep up. Print on Demand has helped for sure, and my paperback sales have been on the rise lately, but until Kickstarter, my dreams of hand-signed collectors editions were not to come true.
I ran my first Kickstarter as a test to see how the platform would work for an author like me, and it was so much fun to put together. I learned a lot about how the whole crowdfunding idea works, but more than that, it allowed me to really dig into my creativity and offer the kind of book I’ve always dreamed of.
Holding my first hardcover book in my hands was truly amazing and a little addicting. I want more. I want fancier. I want shiny gold because, at heart, I’m a raven who hoards pretty things.
Running a Kickstarter is a great way to bring luxury books into the hands of readers through crowdfunding, which gives readers more options and gives authors the comfort of knowing and being able to cover their costs upfront.
My second campaign goes live in two weeks, and I’m beyond excited at what is included: Custom covers, exclusive collectors edition, collaborations with talented artists to bring you illustrated headers, vellum inserts, sprayed edges, pyrography bookmarks, and possibly extras like an audiobook, more art, expanded scenes, and more!
