Our thanks to Justine Schofield of Pubslush for this great info. We encourage authors to use this platform, and WWW even has its own partner page so we can share your campaign with our tribe, too! Click on the image at right for a free pdf guide to crowdfunding.

When people hear the word crowdfunding, they automatically assume it’s just a way to raise money. The bare bones of crowdfunding is indeed a way to raise funds from an individual’s network, but what many people don’t realize is that author crowdfunding can provide so much more value than just a platform to raise funds.

Crowdfunding fits seamlessly into the publishing process and can ultimately provide a way for authors to publish more successfully. Crowdfunding can also help authors:

Collect pre-orders. Crowdfunding is a reward-based model, which means campaign creators must devise tiers that serve to entice and thank their supporters. The rewards that supporters receive in exchange for their financial pledge is what makes crowdfunding so successful—people aren’t simply donating to an idea, but rather they’re contributing to a vision at a preliminary stage and are getting some great (and often times exclusive) swag in return. Through these rewards, authors are able to offer their books in exchange for a supporter’s financial pledge, which allows them to conduct a pre-order campaign and sell copies of their book before it’s even published.

Build a brand as an author. Successful authors are generally not just writers, but rather have built a brand for themselves. Some authors are also speakers, coaches or other types of professionals. Conducting a crowdfunding campaign is a way for authors to showcase their other attributes and services by incorporating them into their higher tiered reward levels. Supporters will be enticed to support at those higher reward levels and authors will be reinforcing their brand.

Foster a direct connection between the author and reader. A crowdfunding campaign is not only about the book, but it’s also about the story behind the story. Authors are able to share who they are, why they wrote their book and why readers should support their campaign. A crowdfunding campaign encapsulates the author and integrates their social media and websites links as well. Authors are able to connect and converse with their readers and have the tools to continue to foster this connection post-campaign, too.

Create a buzz around a book before publication. If an author begins their marketing efforts the day their book comes out, they’re already behind the curve. In order to stand out in the overly saturated book market, authors must begin their marketing and promotional efforts well before their book hits the shelves. Yet, it’s difficult to promote a product that hasn’t come out yet. Crowdfunding is a tangible way to promote a book before publication because it provides a landing page to drive traffic to.

Learn what works. Market analytics from a successful crowdfunding campaign can tell an author a lot about their audience, including who they are (age, gender, geographic location) and where they came from (i.e. did they click through to a campaign from Twitter, Facebook or a blog post). Knowing their audience and how they were reached will help authors to focus their future promotional efforts.

Authors should always treat their book like a business and what better way to prepare your business for success than with a successful funding and marketing campaign? The benefits of crowdfunding can help an author launch into the book market with a splash, rather than sinking to the bottom.

And Here’s MORE Exciting News!

Pubslush has announced that they have opened their doors to accept all literary projects. This includes, but is not limited to, screenplays, audiobooks, industry startup funding, book tours, mobile book applications, educational projects, philanthropic literacy initiatives and much more.

COMING SOON: An exciting new tool that will allow for the collection of pre-orders. Any author/publisher/partner not in need of pre-publication funding will be able to create a Strictly Pre-Order Campaign and utilize the Pubslush platform to gain advanced sales, collect valuable reader data, and share their book with our vibrant literary audience. This feature will be released in early August and is a perfect fit for authors who wish to capitalize on an extended established community to promote themselves and their work.

Justine Schofield is the development director of Pubslush, a global crowdfunding platform for the literary world. Authors can raise funds and gauge initial market viability for their book projects. A graduate of Emerson College in Boston, she is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at Lesley University. Justine has become a prominent voice in the publishing industry and an advocate for educating authors and publishers about crowdfunding. She has contributed to IBPA’s Independent magazine, Self-Publishers Monthly, Book Marketing Magazine, Business Banter and many more online publications. She has spoken on panel discussions about crowdfunding for authors and continues to foster the growth and development of crowdfunding within the publishing process. She tweets for @pubslush. Connect with her on LinkedIn.