Image via CrunchBase
I had intended to share a post about creating writing retreats today, but I was so impressed with a Kickstarter launch by Seth Godin yesterday, that I wanted to share this idea with all of you because it could be very useful for financing your next book or creative project.
Perhaps most of you are familiar with Kickstarter. I had vaguely heard of it being used in conjunction with music and videos. Yesterday, Seth Godin, the marketing guru genius, proved that Kickstarter could be a great way of building visibility, revenue and fun for your book launch.
In a few short hours, he kickstarted a book of his that is coming out in January called The Icarus Deception from this Kickstarter page. He’s already received over $200,000 in pledge money in what must be less than 24 hours. Of course, he has been building a following of readers for quite a while.
Seth Godin explains Kickstarter well in the emails to his followers. I couldn’t find an explanation in his blog, but here are some of his points from his email yesterday:
By using Kickstarter early in the process, we eliminate book publisher/bookseller skepticism and create the excitement they need to actually stock and promote the book. Those books you see stacked up by the front window at the bookstore? That’s not an accident. That’s a promotion planned months in advance, based almost entirely on how optimistic the publisher is about a book’s prospects.
So that’s the idea–a way that any author with a following can divide the publishing process into three pieces–get the true fans on board early, give them something to talk about just before the book is in stores, and then use online and offline bookstores to do what they do best and distribute far and wide. It moves the power in the process to where it belongs–to motivated readers and their authors.
It’s not easy to build a following, and it takes time, but I hope you’ll help me show authors and publishers that it’s worth it. Here’s a short link you can share: http://kck.st/KvkY4h
Kickstarter details:
- Kickstarter is a free website that allows artists to give their fans a chance to show their interest in a new project.
- Kickstarter doesn’t charge you (or me) a thing unless the project meets its minimum. After that, you’re charged for what you pledged and you are guaranteed to get the reward you signed up for.
kickstarter logo (Photo credit: AslanMedia)
You may be thinking, Seth Godin is a relatively famous author, this can’t work for someone starting out. If you look at the Kickstarter site, there are many different kinds of projects and audiences.
Not quite sure how I would use Kickstarter myself, but I’m thinking about it. You might consider it too. This might be a great way to create a quantum leap for your art and writing!
If you’ve had experience with Kickstarter or other crowdfunding, I’d love to hear how that went for you and what you learned from the experience.
Related articles
- Seth Godin Funds New Book on Kickstarter in Under 3 Hours (mashable.com)
- Seth Godin launches his first publishing project on Kickstarter–hits his goal in three hours (feldmanfile.blogspot.com)
- Seth Godin’s Kickstarter campaign for new book beats $40k goal in 3.5 hours (paidcontent.org)
- Seth Godin Taps His Tribe to Publish His Next Book – The Icarus Deception (socialmediatoday.com)
- Why Make Art? And how to fund it (webinknow.com)
- How Seth Godin Is Crowdfunding His New Book & How You Can Do It Too (jimkukral.com)
Hmmmm…I guess my initial question would be why does Seth Godin who has written 13 books, which have been translated into 30 languages, has been at the top of both Business Week and the New York Times bestseller lists, former columnist for Fast Company, who sold Yoyodyne to Yahoo for $30 million, and is in 95,615 Google+ circles need any of my money to print his latest book?
From what I can tell, Seth Godin didn’t do the Kickstarter experiment for the money. He’s limited the number of books this way. I believe he was trying to show another way of publishing or proving why they should be published for lesser known writers and other artists to fund their work, and he was showing one way of doing that. At least that was my impression.
Thanks for the update Karen…I apologize for the harsh tone of my comment…I’m afraid I’m not much of a Godin fan, but the man can definitely sell books.
Be encouraged!
No problem Stephen. It’s good to hear differing opinions.
I don’t agree with everything Seth Godin does, but if one if his suggestions can help someone else, I like to share it.
I have a few friends who don’t like him much either. One of my friends who interviews authors says he is the most unapproachable business coach out there. So, you are not alone in your assessments of him.
Karen Wan Writer and Livelihood Coach P. 630.815.3556 http://www.writingyourdestiny.com http://www.resilientlivelihood.com
Thanks for the info–looks like a great help. I’m working on a book for my movement classes and I just might try this.
This seems like it could be perfect for that! Let me know if you decide to use Kickstart! I’m curious to see the many ways it could be used.
Thanks for sharing Karen, I’d never heard of Kickstarter – so I’ll take a look. I wonder if it’s any use for a book that’s already out (ie: mine)??
I would be that it could be used for an already existing book based on what I’ve seen.
I’ve followed Seth for years and I’m a member of Triibes; even attended the group meet with Seth in NY last year. He never ceases to amaze me with his innovative ideas…. He’s done this with other books and it doesn’t surprise me at the quick flow of cash his way… Go Seth!
He is an amazing thinker. One of these days I’d like to get to one of his group events. I find his ideas around tribes and permission based marketing to be so insightful. It’s cool that you’ve been able to see him in person.
Yes and he is really nice.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Karen. I am always looking for new ways to promote my writing. This might work for me.
You are doing so many cool projects, I suspect that this could work very well for you!