Every once in a while, a fresh option for book marketing comes across my desk and I was most intrigued with the concept of crowdfunding for authors. This is one of the cornerstones of the model presented on publishizer.comPublishizer is a crowdfunding literary agency. If you have an idea for a book, fiction or non-fiction, they will walk you through the process of completing a project plan and provide a template to work with. When you’re finished, you’ll have a professional book proposal that meets industry standards. Then you upload your proposal onto their site. For the next 30 days, publishers will receive a weekly round-up that includes your proposal and Publishizer provides promotion tools to gain additional exposure. You have an option to pre-sell copies of your book and create incentive packages to encourage advance sales. Once a certain number of pre-sold copies are reached, Publishizer will directly pitch to traditional, advance-paying publishers.Here is an example of a well-done pitch. Once your campaign is finished, you have the option of either pursuing opportunities with any interested publishers or simply using the amount crowdfunded (less Publishizer’s 30%) to kick-start self-publishing your book. If you decide to go with a publisher, Publishizer will provide support and guidance through the process just as any literary agent would.There are instances where self-publishing (at least initially) may be the most attractive option. Once such instance is if you already have a substantial mailing list or if you make frequent public appearances either teaching or speaking. Do let me know if you decide to take up this option or if you have come across other interesting resources for authors. Until next week!

Ask the Publisher: Crowdfunding for Authors? Why Not?