Crowdfunding has become a financial beacon of hope for
entrepreneurs of all walks of life—from performing arts to technology.
Stories like the potato salad campaign on Kickstarter, which raised more
than $55k
(far exceeding its modest $10 goal), make it seem as though crowdfunding
is an Internet bank vault, opened with magic fairy dust, raining money
down upon any idea with heart, spirit or imagination.
The reality, however, is that most campaigns fail.
Kickstarter campaigns, for example, succeed about 41% of the time. This
number is even lower for publishing
campaigns, which are successfully funded about 31% of the time.
Enter Pubslush, a fundraising platform that has shifted focus from publishing to pure crowdfunding.
Pubslush: In the Beginning
In the beginning, Pubslush offered a new kind of
publishing venture. Authors would sign up with Pubslush and backers,
instead of pledging dollars, would pledge to buy books, a model similar
to Unbound.
In 2012, Pubslush was described in Mashable as “the publishing lovechild of American Idol
and TOMS Shoes,” a place where authors
could sidestep the infamous slush pile of publishing houses worldwide
and prove their work was worthy of publication by proving an audience
was there and waiting. Once an author reached 1,000 supporters, Pubslush
would fire up its presses and publish the book.
So, it was a publisher with, perhaps what one could
consider, the largest editorial board of all time—the wide and varied
audience that could only be delivered via social media.
Being a publisher, however, had its limitations.
“We chose to reevaluate our model when we realized that
being a publisher prevented us from working with a lot of people in the
industry, including self-publishing authors, publishers and industry
professionals,”
Pubslush Development Director Justine Schofield explained. “Our belief
was that by opening our doors to work with everyone, we would have a
bigger impact on the industry as a whole.”
So, Pubslush evolved, moving away from publishing and focusing its efforts on crowdfunding.
Pubslush: Crowdfunding for Books
In August 2012, Pubslush relaunched under the leadership
of mother-daughter duo, Hellen and Amanda L. Barbara, determined to
serve the unique needs of authors, literary agents, small presses and
publishers.
Gone are the publishing contracts. “We now work closely
with publishers and continue to roll out progressive programs and
platform options that will benefit all in the industry,” explained
Schofield. “We feel
more of a need to be a friend to publishers in the industry than to be a
publisher ourselves. Today, we do not publish any books and are not a
publisher.”
Pubslush seems to understand that there are two things
authors enjoy very little of: money and support. The road to publication
is often paved with rejection and even success is more a thin slice of
cake rather
than a three-tiered masterpiece of profit. With the introduction of new
technology, self-publishing is possible and authors—at last—may command
their destiny. But the road to success isn’t less rocky. Different
bumps, perhaps.
Books getting lost in a collection of flashy tech and
glittery film campaigns on platforms like Kickstarter was one bump in
the road Pubslush thought it could do something about.
“A niche literary platform provides direct access to the
audience of book projects, connecting writers and publishers with
readers,” said Schofield. “Pubslush is based on community and, through
our author-centric
features, focuses on helping authors to publish more successfully.”
The Pubslush community runs the gamut. Industry
professionals are invited to host specialty pages on Pubslush.
Publishers may run pre-order campaigns and collect market research
through the site. Book marketers
and printers, are encouraged to create partner pages, from which they
can build their professional network and even invite authors to
crowdfund through their page. Readers can set up pages too and join
groups of similar literary interests. For the rest of the article go to:http://sarisonproductions.com/crowdfunding-for-books-pubslush-reinvented/
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S.E.Whelan: YOu can contact her at sewhelan@gmail.com
Bio:
After obtaining a degree in creative writing and working
in the nonprofit sector, S.E. Whelan left the US to live in work abroad.
For five years, she traveled the globe—from South America to
Turkey—living and
working with people of other nations and cultures. In 2010, she returned
to the U.S., where she worked in nonprofit and defense in Washington
D.C. She’s now working with her sister creating Children’s Books at
Sarison Productions and is the Director of Content
at Meson Media.
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