If you’re a creative considering crowdfunding as a way of making the money to fund your latest project, then there’s one very important thing that you need.
It’s not a great marketing plan or a rich auntie, although those things certainly help.
What you need is a strong network.
The key thing I’ve learned since I began crowdfunding my novel is that you need people around you who will support your campaign.
It’s something that has been reinforced through conversations with other writers who have also gone through the process, who confirm that most of the pledges for their project came from people they knew in some capacity.
And those people might not always be close to you. They might be old school friends who you haven’t seen for 20 years, or people you worked with back in the day. They might be people you chat to occasionally on Twitter, or those who follow your blog online.
So if you plan to crowdfund your work, the first thing you should consider is whether you have enough contacts to help you reach your target. There’s no hard and fast number for this. You might have lots of friends who aren’t really interested in your project, but a handful of super engaged social media followers who pledge right away.
Of course, you can get support from outside your own circle, but it’s a lot harder to persuade people who don’t have a connection with you or your project.
And the bigger and more engaged your network, the quicker you will reach your target.
Got a minute? My debut novel is now 74% funded – you can support the campaign here by ordering a copy of the book. Use the code disappeared15 to get 15% off. Thanks for reading!