The graphic designer has designed the first few spreads for Changing the Game and they look amazing! These page layouts are drafts but I wanted to share!
First Layout pages for CHANGING THE GAME!
Changing the Game: We Have a Print Date!
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to give you an update on CHANGING THE GAME: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN FEMALE ATHLETES.
We are nearly done with editing. I’ve been able to reach many of the athletes featured so that they could sign off on their sections. It’s been amazing to connect with them! There were a few corrections especially with their names (new married names etc.) that needed updating.
Continue reading Changing the Game: We Have a Print Date!
Email Marketing Companies
I don’t have a ton of experience using different email database companies, but I have used Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Constant Contact. They all have their pros and cons.
I find Mailchimp hard to use but I have been using the free version for my blog for a long time. Continue reading Email Marketing Companies
Your Kickstarter Campaign Pre-Launch Campaign
The largest crowdfunding pledge management company, BackerKit, ran some numbers based on the thousands of campaigns they’ve worked with. According to their research, a Kickstarter project with a pre-launch page set up was 4 times more likely to successfully fund than a project that didn’t.
from Coolbacker
Personally, I was a little late to the pre-launch game. I’d recommend at least two months to begin promoting your Kickstarter campaign. I announced my Kickstarter project to coincide with International Women and Girls in Sports Day, Feb 3, 2021. My campaign launched Feb 14, 2021. That gave me less than two weeks. I don’t recommend my timeframe!
You are going to want to set up your project’s pre-launch page with the goal of getting people to sign up to be notified when your project has launched. Be sure to have a clear Call To Action on all your communication.
How to do this? Consider this to be the dry run of your Kickstarter marketing campaign.
You will want to use:
- Your marketing database to send out emails
- Your social media
- If you have a website with a blog, you will definitely want to use that
If you are giving yourself two months or more for your pre-launch campaign, I’d suggest using different aspects of your book to keep your messaging fresh.
Things to feature include:
- Book cover
- Video of your book that you made for your Kickstarter campaign
- Interior page or two if you have it
- Highlight your illustrator if you are using one
Do Authors Need Social Media?
If you have a picture book manuscript and are wondering how to get it published, you have different options. You can try to get published traditionally through a large or small publishing house. Alternately, you can self publish. Kickstarter is one way to crowd-fund to raise the money that you need to self publish.
But do you need a social media following if you plan to self publish through a crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter? The answer is a resounding YES! Continue reading Do Authors Need Social Media?
Do I Need a Graphic Designer for My Kickstarter Picture Book Page?
When you start to think about what you will need to set up your Kickstarter picture book campaign page, perhaps the cover of your book is the only image that you think you need. You definitely need the book cover so potential donors have an idea of what your book looks like.
If you are not an illustrator or a graphic designer, you will need to hire someone to create your book cover. But that’s not all. Continue reading Do I Need a Graphic Designer for My Kickstarter Picture Book Page?
Can I Fund My Own Kickstarter? No and Yes…
This is actually a more complicated question than it seems. Technically, you as the creator, can NOT contribute to your own Kickstarter project. You will notice that you can not access the Rewards buttons through your Kickstarter account.
However … a family member such as a spouse or child CAN contribute to your campaign. All they need is their own Kickstarter account. What more is that anyone can change the reward level dollar amount to whatever $ they desire. They can also increase the donation at any point during the campaign before it closes. Continue reading Can I Fund My Own Kickstarter? No and Yes…
What Is Kickstarter and How Does It Work?
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform focused on creativity that helps bring creative projects such as picture books, film, music, art, theater, games, comics, design, photography, and more to life. It’s an All Or Nothing model. If the project does not reach its funding goal, the donors do not make a payment.
This is a different model from another crowdsourcing platform, Indigogo, which gives you the money that was pledged even if you don’t reach your goal. Indigogo is more focused on entrepreneurs for early adopters and innovation seekers to find new tech before it hits the mainstream.
2 Competitions to Get Your Picture Book Published
Reading Life Writing Contest
Win 10,000 dollars for your picture book manuscript! Peter H. Reynolds is one of the judges.
The winners will have the opportunity to sign publishing contracts with the sponsors to publish the manuscripts in different languages. Each winner will be required to agree that sponsors have a one-year priority option to publish the winner’s manuscript to receive the cash prize. Continue reading 2 Competitions to Get Your Picture Book Published
Is My Picture Book Manuscript Ready?
I wanted to share my Kickstarter experience for anyone who wants to get their picture book published, so let’s start at the very beginning … is my picture book manuscript done?
Like any creative artistic expression, that’s a tricky question. My advice would be to get a few people to critique your work. Here are a few inexpensive resources to get started. Continue reading Is My Picture Book Manuscript Ready?
