Should I Launch My Book on Kickstarter?

Kickstarter can fund a print run, a special edition or an audiobook, but funding is all-or-nothing, and most backers come from readers you already have. So build your list before you launch, not after. Below: how the funding works, who backs a book, how to set the goal, printing and shipping, and how to get through the quiet middle.

How does Kickstarter funding work?

Kickstarter’s help centre page, What are the basics?, says funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. No one is charged for a pledge unless the project reaches its funding goal. The funding goal is the amount of money a creator needs to complete the project.

Kickstarter charges fees. Read its fees page before you set your goal, so you know what is left after they come out.

Who backs a book?

Your own readers and your list, first. This is my advice, not a Kickstarter rule: people who have never heard of you rarely back a project in its first days, so the early pledges come from people who already know your work.

If you do not have a list yet, start there. I explain how in creating an email list for self-publishers. Strangers can find a campaign later, but in my view a campaign that starts with nobody behind it is the one most likely to stall.

How do I set the goal and the rewards?

Work the goal out from the cost of finishing the project: printing, shipping, Kickstarter’s fees and anything you pay others to do. Do not start from a wish figure. If the goal is too high for your audience, the campaign fails and nobody is charged.

Keep the rewards few and simple. A signed copy and a special edition are enough for most books. Every extra reward is another thing to print, pack and post. This is my advice.

How do I handle printing and shipping?

Order the print copies from a printer you know, and plan the shipping before you launch, not after you are funded. If you want to see how ordering copies from KDP works, read KDP author copies.

Work out postage for each country you will ship to, and decide what you will not ship. Surprises here eat the money you raised. This is my advice.

How do I survive the quiet middle of a campaign?

Expect a busy start and a busy end, with a quiet stretch between, and plan for it. I would send an update to backers and one email to my list on the first day, in the middle and on the last days. That is my advice, not a Kickstarter rule.

What happens after the campaign?

You can still put the book on Amazon afterwards. Keep any edition you promised only to backers off the shelf, so they get what they paid for. This is my advice. If you want to sell from your own site as well, see can you sell directly to readers.

Want help planning a launch?

If you are planning a launch with money at stake, book a free discovery session and we can look at it together. One-on-one coaching can plan the launch with you.

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