Over the past few months, I have been working with a couple authors to create an Indiegogo Campaign to help launch my book, The Purple Door District. As of October 15th, my campaign is live here and receiving some nice attention thus far. Some people have asked how I created my campaign and its purpose, so I thought I'd share some of that information with you.
What is Indiegogo?
Indiegogo is another kind of Kickstarter campaign that helps creative folks receive contributions to go towards the creation of a product. While Kickstarter tends to focus more on technological advances, Indiegogo is more author and liberal arts friendly. You can find many authors trying to promote their books and graphic novels on the site. Generally, people will run a campaign for 30 days in order to reach a set goal. Kickstarter is an all or nothing thing. If you raise the money, then you get it. If you don't meet your goal, you get nothing. Indiegogo offers that too, but it also provides a "flexible" goal. You can set your campaign for 30 or 60 days, and even if you don't reach your goal, you still get to keep whatever you made
Why not just do flexible goal then? Well, studies show that the urgency of trying to make a 30-day goal that's all or nothing actually encourages people to donate more and right on the spot. The disadvantage is, if you don't make it, you get nothing. Since I'm happy to accept whatever contributions people are willing to give, I've made mine flexible.
What Are You Raising Money For?
People usually raise money to help create/sell a particular product. In my case, I'm using my campaign to help me publish The Purple Door District. Indie publishing is not cheap. You basically wear the hat of the editor, publisher, marketer, distributor, etc. All of that money adds up, and sometimes you might not have quite enough in your bank account. I've personally enlisted artists, editors, proofreaders, and jewelers to help create swag for my book, causing my cost to go up. At the same time, though, this allows me to support other members of the literary community. So, in a sense, I'm raising money both for my book and for fellow creative minds.
[caption id="attachment_532" align="alignnone" width="3159"] Art of my main character Bianca by Oni Algarra on deviant art: https://www.deviantart.com/onialgarra[/caption]
Tips for Creating a Campaign
Know your product: You must have a solid product in mind that you're trying to raise money to create. Whether it's a book, a fidget cube, a graphic novel, make sure it's clear to your audience.
Figure out your budget: You have to know how much to ask for when you set up your campaign. Go through every single thing you spend money on, (ie. printing, setting up the book, editor, proofreader, swag, etc). Don't leave anything out, and make sure you round up rather than down. It's better to ask for a little extra than not enough. Create a list with all of your expenses, and then be honest with the people contributing to you. Break down the costs on your Indiegogo page so people know what their money is going towards. It's better to open and honest.
Create a Video: Indiegogo indicates that you're much more likely to receive donations if you have a video at the beginning of your campaign. This can just be you explaining your book, or perhaps presenting a book trailer. Be genuine in it and let people know just how much their help means to you. The more people know about the product, the more willing they may be to back it.
Perks: Now, while some people may be willing to make a donation, others will want something in return. This is where perks come in. Similar to patreon, you create different tiers. If someone contributes a certain amount, they may get a shout out, or posters and stickers. The bigger the contribution, the larger the return. You must make certain that you can actually provide the perks to the contributor, however, and in a reasonable time. People feel more valued if you get the items to them in a timely fashion. They should also be of good quality.
[caption id="attachment_533" align="alignnone" width="2988"] Samples of bookmark, sticker, mini poster, and necklace from one of my Perk packages. [/caption]
Publicize/Create a Street Team: The best way to get donations is by having a marketing plan. Create a street team of people who you know will be willing to share the link to your information. Set up days/times when you'll post about your campaign, and make sure it's to the right people. Know your audience and your readers. You don't want to post about urban fantasy material in a mystery group. Also, don't be obnoxious about it. While it's important to market, make sure you follow the rules of groups that you post it to, and don't invade someone's privacy (ie, PMing random people to beg them to donate to you). That's a great way to get blocked.
Be Responsive: When someone donates to you, let them know how much you appreciate it. They're taking their time and their hard-earned money to help you bring your project to life. The least you can do is thank them. Answer any questions they might have, and give frequent updates so people know how close you're getting to reaching the goal.
Pictures! Provide lots of pictures of your product. It lends agency to what you're doing, and it also helps people visualize exactly what they're going to get, or what you're trying to do. Pictures also make your campaign eye pleasing. People are more likely to donate if you can show them what you're making rather than describing it in a wall of text.
These are just a few tips I've learned while creating my campaign. I have Brian K Morris and Brenna Deutchman to thank for helping me set this up. It's always good to have someone look over your campaign in case you're missing something before you make it live. I'm sure I'll have some failures and struggles along the way, so I'll post about those as well.
If you have any questions about Indiegogo, or any topics you'd like me to cover, feel free to post them below!
Happy writing!