4 Crowdfunding Platforms for Self-Publishing Your Work

Find out how to turn the dream of publishing your work into reality with these top crowdfunding sites

It's that time of year when you’re ready to get back to your routine with renewed verve and vigor. One thing at the top of your to-do list is to finally publish that project you’ve been working on, but there's a slight problem - you're not sure how you're going to fund it.

It’s easy to assume that the most challenging part of being a freelance creative is to come up with a great idea, develop your own unique style, or perfect a particular skill. But once all of that is taken care of, there’s still the task of generating enough interest, not to mention financial backing, to actually publish your work.

There is always the more traditional method of reaching out to galleries or publishers. But contacting each one individually is time consuming, and can be frustrating when you know they are receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of portfolios a day.

This route also means you may have to agree to changes or compromises to your work that you may not be too eager to make. Luckily, the digital era has given freelancers a new means to raise the money to kick-start their projects: crowdfunding platforms.

What is a crowdfunding platform?

Put simply, a crowdfunding platform is an online space that allows individuals or groups to gain financial backing for any project or business venture by asking the public to donate money. If you are the author of a project, you are effectively creating an online “support network” of people to raise the funds necessary to publish your work, without having to turn to big investors to get your project off the ground.

The people donating can either do so altruistically, or receive something in return. This can be anything from equity in a company to “rewards” such as free copies of a piece of work, or subscriptions to a particular service. Alternatively, they can loan the money for it to be returned at a later stipulated date.

What are the benefits of crowdfunding?

Cost

The most obvious benefit is financial. Crowdfunding platforms are a cost-effective way to publish your work, as you don’t have to shell out from your own pocket.

Control

Crowdfunding platforms give you control over how your work is published and who sees it, and you don’t have to pander to the requests of investors who may want to take you in a direction that is not in line with your own creative vision.

Connection

These platforms allow you to reach out to your audience on a personal level, and share your journey with them, including links or references to your social media sites, website, or other work you have on the go. They also allow you invaluable insights into the kind of audience you are attracting, such as their gender, age, location etc., which will help you understand how to market your product.

Crowdfunding Platforms for Self-Publishing Your Work

Once you’ve decided that crowdfunding is for you, you’ll need to choose the right platform. Artist, illustrator, and Domestika teacher Karishma Chugani, researched and analyzed several crowdfunding platforms before publishing her book.

In her course Paper Playground: Create a Papercut Picturebook, she explains how she got started using a crowdfunding platform, as well as some important tips and considerations to bear in mind before launching a campaign.

She recommends researching the different stages of self-publishing your work carefully before you choose a crowdfunding platform, as well as asking yourself questions such as how you will produce your work, how much it will cost, what rewards you can offer to your backers, how you will design the campaign, and who will produce any audio-visual material you require.

To get you started, she shares her top 4 crowdfunding platforms for creatives.

Kickstarter

This is one of the biggest crowdfunding platforms out there, with over 20 million backers funding 205,000 projects to date. It has several categories for creatives, including photography, design, and fashion, so you will have no trouble finding one that suits you.

Their funding model is “all or nothing”, meaning that you will not receive any money if the project does not reach its funding goal. While this may sound like a disadvantage, it does mean that creatives can be sure they will always have the budget they had originally calculated before they are expected to launch any of their campaigns or projects, and there are no fees if your project is unsuccessful.

Indiegogo

Indiegogo is another excellent option for creatives. Unlike Kickstarter, it allows you the option of receiving fixed or flexible funding. Fixed funding is the preferred choice for those who know how much they need to get their project off the ground, but the funds are returned to donors if you do not reach your goal.

Flexible funding on the other hand, is ideal for those who would benefit from any amount of funding for their projects. It does, however, hold on to something called a “reserve fund”, which means that 5% of your funds may or may not be returned to you depending on whether Indiegogo needs to refund your backers.

Verkami

Originating in Barcelona, Spain, this company is ideal for those who want to publish their work in both Spanish and English.

This is the main reason that Karishma chose it as the platform to host her own personal project, as she had an audience in both languages. It also follows the same “all or nothing” business model as Kickstarter.

Patreon

Patreon gives you a steady stream of revenue on an ongoing basis, as it allows you to collect funding every month from your backers, or every time you release something new. It is also more flexible than most other crowdfunding platforms, with no funding deadlines and fewer project restrictions.

The site is great for creatives as it has a strong community feel - you can build a relationship with your fans by sending exclusive content to your subscribers in return for their funding.

If you’re interested in learning more about the pros and cons of crowdfunding platforms, Karishma Chugani recommends browsing Investopedia.com, the world's leading source of financial content on the web.

If you would like to hear Karshima’s advice on how to publish your book, check out her online course Paper Playground: Create a Papercut Picturebook.

You may also like:

- What Is Crowdfunding?
- Monetization Platforms for Creatives
- How to Create Your Own Digital Media Plan
- Creating Crowdfunding Campaigns from Scratch, a course by Disruptivo.tv
- Personal Branding Strategy for Social Media, a course by Dot Lung