More and more authors are starting to turn to Kickstarter, and similar platforms, to fund their publishing projects. ‘Kickstarter is the forefront of a new path for self-publishing, with a huge number of quality works coming from it,’ said first-time author A.Y. Chao about her decision to Kickstart her book Soul Affinity. However, can authors and readers really trust a site that has become notorious with scams and let downs?

What makes an author or publisher decide to use Kickstarter to launch a book, rather than pursuing a more traditional model, whether it be trade or self-publishing? Chao is pursuing both traditional publishing and self-publishing to diversify. Chao stated that ‘with Kickstarter, I don’t have to compromise the heart of my story. I have full artistic autonomy to ensure all aspects of the book are the best they can be, and packaged in the most appealing way possible’.

Though is there a risk when it comes to relying on the public to fund your book? Of course there is! However, many of the authors who try to kickstart their books also have a substantial social media following. This suggests that an author brand is essential when it comes to kickstarting your book, however, how much of a brand does a first-time author have? How can they rely on a fan base that probably is not there, or as big, yet?

One author that amassed a vast fanbase before his first Kickstarter due to his visual and striking work, Micheal Stokes commented: ‘I thought I’d make it, I didn’t think I’d make it in one day.’ His wildly successful second Kickstarter had 3,500 supporters for a total of $411,000. Stokes said in the first couple of days, ‘I posted something on social media, and it got the attention of this guy from MTV who follows me. He saw how excited people were. So he wrote an article and then Bored Panda, and then everyone…they started linking to the Kickstarter.’

Publishing using Kickstarter has become so popular that the website has a dedicated publishing category, with new projects being added every day. This might make it hard for first-time authors to distinguish themselves from the already popular as they battle to be one of the first few that pop up on the screen.

I’ve decided to back a project entitled ‘Where the Veil is Thin’ which is ‘an anthology of faerie tales from a diverse collection of authors that might push the boundaries of what you expect a faerie tale should or could be’. The project is just under halfway funded and only has 11 days to go, so expect an update to see if the project was successful or not.