Crowdfunding for publication - part 2, launch

Last week, I talked about planning your campaign. If you missed the post, you can catch up on it here.

Now that you've done your planning, you will be ready to launch your campaign. Depending on your campaign, there may be a few days between hitting the button to make it live and it being launched. This is something to keep in mind when planning your launch date.

It's tempting to just make it live and then hope for the best, but there are things you can do for a successful campaign launch.

Before your launch
For a successful start to your campaign, start letting people know that it's coming up.

• Plan some blog posts with a blurb about your new book, let your readers know why you are crowdfunding, and, possibly, add some hints to the sorts of rewards they can expect.
• Post in your social media channels about your book and campaign so people can look forward to it and be ready to support you.
• Prepare announcement emails and media releases so they are ready to go when you launch.
• Line up supporters who will host you on their blogs and help spread the word (more about this in the next post)

During the campaign itself, you will be posting quite a bit to get people to support you, so don't go overboard at this stage. Let people know just enough so they know it's coming and are ready to pledge their support.

In my campaign last year, I didn't tell people enough, so there were some people who wanted to support it, but didn't have the money at that point, though they have since purchased books from me.

Launching your campaign
When your campaign goes live, this is where the work begins. Most pledges happen within the first few days, so this is the time to spread the word. Here are a few things you can do. Remember to include a direct link to your campaign so that people can easily support it.

• Plan a blog post on your blog to announce the campaign
• Post on your Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media channels
• If you are a member of any Facebook groups, post there too. Be sure to make sure these posts are in keeping with the rules of the group.
• Send an email out to your email list to let your subscribers know about your campaign.
• Prepare a media release before your launch and send it out as your campaign goes live. Don't forget about your local paper as they are always looking for local interest stories
• Prepare some postcards or flyers that you can give to your offline contacts
• Send an email to your family and close friends who may not be part of any of the above groups of people

Once your campaign is launched and you've let people know, work begins to keep the momentum going so you can reach your goal. A successful campaign is not a matter of "set and forget", there is still work to do. More about that in the next post.

Melissa Gijsbers lives in Melbourne and writes in between working as a bookkeeper and being the mother of two active boys. She successfully crowdfunded her first book in 2014, and is about to crowdfund her second book.

Follow her writing journey at www.melissawrites.com.au and www.melissagijsbers.com