Featured Q&A with M.G. Wilson

[Michael]

What made you decide to crowdfund for your project?

I believe that one of the best times to invite your potential readers to pick up a copy of your book is "before" your book comes out. This is similar to the build up of excitement I think most of us feel when we are waiting for that cool new movie to come out that sounds like it is just the kind of film we love to see.

Did you have any apprehension about the crowdfunding process?

I don't feel energized by asking for people to buy. Usually people are referred to me to help them write books as I am a publisher as well as an author myself. So reaching out and asking for support for my book project was tough. Again, what makes crowdfunding appealing is that you can look at it more like pre-selling your book, giving actually more value for your book (if you do it right) by offering additional perks such as additional free eBooks and eProducts or coaching, etc.

What was your most effective method of communication?

Our most effective method of communication was connecting directly one-on-one with people who I am connected to on LinkedIn. I have over 7000 connections so I had a good number of people who I could reach out to who could benefit from my offering.

What did you learn about yourself or the world through this process?

I learned that it is never too early to look at crowdfunding when you start writing your book. Your campaign should focus on unique, value-added offerings. Look at other campaigns for ideas and, most of all, get help from your fellow authors.

How do you see crowdfunding fitting into the publishing process, now and in the future?

Crowdfunding is here to stay and is an integral part of the publishing process. My final thought is that we are at the very beginning of this form of selling. If you can do one thing better with crowdfunding it would be to focus on the initiative and plan a marketing campaign around it up to 30 days before and during the entire time you are running your campaign. There is so much noise in the content world and it will only get worse, so preparing those who know you to consider pre-buying your books is a very good idea.