A guest post by Justine Schofield/@PUBSLUSH posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

I am very pleased to feature Justine Schofield in this guest post. Justine is the communications coordinator of Pubslush, a global, crowdsourcing publishing platform for authors to raise funds and gauge the initial audience for new book ideas. Pubslush also operates an independent imprint that acquires books from the platform, and for every book sold, donates a children’s book to a child in need.

Justine is currently enrolled at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, earning her MFA in Creative Writing. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston, MA with a degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. She specializes in social media and public relations and has held various freelance editing and writing jobs, and her work has been published in many online and print publications. 

 She will discuss what Pubslush has to offer authors seeking way to fund their projects.

Although the focus of this post is on memoir writers, Pubslush’s service apply to all genre.  Of note: Pubslush Press’s debut title, a beautiful mess, is a memoir.

Welcome, Justine!

Crowdfunding Your Memoir

As a memoirist, you pour your heart and soul into your work and that’s something you deserve to share with the world. Unfortunately, as writers, we know all too well that the publishing industry is very difficult to break into.

Self-publishing of course has become a great and even sometimes preferred—route, but that also comes with a financial risk.

Enter: crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding is a way for artists to mitigate financial risk and build their audience.

It has become a groundbreaking means of funding creative projects that otherwise wouldn’t have the means to become a reality, but even with the buzz around crowdfunding, it’s a very new concept that a lot of people have trouble understanding.

So how are you supposed to know if crowdfunding is right for you?

6 Ways to Know if Crowdfunding is for You:

* You have a built in network. This is where a lot of people go wrong in regards to crowdfunding. Some people believe all they have to do is throw their campaign up on a crowdfunding site and others will magically back them. This is how it would work in a perfect world, but, alas, that’s not the world we live in. Crowdfunding is a lot of work and a majority of people who support your campaign will be from your own personal network. Prior to the launch of your campaign you need to compile a list of everyone in your network you can reach out to.

*You’re not afraid to ask for support. Along the same lines, you have to be willing to ask your network to support you. Ask and     you shall receive—remember that saying? It’s definitely applicable to crowdfunding. Just casually mentioning your crowdfunding venture won’t yield results. You need to be proactive and ask people to support you. Also, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to do so.  If you’re asking via e-mail be sure to include a link right to your campaign. People like easy.

*  You think outside the box. Yes, having a network is key, but developing new, creative ways to find your audience and gain support outside of your network is also extremely important. Especially being memoirists, there’s a niche market out there that you can tap into, you just have to figure out how to reach and sell yourself to that market.

*  You must know your goals. Different people have different goals when it comes to publishing. Some people just want to publish e-books through Amazon. Others want to conduct a full-scale publishing effort, including hiring an editor, cover designer, PR agent, etc. Obviously, your funding goal is going to depend on the scale of your publishing project. You need to have a solid idea of the outcome you’re hoping for at the end of your campaign so you can plan your goal and your reward levels accordingly.

*    You believe in your project. Crowdfunding is tough. You need to have the attitude that the world just won’t be the same if your book isn’t published. Especially with so many other crowdfunding projects bouncing around the Web, you need to be your own biggest advocate. If you believe in your book, others will, too. Passion in infectious.

*     Be familiar with crowdfunding. Since crowdfunding is so new, a lot of people aren’t even familiar with the concept. You’re going to have to explain crowdfunding in general to a lot of people before you even get to your own specific project. You have to be prepared to do so.

Pubslush offers an abundance of resources and information about crowdfunding and publishing in general. To learn more, visit Pubslush 101.

Follow Pubslush on Twitter and Face book: 

Pubslush Press’s debut memoir: a beautiful mess by Ali Berlinski:

Memoir Synopsis:

Imagine what your life would be like if you laughed through all the mayhem? Biracial and bicoastal, Berlinski spent her childhood flying between the dysfunctional families of her divorced parents, always feeling like an outsider. Fortunately, she never lost her sense of humor, which is apparent on every page of her debut story collection, a riotous and revealing exposé of the new normal and the consequences of too much air travel, cultural diversity, and conflicting and conflicted parents. With an open heart, she recounts her somewhat misspent youth and a wildly exciting (though equally torturous) love affair with the guy of her dreams, eventually leaving it all to start again abroad.

She’s Carrie Bradshaw reimagined as a third grade teacher in Brooklyn with zero interest in Manolo Blahnik. She’s a tough New Yorker with a tender twist of California sunshine whose journey will be oddly familiar and utterly unique to anyone who’s ever believed that love would save them – if not with this guy, then maybe with the next.

As her grandfather once said, “Well, it may not be the party you hoped for, but since we’re here, we might as well dance.” So now she lives in Spain and, despite everything, continues to dance through this messy, magnificent life. Say yes to your mess.

 ***

Thank you Justine for letting us know about your services to writers and authors. It’s nice to know there are alternatives to ease the financial burdens of marketing both with traditional and self-publishing options. And I’m thrilled your debut title is a memoir!

How about you? Have you ever considered crowdfunding your writing project? 

We’d love to hear from you.  Pubslush has offered to give away three ebook versions of ” a beautiful mess” to three random commenters. For those who do not have an ereader, you can download Kindle or Barnes and Noble apps to your computers to access the ebook.

Please leave your questions and comments below~

Next Week:  Memoir Author Carol Bodensteiner will be featured in a guest post “Turning Mundane into Magic.” Carol will give away a copy of her memoir Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl” to a random commenter.