On a whim, we had a look at the #newbook hashtag. One click led to another click until we noticed a kickstarter url. Learning from other people's kickstarter campaigns is always useful, so we went to have a look.
What we found was a young picture book author who needs a big helping hand. It was enough to make a person weep.
Things he's done right:
* He has a video clip on his kickstarter.
* He lined up family and friends to donate early, giving him some social proof.
Things that aren't so good:
* We watched the video clip without the audio on, hoping he would show a book cover, an internal illustration, a draft double page spread. Sadly no, only a talking head. So we didn't watch until the end.
* We had a look at the rewards. Only three options.
* We had a look at the campaign information, and found only two paragraphs. Good campaigns provide far more information than this.
* We had a look at his social media reach, 135 friends on Facebook, and sighed. At least ten times this would give his project a chance.
* Then we popped over to his blog, and sighed again. Yes, he started his blog maybe two weeks before the kickstarter campaign and it contains more status updates than content.
A bit more research before he began the campaign, and before he began his blog, and he would probably already have the funds he needs.
How do we know? Because there are a lot of practical tips on how to run a successful kickstarter campaign in our e-book 'Children's Books: Getting to the next level as writers and illustrators'. At $0.99 US it is not going to break the bank. But it could save a lot of long term online heartache. Having a failed kickstarter campaign is a calamity, because kickstarter campaigns don't get deleted once they have finished.
What we found was a young picture book author who needs a big helping hand. It was enough to make a person weep.
Things he's done right:
* He has a video clip on his kickstarter.
* He lined up family and friends to donate early, giving him some social proof.
Things that aren't so good:
* We watched the video clip without the audio on, hoping he would show a book cover, an internal illustration, a draft double page spread. Sadly no, only a talking head. So we didn't watch until the end.
* We had a look at the rewards. Only three options.
* We had a look at the campaign information, and found only two paragraphs. Good campaigns provide far more information than this.
* We had a look at his social media reach, 135 friends on Facebook, and sighed. At least ten times this would give his project a chance.
* Then we popped over to his blog, and sighed again. Yes, he started his blog maybe two weeks before the kickstarter campaign and it contains more status updates than content.
A bit more research before he began the campaign, and before he began his blog, and he would probably already have the funds he needs.
How do we know? Because there are a lot of practical tips on how to run a successful kickstarter campaign in our e-book 'Children's Books: Getting to the next level as writers and illustrators'. At $0.99 US it is not going to break the bank. But it could save a lot of long term online heartache. Having a failed kickstarter campaign is a calamity, because kickstarter campaigns don't get deleted once they have finished.
There are so many pitfalls around for those starting out. There are so many ways you can brand yourself as an amateur without realizing it. If there is someone you love beginning to write or illustrate children's books, direct them to our e-book and give them a head start on the road to translating that talent into an earning-a-living career.
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