Crowd sourcing seems to be the next big thing in artistic funding. Can’t find a big company to supply the money you need to produce a children’s book or concept album or video game? Go places like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and crowdtilt (and there are more and more of these sites popping up all over, from what I can see).
So how do I make up for my lack of fame? I’m a first-time author with what I and many others think is a fantastic first novel, but no one knows me from a hole in the ground. I was hand-writing my script for the video while thinking on that very issue. Now, writing by hand is a different cognitive process from typing – more creative and less analytic, at least for me. Therefore, it helps me to make intuitive leaps, and is great for outlining, plot breakthroughs, and problem-solving. So a plan popped up in my head like a defiant finger.
“Dude. Don’t treat it as a donation. It’s a *loan*.”
I’ve thought it over, and it makes sense. I don’t want to make myself a bajillion dollars, especially at the expense of other wonderful people. I just want a leg up. That means a loan, not charity.
So here’s my pledge: anyone who backs my project (link to be added to front page shortly) at or above $50 will be paid back out of the book revenue.
Now, if I don’t make my minimum funding requirement, of course, the money never changes hands, and I go back to saving the old-fashioned way. But this – I think this could work. And it appeals to my Midwestern discomfort with taking help from others.
I don’t need this project to be my PowerBall winning ticket. I just want a chance. And dammit, I think I’ll make it worth everyone’s while.
