Crowdfunding in the Spotlight: Content Posts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Here is a concise guide to the content posts organized for the LiveJournal Spotlight July 18-24.  Welcome to our many new members!  Special thanks to all the folks who have written these posts so everyone would have exciting new material to enjoy.


Monday, July 18 -- Shared Worlds and Patrons
"Welcome, Spotlight Visitors!" by ysabetwordsmith
"On patronage..." by the_vulture
"Sharing a World for Fun ... and Profit" by ellenmillion
"Let's Discuss How Creators Can Attract Customers and Patrons" by laffingkat

Tuesday, July 19 -- Webserials
"Serialised Novels, Engagement, and Extribulum" by copperbadge
"What's So Great About Writing Webfiction? :-)" by aldersprig
"Let's discuss what makes a serial!" by chrysoula
"A retrospective on Tin Man, and a look forward at Hiraeth" by robling_t

Wednesday, July 20 -- Prompted Literature / Fishbowls
"The Poetry Fishbowl and Other Prompted Literature" by ysabetwordsmith
"So, I do this thing... or prompted fiction and writing directly to the audience" by aldersprig
"Discussion: Audience Participation" by ysabetwordsmith

Thursday, July 21 -- Divination / One-Card Draw
"So let's look at the demographics, shall we?" by the_vulture (poll)
"Starting a One-Card Draw" by wrenstarling
"Divination and Crowd-Funding" by stonetalker
"What Other Ventures Could Be Crowdfunded" by stonetalker
"One Card Draws!" by miintikwa
"Progress Meters" by ysabetwordsmith
"How Do You Measure Success in Crowdfunding?" by wyld_dandelyon

Friday, July 22 -- Prompted Art
"Icon Day" by djinni
"Sketch Fest #16 -- Starts Soon!" by ellenmillion
"Story Sketches: crowdfunded illustration for writers and their fans" by meeksp
"Discussion: Where do you find crowdfunded projects?" by ysabetwordsmith

Saturday, July 23 -- Webcomics
"ComicFury as a webcomic host & Crowdfunding" by comicfury
"Patron Thoughts" by red_trillium
"Why Webcomics are so important, and shouldn’t be ignored." by khaoskomix
"Webcomics, Crowdfunding, Radish Farming, and the FTP Factor" by gallo_de_pelea
"Womanthology and Kickstarter" posted via copperbadge
"Crowdfunded gaming: Kingdom of Loathing" by my_partner_doug

Sunday, July 24 -- Nonfiction
"Interview with Steven Lambert of Aether Dancer" by ysabetwordsmith
"EMG-Zine Fundraising - Kicks Off Today!" by ellenmillion

Crowdfunding in the Spotlight: Update 7-21-11

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

We're about halfway through the LiveJournal Spotlight.  So far, it's working.  Let's take a look...

There is a bunch of new content, with more to come.  Those are just the scheduled posts on major crowdfunding topics, tagged as "Spotlight."  You can see more stuff, the introductory posts and project updates, by viewing the general community feed.

There are new members.  Our membership numbers are doing this:
Sunday, July 17 -- 208
Monday, July 18 -- 242
Tuesday, July 19 -- 264
Wednesday, July 20 -- 282
So that's 74 already.  Helloooo, new people!  We're happy to have you here.  Three of you have introduced yourselves so far.  It would be great to hear from more of you.  Who are you?  What do you create and/or sponsor?  What caught your eye about crowdfunding?

The Spotlight is a community event.  Anyone is welcome to post about crowdfunding stuff.  Please tell us what you're up to or interested in.  YOU are crowdfunding -- whatever you want, make it happen.  Comment on the content posts.  Visit the projects.  Make some new friends.  Have fun!

Read "How can I use my skills for financial gain?"

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

growly discusses the process of working on commission and how to determine if it's a good business plan for you.  This is a very insightful examination of creativity and work style.

Most of my work relies on other models, but I do a bit of commission.  For instance, you can get a scrapbooked poem from me, like these sample pages; or hire me to compose a poem from scratch.

Who here likes to work on commission?  Who likes to buy things that way?

So let's look at the demographics, shall we?

[the-vulture.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1763400]

Starting a One-Card Draw

[wrenstarling.livejournal.com]

I'm here as someone who has just done her first one card draw to talk about starting a crowdfunded project. I've known miintikwa for a long time, and she's been doing one-card draws for all that time, so that's where I first encountered them. When my own calling as an auspex (one who practices divination via birds, quickly swallowed by the broader term "augur") came along, it was quite natural to think that I might someday be doing one card draws of my own.
I'd actually started paying attention before then, though, because I got involved in ysabetwordsmith's Poetry Fishbowl. Having been a poet myself, I was interested to see someone actually making an income as one, and so I paid attention to what she did and how she did it as well, even though I quickly decided that I didn't have the chops to make it as a poet.
As a patron, I soon joined crowdfunding as a way to find still more nifty stuff, like stonetalker's work, and that, of course, led to reading about things that other people were doing to get and keep their audiences and the funds they bring.
All of this was pretty organic in my case, but it's exactly the right thing to do deliberately when you decide you might like to start a crowdfunded project; any crowdfunded project, not just a one card draw; watch, learn, and synthesize all the data you gather into something that will work for you. The broader your exposure, the more likely you are to come up with a "just right" plan.

The hardest part of beginning a crowdfunding project is waiting to launch till you are really prepared. It's also hard to know when you ARE prepared; you want to keep some things open so that you don't use up everything you've got in one go. For example, I launched my bird oracle deck while the art is still in progress, in part because I thought that my followers might enjoy being involved in it; one of the things I've learned is that one must INVOLVE the audience in a crowdfunded project; this brings a sense of ownership that is more likely to lead to investment down the road.
On the other hand, going off half-cocked and then having a massive amount of downtime or having to rescind on promises is going to kill an audience very quickly, so it's important to make sure you have a solid something to offer and are able to follow through on the promises you make. I tried to start a few groups (not crowdfunded, but the situation is similar enough to transfer) on LJ that never really got off the ground because I wasn't truly ready when I launched them. One must be prepared to really support one's audience and idea in those early days; no one else will do it for you!

So, I launched my one card draw. I had a working (tested privately) oracle deck. I had my pricing and an initial set of products (readings, in this case) in place, as well as a way for people to give me money. I was already a member of a couple of vibrant communities friendly to my activities, and I had a small group of interested friends. My first draw was a success beyond my wildest dreams. Part of my success was my unique offering; part was connections and publicity, part was my preparation, and part was luck. Now, I'm working on follow up and follow through; I'll be making an extra post to my Wren Starling blog, I'm even more active here, etc. Soon, I'll be looking at scheduling my second one card draw. My most important preparatory step? Accepting that it will almost certainly be less successful than my first one, since some of the novelty that is a big draw in my case has worn off.

See, the most important thing about crowdfunding I've learned so far is that this field that attracts a lot of sensitive artist types requires those people to be far tougher than they probably are by nature. You might have to keep talking into a void for a while. You might invest far more than you get back for a LONG time. Find ways to get a boost when you can, but, in the end, be prepared the feel like there's no point to it all and you should just give up, take your ball, and go home...and keep going anyway, always innovating, always trying something new, until that magic moment comes and suddenly you realize that you have a real audience and, hey, you're DOING this.
And then keep working, because it never, ever stops...but that's part of the fun when you are a creative person!

Reprise: Why do you donate?

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Back in March 2011, aldersprig launched a discussion, "Why do you donate?"  Given our recent discussions about patrons, this seemed like a useful topic to revisit.  You can look at the previous post or just start fresh here.  If you're a patron, you can talk about your spending habits.  If you're both patron and creator, you might contrast your experiences across the two modes.  What makes you click that "donate" button?

Introductions.

[shoelace009.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I was drawn in by the spotlight. I wasn't really sure what crowdfunding was but as an aspiring writer, it interested me. I am definitely not a donor because college tuition has made me incredibly poor but I do write. Currently, I am kind of working/procrastinating working on a novel. Writing creatively is sort of my guilty pleasure because academic efforts take up the rest of my time. Working several jobs to pay for those academic efforts doesn't help efforts.

Anyways, I joined because I think it is a cool idea and I'm not sure if I will ever try it but I would love to keep checking it out. Who knows?

I'm not trying to peddle my own writing or anything but the user info, at least I believe, said to mention whatever projects I am working on. It is a children's literature kind of thing.That is what I like to read and write. I love viewing photography. Sometimes my writing is a random purging of emotions and sometimes it is more directed. I'm not really sure how that could be turned into a crowdfunded activity. Like I said, I'm not sure if it is for me yet but I love the idea of checking out what other people have and I think sometimes talking to other writers is helpful.

So, hi, I'm Lacey. College student. English major. Aspiring writer. Livejournal member since approximately 2008. Feel free to check out my journal or hit me up, especially if you have any cool information or experiences with crowdfunded activities. I'd be interested in picking your brain!

Divination and Crowd-Funding

[stonetalker.livejournal.com]

There are many ways that crowd-funding can be advantageous when it comes to divination projects. I started doing the one-card draws because it is in my nature to share what I enjoy doing, especially if it seems to help others in their own lives. In the couple of years that I have been hosting one-card draws, I have learned many things about them and also about crowd-funding.

First we have to look at what kinds of divination are suitable for this type of venture, for not all divination is created equally. What I have found in my experience though is that while people are curious about their own fate, they also enjoy reading the advice that is given to others. In this way, both people are blessed.

Many people expect a 'one-card draw' to feature Tarot, and indeed there are many different Tarot decks from which to choose. As a professional reader and a teacher of divination, I have quite a collection of decks. I favor some more than others for ease of use, particularly when it comes to crowd-funded projects. It is nice for everyone to have a similar reference.

Other divination oracles can be used during the one-card draws. I have used stones with great success. Others have used non-Tarot oracles, and in other venues I have even seen herbs and colored ribbons used as a means for conveying messages and advice. The success of the venture depends both on what the reader enjoys doing, and where the audience's reception lies.

Doing projects like this among the crowd-funding community has many advantages for the reader. It introduces them to a wide audience. It allows them to showcase their skills and talents as a diviner. It gives them a chance to promote the other more detailed readings that they can offer as a paid service. it serves as a platform for them to display any oracles or divination tools which they themselves might be creating.

The community spirit of the one-card draws goes much further than the actual event. It has been my experience to get repeat customers from this type of a showcase, and some of these have become good friends. It gives the audience who requests a reading a chance to see what messages come for others. This can help them to progress on their own path, as well as help those who are interested learn more about the oracle being used. Finally, they do seem to be very popular events for bringing people together. Often I have seen the 'guests' at my readings support each other through the comments thread. In this day and age, none of us can have too many friends.

So where do I see the future of the one-card draw events heading? That is a very good question. I notice they are increasing in popularity, and this in the long run could help readers and diviners become a more integrated part of society, rather than being considered 'evil' or 'sideshow attractions.' I also feel that it would be possible to host teaching seminars on the individual Tarot cards, the different decks being published, perhaps even on how to create a personal oracle.

One-card draws are limited largely by the imagination of the persons who participate in them. My experience in the crowd-funding community has been nothing but positive, and I encourage all who are curios to pop along to the next one card draw. I will be hosting a Tarot draw using the circular deck, The Tarot of the Cloisters, on Monday, 25 July.

What Other Ventures Could Be Crowd-Funded

[stonetalker.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who ghost writes articles, and gets paid very poorly for doing so. It seems to me that there has to be a better way of getting writing skills funded, and I know ysabetwordsmith does very well with her poetry fishbowls, but I'm wondering if crowd-funding cannot be done to take writing and other skills to their next level of evolution.

Looking at the different angles, here's what I deduced.
1) Writers love to write
2) Readers enjoy reading
3) Writers need to be paid
4) Not everyone who reads can afford to purchase an entire work
5) The amount of free downloaded music on the web makes me think this applies to music.
6) Further thought leads me to think that this applies to nearly any skill or art form.

Rather than getting paid a royalty by a publishing house in a lump sum, and then that publisher (or agent or gallery -- whatever fits) handle the marking and revenue of the item, in some instances it just makes sense for the creator to do it themselves.

Let's take a knitting pattern, for example. It could be included in a collection of patterns by the same designer, or it could be sold to a publishing house who can put it in an anthology from different designers. Could it be crowd-funded? The designer shows a picture of the completed item and gives a brief description of its history and purpose, maybe citing materials used. As donations come in, the instructions, along with photos and step by step progress, can be uploaded. This way the designer gets paid for their work, the item is funded, and once the financial goal has been reached it can be available for free distribution. It seems that this way, everyone benefits.

It is my belief that many other items can be funded by crowd-sourcing. At our house we do needlework, soap-making, brewing, pottery, and a host of other hands on activities. I see the potential for crowd-sourcing in all of them, and certainly plan on giving this more thought.

One Card Draws!

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone!

I'm Kara, I do a crowdfunded monthly One Card draw over in my journal. I've been doing it for a while, and I have definitely found it to be an awesome and fun experience. I've learned a lot, and been inspired by things posted here to change my format to make it more accessible to other people. I've added perks and incentives and, I think, made my draw a better event!

( Things I have learned as time passed: )

I think the best thing about doing the One Card draw, for me, is being able to help people I wouldn't be able to help otherwise. I definitely enjoy it, and I plan on keeping it up for as long as I can! :)

Feel free to ask questions if you have them!

Progress Meters

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Several folks have mentioned that they like progress meters, tickers, widgets that show how much money has been donated toward a project or word count written.  Pretty much any goal can be tracked with these tools. You put the thing on your project page, and depending on the model, either it updates automatically or you change it manually.  This gives your donors a sense of accomplishment when they make a donation and see the number ring up, which can encourage people to give more.  aldersprig mentioned that progress meters can be found for free on the web, so I looked up some resources.

[EDIT 7-22-11] NOTE: dreamwriteremmy commented on my blog that ticker graphics are not very accessible. If you use one, please consider including a text tally for people who can't see the graphic image. Some tickers may be enabled for interface with assistance software but you'd have to check that.

The main crowdfunding hubs, such as IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, have amount tracking as a standard feature on their project page; there's a place that tells about the progress toward goal.  ChipIn offers a Flash widget that automatically updates funds received.  I've seen artists with multiple webcomics set up a competition with a ChipIn widget for each series, and the one that gets the most donations will get a free wallpaper drawn for it.

Some websites offer progress meters of various types.  Writertopia offers a plain bar and a customizable cartoon writer, for tracking wordcount.  ProgPress is one of several ticker plug-ins built for WordPress.  StoryToolz offers a simple wordcount meter.  Fundraiser Insight provides several free thermometers in different styles, vertical and horizontal.  TickerFactory lets you customize tickers for all different kinds of things -- fundraising, deadlines, etc.

It's also possible to create your own progress meter from scratch.  That takes more work for the coding (or a volunteer to do it for you) but can be unique and perfectly matched to your project.

Creators: Do you use progress meters?  If so, how well do they work for you?
Patrons: Do you like or dislike progress meters?  Why?

How Do You Measure Success In Crowdfunding?

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Now that I once again have a day job, it’s probably time to consider how successful my ventures in crowdfunding have been. I have a lot less time--should I keep doing this?

Financially, I didn’t make a lot of money. It certainly never came close to replacing a day job. I didn’t get wealthy (or even famous). But then, even with traditional publishing, there’s very few science fiction writers who don’t need a day job or other source of financial support. In the crowd-funded world, the people I look up to—people like haikujaguar and ysabetwordsmith —aren’t rich yet either. Another example, Shadow Unit, by award winning authors including Elizabeth Bear and Emma Bull, reportedly makes them “pizza money”.

If I were to measure my results in terms of hourly wage, I’d have to say it was a failure. In fact, I’m sure I’d make more per hour doing old-fashioned busking, me and my autoharp or guitar and a few songs on a street corner.

So, why do I feel like it was a good experiment, one that I want to find time to continue, in the time left over from working the day job?

Well, I’ve never wanted my writing and art to do nothing more than satisfy me. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, if it’s what you want—but I always wanted more. I’ve always wanted to share what I do, to bring other people the same kinds of joy I get from my favorite writers, musicians, and artists.

In terms of having my work read and enjoyed by people, I’d have to say it’s been at least as big a success, so far, as traditional publishing. It’s also been a success in giving me a chance to hear from my readers, both what people liked and what they didn’t like.

In terms of getting better at my craft, it has also worked well, by providing both deadlines and real-world feedback.  (I don't blame editors for using form rejection slips, but they're neither informative or satisfying.  That's part of why I love comments—even the negative comments people have left me taught me something about what I'm doing right, and what I can do better.)

But the best thing, I think, is the inspiration people bring me. Part of that is the deliberate inspiration people offer when they have given me prompts, story ideas, questions, or requests for more about one of my characters. Part of it is the cash—our culture teaches us to measure value in terms of dollars, and I’m susceptible to that frame of mind (and to the need to pay bills).

But the biggest inspiration has just been knowing that there are people who want to read my next story—knowing that I could bring a smile to friends I rarely see in person; knowing my words will cheer the day of someone on the other side of the world; knowing that if I do a good enough job, I might startle someone out of lurking to say hello. 

So, all you creators out there—and you readers/viewers too—how do you measure the success of a crowdfunded project?