I'd like to crowdfund, but need some help getting started

[chordatesrock.livejournal.com]

Hello, everyone. I'm pleased to meet you all, including the ones I've already met. :) I would like to use crowdfunding as a business model for original fiction writing. However, after having read ysabetwordsmith's articles and taken a look at what some people are doing, while I think I have some idea of what to do, I'm still a little confused.

First, I see that the general way for writers(, icon makers, and artists) to do things is to have a prompt call. I understand this as follows:
Cathy Crowdfunder makes a post to her LJ naming a specific theme-- something like "home", "older people" or "military SF"-- and stating that she is taking prompts for Awesome Artistry (such as icons, flashfics, or poems) on this theme until one or two days after the post is made.
Cathy links her post here.
Peter Prompter shows up and leaves a comment with a prompt, such as "what happened to not!tree?" or "a disabled separatist group IN SPACE."
Cathy writes about disabled separatists in space, or writes a sequel to The Tree That Wasn't.
Cathy replies to Peter's comment with her own comment, saying something like "this became The Army of One Tree That Wasn't, about the adventures of Generic Protagonist in Setting with Awesome Plot Point. Buy it now: $X"
One or more people somehow pay.
The story becomes free for anyone to read.
???
Profit!

First, is this correct? Or does the process differ materially from what I've outlined?

Second, why are there discrete prompt calls? Why not accept prompts whenever they happen?

Third, what if I write slowly? ysabetwordsmith has written several of my prompts, sometimes within hours or minutes of my giving them, and usually within a day or so. baaing_tree has only answered two, but both have been within about a day. Is this typical? Is it required? What if I come back to a prompt days after the Fishbowlathon? Is that acceptable?

Fourth, how do I know who my donors are? How do I tell where a donation came from?

Fifth, how do I know which work they're paying for?

Sixth, how do I set up a donation button?

Seventh, how do I price my work?

Eighth, what would I do with stories written outside of prompt calls?

Finally, I have some worlds that would make great homes for connected serials that couldn't quite be structured into novels because there's a little too much sprawl, in time as well as space. Would it work to post a batch of short first installments introducing the worlds and conflicts, and say something like "I'll take prompts for any of these universes, but further installments won't be freebies"? Is there anything dreadfully wrong with that idea that I haven't noticed?

And one last thing. Would it work to leave all fanfic free forever, and charge for original fic with exceptions for series-beginners? Or would that work better without the series-beginner exception?

(I can't figure out what to tag this with. Sorry.)

Comments

[lb-lee.livejournal.com]

Hey chordatesrock! I'm pretty new to this myself. And fear not, sometimes I'm a slow writer too; my brain is a sick brain, so sometimes I can churn them out really fast (like recently) but Xenothon ended up taking me over a month to finish entirely, and it still went pretty well. As long as you get some work done and don't leave people in the lurch, I haven't had a problem. But then again, I also make it clear that sometimes I won't make everyone's prompts; that's why I use the 'plug or pay' thing to guarantee a prompt gets written.

As for the process, lots of people do it a little differently, but I think you've got it basically right. (Though 'profit' is such a strong word for $100 here and there.)

Regarding donors/who pays for what, my writeathons move slowly enough that usually, I can tell who it is, just from context. If I get a donation (like just now, actually) that I'm not sure who it is, Paypal gives me the donator's email address, so I can just ask them. Also, with Paypal, you can put in with your donation a note that says what it's for.

Donation buttons are easy to make if you have a Paypal account. It's under 'merchant services.' I haven' used anything else, so don't know how they work.

I price my work using DuoTrope's Digest semi-pro rates. (http://www.duotrope.com/glossary.aspx).

As for prose written outside promptcalls, I myself have put up a LOT of work for free, because I know other folks aren't really into it. I've sold zines at cons before (I do comics too) and am planning to make a specifically fiction illustrated zine that I'll sell at cons. We'll see how it works out!

I'm not a fanfiction writer at all, but I have gotten paid to write it (much to my surprise). Since I myself generally only write fanfiction when prompted to do so, it falls under my usual pay rates.

(Also, off-topic but, damn, this comm's comment box is the size of a postage stamp. What's up with that?)

[chordatesrock.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

So, I see that the semi-pro rates are a range from one to five cents per word. Do you pick a number in that range and stick with it? Does it depend on how hard those words were to write?

Yeah, there's a lot about this layout that could be better.

[lb-lee.livejournal.com]

I chose a little arbitrarily, since $20 seemed a nice round number for the pieces I was putting out. I tend to stick with it, though I noodle around sometimes if I'm writing pieces in a series that people might not be as interested in.

Okay...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>First, is this correct? Or does the process differ materially from what I've outlined?<<

What you have outlined is a good composite of a popular model. There are other versions, so if a particular point doesn't work for you, it's okay to try something different.

>> Second, why are there discrete prompt calls? <<

1) In general, participation is higher in a limited-time activity than an ongoing one. The short fuse encourages people to act on it. This is a known feature of human behavior, and it's one reason for stores doing "specials."

2) For some of us, it's easier to clear a chunk of time to work on a specific project. I can afford to spend a whole day writing poetry, I get a lot done quickly, and I can work on other stuff at other times.

3) If the project is regularly scheduled, people learn to look for it and plan to catch it. This boosts participation. With ongoing projects, it's harder to remember to check on them unless there are updates.

Other folks may have more reasons.

>> Why not accept prompts whenever they happen? <<

Some people do this in addition to or instead of a limited-time prompt call. If this appeals to you, by all means try it.

kajones_writing has a permanent prompt page on her archive site, and people collecting her credits can use those to request fiction anytime.

>> Third, what if I write slowly? <<

Then you write slowly, and you should tell people that in the project post. A few of us are lightning-fast writers, but then, I've been doing this for decades. Others are slower and that's okay.

djinni paints at respectable speed but the Icon Day is so popular it attracts dozens or hundreds of requests. So it runs 4-8 weeks before the batch of icons are released. It's still stupendously popular.

>> ysabetwordsmith has written several of my prompts, sometimes within hours or minutes of my giving them, and usually within a day or so. baaing_tree has only answered two, but both have been within about a day. Is this typical? <<

Most crowdfunders on LiveJournal and Dreamwidth who use the prompt call model seem to write/draw quickly and will fill prompts within a day or few. This is not a typical sample of writer speeds in general. Fast writers choose this model because it works for them.

>> Is it required? <<

No. I've seen a few people post a call for prompt that they want to work on for a longer term, and they'll specify a week or a month, or just that they're asking for ideas and there's no target timeframe.

>> What if I come back to a prompt days after the Fishbowlathon? Is that acceptable? <<

Sure. It's your project; do what works for you and your audience.

Interaction is an important part of crowdfunding. People like to see the results of their work, so a fast return gives them a quick reward and that helps encourage participation. A slower return is likely to attract a different audience. If you're writing short stories rather than ficlets or poems, the longer length may also have that effect.

I don't always have time to write to all the prompts I'd like to use, and sometimes the prompts are for things later in a series. In that case, I save them in my series notes for future reference. The prompter still gets a backchannel copy and credit whenever I get around to writing that piece.

Okay...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> Fourth, how do I know who my donors are? How do I tell where a donation came from? <<

If you use PayPal or another money-handling service, it will give you the sender's name with the money. That's not always the name you'll know them by, but sometimes it is.

If you're using checks or some other payment option, the person will probably need to email or message you anyway because most of those are slower and you can get the name then.

>> Fifth, how do I know which work they're paying for? <<

If you put a separate sell button on each item, that will tell you which is which. If you use a general project button like I do, people will have to tell you what they're buying -- unless all the prices are different and you can guess from that.

It's a good idea to ask people to provide the information when they contact you -- their name and what they are buying. Most will, some won't. Every other month or so, I have to write back and ask "What's your username?" or "Which poem is this for?"

>> Sixth, how do I set up a donation button? <<

Not my specialty, alas; my_partner_doug handles the bookkeeping. There are supposed to be instructions on the money-handling sites that explain how to make buttons, though.

>> Seventh, how do I price my work? <<

That's up to you. Some things to consider:

* How fast or slow do you work? Faster, you can price it lower to sell more; slower, you need to get fair value for your time so the price will be higher.

* How skilled are you? More skill, higher pay; still practicing, give people a bargain.

* How much money does your audience have to spend? If they're broke, it helps to have low prices or collective options; if they've got spending money, you can have higher prices and still sell stuff.

* What are other crowdfunders charging for similar work? What does the mainstream charge? How is counted and how does that compare to an hourly wage?

For comparison:
Pro rates for speculative fiction are $.03/word or $.05/word depending who you ask.
Semi-pro is usually $.01-.03/word.
Amateur is less than $.01/word.

I usually use $.03/word as my base rate if I'm pricing my own work. I switched down to $.01/word for Torn World stuff because everyone else there was lowballing to the point I couldn't get more.

Okay...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

For poetry, Duotrope's Digest claims $50+ as pro rate. Let me tell you, almost nobody pays anything like that for poetry. I've gotten $50 a few times and $100 a couple times for poems bought by ordinary editors. But I've had plenty of my fans buy epic poetry at those rates, and more microfunded (only a handful of folks can afford that kind of money for poetry but the ones who do really like poetry).

Most of my stack is semi-pro:
0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines are $.50/line. Some poems with very intricate structure or other factors may fall into custom pricing.

At my speed, these prices are comfortable; I can make good money and still offer things at rates that most people can afford at least occasionally.

The best explanation on pricing your work that I have found is this:
http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/930924.html
http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/931906.html
http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/933463.html

>> Eighth, what would I do with stories written outside of prompt calls? <<

Try different things. You might ...

* submit those to conventional markets
* list them on a webpage with prices
* privately offer them to sale only to your regular donors
* save them for use as free perks
* wait until you have a batch, then hold a half-price sale

Think about what you want to achieve and use this loose stuff to move in that direction. It will do different things if you want money more, exposure more, etc.

>> Finally, I have some worlds that would make great homes for connected serials that couldn't quite be structured into novels because there's a little too much sprawl, in time as well as space. <<

Yeah, I know how that goes. I'm discovering that "novel" doesn't seem to be an optimum setting for me. But I've got a bunch of poetic series, one of which is over 40,000 words (Path of the Paladins (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/path-of-the-paladins.html)) and some projects with story stacks at that range too. Do what works for you.

>> Would it work to post a batch of short first installments introducing the worlds and conflicts, and say something like "I'll take prompts for any of these universes, but further installments won't be freebies"? Is there anything dreadfully wrong with that idea that I haven't noticed? <<

That sounds like a promising approach.

>> And one last thing. Would it work to leave all fanfic free forever, and charge for original fic with exceptions for series-beginners? Or would that work better without the series-beginner exception? <<

Crowdfunding depends heavily on free samples. In my observation, almost all the successful projects give away free stuff, sometimes a lot of it. Look for things you produce easily, that are popular, that you can't sell readily or have so much of you can afford to give them away. Fanfic is ideal for free samples.

As for series beginners ... I've noticed that if I post the first piece of what could become a series for free, it is more likely to become a series. If I sell it to a conventional market, it almost never does. Poetry I can afford to give away some, but I get into arguments with myself over longer, harder, or more structured pieces. Fiction is even harder because I write less of it, I'm less inclined to give it away ... and I sell less. But when I do post free stories, people like them, and sometimes those people throw me random money or buy other fiction or poetry.

So I am trying to convince myself to post more free fiction. It's a drag. But I think it will gradually boost my crowdfunding fiction sales, and I don't have a lot to lose because conventional editors care fuckall for my fiction.

A huge part of crowdfunding relies on identifying what you like to create, that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere. Many shoppers are pissed with the mainstream these days. If you can offer them something that they like, they will give you their money. I have built up a very enthusiastic audience by writing about stuff that most authors and editors wouldn't touch, and I've seen other crowdfunders do that in different fields. I know you've got at least some off-the-beaten-path interests.

Re: Okay...

[chordatesrock.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. That helps a lot.

Re: Okay...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I could help! I want to make it possible for more people to try crowdfunding and find a method that works for them. I really hope you give it a go; I'd enjoy seeing what you are writing. A long span wouldn't dissuade me from leaving prompts.

[my-partner-doug.livejournal.com]

>>Sixth, how do I set up a donation button?<<

I can only speak to this insofar as using PayPal as your funding source. Once you've logged into your account, there's a tab at the top of the page labeled "Merchant Services". Clicking on that takes you to a menu page, which includes the item "Create payment buttons for your website"; from there, what you do depends on what type of button you want to create. We usually use "Donate" as we've found it to be the most flexible, but whatever you choose, PayPal offers step-by-step instructions for each possible button as PDF documents, which can be read with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Hope this helps!

[chordatesrock.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[initable.livejournal.com]

lol

[casavj.livejournal.com]

lol