The Mechanics of Successful Crowdfunding with Kelly Thompson

Kelly Thompson has self-published her novels through crowdfunding campaigns—one of which was the fifth most successful novel Kickstarter of all time. And she's here to share her secrets.

Your Instructor: Kelly Thompson, author of 'The Girl Who Would be King' and 'Storykiller'

Where: Online — Available everywhere!

When: This class is not currently enrolling. To be notified when it is offered again, Click Here

Enrollment: 30 students

Price: $149

Class Description

Crowdfunding is a great way to finance your dream project so that you can be the master of your own destiny.

But it's not easy. 

It takes of a lot of work, planning, and thought to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign. The internet is littered with the broken dreams of those who have tried and failed. So we've enlisted Kelly Thompson to teach you how to do it right. 

Kelly Kickstarted her first novel, The Girl Who Would be King. It was funded at over $26,000, was an Amazon Best Seller, and has been optioned by Hollywood.

Her second novel, Storykiller, was funded at nearly $58,000—and remains the #5 most-funded Kickstarter novel of all time!

 

From prep, to planning, to strategy, to getting the word out, to coming up with reasonable prizes, to fulfilling those prizes, Kelly has proven that she's got this Kickstarter thing down cold. So if you've ever thought about crowdfunding a project, this is the class for you. And many of these rules can be applied to projects other than novels. 

In this two-week workshop, Kelly will pull back the veil and teach you the secrets to her success. 

What This Class Covers

UNIT 1: RESEARCH & STRATEGY

Research: Your research needs to be about both what to do—and what not to do. You'll consider successful and non-successful projects, look at how rewards are structured, and go over things like social media reach, professionalism, visual incentives, etc. This unit will include a checklist of your own personal platform needs.

Strategy: Find your angle. Everyone has a book, but you’re not just writing a book anymore—you’re selling yourself and your project to an audience...

UNIT 2: PREP (INCLUDES PDF DOCUMENT OF CHECKLIST/ RESOURCES)

Prep: Part of preparation involves understanding the pluses and minuses of launching a campaign, and accepting the reality that you'll be a writer AND a small business owner. This week will include a hit list of the things to expect and prepare for—and will include a PDF Kelly prepared for her own Kickstarter campaigns. You'll also discuss fundamentals like how to price your project, creating a budget, analyzing your contacts for potential press opportunities, and things you should ALREADY have completed at this point.

UNIT 3: PRE-LAUNCH & LAUNCH

Pre-Launch: Includes the actual preparation of your project (using the list from the last lecture), things to watch out for and anticipate, and suggestions on how best to maximize your release. You'll get insider pointers on hurdles to expect and how best to prepare for them, and suggestions on the materials to prepare.

Launch: What to expect and how to handle the eventual problems. How to stagger updates and release new information, as well as things you can do to keep yourself organized and make your post campaign stress as minimal as possible.

UNIT 4: MAINTENANCE & COMPLETION

Maintenance: What to expect in the day to day maintenance of your campaign and what you should be doing during the slow times to make sure you’re on schedule. Will also cover things to watch out for/traps to avoid (Stretch Goals paramount among them).

Completion: What to expect after your project funds. How long will it take to get your funds, should you use a backer kit, what kind of emails will you receive from backers, basic problem solving, and things to watch out for including overspending, delays, and PR.

* Each unit of this course will include two homework assignments, one of which will be optional. Both will challenge you to take the lessons and put them into practice on your own project, and will be checked and critiqued by Kelly.

Goals Of This Class

  • To help you understand the challenges and benefits of crowd funding a book
  • To give you the tools to run a successful project your first time out
  • To help you set up and fine-tune your own project
  • To prepare you for the realities of a successful project. You’re not just an author now, but a small business owner
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