It’s not too late to register for the virtual Writer’s Digest Conference, where I will be speaking alongside Chris Bohjalian, Nicole Blades, and more than a dozen other incredible storytellers.
This is my fourth year speaking at the conference, which is normally held in New York City. I will be discussing my experience crowd-funding The Black Lens and plans for my new novel, Real Girl, which my agent is currently pitching to publishers. Here’s a brief summary of my presentation:
How to Crowd-Fund Your Book and Connect It to a Cause
Two of the biggest challenges for new authors who want to self-publish is a lack of exposure and funds to pay for hiring professional editors. That can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the level of quality you want. If planned well, a crowdfunding campaign can provide you both the funds and built-in exposure you need to launch your career and connect it to a cause readers care about. This class is taught by an award-winning author who convinced more than 70 donors to pledge $3,694 on Kickstarter to bring his debut novel about the important social justice cause of human trafficking to life—surpassing the original goal by 48 percent. It will teach you the fundamentals of planning a crowdfunding campaign, relying on those donors as readers for reviews, and connecting your book to a cause regardless of whether you write fiction or nonfiction.
I am also writing a related article about crowd-funding for the November/December publication of Writer’s Digest, which reaches roughly 70,000 subscribers across the country. The magazine published my first article in 2019 about how to craft the perfect media pitch, my second article in 2020 about how to create successful book media kits, and my third article in the 100th anniversary edition last November/December about how to research like a reporter.
Learn more
Register now for the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, buy a copy of The Black Lens, or book me as a speaker.