What are Kickstarter & Indiegogo?

Lindsay Rosasco • March 16, 2019

Crowdfunding through these platforms is not a donation - find out why.

Your friend told you she's going to crowdfund for her next book; you see a crowdfunding ad on Facebook and really want the product but don't really feel like donating to another cause right now. Sound familiar?

Newsflash - crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are not merely donating money to advance XYZ product - they are rewards-based platforms. That means if you donate towards the cause, you get rewards in return. Pretty cool, right? You can help support your friends or products you'd like to see come to fruition and in return, you'll receive goodies.

All or nothing or general campaigns

There are two types of campaigns run through Kickstarter and Indiegogo. With the all or nothing approach on Kickstarter, if you donate towards a campaign and the campaign's monetary goal is not met, you'll get your money back. You also won't earn the rewards that you would have received if the campaign met its goal.

Without an all or nothing approach, you can donate money towards the goal, and the campaign will move forward even if the goal isn't met.

Why do authors use crowdfunding?

For indie authors who want to self-publish their books, there is a significant investment that goes into the publishing process. These costs include hiring an illustrator, printing and shipping, distribution, and marketing, to name a few. By supporting an indie author's campaign, you become a part of the process - because of you, a book will come to life, and in return, you'll earn rewards like a copy of the book, a signed copy, bookmarks and other freebies, donor name recognition in the book, and more!

The best way you can support a campaign is by contributing on launch day - it's imperative to the campaign's overall success to reach 30% of its funding in the first 5 days.

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An interview with artist Fru Farkas 

By Lindsay Rosasco • July 29, 2019
Everyone has been asking me about the artist behind the illustrations of my first children's book, These Words Are for You. I'm delighted to share an interview with the talented Ms. Fru Farkas. Want more from Fru? Check her out shop, Manard Illustration , and follow her along on Instagram for daily inspiration and smiles.

What does my 5th grade biography project have to do with publishing a book?

By Lindsay Rosasco • July 21, 2019
I was standing in my favorite place, the library, reading the spines in the biography section. I touched the books in the T section, as I carefully scanned them, looking for Temple, Shirley. My fifth grade teacher assigned us a biography project, and we spent the day in the library choosing our book and completing pre-reading worksheets. As an avid reader who loved class projects, this was right up my alley. So why did I start to get verklempt in the non-fiction section of my school library? You see, I've always had these strange, strong emotions when it comes to death. I'm sure nobody likes the idea of it, but as early as I can remember, I've been extremely sensitive to the notion of it. The idea of studying someone's life both excited and made me - sad? contemplative? - I can't describe it exactly, but I do know that day in the library, I decided something: I was going to be a published author one day. What I loved about the project, and books in general, was that even after the author had passed on, their legacy, words, and stories would forever be read and cherished. In that way, their memories live on. They made an impact. They could never truly be gone. I made up my mind that one day, my stories would be published, too. Over the years, I've kept journals, written poems, songs, notes, you name it, I've written it. I've started three novels that I'll have to return to one of these days and have written short stories, but never had I written a children's book. As a mom to three little girls, I've had emotions and inspiration that I never could have conceived without being a parent, and I'm proud that the first book I'll be publishing is something so timeless and relatable to anyone who loves a child. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my first book, These Words Are for You , available for pre-order now!

How 4 lines of poetry became a children's book

By Lindsay Rosasco • July 21, 2019
I've always been a writer. In fact, as much as I love verbal communication, I've always been most comfortable and confident communicating through writing. From writing stories and songs to poetry and notes to loved ones, words seem to come to me, just bursting to get out. It's no surprise that when my friend got pregnant after years of struggling with painful fertility issues that I wanted to use writing to convey my feelings about it. How do you tell someone you love them when words like "I love you" don't do it justice? How do you express to a baby how much she was truly desired and meant to come at the exact time she was born? When conventional words fail to capture these big emotions, poetry is the answer. I wrote a few lines of poetry and put it in a jeweled frame for my friend's nursery: The sun has been waiting her whole life, and the moon has been waiting too | The stars in the great big wondrous sky have all been waiting for you. Short. Sweet. Seems simple but when you really think about it, the meaning is big. I couldn't get these lines out of my head. At the time, I had a a toddler and a baby and often found myself unable to capture my feelings about them. As parents, we all know how quickly time passes; things we know we'll never ever forget slip away without us even realizing it. I wanted to capture those feelings and lock them up forever, so the four lines of poetry naturally kept growing - that's how These Words Are for You was born. These Words Are for You actually wasn't going to be my first book; I have another manuscript that I thought I would publish first, but there was something about these words that felt more special and important to capture and get into the hands of children, parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts, and uncles everywhere. These Words Are for You gives children a sense of their place in the beautiful world around them; it connects their being with nature, society, past, and present. It gives them a sense of belonging. This is the first out of many books I'll be publishing, but I know it's one that will be cherished by adults as much as children for years to come. I'm so excited to share these words with you - you can pre-order your copy now!