With 19 days to go in my campaign to raise the funds to publish my ‘connected short story collection’, I thought I would check in and see how it is going.
So far we have raised 3.9920159% of the total which is interesting, sad, perplexing, understandable,worrying and testing of my faith hope and to a certain extent, charity.
Firstly, let me tell you how terrifying it is to embark on such a campaign……… it’s terrifying.
It is a lot like the reason for the campaign………. publishing.
In both cases you are putting yourself out there and saying “love me”, or at least “love what I do.”
I know how busy people can be and I know that there are always heaps of people asking you to buy this and contribute to that……. I know because it happens to me.
On any given day I receive two phone calls asking me to contribute to a charity that we have contributed to in the past [we had a bit of money a while ago and we spread it around….. just a bit].
There’s a bloke who sits outside the supermarket and plays guitar and harmonica just like Bob Dylan….. he doesn’t ask for money but I know he would like some, so I give him what small change I have, whenever I can afford to do so…….and like Dylan, he doesn’t say much.
A lady I know published her first book just recently and I bought a paper copy; I could not afford it but I went without coffee for a couple of weeks because it occurred to me that she is the first person I have come across who has gone through the process that I have, and she has seen it through and produced a book. I may never come into contact with another person [who I know well] who has done this, and I needed to mark the occasion by buying her book.
We live in a bushfire prone area, and every now and then the local brigade stands at the intersection and collects money for one thing or another. It’s hard to say no because they are mostly volunteers and our lives depend on them and their equipment………… you see what I mean?
There is always a good cause to contribute to and I haven’t even touched on ‘keeping gay whales in the ground’, or ‘helping single mothers buy battleships’, or ‘stopping the logging of our native echidnas’ [we had an echidna in our back yard just the other night….. we felt blessed that the little fella passed our way].
If, sometime over the next 19 days, you feel the need to help me get closer to the 100% mark then please feel free to join in.
If I get close but don’t make it, you will not be out a single cent………. it’s all or nothing………. boom or bust……. if we don’t hit the mark you will not be expected to contribute.
Remember that I am writing two special stories just for this campaign………. a very short one for anyone who contributes $10 or more and an extra special story [just under 4000 words] for anyone who contributes $50 or more.
But, to be perfectly honest, I would be happy with a dollar.
I just need the encouragement.
As of pushing the publish button, I have one WordPress [thanks Mobi] person as a sponsor.
Allegedly, I have 1149 followers, and one supporter so far…………?
If you have had fun over the past year or so, reading my stories, then please consider putting in a dollar, or the price of a coffee………. if all my ‘followers’ did so I would have TWICE the amount I need………… just saying.
Contribute or not, I still appreciate the fact that you take time out of your day to read my stories.
araneus1 
I can’t. I just can’t. I have no money. No job. No source of income. I live at friends’ place. I use their broadband. I grow some vegetables on their land for them to eat by way of thanks. I have nothing, and would gladly contribute. If you want to know (and who gives a hoot) I have had $2.28 to spend in the last two weeks. I am saving it. I wish I could help because I so enjoy your stories – stories especially. I’m not saying this for sympathy; I’m just saying it so you don’t think I’m a selfish prick…
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Your response is payment enough………… I’ll kick in a dollar on your behalf……….. it’s just a book…….. it’ll get done…… your friendship is more important to me.
I understand the pressures people are under…… there have been a few people I would like to have helped but was not able to…….. that’s not fun at all………. but that is life. We do what we can, and your words of encouragement have been more than enough. Thank you for taking the time to comment……….. wish me luck, and I’ll do the same for you.
Terry
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Good luck! And thanks for such a graciously magnanimous reply!
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Hi Terry, I can’t speak for others but in my particular case it’s the signing up for an account/privacy/security issues part that is daunting. If they just used a system that didn’t require you to create an account, it might be easier for folks. I know it’s discouraging, though, either way.
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That’s a very interesting point, and I had not thought of that. I guess they need a few details because most people expect a ‘reward’ and there has to be somewhere to send it.
In my case I have a PAYPAL button on the top right of every page and folks can use that if they want to kick in a few bucks, but maybe I need to highlight that a bit more.
Thank you for drawing my attention to that……… every suggestion helps.
Terry
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I don’t know how to be anything but honest . . . first, the followers bit . . . I have nearly 700 followers, and on a good day I get 15 visits. Of those, only half are actual visits; the others are ‘views’, probably from a reader, meaning the viewers don’t get more than a couple of sentences of what are usually very long posts. The reason is many follow because of one post, or because they have stuff of their own to sell, or because they hope they will be followed in turn, or because they are new, and it’s exciting to be a part of a ‘community’. The truth is the vast majority are never heard from again.
Don’t make that a reason for sadness.
As for helping, understand the world we live in . . . there is so much free content that most people feel it is the norm, and that even what is not free should be. It’s no surprise, then that most campaigns to raise money don’t do well.
And, that’s the thing, isn’t it. As much as it may hurt and be discouraging, it’s also an indication how tough it is to capture the value of what we do . . . people might like something, enjoy it, but not think it’s something they would go out of their way to buy. This is, then, an indication of how well such a book might do.
Some authors do this . . . they set a goal, ask for money based on a specified number of books, and if they don’t get it, they walk away and try something else. Even those who do make it, they usually build on an existing audience that is already buying their books.
My advice is to pitch this to publishers, agents, and so on, but the response is, like it or not, an indication of how that might go.
I’m not into publishing, but I read and listen to alot of stuff . . . the odds of ‘making it’ these days are very small, and regardless if you go it alone or try to go the traditional way, it is a LOT OF WORK.
The unfortunate thing is that the very fact you published on your blog will make it difficult to have anyone publish your book. By posting stuff online you lose your First Publishing Rights – (http://disperser.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/if-you-read-my-fiction-read-this/)
Where am I going with this? I don’t know; I don’t have advice on how to ‘make it’ otherwise I would be following that advice.
Well, that’s not true . . . hard work, rubbing elbows, going to conventions, joining online groups, getting your name out there . . . all those things are what needs to happen to increase one’s chances of success.
As for me, I’ll be honest there as well. I enjoy your writing. Not all, but most. But, it’s not enough to contribute. The equivalent is if I walk in a bookstore and see your book on the shelf . . . the likelihood of me buying it is small to nil.
I have very specific reading habits, and while I read your blog, my loyalty is not at the level of ‘avid fan’. I like you, like your blog, like some of your writing.
Sure, I could spare a few dollars. I could spare a few dollars for lots of things. But it would amount to false encouragement. Maybe you don’t care about that; maybe you just want to meet your goal. But, for me it would be tantamount to lying.
I am not your audience, and acting like it would give you the wrong impression. It would mislead you.
Is it sad, disheartening, and depressing to not get the desired response? Sure.
. . . it’s also a learning experience. Perhaps this is not the right time, the right product, the right venue. Perhaps it’s worth putting in the effort and time to go the more traditional publishing route. Or even try smaller publishing venues, both paper and electronic.
I wish you luck, and I really do hope you have an audience out there to make it happen; if not now, at some point in the future.
http://www.ralan.com/m.pro.htm
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That is a fantastic bunch of comments, thank you. You put a great deal of thought into your words and I understand each point particularly the ‘things I will learn’ part.
Right from the start I knew that this was going to be a learning experience; I’ve even started on a blog post on that subject.
I also get the ‘free content’ bit, and that is why this is such a valuable exercise. It’s a bit like publishing a book, which I have recently done. If people are prepared to part with money to read it then I know I’m on the right track.
I also get the bit about who my audience is and the ‘followers’ bit as well. I’m not at all naive about my worth in the world of words.
There is an interesting debate about how much a self published author should charge for a book. The theory being that people will only pay so much and if you ask more than that people will not buy your book…… I find this very interesting as an ebook usually comes with a 15% preview……… after that long you should know if this author appeals to you or not, and extra dollar or so should not make any difference?
Please understand that I REALLY appreciate your honesty, and that I know that not all of my stories are ‘your cup of tea’. Given that, I think it is very cool that you keep coming back and checking out what I have put up. I see you as one of my challenges [I have a few like your goodself out there], and I get a buzz when you find a story that speaks to you.
I’m not at all sad about the progress of this campaign, but like anyone, I would have been very happy if it had reached its goal on day one, but as you say, that is not how the world works, and I can live with that.
I enjoy what I do and I plan to keep on doing it until enough people notice. Then I will not need to ask for assistance.
Thank you again for taking the time to write. Your words are an encouragement in themselves.
Terry
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Terry, for a long, long time you have given (and given and given and given) enjoyment through your words fans photography or free. You’ve now asked for a little support to help you in a risk taking your stuff to another level. It’s the least I could do to pay back even a little bit of that enjoyment you’ve given out for free (not to mention the quiet but staunch support you’ve offered me personally). I do have the luxury of having some spare cash (trade it in in a heart beat to write full time if I didn’t have the family responsibilities) but as you say, every little counts.
To all of you that read Terry’s stuff (and despite the comments about followed vs “fans”, there are a lot of you based on the comments Terry gets) I say, don’t think about what he’s asking for. Think about what he’s given. Readers, authors and writers alike survive on the generosity of each other, whether it be recommendations, feedback, kind or constructive words or occasionally the odd piece of hard cash.
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I’m humbled by your comments……….. thank you.
Terry
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What that guy mobewan said. I didn’t want to sign up for an account on the crowdsourcing website. I used the paypal link. Thanks Terry for your words. I hope the book goes –
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You rule……….. and I’m learning something……… thank you……… very much.
Terry
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