By Katie Lowry
When we see publishing in the news these days, we often see articles that constantly try to decipher the future of publishing. Most of these articles talk about how online publishing is its future and how publishers need to embrace the change in order to thrive, especially since it is what many readers are turning to for their content. However, many of the articles I have read don’t mention how the reader can be involved in making critical publishing choices-most just talk about making the choices on their behalf. “Crowdfunding,” however, is a way that keeps readers involved while at the same time publishing material that can help sustain a publishing company.
According to this article, “crowdfunding” as it pertains to the publishing world, is a business model that allows readers, who want to see certain material published, directly fund the authors trying to publish them. For example, if J.K. Rowling were trying to publish another Harry Potter book and she set up a website for donations to help her write that book, I could (and would!) donate money so she could have what she needed to write the book. The article names one company in particular, Unbound, and how the model is working beautifully for them because readers want to be involved in helping books go from an author’s idea to a physical product that can be read (whether online or in print). What’s even better is when a reader wants to support a book financially, they can do so in a way that instantly reaps rewards- such as different price packages that come with an eBook, or an eBook and a book, or maybe even dinner with the author. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the article itself, but it is certainly worth a read as it offers a potential solution to the “digital vs. print” problem that has been plaguing the publishing industry.
As a future publisher, one aspect that will be very important to my company is, of course, my readers. Not just because they will support me financially, but also because everything I do-from the books I publish to the marketing choices I make-will be based on whether or not they will enjoy what I produce. Because of this, I think it is extremely important to make choices with my readers instead of for them. This is the huge mistake publishers make- not trusting their readers enough to allow them to make their own choices about what they can and can’t read. From DRM to refusing to publish a book because it won’t make enough money, publishers constantly decide they know what’s best for their readers. With the current shift in the publishing industry, this idea is about to change and I believe publishers will finally let their readers determine publishing business models, instead of the other way around. Crowdfunding is a perfect opportunity to do this.
Crowdfunding allows authors to reach and connect with their readers by proposing an idea and allowing readers to support or reject that idea. This permits readers to get the content they want, but it also does something more important- it helps readers be an imperative part of the creative process. As a consumer, I have constantly thought of books I would like my favorite authors to write. And who knows, maybe these authors have pitched the idea, but the publishing company turned it down because it went a different direction than the company intended. But with crowdfunding, readers can easily help authors write books they would like to read and at the same time not be bogged down the publisher’s choices. Crowdfunding finally offers publishers a way to effectively listen to their readers without publishing content that could potentially bankrupt them by not producing enough sales.
I think this is a wonderful solution for an industry that is struggling to keep up with digital demands. We MUST embrace digital changes without continuing current models that leave readers in the dark. Publishing only exists because of people, and it’s time we let people help create what they alone sustain.
When we see publishing in the news these days, we often see articles that constantly try to decipher the future of publishing. Most of these articles talk about how online publishing is its future and how publishers need to embrace the change in order to thrive, especially since it is what many readers are turning to for their content. However, many of the articles I have read don’t mention how the reader can be involved in making critical publishing choices-most just talk about making the choices on their behalf. “Crowdfunding,” however, is a way that keeps readers involved while at the same time publishing material that can help sustain a publishing company.
According to this article, “crowdfunding” as it pertains to the publishing world, is a business model that allows readers, who want to see certain material published, directly fund the authors trying to publish them. For example, if J.K. Rowling were trying to publish another Harry Potter book and she set up a website for donations to help her write that book, I could (and would!) donate money so she could have what she needed to write the book. The article names one company in particular, Unbound, and how the model is working beautifully for them because readers want to be involved in helping books go from an author’s idea to a physical product that can be read (whether online or in print). What’s even better is when a reader wants to support a book financially, they can do so in a way that instantly reaps rewards- such as different price packages that come with an eBook, or an eBook and a book, or maybe even dinner with the author. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the article itself, but it is certainly worth a read as it offers a potential solution to the “digital vs. print” problem that has been plaguing the publishing industry.
As a future publisher, one aspect that will be very important to my company is, of course, my readers. Not just because they will support me financially, but also because everything I do-from the books I publish to the marketing choices I make-will be based on whether or not they will enjoy what I produce. Because of this, I think it is extremely important to make choices with my readers instead of for them. This is the huge mistake publishers make- not trusting their readers enough to allow them to make their own choices about what they can and can’t read. From DRM to refusing to publish a book because it won’t make enough money, publishers constantly decide they know what’s best for their readers. With the current shift in the publishing industry, this idea is about to change and I believe publishers will finally let their readers determine publishing business models, instead of the other way around. Crowdfunding is a perfect opportunity to do this.
Crowdfunding allows authors to reach and connect with their readers by proposing an idea and allowing readers to support or reject that idea. This permits readers to get the content they want, but it also does something more important- it helps readers be an imperative part of the creative process. As a consumer, I have constantly thought of books I would like my favorite authors to write. And who knows, maybe these authors have pitched the idea, but the publishing company turned it down because it went a different direction than the company intended. But with crowdfunding, readers can easily help authors write books they would like to read and at the same time not be bogged down the publisher’s choices. Crowdfunding finally offers publishers a way to effectively listen to their readers without publishing content that could potentially bankrupt them by not producing enough sales.
I think this is a wonderful solution for an industry that is struggling to keep up with digital demands. We MUST embrace digital changes without continuing current models that leave readers in the dark. Publishing only exists because of people, and it’s time we let people help create what they alone sustain.