This is fascinating, thank you. I love Top Trumps and card games in general and I think you game idea is such a great one. The whole business of alternative ways of publishing, of funding and promoting books (and writing in general) is one I am intrigued by. Making it work, however you go about it, is usually a trickier business than it first looks.
Having undertaken a big crowdfunding project, I've since run courses and consulted on some projects. In my experience (and I don't wish for one moment to imply this was the case here) almost everyone wildly underestimates the pre-launch work, don't have a strategy for how to keep it fresh through the campaign, and the rewards are often not sufficiently well thought through. I reckon I get half a dozen to a dozen emails a year from people floundering half way through. It's heartbreaking.
Fascinating about Mark Twain effectively crowdfunding too!
It was very much a kind of sideshow to the books, but I did give it a really good go. Unbound were quite keen for me to carry on - I think they said that once you get to around the 30-40% point then projects are usually likely to get funded. I certainly agree it's a lot of work and I'm sure you're right that people don't realise quite how much it involves. But it certainly does work for them - I've got half a dozen books from Unbound.
Thank you. Yes, a very happy end - I was pleased with the results (and they even did a German version of them in translation). I never think of myself as tenacious, just that once I get into a rut I tend to stay there!
Yes, they're very professional. I was very pleased with the ones I did with Laurence King in the end so I think that's the end of the story (we had planned to do a Poets one as well but that didn't come off). They're still on sale via places like the Bodleian Library in Oxford and indie bookshops, as well as the big A.
I really admire how you are endlessly creative and inquisitive about avenues for what you do - trying to get your writing out there takes energy and positivity at the best of times, and it's not always the best of times
That's very kind. I'm going to go with your suggestion that I put up my finished but unpublished book Going Native on here as a paid subscription thing which I hadn't thought about before so thanks for that too.
This is fascinating, thank you. I love Top Trumps and card games in general and I think you game idea is such a great one. The whole business of alternative ways of publishing, of funding and promoting books (and writing in general) is one I am intrigued by. Making it work, however you go about it, is usually a trickier business than it first looks.
Having undertaken a big crowdfunding project, I've since run courses and consulted on some projects. In my experience (and I don't wish for one moment to imply this was the case here) almost everyone wildly underestimates the pre-launch work, don't have a strategy for how to keep it fresh through the campaign, and the rewards are often not sufficiently well thought through. I reckon I get half a dozen to a dozen emails a year from people floundering half way through. It's heartbreaking.
Fascinating about Mark Twain effectively crowdfunding too!
It was very much a kind of sideshow to the books, but I did give it a really good go. Unbound were quite keen for me to carry on - I think they said that once you get to around the 30-40% point then projects are usually likely to get funded. I certainly agree it's a lot of work and I'm sure you're right that people don't realise quite how much it involves. But it certainly does work for them - I've got half a dozen books from Unbound.
I really love the way Unbound does things I must say. Can you be persuaded to revive your author top trumps idea?!
Glad to know there was a happy end to the story. I admire your tenacity.
Thank you. Yes, a very happy end - I was pleased with the results (and they even did a German version of them in translation). I never think of myself as tenacious, just that once I get into a rut I tend to stay there!
Yes, they're very professional. I was very pleased with the ones I did with Laurence King in the end so I think that's the end of the story (we had planned to do a Poets one as well but that didn't come off). They're still on sale via places like the Bodleian Library in Oxford and indie bookshops, as well as the big A.
I really admire how you are endlessly creative and inquisitive about avenues for what you do - trying to get your writing out there takes energy and positivity at the best of times, and it's not always the best of times
That's very kind. I'm going to go with your suggestion that I put up my finished but unpublished book Going Native on here as a paid subscription thing which I hadn't thought about before so thanks for that too.
I love the Going Native idea and it should be out in the world!