The number of niche-specific crowdfunding platforms available to you as an author are daunting. I remember when I began doing my own research. I spent days searching through the online profiles of platforms who were tailoring their services specifically to writers. I made charts of the data and “dug deep” into the words on their websites, seeing which platform resonated best with me, as an author of memoir, with a focus on education activism.

In the end, I decided that Pubslush was the best choice for my book campaign. Both of the founders worked in the publishing industry and know the struggle authors face when trying to get their manuscripts approved by large publishing houses. While I didn’t decide to go the large publishing house route, I appreciated their background knowledge in this area. The founders also know the expenses involved in publishing a book. To date, I have invested close to $20,000 in my book, and I needed to ensure I had a well-constructed campaign so I could secure funding and continue marketing my book.

5 Reasons Authors Should Be Using Pubslush To Crowdfund Their Books

1. The Pubslush marketing team is one of the most responsive I have had the pleasure of working with. As an author working with Pubslush, I was assigned both an author relations coordinator and a marketing director for my campaign. If I had a question, all I had to do was shoot an email over and within a couple of hours, oftentimes less, there was a response in my inbox addressing my concern or question. Both of these individuals also were quick to jump on the phone with me if I needed support right away or was confused about a next step in the process.
2. Right before designing my campaign, I was asked to send over pieces of my manuscript, endorsements, images I planned on using for marketing, and an overview of my memoir. The Pubslush team took time to read through all of these components, and then got to work designing creative rewards, at various levels. I must admit, the rewards component had me a little nervous, because as a first time author and crowdfunder, it’s hard to know what rewards will be valued by supporters. But the Pubslush team took control of this area and made this part of the process super easy for me.
3. Pubslush only takes a 4% cut from the money earned in each campaign, and authors get to keep all monies earned, even if the overall goal isn’t met. I appreciated both of these aspects as an author, because I knew that I would be spending loads of time working to gain supporters for my campaign, and I didn’t want to have to return contributions if the campaign wasn’t fully funded. In addition, Pubslush authors have the option of allocating a percentage of their funding to go toward a Worldwide Literacy Foundation.
4. During each week of the campaign, I received crowdfunding tips from the Pubslush team with ideas on how to expand my campaign’s reach and visibility. The tips ranged from adding the crowdfunding link into my email signatures to pitching to guest blogs in my niche. I appreciated the tips and they were super-easy to implement.
5. Do you remember the quote by Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you say…will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I am pretty sure that this quote epitomizes my overall experience with the Pubslush team. When I was feeling unsure or nervous or frustrated, all I had to do is convey this my team and they always worked with me to ensure that I had the tools and confidence necessary to resolve those feelings and move forward with the next steps of my campaign.

Bonus: When the Pubslush team learned that we were both located in the New York City area, I invited them to my book launch party in Brooklyn. Not only did the team show up, they came prepared with raffle items, iPads to capture contributions from my guests, and huge smiles to help me celebrate the launch of my book! It was so special to have them at my event, supporting my memoir, and interacting with my guests.

If you are an author looking to gain more exposure and secure additional funding for your book or literary project, I highly recommend Pubslush as a crowdfunding platform to consider. Their personalized service, commitment to educating authors on how to fund a successful campaign, and endless support during the whole process has made this a very pleasant experience for me. I will definitely be using Pubslush again in the future!