Quote:
Originally Posted by Phogg
I would consider every one of the costs you listed to be relatively cheap.
In the last three years I have participated in crowd funding the production of three books for two different authors raising funding for projects that ran a bit higher than what you listed.
If authors I like are writing more books in a series or shared universe I like I am willing to pony up part of the costs. To pull this off a writer needs to build a fan base (hitting conventions and book signings will help) but it is doable without having to have a cash reserve for those costs.
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Those are the low-end of the range. I think it's great you are supportive (thank you for that!), but an author starting out will have to front some costs. They may be able to do some crowdfunding, but a lot of the initial money will come from relatives/friends/savings if they are unknown. And whether something is expensive is completely relative. Some authors trying self-publishing don't have much of an income stream--and that can mean that 500 to 1000 dollars is simply too much. I do editing on the side and believe me, for some authors 100 dollars is doable, but 300 has them near tears and 500 seems completely out of the question. Some authors or those who want to publish are in their twilight years--they aren't going to be able to work a job to earn that extra 1000 to get them going. And that isn't even considering trying to market the book.
Again, not complaints, but the reality is that while the costs are not as high as some other ventures, it is still out of reach for some. There's also a learning curve with all of this--how to upload, do I want bookmarks, will I market in person or will I do it online...do I want print and is it worth the cost and so on.