A new venture called Unbound was launched from a glass-fronted hut at a festival.
Authors ranging from Terry Jones to unknown first timers were pitching their ideas for books they wanted to write, and interested readers were "buying in advance".This coming Monday, it’s moving to another place where 10 authors will seek funding.
Authors pitch their book ideas on the Unbound site (unbound.co.uk) and readers are invited to pledge at different levels, each one attracting different rewards appropriate to the book. If enough money is raised, the author goes ahead and writes it and the supporters get their names listed in the back of the book as patrons. …Unbound is trying to keep the idea from being too serious.
Readers who subscribe get access to the author's "shed" (or blog) during the writing of the book, a place where progress can be reported, early drafts circulated and fans can meet. Writers can connect with their readers and get an extremely attractive 50 per cent of the profits.
As well as digital, hardback and signed editions of the books, you can sign up for the launch party, author-selected goody bags, even lunch. Kahn-Harris, who is seeking funding chapter by chapter for his project The Best Water-Skier in Luxembourg, can offer you a postcard or souvenir from his trip, or even a signed picture of the eponymous water skier, if he's successful.It all sounds rather fun to me. Wish I lived in London, so I could attend the event.
Hi Helen .. I had seen this - and seems like an interesting idea - so it'll be good to see what comes out of it.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting thought from the Evening Standard article at the end: ... "Readers are the real energy source for the industry, and it's endlessly renewable. All you need are good ideas. And the best way to have new ideas is to have lots of them."
Thanks for linking across to the Evening Standard page .. cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary. Let us know if it's a success. To me, it harkens back to the days when artists had supporters. (They still do, of course.) It's an interesting concept.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat way to help someone who's work you admire. Fun!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we'll see something like this stateside sometime soon. Great idea. Maybe as part of a book festival.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good way for authors to generate interest in their work.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you post an idea and nobody buys it? That's depressing.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how this plays out. It sounds almost like applying for a grant except this money comes from regular people and not the gov's pocket.
ReplyDeleteSeems like the author would have to be a name author or have great pitch or have a winning personality or be especially pretty or handsome. You'd have to have something that gets people to financially support you.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun and something I'd like to go to, too!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like fun. I wonder how many patrons or sponsors are available.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't I ever think of things like this ... well, I kinda did once ... when I was a kid I was going to make a super car ... I figured it'd have to have some super gas, which I thought I'd make first ... it seemed like more fun ... it went badly.
ReplyDeleteI agree! It does sound like a fun event.
ReplyDeleteChristopher, you might want to try again. We could use some souped-up, cheap gas.
Interesting
ReplyDeleteAnn
That's really market-oriented writing. Why not? At least for first-book authors it may be a great way to get started >:)
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
Different sort of idea. But you're right, Helen, there are artists who do that all the time. Be interesting how it plays out with books.
ReplyDeleteA name brand author or enough of a story tease to tempt the reader to want to see what happens next. Kind of like a variation of the *serial* type stories I've seen in several blogs...
Sia McKye's Thoughts...OVER COFFEE