The Crowdfunding Dilemma

Back to The Huffington Post for this tidbit. Authors now have their very own crowdfunding platform: pubslush (catchy, n'est pas?). And therein lies something of a problem.

Look at it this way. You are a penniless dreamer with a great idea for a blockbuster movie about hamsters from the fifth dimension invading earth via portals they beam into bowls of trifle. Oh, the humanity as an ordinary birthday party turns into a blood soaked rodentine massacre. Awesome concept, I think you'll agree.

However the only feasible way to generate the big bucks necessary to make it happen is through some sort of crowdfunding (or get the attention of a wealthy tycoon who has a deep seated mistrust of hamsters). This the theory of evolution applied to the world of culture.

Now imagine you are a penniless author with the same idea but the modest ambition of turning it into a gripping novel for e-readers. As you pen your pubslush entry demanding that people stump up the cash to allow you to pen your opus that little bit faster and maybe hire an editor and a cover artist and whatnot you realise that what you're essentially doing is kidnapping your own genius concept and holding it ransom to a world that has proven itself time and time again to be uncaring.

So now you face the dilemma. Do you go ahead with your pubslush campaign and risk your gnius being quashed by the jaded cynicism of the masses? Or do you just hang it all and squeeze in authorship round the day job? You know, like everyone else who's starting out has to.

I guess that the pubslush author has grand designs on a promotion package with their work. Essentially what donators will be giving money for is so that the author can not just write the damn thing but organise a signing tour and an advert in the margin of facebook and a billboard next to every Waterstones and whatnot.

I'm not down on the idea. I think it's kind of fun. But honestly when I put up my pubslush idea it will be for something that, without the funding, I probably would never get around to writing anyway. Otherwise people can just not donate and be sure that one day my idea will find its way into the general domain anyway.

Happy Sunday folks, I'm off to crack out Manuscript and boost the percentage of The Silent Majority that is edited from 2% to something a bit higher.