I recently posted this on IndieGoGo's blog. I thought the writers here would be interested in the 5 Benefits of Crowdfunding too. (For those not familiar with crowdfunding, it's the process of raising money from your fans and readers by offering cool perks with emotional, financial or scarcity incentives. For example, writers can raise money to write their next book by pre-selling signed copies of the book. Pretty cool eh? More on IndieGoGo and its crowdfunding process below) 5 Benefits of Crowdfunding The important thing to remember about crowdfunding is that money is just one of the benefits if offers. So if you're wondering if crowdfunding is right for your project, read on. 1. Money (that's obvious). Enough said. 2. Marketing (In a recent conversation with GoGoSlava, Ted Hope called this "the Power of $1") When someone validates your idea by putting money down, they've also just become a fan... and perhaps an evangelizing one too. Thus a great way to market your project or creative endeavor is to ask for funds... similar to how asking for favors is a great networking technique. In the world of twitter, facebook, google buzz, etc. it's now super easy for fans to turn into promoters with the click of a few buttons. 3. Market traction (using data to show you have fans & customers). We know of projects using IndieGoGo to show other interested parties (e.g. investors, partners and distributors) that they have a growing fanbase. So crowdfunding a percentage of your project's cost can help attract funds from other more traditional sources looking to minimize risk. 4. Monetization "outside the copyright." By offering perks like personalized or limited experiences and items (e.g. signed copies of your book or film, special access, invites to a party or event, etc.) that can't be offered once the project is complete, crowdfunding enables you to monetize the experiences around the project, and not just the end-product itself. 5. Mojo (I'm just calling this Mojo because I liked the "M" trend). What I mean by this is that crowdfunding allows anyone to be a patron. Patronage is no longer just for the rich. Kevin Kelly names "Patronage" as one of the 6 Generatives that will help creators make money in an age where anything copyable is free. You can't copy the feeling of knowing your support made something happen. That's special, and at our core people really do like to make a difference when we can. Crowdfunding gives everyone that opportunity. If you're interested more in crowdfunding: check out Keys to Crowdfunding Success Ping me if you have questions! danae at indiegogo dot com Cheers, GoGoDanae Co-Founder, IndieGoGo IndieGoGo is a crowdfunding platform for ideas that I co-founded a few years ago. We give artists and writers like everyone here the tools and process to raise money for your projects and books. Projects use IndieGoGo to showcase the idea, engage fans, and offer perks as a way to raise money! Every one of our 3,000+ projects is equipped with a landing page, social media tools, widgets, and statistics to manage a fan-driven fundraising campaign. Check out Dark Mountain - a book that's raised nearly $5000 by pre-selling copies as a way to fund the first edition! http://www.indiegogo.com/darkmtn