At my writers group last night, we had a guest author join us, Melanie Gow. She is a non-fiction writer and photographer. Her latest book was entirely made up with photos and as such she struggled to publish it conventionally, even though she already was published before. Because of the costs involved in the book, she turned to crowd funding.

This was a concept I’ve never heard of for a book. Movie yes – the Veronica Mars movie, and various fan-fiction films spring to mind – but not a book. It’s actually an interesting route to consider. Instead of taking on all the costs of publishing, you build a business proposal and get people to invest in your book. This money covers the cost of editing, proofreading, cover designs, as well as printing and distribution. And on top of getting the money you need to produce the book, you are also building an audience.

She also suggested that I build a following for my book because it’s such a niche world. So I will be putting it up on Wattpad as I edit each chapter again.

And then who knows, either self-publishing, or crowd funding.