I was recently prompted to recommend Kickstarter to a newbie author who sought ways to find funds to publish, market, and speak. They wanted to hire someone to set all that up for them. They were promptly educated that hiring someone to edit, then publish, then market, then to line up speeches, would rob them of all profits.

“Isn’t there a grant for that sort of thing?” I was asked.

“Would you be willing to grant money to someone for all of that?” I reply.

Grant providers still seek an ROI (Return on Investment), which isn’t necessarily a financial profit, but bragging rights for the grant provider. Grants have to be successful. Their success comes from you being a success. How would you present your book project in such a way as to convince a grant provider that you’ll do well enough for them to flaunt?

Most writers turn up their noses at that. Those that do, however, have some grasp of the above, I then point toward Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com). If you can present your project with enough energy to appear profitable, then crowdfunding is just as good if not better than a grant. With crowdfunding, the best IMHO being Kickstarter, you present your project, ask for supporters, then collect the funds, and perform the project.

Like a grant, you don’t repay crowdfunding. Like a grant, it’s taxable income. But unlike a grant, crowdfunding builds a following. Those people who support you become your fans. You build relationships. And you can repeat crowdfunding with your second project with a ready-made cadre of readers willing to jump on board again.

Don’t be so quick to ask for a grant. If you quality for a grant, you are very capable of managing crowdfunding, and wind up with more benefits in the long run.