Taking Perceval to the Next Level
Donation protected
At the end of March 2014, I self-published the first novel in my Perceval series, Perceval’s Secret, as an e-book at Amazon Kindle , B&N.com , and Kobo International . I knew Perceval’s Secret was a good read. Reader reviews have consistently affirmed this and been enthusiastic. For a while, sales encouraged me. But then, sales dribbled to an end. I struggled to maintain the marketing momentum when I was ill and hospitalized three times in the spring of 2015. I had hoped, indeed was optimistic, that sales of Perceval’s Secret would be at least enough to pay off all my production and marketing/promotion costs. Without a known identity on the book market (despite the thousands who have signed up to follow my Anatomy of Perceval blog ) and an established readership, or the strong word-of-mouth I’d hoped to foster during my initial marketing efforts, sales could not even begin to approach what I had hoped.
I took a calculated risk when I decided to proceed with publishing the novel. Every step of the way cost money. I paid either by credit card or by loans against life insurance and my credit card. Even before I began, however, I launched a Kickstarter campaign in October 2013 to pay the production costs and although I raised over $3000, the campaign failed and I didn’t collect a penny. By June of 2014, I’d accumulated debt of almost $8000. One loan charged 5% interest, but all the rest was on a credit card charging 17% interest.
Determined not to fall behind with my payments no matter what, I paid more than the minimum every month. But it worked out to be 2/3 of the principal and the rest the month’s interest I was paying off. I barely scratched the surface and felt like I was stuck on a hamster wheel with no possibility of ever paying off the debt. I continued to market and promote Perceval’s Secret any way that I could find that was free.
I’ve been working part-time for a non-profit since the fall of 2014 for about minimum wage in my state. It hasn’t been enough to either pay my living expenses or pay off my debt. I’ve essentially run out of money. A good friend pays my rent each month so I won’t be evicted (it’s an interest-free loan). I began searching for a fulltime job months ago, and I’ve had several promising interviews but so far haven’t received a job offer. In April 2016, I transferred my debt balance from the high-interest credit card to one with the promotional offer of $0 interest for 16 months and $0 transfer fees. Now I’m paying down the principal only. I’d love to have that debt paid off by July 2017.
WHY GOFUNDME?
GoFundMe offers an opportunity to raise funds to pay off the rest of my debt so that all the money I earn will go towards my living expenses, and perhaps I can pull myself back up to standing squarely on my financial feet. Additional funds will pay for publishing Perceval’s Secret in paperback, broadening its reach to the reading public, and securing an influential book review in Kirkus Reviews to promote the paperback launch to readers.
The money I am raising:
Publishing Production Expenses: $2440
Costs of editing, book cover design, e-book formatting from MS Word, production
Marketing/Promotion Expenses: $3360
Costs of creating/printing/mailing postcard campaign to American orchestra musicians, online marketing through AuthorBuzz in newsletters, banner ads on websites, and a book giveaway contest
Paperback Publishing Expenses: $2500
Kirkus Reviews fee: $600
GRAND TOTAL: $8900
Any funds raised above and beyond the grand total will go towards paying off my rent debt so that I can continue writing for my readers debt-free.
WHO AM I?
I’ve been writing stories since elementary school when my teacher read my stories aloud to the class. You can find my publication credits under the “About” tab at my Anatomy of Perceval blog where I write about my writing progress. Currently, I’m writing nonfiction essays for online markets and working on several fiction projects, including a science fiction short story, the second novel in the Perceval series, and transforming an original screenplay I wrote several years ago into a novel. I’ve worked at other jobs off and on as I’ve been writing. Those jobs have included administrative assistant in an advertising agency and then in a financial services company, front desk reception work, and sales. I’ve also done freelance advertising copywriting.
Read the synopsis and first chapter of Perceval’s Secret.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Please tell everyone you know, your family members, co-workers, friends, and everyone else you know about my GoFundMe campaign to give them the opportunity to contribute and be a part of it, or if they like espionage thrillers set in the near future, to read Perceval’s Secret.
Please buy my novel at Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook for yourself or as a gift for someone.
Tell everyone you know about Perceval’s Secret and/or write a review of it at Amazon, B&N, and on GoodReads .
Like “The Perceval Novels” page on Facebook . Encourage others to like it and to contribute to my GoFundMe fundraising campaign.
Contact me at percevalbooks at gmail dot com if you’d prefer to donate your money directly and not through a website.
HAPPY READING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!
I took a calculated risk when I decided to proceed with publishing the novel. Every step of the way cost money. I paid either by credit card or by loans against life insurance and my credit card. Even before I began, however, I launched a Kickstarter campaign in October 2013 to pay the production costs and although I raised over $3000, the campaign failed and I didn’t collect a penny. By June of 2014, I’d accumulated debt of almost $8000. One loan charged 5% interest, but all the rest was on a credit card charging 17% interest.
Determined not to fall behind with my payments no matter what, I paid more than the minimum every month. But it worked out to be 2/3 of the principal and the rest the month’s interest I was paying off. I barely scratched the surface and felt like I was stuck on a hamster wheel with no possibility of ever paying off the debt. I continued to market and promote Perceval’s Secret any way that I could find that was free.
I’ve been working part-time for a non-profit since the fall of 2014 for about minimum wage in my state. It hasn’t been enough to either pay my living expenses or pay off my debt. I’ve essentially run out of money. A good friend pays my rent each month so I won’t be evicted (it’s an interest-free loan). I began searching for a fulltime job months ago, and I’ve had several promising interviews but so far haven’t received a job offer. In April 2016, I transferred my debt balance from the high-interest credit card to one with the promotional offer of $0 interest for 16 months and $0 transfer fees. Now I’m paying down the principal only. I’d love to have that debt paid off by July 2017.
WHY GOFUNDME?
GoFundMe offers an opportunity to raise funds to pay off the rest of my debt so that all the money I earn will go towards my living expenses, and perhaps I can pull myself back up to standing squarely on my financial feet. Additional funds will pay for publishing Perceval’s Secret in paperback, broadening its reach to the reading public, and securing an influential book review in Kirkus Reviews to promote the paperback launch to readers.
The money I am raising:
Publishing Production Expenses: $2440
Costs of editing, book cover design, e-book formatting from MS Word, production
Marketing/Promotion Expenses: $3360
Costs of creating/printing/mailing postcard campaign to American orchestra musicians, online marketing through AuthorBuzz in newsletters, banner ads on websites, and a book giveaway contest
Paperback Publishing Expenses: $2500
Kirkus Reviews fee: $600
GRAND TOTAL: $8900
Any funds raised above and beyond the grand total will go towards paying off my rent debt so that I can continue writing for my readers debt-free.
WHO AM I?
I’ve been writing stories since elementary school when my teacher read my stories aloud to the class. You can find my publication credits under the “About” tab at my Anatomy of Perceval blog where I write about my writing progress. Currently, I’m writing nonfiction essays for online markets and working on several fiction projects, including a science fiction short story, the second novel in the Perceval series, and transforming an original screenplay I wrote several years ago into a novel. I’ve worked at other jobs off and on as I’ve been writing. Those jobs have included administrative assistant in an advertising agency and then in a financial services company, front desk reception work, and sales. I’ve also done freelance advertising copywriting.
Read the synopsis and first chapter of Perceval’s Secret.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Please tell everyone you know, your family members, co-workers, friends, and everyone else you know about my GoFundMe campaign to give them the opportunity to contribute and be a part of it, or if they like espionage thrillers set in the near future, to read Perceval’s Secret.
Please buy my novel at Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook for yourself or as a gift for someone.
Tell everyone you know about Perceval’s Secret and/or write a review of it at Amazon, B&N, and on GoodReads .
Like “The Perceval Novels” page on Facebook . Encourage others to like it and to contribute to my GoFundMe fundraising campaign.
Contact me at percevalbooks at gmail dot com if you’d prefer to donate your money directly and not through a website.
HAPPY READING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!
Organizer
Cinda Yager
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
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