I’m launching a Kickstarter campaign in June for my new novella, The Wishing Stone. This is my eighth campaign, and the previous seven were all successful.
But guess what? I’m still nervous about this new one.
Sure, I understand how Kickstarter works now, and creating the page is easier and less time-consuming, but announcing it to the world? Clicking Launch? Yep, just as daunting. Not as scary as the first time, perhaps, but those feelings of uncertainty are still creeping in from the edges.
Do the nerves mean that I lack confidence in my book? That I, the writer, can’t even get behind my own story?
Not at all. In fact, I think The Wishing Stone is pretty damn good.
So what gives?
Let’s investigate, shall we? Today, I want to examine the hints of self-doubt that pop up when approaching launch day and how I’ve kept them at bay.
I know, I know, The Message states that I should never hint about worry or doubt, because doing so undermines my authority and hurts my chances at a huge, life-changing release. But when I started writing on Substack, I promised to share behind-the-scenes looks at the writer’s life, warts and all. I want to help other writers overcome their hurdles by sharing how I handle my own.
So let’s examine where my nerves are coming from…
Want to check out the campaign page before reading further? Click below to see my campaign page. This is the first time I’ve shared a campaign page before launch, so how’s that for laughing in the face of fear?
Nerves Are Normal
I’ve never spoken to a writer who hasn’t had some level of doubt or uncertainty about sharing their book with the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s their first book or their seventh, that doubt is there, somewhere, lurking in the shadows.
The funny thing is that they’ve all been confident in their work, too. It’s always a balancing act between the ego on one side and doubt on the other.
Here, let’s see what author Anne Lamott has to say about it:
Out of the right speaker in your inner ear will come the endless stream of self-aggrandizement, the recitation of one’s specialness, of how much more open and gifted and brilliant and knowing and misunderstood and humble one is. Out of the left speaker will be the rap songs of self-loathing, the lists of all the things one doesn’t do well, of all the mistakes one has made today and over an entire lifetime, the doubt, the assertion that everything that one touches turns to shit, that one doesn’t do relationships well, that one is in every way a fraud, incapable of selfless love, that one has no talent or insight, and on and on and on.
— Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird)
See? Perfectly normal.
The whole Jekyll and Hyde thing gets frustrating after a while, but at least we know we’re not alone, right?
The Fear of Launching
When it comes to publishing a book or launching a crowdfunding campaign, uncertainty manifests in one underlying fear: no one will buy my book. And as the nerves eat away at us, the fear of launch manifests in a handful of additional questions that, if we’re not vigilant, we fret over endlessly.
After talking with other creators and analyzing my own concerns, I’ve noticed five questions that tend to keep writers awake at night. I’ve also determined my solution to each of them…
Are My Expectations/Numbers Accurate?
Mindset hurdle: fear of failure and the fear of success
For this one, let’s first take a look at my upcoming campaign.
According to my calculations, I’ve spent $500 to get the book ready (editing + cover design + print proofs). Printing 50 copies of the hardcover will cost approximately $500.
So I’m looking at about $1000 in total costs. Shipping rewards to backers will cost approximately $400.
If I need $1400, why did I set my goal to $750?
Because I’m not sure I can make $1400.
My last House of Fear campaign had over 300 backers and more than $11,000 in pledges. But previous success does not guarantee future results, especially with so many unknowns surrounding this campaign:
Will my previous comic book backers support me if it’s not a story with pictures?
Will readers balk at the idea of backing a novella instead of a full novel?
Are readers expecting a book for kids or adults?
Will backers still recognize me after a 2-year hiatus?
Is a short, ten-day campaign setting myself up for failure?
Part of me feels like I’m starting over, and my goal reflects that. Another part of me wants to set the goal to exactly what I need because that’s what crowdfunding is for.
So, on one hand, I fear failure. I’m worried that if I set my goal too high, I’m not going to fund the book. If I let this take control, I’ll drop my goal further and further, taking me farther from what I actually need to launch this novella.
At the same time, I also fear success. What if I’m wrong? What if my readers like and trust me enough to read anything I write, not just comics? What if I meet my funding goal within 48 hours?
If my goal is too low, then I’m in danger of scrambling to come up with perks and bonus items to reward my backers. And if those perks aren’t pre-planned, then I’m likely to lose time and/or money on my efforts.
Here’s the thing: Setting the goal is an art, not a science, so no matter what I do, it’s still nothing more than a guestimate. Setting that number is certainly important, but I don’t want to spend the next month fretting over the funding goal. I don’t want to analyze and research and crunch the numbers again and again.
Instead, I’m looking at it as an experiment. A game of sorts. When I look at it in that light, I’m more excited than nervous. I can’t wait to launch and see what happens. Regardless of how it turns out, I’ll have more experience, which will translate to a better goal next time.
Is the Page and Reward Structure Set Up Well?
Mindset hurdle: perfectionism and shiny object syndrome
I’ve streamlined the page and the rewards for this campaign: just the ebook and hardcover, plus two cameos for readers. That’s it. I’ve included some House of Fear add-ons, but this time, I want to focus my energy on the core product.
I have a few concerns about keeping it so minimalistic:
Should I include a paperback version?
Is keeping it exclusive to Kickstarter the right move?
Is not offering a digital deluxe reward tier a good idea?
Should I have another mid-level reward?
You might already see how shiny object syndrome might pop up here. There are an infinite number of rewards you can add to your campaign, and if you’re not careful, you’ll see that all the other ones are far more exciting than the ones you’ve already developed.
Meanwhile, with all the possibilities dancing in your head, you start to think that there’s a perfect plan. If you think about it long enough and make enough tweaks, you’ll create the perfect page with all the right rewards, all the right graphics, and all the right words. So keep at it and revise, revise, revise.
The solution here is to remind yourself of your intrinsic goals. What do you really want? Those things that maybe you’re not telling anyone about. Not the number of backers or funding total, but your internal goals.
I’m using Kickstarter because I want to make my book feel special. If I include a paperback in the campaign, or if the book appears on Amazon immediately afterward, that doesn’t feel fun to me. So limited-edition hardcover it is.
Instead of a digital deluxe reward tier, I’m providing those items as bonuses for readers who subscribe to Balancing Opposites. That’s likely leaving money on the table, but I want to reward those who read my work and who’ve supported me through subscriptions here on Substack. Bonus freebies are more inline with my belief system than a paid tier, so I’m sticking with it.
I want to have fun with the launch of my book, and analysis paralysis is not my idea of a good time.
I’ve managed to shut down the tug of perfectionism and shiny object syndrome by simply accepting what I’m setting out to do. I’m running this campaign how I see fit instead of letting someone else’s definition of the perfect campaign dictate what I do.
Am I Marketing the Book Enough?
Mindset hurdle: overwhelm and burnout
The answer to whether I’m promoting the book enough is no, absolutely not.
I know enough about marketing to understand the steps necessary to promote your campaign. And yes, I’m worried that I’m not spending enough time out there pounding the virtual pavement.
But Anas brought up a good question in last week’s AMA when he asked about burnout. It’s a tough question to answer, in part because it’s such a big topic with lots of moving parts. But I see many writers churn on marketing. They struggle with it because it’s new and doesn’t show immediate dividends, so they double down and do more, which creates extra hours, stress, and anxiety.
It’s like a married couple who get so caught up in planning their wedding, they forget to have fun.
With previous campaigns, I spent a lot of time fretting about Facebook ads, getting on podcasts, and sending feelers to news outlets. Did those efforts move the bar for me? Maybe. Did the additional backers warrant the anxiety, stress, and loss of sleep? Almost definitely not.
Yes, if I want this to be a financial success, I should be promoting it more—there’s that “should” again…warning, warning! At some point, if I want to make money as an author, I’ll need to practice tough love and set aside time to learn to do it properly.
But I have limited time, and instead of marketing, I’ve been:
Writing another book.
Focusing on providing content here on Substack.
Spending quality time with my editing clients.
Coaching my son’s flag football team.
Sleeping well.
Enjoying the upcoming release of my book.
With all that going on, I had to make a choice: wait to release the book until I did have time to promote it or release it now anyway.
I don’t want to wait, so I’m releasing it now. Yes, I’ll promote it as well as I can, but the prime time to market the book has come and gone, so I’m going to enjoy the campaign while I keep moving forward on other projects.
Is the Book Good Enough?
Mindset hurdle: imposter syndrome
This is a fear that every writer deals with. You’ve spent months, if not years, writing this masterpiece, and now you actually have to let it go. But what if they don’t like it?
Who am I to write this book anyway? Once they read it, they’ll realize I’m a fraud. That I don’t belong.
This is no longer a fear I entertain. Not even for a moment. (Okay, maybe for a moment. There’s that instant when you stop breathing as you tap the button to launch, but then you let out a sigh when it’s done.)
Why don’t I let imposter syndrome bother me anymore?
Because how readers feel about my work is out of my control.
Yes, the mindset shift is indeed that simple. Not easy, perhaps, but it is that simple.
While making The Wishing Stone, I focused on all the things in my control:
I wrote the best book I could.
I read it, rewrote it, and revised it. Then I cleaned it up some more.
I paid a good editor and selected beta readers I could trust.
I created a campaign I’m comfortable with, one that doesn’t add unnecessary or unwanted work or stress to my life.
I created something I’m excited to share with the world.
I can’t control what readers think about the book. Nothing I can do from here will change that, so why should I lose sleep over it?
Am I Good Enough?
Mindset hurdle: fear of public failure, ridicule, and shame
Here’s the real fear, right? When we’re scared to publish, underlying all the other fears, what we’re actually scared of is whether we are enough.
And if we aren’t, we’re worried that it’ll all be out there for everyone to see.
Let’s tackle that “public” thing first:
“You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do"
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Look, I get it. No one likes failure. But there’s no reason to worry about what others think because they’re not thinking about you in the first place.
You might remember your failed launch for the rest of your life. But others? It’ll barely register. They’re so focused on their own lives, they won’t have time to care.
In terms of you being enough? Remember, you are not your book.
Most writers, at one time or another, have tied their value and self-worth to the things they create. We compare ourselves to others to see how we stack up. We eagerly wait for praise while shriveling in fear of rejection.
But again, letting others determine how we feel about ourselves is a fool’s errand:
“If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.”
— Epictetus
Yes, my campaign might tank. The book might not resonate with readers. Hell, they might hate it, leave bad reviews, or talk behind my back.
If that happens, it would certainly suck, no doubt about it. It would be a blow to my ego, and I’d likely deal with my share of embarrassment and shame.
But you know what?
I’m fully aware of my goals and expectations, and I’m equally aware of my strengths and weaknesses.
Failure won’t kill me. In fact, if I learn from it, it’ll make me better.
I created a story I’m proud of, and I’m sharing it with others. That’s the first level of success right there. Anything more is just a bonus.
I’m actually more excited about this campaign than any I’ve launched before
because I’m focusing on what I can control, focusing on what matters to me, and eliminating those things that derail me from my goals.
I readily admit that I still have some nagging doubts, and my mindset monsters are tempting me from the shadows. That doesn’t make me any less confident in the book I’ve written.
So, yes, the fear of launching is real.
I’m doing it anyway.
You can follow the campaign and be notified when it launches by clicking below.
Hi James, why did you choose a 10day period for your campaign?
As someone who struggles with all the things you listed, I really needed this. Thanks so much, James. Hope to back The Wishing Stone when the campaign goes live but even if I can't I'm rooting for you!
:)