Crowdfunding for Filmmakers (Book)

My book, Crowdfunding for Filmmakers: The Way to a Successful Film Campaign is now available in its SECOND EDITION, and you can ORDER YOUR COPY at Amazon, Michael Wiese Productions, or wherever else you buy your books.

CF4Film2e Cover

A book about crowdfunding? Specifically for filmmakers?
As a recognized thought leader in crowdfunding, as well as a very early crowdfunding success story myself, raising funds back in 2010 to produce my award-winning short film Cerise, I realized then that most filmmakers don’t consider themselves crowdfunders, never mind entrepreneurs, and oftentimes don’t take time to research other campaign strategies like I had done. Instead, they try and navigate this bustling landscape blindfolded with only a hope and a dream. That’s why Crowdfunding for Filmmakers: The Way to a Successful Film Campaign has proven an indispensable tool that ensures a triumphant climax to a rigorous crowdfunding campaign.

So what’s the book about?
Crowdfunding for Filmmakers centers around offering practical information, tips, and tactics about how to launch a successful film campaign by going with the flow of traditional models of fundraising, utilizing today’s technological and social innovations, and augmenting each with an added personal touch. The book examines various ways to meet and exceed one’s crowdfunding goal through chapters that home in on team building, audience outreach, and crowdfunder etiquette, along with a section containing case studies from successful film campaigns, as well as a few unsuccessful ones and what they could’ve done to remedy their unfavorable outcomes.

What makes the second edition different from the previous edition (and all the other books and resources out there about crowdfunding)?
Brace yourselves! –– here’s a list (Hey, you asked, right?)

It’s still focused –– This is a book about crowdfunding for filmmakers by a crowdfunder and a filmmaker.
It’s teeming with new examples –– Filmmakers learn crowdfunding from real life success stories that will inspire them to be as creative with their campaign as they are with their films.
Its advice is tightly organized into five parts –– Crowdfunding Basics, Campaign Personalization, Community Engagement, The Tao of Twitter, Facebook, and Social Networking, and Advanced Crowdfunding.
It’s summarized and exercised –– The end of each section offers summary points for quick review as well as exercises to help crowdfunding filmmakers get a head start thinking about their own film campaigns.
Its “Crowd Studies” have depth –– Through an in-depth “Trignosis,” filmmakers can see which tactics used by specific campaigns made them successful, including two all new case studies.
It continues to steer clear of corporate jargon –– No business speak or unfriendly jargon that can deter filmmakers from reading a book about crowdfunding.
Its appendix paves the way further –– Links to a handful of victorious campaigns and helpful articles about crowdfunding promise to keep the next wave on the path to success.

Okay, that’s cool, but is it just for filmmakers?
Absolutely not! It’s especially for indie/Do-It-Yourself filmmakers, but Crowdfunding for Filmmakers – 2nd Ed. can really be used by anyone who wants to launch a crowdfunding campaign, including, but not limited to:

Independent/DIY filmmakers
Screenwriters seeking funding for their next screenplay
Producers of indie films, web series, and transmedia projects
YouTubers wanting to get more into filmmaking
Actors looking to transition into the realm of writer/producer
Development executives
Students in film school
Teachers and professors who teach film and/or film finance classes
Artists, musicians, photographers, writers, and anyone else interested in running a successful crowdfunding campaign for their creative projects

What sort of information does Crowdfunding for Filmmakers – 2nd Ed. contain?
So glad you asked! Here’s the complete table of contents:

Foreword by Slava Rubin, Co-Founder, Indiegogo

Introduction: The What of Crowdfunding?

Part One: Film Financing: A Brief History

Chapter One: The Traditional Hollywood Model of Film Financing
Chapter Two: The DIY Revolution
Chapter Three: Crowdfunding and Filmmaking: Yin Meets Its Yang

Part Two: Crowdfunding Basics

Chapter Four: Tao: Begin with the Basics of Fundraising
Chapter Five: Decide If Crowdfunding Is Right for Your Film
Chapter Six: Build Your Team
Chapter Seven: Decide How Much Funding You Need
Chapter Eight: Choose Your Platform
Chapter Nine: Home In on Your Target Audience
Chapter Ten: Create (and Maintain) Your Campaign Strategy
Chapter Eleven: Give Yourself Enough Time

Part Three: Campaign Personalization

Chapter Twelve: Te: Integrity is the Tao to (Ka-)Ching!
Chapter Thirteen: Invitation Video: Make It About Your Project and Yourself
Chapter Fourteen: Incentives: Make Them About Your Project and Your Contributors
Chapter Fifteen: Interactions: It’s Not About You, It’s About Us
Chapter Sixteen: The Elements of Style: Dressing Your Campaign to Impress
Chapter Seventeen: “Be Water, My Friend… ” — Transparency Is Clear and Cool
Chapter Eighteen: A Practical Guide to Crowdfunder Etiquette

Part Four: Community Engagement

Chapter Nineteen: Pu: Let Your Community Help Carve Your Uncarved Block
Chapter Twenty: The Golden Rule: “Don’t Solicit, Elicit”
Chapter Twenty-One: The Importance of Keeping Your Contributors Updated
Chapter Twenty-Two: Avoiding “The Flood”
Chapter Twenty-Three: “I’ve Got No Money, But I Can Give __________!”
Chapter Twenty-Four: Don’t Panic! — Handling the Lull Between Contributions
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Fine Art of Consecutive Campaigning
Chapter Twenty-Six: Build Relationships, Not Transactions

Part Five: The Tao of Twitter, Facebook, and Social Networking

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Wei Wu Wei: “Doing Without (Over)Doing”
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Twitter Tips for Crowdfunding Filmmakers
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Facebook Pages, Events, and “Friend Fawning”
Chapter Thirty: Instagram for Crowdfunding Filmmakers
Chapter Thirty-One: Broadcasting, Virtual Reality, and Emerging Forms of Social Media
Chapter Thirty-Two: A Few Should Nots of Social Media for Crowdfunding

Part Six: Advanced Crowdfunding

Chapter Thirty-Three: From Lao Tzu to Sun Tzu: Waging the War of Art
Chapter Thirty-Four: $100K – $1M+ Goals — How Do They Raise It?
Chapter Thirty-Five: When to Bring On a Campaign Manager
Chapter Thirty-Six: Fiscal Sponsorship, Matching Funds, and Equity: Added Incentives for Contributors
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Soft Launches, Pre-Launch Campaigns, and Stretch Goals: Proven Strategies for Success

Part Seven: Crowd Studies

Trignosis #1: The [Smallest] Space Between Fans and Fundraising
Trignosis #2: At Home Away From Home: Tilt the Town
Trignosis #3: Synced Up with Details and Nostalgia
Trignosis #4: How Do You Direct [A Gary King Musical] — Build Your Brand
Trignosis #5: A “Celebrity Campaign” Miles Ahead of the Rest

Conclusion: The You of Crowdfunding

Additional Resources for Crowdfunding Filmmakers

Wow! This looks great, Trig! What’s that link again?
I thought you’d never ask! Just click HERE and you can order your very own copy of Crowdfunding for Filmmakers – 2nd Ed. and be on the Right Path to crowdfunding your next indie film successfully!