Bookabook is the first Italian crowdfunding publisher: through crowd publishing – bringing together the potential of crowdfunding and the pursuit of quality of traditional publishing – bookabook gives authors the tools to bring their ideas into being, thus connecting them directly with readers. Publishing proposals are first selected by a group of professional editors and then submitted to the readers themselves, who download a preview of the book and, if they wish, can order a copy in the format they prefer, digital or print. In this way, after a professional selection, it is the readers who choose what will be published. 

In other words, bookabook chooses the books for its catalog using both the opinion of a professional editorial staff and the opinions of the public. 

Through crowdfunding, which in publishing takes the name of crowd publishing, an author can check the emotional impact their work generates on those who read it and understand in a much more immediate and rapid way whether their way of writing succeeds in breaking through to the hearts of readers. 

By testing readers’ reaction in advance, indeed, the publisher can use reviews and testimonials of its community for promotion, thus turning readers into true ambassadors of the work. 

Word of mouth to promote books

Word of mouth is of paramount importance not only during the book promotion phase, but also during the crowdfunding campaign. As a matter of fact, AIE (The Italian Publishers Association) data confirm that word of mouth, along with author awareness, is the main mode of book promotion, capable of moving about 80% of sales. This is because readers trust the recommendations of other readers, rather than the advertising or the publisher. And it is precisely word of mouth that is maximized by the crowdfunding campaign. 

But how exactly crowdfunding works for books? It is, essentially, a pre-order campaign where readers can choose in advance which books will hit the shelves of bookstores. This creates a community of readers around each book. But it’s not just that: readers’ opinions and advice if actually listened to can help authors and publishers identify the book’s strengths and weaknesses. Like any crowdfunding campaign, publishing campaigns ensure that a strong relationship is created between the audience and the project.  

But does crowdfunding always work? Of course not. Crowdfunding allows authors to reach readers and create a community around the book, but only if it is genuine. It is not the right tool for those who plan to pitch their book only to friends and family. The publisher also seems to be of the same opinion and prevents self-purchases by authors at the pre-order stage. 

Globally, crowdfunding has proven to be a very strong tool in publishing. Some of the strongest best sellers in recent years have come about in just this way, starting with Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls (by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, 2016). And in Italy? We are still behind the States or the United Kingdom, but things are changing fast. In the Italian book market, it is even more important to build a readership. According again to AIE data, the main levers for selling a book are the author’s notoriety and word of mouth. A publishing house has to choose whether to publish exclusively authors who are already well-known (for literary or professional reasons) or to bet on newcomer writers by building strong word of mouth. 

This is what crowdfunding is for: building a community of readers and kick-starting the word of mouth even before the book hits bookstore shelves. 

Article written by bookabook.