Inkshares – Pitch, Fund, Write, Share

Editors at traditional publishing houses are often overwhelmed by the volume of submissions they receive from newbie writers. As a result, many great ideas for novels fail to come to fruition. Inkshares is looking to change the way the publishing industry works, giving novice writers a better shot at getting published, noticed, and paid for their work.

Inkshares has been designed in a way that ensures that the best ideas rise to the top. If you’re a writer with a great idea for an article, short story, or novel, get in contact with Inkshares and spill the beans on the project you have in mind. “Projects” are the vehicles used to raise the funds necessary to fund your work. When you submit information about your project, make sure to include a start and end date along with “clear goals with a discernable end.” In layman’s terms, this means you need to tell Inkshares’ backers (the people who will be funding your project) what you’ll be using their money for. Based on the quality of your project proposal, Inkshares visitors will choose whether to provide you with funding. Assuming you reach your complete funding goal by the pre-determined end date, you’ll be encouraged to write and start the publishing process — knowing full well that you have the support of the Inkshares community behind you the entire way.

Because you went the crowdfunding route instead of self-publishing, you won’t be responsible for bearing the financial responsibility of your investment. Instead, that risk will be spread across dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of online backers. You’ll receive immediate compensation for the time and resources you spend working on your project, and you’ll have access to an audience that’s eager to offer feedback all along the way. Inkshares handles all critical parts of the sales and distribution process, working with national distributors to ensure that its authors’ work is available at top retailers around the country.

Practical Uses:

• Get to work on the memoir you’ve always thought of writing
• Ask your friends to fund your upcoming novel
• Solicit feedback from backers who’ve agreed to support your work
• Receive backing from a publishing house that works with top national distributors

Insider Tips:

• Writers get to keep any money they raise above their fundraising goals
• Projects only move forward after fundraising goals have been met
• The title of a fundraising campaign doesn’t need to be the title of the finished novel
• Inkshares publishes work in print and ebook form

What we liked:

• Easy distribution tools help writers promote their campaigns to online friends
• Writers take on less financial risk when they use a tool like Inkshares, versus self-publishing
• The quality of the idea matters more to Inkshares’ audience than the experience of the writer
• Inkshares works with national distributors

What we didn’t like:

• Inkshares’ FAQ page provides very little information for authors

Alternatives:

• Aerbook – http://aerbook.com
• Beacon – http://www.beaconreader.com

Company Info:

• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Larry Levitsky and Adam Gomolin
• Web site: https://www.inkshares.com

Costs:

• Free to use