I’m glad to see recently that there’s a local creative crowdfunding platform called “Chapter One” that aims to help people publish books through crowdsourcing, hoping to change the industry’s ecosystem. It reminds me that around this time last year, I was also conceptualizing my first book — "Starting with a Love for Travel." After that, I officially began reaching out and conducted interviews with 18 people in the travel industry, discussing the intersection of travel professionals and their stories.
Thanks to everyone’s support, this publishing project was successfully funded on FringeBacker, raising around ten thousand dollars, which enabled us to go to print. In March this year, the book was officially launched in major bookstores.
Many people have asked, was this journey difficult? How can one succeed in crowdfunding? My usual answer is that this path is indeed not easy, and this fundraising attempt wasn’t entirely successful either — although we met our funding target, the number of pre-sales online wasn’t enough to gauge the actual sales performance of the book. However, I’m still very willing to share the story behind it. So since the book’s publication, I’ve been giving sharing sessions at various locations. For instance, I once held a small sharing event at Fengshi Bookroom, which turned out quite well. I met a group of new friends and we had great conversations. So this time, I’m taking it a step further and will be holding a sharing session at FreeMaker in Tuen Mun.
Aside from sharing my own story of turning travel into a career, I’ll also talk more about the previous crowdfunding plan for the book. If you’re interested in travel or publishing, and don’t mind the trip to Tuen Mun (or if you’re from the New Territories West, even better), do join us!
"Starting with a Love for Travel" New Book Sharing Session
Date: May 21
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Venue: Freemaker (Room 8, 3rd Floor, Chien Fat Industrial Centre, 13 Chien Fat Street, Tuen Mun)
Fee: $20 (includes a drink)
Capacity: 30 people
Registration: https://www.facebook.com/events/581407038691856/
Related Reading
Book Publishing Project – Thank You for Your Support!, Fundraising Successfully Completed!
Book Publishing Project – Midterm Report
Book Publishing Project – A Crowdfunding Experiment
Book Publishing Project – Final Manuscript Completed
Book Publishing Project – Interviews and First Draft
Book Publishing Project – Initial Conceptualization