Teresa Murphy wrote her debut children’s book My Special Friend while undergoing treatment for cancer 3 years ago. The result is My Special Friend: a 28 page rhyming picture book, suitable for children aged <5-9+yrs; it has themes of unconditional love, tolerance & friendship during good times & bad.
Teresa turned to crowdfunding to raise $5,000 to publish her book, and we interviewed her after she met her goal:
What did you like about pledgeme? It was exciting to find an ‘unconventional’ and independent pathway to fund my goals. It motivated me hugely.
How did you find the experience? I really enjoyed creating my video and project. Once I started telling people about it, it was a thrill to go in and discover people were pledging. I felt very humbled by the support I received, and so grateful. The Pledgeme team was also super supportive and responsive, not to mention helpful and positive.
Any tips for newbies? Draw up a plan of attack before you hit go. Decide what media outlets would suit best and how you will approach them/what angle or hook you can use to attract more attention to your project. Don’t leave it all till the last minute. Plan to have one media event/update per week to share with your potential pledgers. Your friends and family will be your greatest asset, they will be your word of mouth and personal cheer squad out there, so involve them as much as possible!
I say crowdfunding, you say: Massive opportunity, brilliant invention, long live pledge me!!
