Downsizing: why new single story publisher could be the future.
Crowdfunding publisher The Pound Project has opened for business in the UK and it is rethinking the way to generate funds and pay its writers.
In response to what it calls “frightening” targets and projects from campaigners, The Pound Project has developed an initiative where it works with just one short story and one writer at at time. And on social platform Kickstarter, the company is making noise in the creative community: it smashed its goal in less than 24 hours and its current funding total is at more than 300%.
Founded by writer JP Watson, The Pound Project was built to make reading and writing more accessible for everyone. It starts its rewards at just £1, hence the company name.
The company’s mission is to always pay its writers because, Watson says, it is a profession that "takes too long to reward its workers".
He added:
As it builds, it aims to put writers centre stage, to find new talent, to provide a platform for marginalised voices, and to create multimedia content that suits all readers - online, in print and in audio.
The current project runs until 17th April and the company, based in the creative hub of Digbeth in Birmingham, offers exclusive, affordable rewards:
● Beautiful printed books for just £5
● Reading events in London and Birmingham this summer
● Writing tuition to up-and-coming talent
And because the company works on individual projects one at a time, it can campaign for each and every pound, in order to build an ethical and sustainable brand that puts creativity first.
Founder JP Watson, who has written the first story, said:
In response to what it calls “frightening” targets and projects from campaigners, The Pound Project has developed an initiative where it works with just one short story and one writer at at time. And on social platform Kickstarter, the company is making noise in the creative community: it smashed its goal in less than 24 hours and its current funding total is at more than 300%.Founded by writer JP Watson, The Pound Project was built to make reading and writing more accessible for everyone. It starts its rewards at just £1, hence the company name.
“Because we set the initial goal as low as £500, people are compelled to contribute. They want to help make writing more valued. When we break that target, they want to be part of an exclusive success story.”
The company’s mission is to always pay its writers because, Watson says, it is a profession that "takes too long to reward its workers".
He added:
"Good writing is a real talent, and yet you often get people working for scraps and then eventually leaving the profession. It's unsustainable."
As it builds, it aims to put writers centre stage, to find new talent, to provide a platform for marginalised voices, and to create multimedia content that suits all readers - online, in print and in audio.
The current project runs until 17th April and the company, based in the creative hub of Digbeth in Birmingham, offers exclusive, affordable rewards:
● Beautiful printed books for just £5
● Reading events in London and Birmingham this summer
● Writing tuition to up-and-coming talent
And because the company works on individual projects one at a time, it can campaign for each and every pound, in order to build an ethical and sustainable brand that puts creativity first.
Founder JP Watson, who has written the first story, said:
“People are scared of projects asking for thousands of pounds on crowdfunders. That doubt gets in the way of the most important thing - creativity. So we’ve started this company to help people see that their money can make a difference in getting work out there. We want to make people realise that good content and writers are worth something. Even if it is just a pound - it matters.”
Find details of the Kickstarter campaign here
Twitter @_pound_project
Instagram @_pound_project
No comments:
Post a Comment