Crowdfunding: Connecting Creators and Patrons

Hello, Crowdfunders. I've been watching this community a while, and since I'm currently running a crowdfunding project, thought I should probably get around to introducing myself and talking about my philosophy on crowdfunding.

My name's Catie (C.E., professionally) Murphy, and I'm a full-time fantasy writer with over a dozen books in print. Crowdfunding, for me, is an experiment in creating a sustainable income model: one way or another, I need my words to keep making money for me. I've talked extensively about this approach over on my regular journal, mizkit. That discusses the first crowdfunding project I did, with this entry as a follow-up once it was done. In short, though, my approach is to do a short-term sales opportunity, after which I take the piece off the market until I find a traditional publisher for it. The first project I did, a novella set in the world of my Negotiator Trilogy, had a set cash point which had to be reached before I wrote the story, and a minimum donation amount. Details are on that second link, so I'll let you read about it there if you wish. :)

Right now I'm running a similar second project, another novella set in the "Old Races" universe, but this time there's no set cash point; I'm writing the novella regardless of how much patronage I get, and there's no minimum donation (not because the last one wasn't successful, but because I'm just trying something a little different. :)). I have excerpts from the new novella, "Year of Miracles", up here at cemurphy.net, my professional site.

I'd love to have the signal raised, but I'd like just as much to talk & read about different philosophies for the whole crowdfunding model. This is a cool community, and I hope it continues to grow!