Whether finishing a masterpiece or just getting started, the most daunting task for authors is coming up with the funds. In the not-so-distant past, writers relied on major publishers to fund the editing and marketing of their novels. But times have changed. With the help of crowdfunding, authors are ditching publishers and going out on their own.  Self-publishing is nothing new, but with the use of crowdfunding, authors can get the money to create novels that rival traditionally published books.

When author Andrea Cefalo published her first novel, The Fairytale Keeper, she was told that indie authors need at least $5,000 to help fund their projects. Sadly, that was a gross underestimate. Cefalo says she’s spent far more than that, even though she does much of the work herself. “If I can learn how to do it, I do,” Cefalo said. “I spend my money where I think it makes the biggest impact–editing, marketing and advertising.” In order to fund the editing and printing of her second novel, The Fairest of All, Cefalo is turning to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

Cefalo’s second novel is the much-anticipated sequel to The Fairytale Keeper and is book two in The Fairytale Keeper series. The novel combines Grimm’s Fairy Tale characters, key players from the world of 13th century Holy Roman Empire and dynamic characters with real historical settings and events to create a tale that leaves the reader wondering where fact ends and fiction begins.

Since its publication, The Fairytale Keeper has become a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s 2013 Breakthrough Novel Contest, won Indie Book of the Day and was second runner-up in Writing.com’s Hook Us Contest.  As a result of these awards, Cefalo has gained positive reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, which says The Fairytale Keeper is “a…resonant tale set late in the 13th century… with unexpected plot twists. An engaging story of revenge and redemption… An opener to a future series.” A professional reviewer from Amazon’s contest says it is a “really great story. The author’s style reminds me of many great historical fiction pieces that I’ve read. Strong emotion injected into almost every page.”

So if you want to help an up-and-coming author see her dream of publishing her second novel become a reality, please visit her Kickstarter page, share it with your friends, and consider supporting her with a donation.  All donations come with a reward of equal or greater value than the donation itself!

Related articles

• The Hefty Cost of Self-Publishing and How To Get Other People To Pay For It (andreacefalo.com)
• The Fairytale Keeper Book Trailer! (andreacefalo.com)