Kickstarter for magazine makers

Since it launched in 2009, Kickstarter has become one of the most popular ways for would-be publishers to start a new independent magazine. If you can communicate what you want to create and why you’re the right person to create it, Kickstarter can help you raise the money you need to get your magazine off the ground. And even more importantly, it can help you gather the supporters who will potentially become your core readership for years to come.

But anyone who has run a Kickstarter campaign will tell you that it’s not easy, so on 25 April 2019 we held a free webinar with two experts to share some insider advice on how to successfully kickstart a magazine.

Oriana Leckert is Journalism Outreach Lead at Kickstarter. She’s written for Gothamist, New York Post and Atlas Obscura, and has edited for MTV News, Pitchfork and The Believer. She is passionate about helping literary creators use Kickstarter to build community and create innovative new publications, and she used the webinar to highlight some unique, successful and impactful magazine campaigns.

Indhira Rojas is Founder and Creative Director of Anxy, a publication exploring personal narratives and mental health through an artful and creative lens. The first issue of Anxy was Kickstarted in 2016 and since then Indhira has used the platform to fund three more issues. She spoke about what she has learned from using Kickstarter as a way to launch a brand new title, and as a sort of alternative to subscriptions.

I’ve edited out the introduction, which mainly revolved around information for our live viewers on how to ask questions and comment, so the video above begins from the start of Oriana’s presentation, then continues with Indhira’s presentation and concludes with questions from the audience.

If all this leaves you wanting more publishing talk, on 11 May Kickstarter and Fireside will present The Next Page, a series of conversations about creating a more inclusive, fair and vibrant future for publishing and the media. They’re inviting writers, publishers, readers, journalists, editors, booksellers, designers, comics creators and more to this digital conference, which will stream live online for free so that anyone with an internet connection can participate. Check the conference page to find more information about the speakers, and if you’d like to take part on the day register to join them.