Why and How to Sell Your Next Book on Kickstarter: Kelly Brakenhoff/Melissa Yi —Wednesday, March 8

What if you could earn money before your books are even launched on regular sales platforms? In 2022, Kelly Brakenhoff ran her first two Kickstarter campaigns. Both lasted 17 days and made US$2,500 each. Those campaigns were in the sparsely tested children’s picture book genre, but her experiences convinced her to work Kickstarter campaigns into the publishing schedule for future releases, including her upcoming cozy mystery.

Kelly Brakenhoff is an author of seven books and an ASL interpreter. She divides her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus, and picture books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog. Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity books because they teach American Sign Language using fun stories. And if you like a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, you’ll enjoy the Cassandra Sato Mystery series. The mother of four young adults and a hunting dog, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.

Melissa Yi is an emergency physician in Alexandria, ON, and is also an award-winning writer. Her thriller series featuring Dr. Hope Sze has been recommended by The Globe and Mail, CBC Books, and The Next Chapter. Under the name Melissa Yuan-Innes, she also writes medical humour and has won speculative fiction awards. She recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch her newest crime novel, The Shapes of Wrath, released February 2023