Unbound

Unbound is essentially a UK-based version of Kickstarter aimed at writers. Pay £10, and if enough of you subscribe you get the promise of an ebook edition of the book, your name listed alongside the other supporters in the back of the book, and the opportunity to read progress updates from the author and perhaps get some sneak peeks of the work in progress. Pay £20, and you get a hardback copy of the book too. Pay more, and you get goodie bags and/or an invitation to the launch party.

The biggest difference between Unbound and Kickstarter is that so far all of the writers seeking money through Unbound are published authors:

• Jonathan Meades has written several books, not to mention scripting and presenting umpteen televised essays in his inimitable style.
• Amy Jenkins wrote This Life, then wrote a couple of novels before taking time off to have a family.
• Tibor Fischer was one of Granta's 20 Best Young British Writers back in 1993 and has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
• Gavin Pretor-Pinney runs the Cloud Appreciation Society and co-founded The Idler.
• Terry Jones has been writing and broadcasting since before he was a Python.¹
• Elliott Rose, the only name on the list I didn't recognise, turns out to be a new pseudonym for twice-published author Will Davis.

Not that there's anything wrong with people with a track record turning to Unbound. Given the long, slow death of the midlist, I think it's a positive sign that established authors are turning to the micropatronage model rather than being lost to publishing completely.

I suppose the real test for the system will come as authors successfully complete their first Unbound project. Will they use Unbound to fund their next book, or will it turn out to be a way to convince publishers that they're worth a contract/a decent advance for their next book?

[Via Word Magazine Blog]

1. Yes, it's that Terry Jones. ↩