Top 10 Best Crowdfunding Books

January 9, 2023

What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a way of raising money from the public in order to fund a project or idea. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to traditional funding methods. Crowdfunding allows people to contribute small amounts of money towards a larger goal, with the rewards often being specified ahead of time.

The best way to learn about crowdfunding is to read up on the subject. Here are some of the best crowdfunding books available:

Best Crowdfunding Books

Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes: How to use Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding platforms to support your entrepreneurial and creative dreams

by Michael J. Epstein

In Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes, author and crowdfunding expert Michael J. Epstein explains how to plan and execute a successful crowdfunding campaign. In a single sitting, you will learn about the different types of crowdfunding projects that are possible, including entrepreneurial startups (Kickstarter and Indiegogo), creative or artistic projects (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other platforms), charities and community causes (GlobalGiving), individual support campaigns (GoFundMe), and patronage funding (Patreon).

This crowdfunding book covers budgeting basics as well as goal-setting, not to mention the importance of preparing professional-looking campaign assets such as video clips, photographs, and calls-to-action. The author explains how to design reward tiers that not only attract backers, but also won’t bankrupt your budget. Other topics in Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes include:

Determining how much money you can raise
Pros and cons of platforms including Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, Patreon, and more
All-or-nothing campaigns vs. partial funding campaigns vs. patronage systems

Crowdfunding budgets and planning
Crowdfunding time requirements
Hidden crowdfunding costs, from shipping to backer melt

Taxes and crowdfunding legal requirements

Step by Step Crowdfunding: Everything You Need to Raise Money from the Crowd for Small Business Crowdfunding and Fundraising

by Joseph Hogue

Ever wonder how some people come back to crowdfunding time and again to meet their funding goal while 60% of campaigns fail? Even Hollywood fame hasn’t been able to save some campaigns from epic fails. It’s because with all the media attention around crowdfunding, no one covers the actual process of how to run a successful campaign! In this step-by-step guide, you will find the actual process you need from idea conception through pre-launch and fulfillment to make your crowdfunding campaign a success. I skip all the history of crowdfunding and why it is a great tool for your business to go straight to the point, how to put your campaign on the path to beating its funding goal. • How to put your idea together and avoid budget or timeline pitfalls • How to research prior campaigns to find your campaign’s magic number • How to find journalists, bloggers and other influencers that will spread the word about your crowdfunding campaign • How to get the most bang for your crowdfunding marketing buck • How to build community and keep your backers motivated • And more.

Equity Crowdfunding: The Complete Guide For Startups And Growing Companies (Alternative Finance Series Book 1)

by Nathan Rose and Ronald Kleverlaan

Equity crowdfunding is a new, fresh alternative to Silicon Valley venture capital. Hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, can be raised by offering shares in your startup to members of the public.

Gaining marketing exposure and raising business funding are #1 and #2 on the priority list for many entrepreneurs. But they were always separate activities – first raise the money, then spend it on marketing. Until now!

A New Hybrid of Venture Capital & Kickstarter.

Equity crowdfunding is a new form of investment banking for startups, small business and new business, enabled by advances in fintech.

The entrepreneurs set their own offer terms, retain their company culture, and bring on dozens, or even hundreds of shareholders and gain all the promotional benefits that come with a larger ‘crowd’.

And unlike the “rewards” crowdfunding offered by sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, equity crowdfunding allows a company to offer shares, instead of a pre-ordered product. This means it can be used by more varied business models, and typically attracts a lot more money. If you are successful at equity crowdfunding, your days of bootstrapping your product launch will be over!

Handbook of Research on Crowdfunding (Research Handbooks in Business and Management)

by Hans Landström, Annaleena Parhankangas

The digitalization revolution has significantly altered conditions for financing new and small firms. Crowdfunding is at the forefront of this movement. While research in this area has increased significantly, it is heavily fragmented. Reflecting on this, the Handbook of Research on Crowdfunding reviews and synthesizes current knowledge on crowdfunding finance and provides an agenda for further research.

This Handbook covers the role of crowdfunding and the platforms used, as well as discussing the characteristics of crowdfunders themselves and the businesses that seek finance from the ‘crowd’. It also investigates the process once crowdfunding is complete, and how it is used by non-profit, social and creative ventures as well as for-profit businesses. Potential negative aspects are also discussed, including inequality, risk, fraud and regulation. Finally, the future of crowdfunding, including new finance models, is outlined.

Bringing together a wealth of previously fragmented knowledge, this Handbook is a key reference for all entrepreneurial finance researchers as well as those interested in the effects of crowdfunding more generally across entrepreneurship, innovation, management and economics.

Your First Kickstarter Campaign: Step by Step Guide to Launching a Successful Crowdfunding Project

by Vilius Stanislovaitis

The one thing is pre-launch. Ask any crowdfunding creator, and they will confirm that it is the key to success.

You will learn how to prepare for your first crowdfunding campaign and do pre-launch with a minimal budget by using personal efforts and delegating some work to others.

This book is for Kickstarter newbies and first-time creators. It will teach and show you how to collect potential backers early, in advance, and how to plan a Kickstarter campaign from start to finish with the aim of ensuring that you get fully funded.

You will understand the basics of crowdfunding, the main difference between the two most popular reward-based crowdfunding platforms: Kickstarter and Indiegogo, how to turn your idea, passion or skill into a product and how to evaluate if there’s a market demand for it.

The core part of this book is about preparation for the crowdfunding campaign:

How to set crowdfunding goals and why it is important to set a low goal
How to analyze similar campaigns

How to define your target audience
How to gather your crowd using free methods
How to create a landing page that turns visitors into subscribers

The Crowdfunding Myth: Legally and Effectively Raising Money for your Business

by Jillian Sidoti Esq.

The world of crowdfunding can be a confusing one. Right now, for many of the most innovative ideas, crowdfunding is the most viable option, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach out to a number of potential investors rather than just one. In Crowdfunding Myth, Jillian enumerates on the falsehoods that people tend to believe about crowdfunding and points entrepreneurs in the right direction. Whether you are trying to raise capital for your first real estate deal or syndicate your first film, Jillian, along with industry contributors, will give you clear direction on how to meet your fundraising goals while staying within the letter of the law.
“The crowdfunding myth is deconstructed. You must read this to understand the nuances and it will make you an overnight expert crowdfunder. Nobody has broken the crowd funding equity phenomena yet and with this book can allow you to be the first. Buy it now.” – David Drake, founder of U.S. Crowdfund Professional Association and CIFRA

Equity Crowdfunding for Investors: A Guide to Risks, Returns, Regulations, Funding Portals, Due Diligence, and Deal Terms (Wiley Finance)

by David M. Freedman and Matthew R. Nutting

Learn the ins and outs of equity crowdfunding with this informative guide

Equity Crowdfunding for Investors is a comprehensive, objective, and authoritative guide to the social and financial rewards of crowdfunding. Before now, angel investing &; and the spectacular returns possible in this asset class &; has been off-limits to all but the wealthiest Americans. Now equity crowdfunding portals allow the general public to buy shares in startups and fast-growing private companies for the first time in generations. This book provides the guidance individuals need to invest wisely, tempering the excitement of leading-edge technology, innovative business models, and exciting new brands with thorough, practical know-how &; including investor limits and requirements, portfolio strategy, deal terms, and much more. Readers will learn the pros and cons of investing in equity crowdfunding so they can make an informed investment decision, as well as best practices for finding, researching, evaluating, and buying into potentially profitable startups. Digital components include tables, graphs, comparison charts, screen captures, checklists, and other tools that further enable readers to make suitable investment choices.

Crowdfunding Personal Expenses: Get Funding for Education, Travel, Volunteering, Emergencies, Bills, and more!

by Salvador Briggman

Yes, it’s true, crowdfunding is a NEW way to help pay for personal expenses. These could include medical bills, emergency costs, and memorial funds. Crowdfunding can also be used to help pay for your education expenses or volunteer efforts. But, that’s not all. Crowdfunding isn’t just for charity or personal cause campaigns. Believe it or not, more and more newlyweds are turning to crowdfunding to pay for their honeymoon! Some are even using it to pay for travel expenses! I’ve been writing about crowdfunding since 2012 and have seen more campaigns that you can imagine. Last year alone, I helped nearly 400,000 individuals raise money from the crowd through my website, podcast, newsletter, and forum. Even though crowdfunding is an amazing tool, there’s a right and a wrong way to raise funds online. That’s where I come in. I’m going to guide you through the murky waters and share with you the best techniques, strategies, and give you the inside scoop on some of the crowdfunding platforms or websites out there.

A Crowdfunder's Strategy Guide: Build a Better Business by Building Community

by Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier knows crowdfunding. He’s a veteran of seven successful Kickstarter campaigns (and counting) that have raised over $3.2 million, and he’s the proprietor of the widely read Kickstarter Lessons blog. In this book he offers a comprehensive guide to crowdfunding, demonstrating that it can be a powerful way for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses by building community and putting their customers first.

This book includes over forty stories of inspiring successes and sobering disasters. Stegmaier uses these examples to demonstrate how to (and how not to) prepare for a campaign, grow a fan base, structure a pitch, find new backers, and execute many other crucially important “nuts and bolts” elements of a successful crowdfunding project.

But Stegmaier emphasizes that the benefits of crowdfunding are much more about the “crowd” than the “funding.” He shows that if you treat your backers as people, not pocketbooks—communicate regularly and transparently with them, ask their opinions, attend to their needs—they’ll become advocates as well as funders, exponentially increasing your project’s chances of succeeding.

Crowdstart: The Ultimate Guide to a Powerful and Profitable Crowdfunding Campaign

by Ariel Hyatt

Want to rock a crowdfunding campaign? You’re in luck! The game changer that allowed author Ariel Hyatt to take her brand and business from $500K to $1 million per year was raising money specifically, a crowdfunding campaign which raised over $60,000. Ariel already had a successful and profitable business, but it was the extra cash that helped her put strategies into place and create products that made a massive impact. In CROWDSTART, Hyatt has culled everything she’s learned about running a successful crowdfunding campaign and coaching others do the same. The book outlines includes killer strategies, sample emails, social media posts and a day by day action plan that takes you through your entire campaign. CROWDSTART really is the ultimate guide.