Glasgow author gets first book published through new fundraising platform

Arkbound, who have offices in Glasgow and Bristol, have launched their crowdfunding site – named Crowdbound - to maximise efficiency in raising money to directly fund authors and support external projects.

John McGlade knows how hard it is to get work published: he spent years developing his book, Invisible Schemes, an exploration of how housing schemes impacts society, only to feel like it would be hidden forever. Twenty submissions later, he found the right publisher in Arkbound.

“You start thinking you’ll never get it off the ground, so when you get the ‘yes’ it’s an amazing feeling especially when it’s your first book,” he said. “It’s such a big deal because you’ve put so much into the novel; it feels incredible when someone decides it’s worthwhile.”

Then it was a question of raising some money for printing costs.

John said: “I knew part of the deal with Arkbound was that I’d need to raise a little money, and I could see the plusses of crowd funding, but I really didn’t know how it worked. It seemed impossible at the start.”

Equipped with a guide given to him by Arkbound, John started a campaign on a mainstream site, but it wasn’t for him.

“Having the personal interaction with Arkbound was invaluable. It wasn’t a faceless organisation where I didn’t know where to turn if I needed help,” he explained.

That was until Crowdbound was launched and changed his life. In just ten days, John had reached his goal.

He said: “I was prepared for a long battle in the trenches to get the money, but I can’t believe how quickly this has happened.”

Crowdbound is a leap forward in social funding - an innovative new way for individuals and organisations to raise money and receive expertise and individual support in the process.

Because Arkbound is a specialist charity with years of experience developing and publishing books, their charity status means, for every £1 raised, Gift Aid can add a quarter. There are no hidden fees, and no commissions. It is a safe and transparent space.

“It feels as though there was quite a lot riding on me and my novel – I’m the first person to do this, and I’m really glad it went so well,” John said. “It’s been a good experience, and I hope this is the first of many books for me.”

Elsie Elder, publishing executive, said: “Up until this point, we had been largely dependent on grants to support the production of books, which often run into the thousands of pounds. Now, money raised from crowdfunding can enable us to support a larger group of authors, whose work covers important social or environmental themes.”

Crowdbound is looking for project submissions. Topics should cover environmental sustainability or social inclusion – for more information, email [email protected].