Hello. I was wondering if it would be possible to fundraise for one's own family. I'm trying to help my son financially. He needs to go to the next step in his career which is in the music industry. He's very talented and I'm so proud of him. He went out to LA from NY last year and, like all other actors/musicians, he's networking, making his connections and STRUGGLING. Everyone is out there for the same thing... to get recognized! He's talented, good looking, sincere, family oriented, hard worker and has a great personality. He hasn't asked for much from me since he's out there but I know he could use some financial help.

I have an idea. I recently wrote two children's books (short stories). I was wondering if could somehow manage to edit, illustrate and copyright these books then maybe, just maybe I could start my own personal fundraiser to help my own family. If people donate, I could give them a copy of my book.

What do you think? The only problem is that I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO DO THIS! How can I accomplish this?

Be careful with your terminology here - you posted this in a "philanthropy and charity" topic area, but you are not asking about charity or fund raising, but rather going into the book publishing business. Be aware - neither you nor your son are charities, so any money you raise is either income (if in exchange for a good or service you provide) or gifts - they could not be considered charitable donations.

I can't tell you how to go about publishing a book, sorry - maybe if you post this in the "other money and services" section someone can help you figure out how to get your business started.

The answer above is true.

If your son is networking, working very hard and is talented at what he does, he will make it. It's just a really hard row to hoe if you are trying to make a living at anything in the fine arts. I have been in over 40 musical theater productions for both professional theater as well as community theater as an actor or musician in the pit orchestra.

What exactly is it that your son does musically, please?

Concerning publishing a book, if I were to do that, I would want to see if it would be something that is marketable. I would do that by printing off a number of copies and then maybe binding them like some cookbooks are with the ring binders and plastic covers. I would then see if there were any local bookstores that might be willing to put a few copies on the shelves. Putting a book together in such a way would not cost a lot of money.

To my understanding, according to the United States copyright law, anything that you write is automatically copyrighted when you have written it down. So, there is no issue with copyright since what you have written is automatically copyrighted.

You might also want to check out the information on the following sites about publishing a book.

book publishing and self publishing company InstantPublisher.com

Simple Book Marketing Tips That Will Make Your Self Published Books Sell Fast

You may want to check the website Calendar for a Cause This is an electronic calendar hosting platform where you can set up a calendar for your cause to call for help and find financial support for your son.

Donors may give any amount for the cause they support and unlike traditional giving, this site offers donors the opportunity to post an optional note of encouragement via a message board.

100% of donations will go directly to the calendar owner via a PayPal business account and no money passes through CFAC. This is a good site for fundraising activitiy as it'll help you let people know about your problem and find some kind of financial assistance.

Good Luck!