The second draft of Deus Hex Machina is in the can.  At just over 75,000 words, this is the second book I’ve finished to this point, and the first that I did the edit myself. It’s liberating and terrifying all at the same time. I ended up with the same number of scenes as I began with, although only about 10% of the manuscript has remained the same as the first draft. It’s funny how these things work out.

What’s next for the book? I’m going to be sending it out to beta readers this month, and once I get feedback on it I will dive into a revision of this draft. My hope is the turn the final manuscript over to Inkshares by the end of the year. 

But there’s an interesting wrinkle to this plan: The List 2016. As you know, DHM is in the running for the contest, and if I manage to win, then the book gets a full production treatment, including a developmental edit. While that would delay the process of getting the book published, it would also mean that it would be more polished when it is. That’s the dream, to have the best book possible and share it with as many people as possible.

The chance to win the contest doesn’t actually change my editing timeline really, but it does put a little pressure on the whole "sharing the book with as many as possible" part of the dream. Please, if you haven’t ordered a copy of the book, do so now. With only one month to go in the contest, I am sitting at 7th place. We have lots of new followers of the book since it campaigned a year ago (A year ago today in fact), and I can tell you that now that I am on the other side of this edit the book is better than ever. Like really good. Not perfect, but I’m very proud of how it stands right now.

I need 11 people to order the book to make it into 6th place. Please consider being one of those 11. 

Thanks, and may the code replicate eternal.