May 11, 2015

The Milestone of May, or Where Projects May Fail

I set out at the start of 2015 to plan and write a book, so when I heard of the Sword & Laser Contest, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Preparation of the story elements was already underway, but writing was not projected to start until May 1st. I needed to do something. The contest stared me in the face, and the chance was too good to disregard.

Feverishly, I took the material I had, assembled a project page, and produced a plan for the campaign. I would accelerate the first few chapters and develop them concurrently with the summaries. I would advertise through social media, seek out local help, attempt to generate publicity, and build word of mouth.

Since then, I have dedicated my life to the project. If you are reading this, you likely know. When I'm not at work or with my son, I'm either writing or campaigning, and my wife, who has supported me all the way, rarely sees my face. I have pushed myself, listened to feedback, and revised my work over and over. I am confident in the product and overwhelmingly proud every follower and every pre-order, but despite the incredible support shown to me, at this moment, I don't believe it will be enough.

I hoped by diversifying the campaign into multiple channels, one would catch. Advertising generated likes and mentions but did not convert. Local support fell through. I failed to find sources of publicity. And the word of mouth, though minimally successful, was not enough to keep the project in the top five. The flames were stoked, but the fire would not burn brightly.

What does it mean? 

I am unable to muster any publicity in May while I maintain my writing schedule. It falls to you, the reader to spread the word. Read chapters one and two. Do you like them? Would you like to see more? Could you get a friend or family member to pre-order? Don't like what you see? Have questions or thoughts? Send me feedback at joe.terzieva@gmail.com. I require your input to ensure the final product is of the highest quality. It is still possible that we can build a groundswell and earn a position in the top five, but I need your strong involvement to make it possible. Trust me when I say, I've explored and exploited every lead I know and I need your help to extend to a wider audience.

What happens if we miss the first milestone?

If we don't end in the top five at the end of May, the goal shifts to the final milestone for funding July 15th. We will need one-thousand total pre-orders by that date. This goal will require some serious public chatter, so if milestone one looks beyond reach, I will dedicate all campaign effort to find blogs, podcasts, anything that can spread the word. If the word gets out, and the work is high enough quality, it will catch, and we'll get our numbers.

What happens if we fail?

We don't fail. The project was a success the day it started. The incredible support, the lessons learned, it is all indisputably the greatest reward I could receive. The writing schedule remains unchanged. The book will be written, but it will be edited and finalized out of pocket, rather than with the support of Inkshares. The final product, from a production and a distribution standpoint, will suffer, but the story will not change. I will determine the platform and method of delivery and you will read a tale you will not forget.

Please, check out the chapters and spread the word. Only with your help will this succeed.