I have some great new for those of you who supported Mission 51 during the Inkshares/Nerdist Sci-Fi Contest of 2017. It’s been a long time coming, but HERE IT COMES! A link to download your ebook will be arriving to your email this Friday, Feb 4! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to reach this moment.

Many of you also purchased physical books in 2017, and they will be mailed closer to the official publication day of Feb 15, which is less than 2 weeks away. As promised, I signed those books, and they are at the Inkshares fulfillment center as we speak, ready to be mailed to you at the right time. I will be forever grateful for your support during the contest. That is what made this book possible.

As a 3rd and final reminder, if you have moved or changed your email address since 2017, please update your profile on the Inkshares site, so they know where to send your book and/or download link. If you have any trouble at all, they are glad to help you at hello@inkshares.com.

Thanks again for joining me in this wild ride!

Ferd

Hello again!

I know... two emails in one week. But I thought I’d again remind everyone who pre-ordered Mission 51 to update their home mailing address with Inkshares, as the books will be mailed in the coming days/weeks. See the detailed instructions on how to do that below.

I had a chance to sign the books as promised. That was tricky, with COVID and all, but we figured out how to get it done! The books are now on their way to Inkshares’ fulfillment partner who will ship them out to your address on record at Inkshares.

If you have moved since you pre-ordered the book, it should be intuitive to change your address on your account at the Inkshares site after you click on the image in the upper right hand corner next to the little bell. But some people have had to do this:

1. Login to Inkshares.com

2. Press the image in the top right, next to the bell

3. Press "more", then "profile"

4. Press profile options in the top right corner

5. Account

6. Address

If you have any trouble at all, Inkshares would be glad to help. You can email them at hello@inkshares.com

Thanks again. Launch in T-minus 30 days!

Ferd

Hello everyone!

I have not reached out through this platform in a long time, but the publication of Mission 51 is imminent, and I wanted to mention a few things.

First of all, my heartfelt gratitude goes to everyone who purchased a pre-order, especially those who did so during the Inkshares/Nerdist Sci-Fi Contest of 2017. Those pre-orders kept Mission 51 in the top 3 of all contestants and garnered a full publishing contract. Since that time, Mission 51 has been in production, progressively improving the story. It is now fully polished and ready for publication.

The publication date is February 15, 2022.

I am signing the pre-ordered books as we speak.

IMPORTANT:

For those who pre-ordered here on Inkshares, like everyone did during the contest, it’s time to update your address. If you moved since that contest in the summer of 2017, you need to update your address with Inkshares so the book will find its way to you.

If you have not yet placed an order but wish to do so now, it remains available for purchase here on Inkshaers, and is also available on Amazon, B&N, Target…

Thanks again, everyone, for your support and your patience, and I do so hope you enjoy Mission 51!

Ferd Crôtte

Quick update-

The 94,200 word Mission 51 manuscript delivered to Inkshares is currently waiting its turn in the editing queue. I am told it may be after the first of the year before the Inkshares staff can "dive into it." - I think I can hold my breath that long!   

Hello, Mission 51 family!

It has been three quick months since you pushed Mission 51 into the top three of the Nerdist Sci-Fi Contest on Inkshares, guaranteeing its publication. I have taken this time to continue polishing the story before turning in the manuscript to the Inkshares editing gods. I have now come to realize that I might never be satisfied. I might always want to change this, delete that, embellish and refine, cut and paste, drag and drop, etc., etc., etc.

I had given myself this three-month limit for final polishing, and my time is up. Overall, I am happy with the story, so I am going to hand it in by the end of the week and get in line for the real editorial work. I fully anticipate making further changes as I work with Inkshares’ developmental editing team. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be starting the process.

Along with the manuscript, I am to hand in my responses to an extensive questionnaire that will direct the Inkshares team on how to best approach my story, create a stunning book cover, and develop a successful marketing plan. It will be a long process, and I look forward to the hard work of putting it all together. I will keep you updated with progress reports from time to time.

Again, I want to thank you very much for this tremendous opportunity. It is only through your kind and generous support that Mission 51 will come into existence. I will never forget what you all have done for me!

Before I go, let me recommend four books that are currently in Inkshares contests, written by authors I greatly admire. They would certainly love your crowdfunding support. Please check them out!

In the prestigious Launch Pad Contest:

Susan K. Hamilton’s The Devil You Don’t https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-devil-you-don-t

TCC Edwards’ Far Flung.     https://www.inkshares.com/books/far-flung

In the Inkshares 2017 Horror Contest:

André Brun’s Arcadia.     https://www.inkshares.com/books/arcadia

M. Robert Randolph’s The Dark Mountain https://www.inkshares.com/books/wings-of-the-crallow

Thanks again! Peace and love to all!

~Ferd

I am still reeling with emotions after the crazy finish of the Nerdist Sci-Fi Contest. It is gradually sinking in that Mission 51 will be a published book and I will be a published author! It feels surreal. I am grateful beyond words for all of you. Inkshares publishes books only with the pre-order "approval" of the crowd. Mission 51’s publication could only happen on Inkshares with the support of wonderful people like you! Thank you very, very much!

I am truly not quite back to myself yet. I feel off-balance in a good, exciting way. I know this is a transitional feeling. For the past year and a half, I have been focused on writing and preparing myself for exactly this sort of contest. Now I will shift my focus to the goal of editing and publication. It feels like a brand new day full of hope and promise!

Inkshares has sent me a detailed questionnaire to help them help me through the process of editing, cover design, and marketing. I am to hand it in with my manuscript. I informed them I want to review it one last time and tidy up some loose ends before they start their process. I will let you all know when I have delivered the manuscript to Inkshares. It won’t be long.

Meanwhile, Mission 51 is now considered an Inkshares "property." I have a page on their "Properties" section, which is available to third parties in the entertainment industry who may be interested in the story. That’s pretty exciting, too! I haven’t completely tweaked that page, but if you are interested in what I have so far, you can check it out here.

Once I turn in the manuscript, I will join a few other works that have merited publication on Inkshares and are waiting for them to focus their professional resources on editing, layout, cover design, marketing, production, and distribution. It’s a thorough process that will take some time, quite possibly a year. I hope to have a better handle on the timeline once I hand in the manuscript. I will always inform you as soon as I know anything relating to the production of Mission 51.

Again, thank you for this incredible opportunity. I literally could not have done it without you!

Peace!

~Ferd  👽

This is the best update of them all!

WE DID IT!!!

With the help of you who are receiving this email (the “follower” list,) we finished the contest in the top three and have won the publishing prize! That is the dream of every writer, to be published. I have ONLY YOU to thank for that. There are many excellent writers who never have this opportunity. The difference here was YOU!

Here are the numbers: Mission 51 has an awesome number of “Followers” on Inkshares: 419. Most of you helped with a pre-order. Mission 51 would not be getting published like this without those pre-orders! Pre-orders is what Inkshares uses to determine who merits publication. It can’t be done on Inkshares without your vote of confidence and crowdfunding support! - Many followers helped with public exposure and awareness by simply “liking,” and “sharing,” and “commenting” on the Inkshares site, facebook, twitter, and instagram. Even without purchasing a pre-order, drumming up support for Mission 51 like that was enormously helpful. The level of interest and enthusiasm for Mission 51 was phenomenal! I will point out proof of that in just a bit.

Of the 419 Followers, 246 of you purchased a pre-order. Wow!!! That’s the number that counted for the contest. That’s the number that was top three out more than 180 submissions.

Those 246 fabulous supporters purchased a total of 267 copies, as some people purchased multiple copies of the book. That’s the crowdfunding Inkshares is looking for to: 1. prove the project is worth it, and 2. provide funds so they can at least start the expensive process of pre-production and production.

Those 267 copies broke down like this: 63% ordered ebooks, and 37% ordered physical books. That amounts to over $3,600 worth of crowdfunding support!!! That’s HUGE!!! Inkshares will use all of that and more to provide world-class editing, layout, production, marketing, and distribution services. I will update you all later on the timeframe of this exhaustive and comprehensive process. 

So the Mission 51 project page on Inkshares suddenly changed at 3:00 AM EDT this morning as the contest ended. The part that said “Funding” now says “In Production.” I am so very, very happy and proud about that! The green funding bar has disappeared. But I’m happy that most of the content is still visible. 

There is now one new little badge which appeared under the title and description on the Mission 51 project page. It says, “#18 Community Interest in Science Fiction.” I am blown away by that!!! There are many Science Fiction projects on Inkshares. To be ranked as #18 in Community Interest is unbelievable! That’s the proof about "interest and enthusiasm" I was alluding to!

I am starting to receive emails from Inkshares about my next steps. I have a number of things to learn and to decide, as you might imagine. As I know more, I will continue to keep you all informed through this medium. I ask for your patience as Inkshares navigates Mission 51 through their pre-production process. The goal is to eventually have a professionally polished product in your hands as soon as humanly possible. It won’t be as soon as anyone of us would like, but I will do my part to make it happen as soon as possible. I’ll keep you informed.

Again, THANK YOU! From the bottom, middle, and top of my heart, THANK YOU!!!

Peace!

Ferd 👽