Hello Machiners! A pleasant Saturday to you! 

We have VERY significant news on a numbers of fronts. I am going to list the highlights just below, so you can quickly see what I’m covering in this update - then you can read more on any topic!

1. We have an AUDIOBOOK!

2. A second bookstore event - East Coast-style!

3. Last Machine artwork in an ART GALLERY!

4. Slash and burn prices! eBook now only $1.99!

5. 1,500 total book sales!

6. We need more REVIEWS on Amazon!

#1: I know. I said this was a big-time update! So for the AUDIOBOOK. It’s available on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. It’s narrated by voiceover professional Scott R. Smith. It’s amazing! Don’t take my word for it, listen to it yourself!

This is what I’m doing. If you haven’t read Last Machine yet, no problem! Send me a message - Email (matthew.sobin@gmail.com), or on Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll send the first 10 people a coupon code to get the Audiobook for FREE. That’s right! I assume that if you are receiving this email, that you at least have some interest in reading / listening to Jonathan’s story. All I ask in return for the free audiobook is a review on Amazon and Goodreads. It can be as short as a sentence or two about why you liked the book. Reviews are critical - more on this below!

#2: Do you live in the New York area? I’d love to see you in October. I will be doing a second event, this time at Book Revue in my hometown of Huntington, NY! I’ll be reading and signing copies, and refreshments will be served. What could be better? It’s on Monday, October, 23 from 7-9 pm. 

It’s by no means required, but if you want you can RSVP here! 

#3: Are you in the San Francisco Bay Area? Super treat for you then! The artwork for The Last Machine in the Solar System is part of an Art Gallery Show! So crazy cool. It’s an amazing show with an eclectic mix of SciFi and Steampunk artwork. The show runs through August 5 at the Sun Gallery in Hayward, CA. The ARTISTS RECEPTION is next Saturday, July 22 from 1-4 pm. I’ll be there with the legend himself, Jack Katz. I hope you can join us for artwork and a double signed copy! :-) 

Also, not necessary, but you can RSVP here!

#4: Look, I want everyone to read this story. I really do! The eBook is now available on Inkshares and Amazon for only ONE DOLLAR & 99 CENTAVOS. You like SciFi, right? So please do us all a favor and grab Last Machine for Kindle and leave a review on Amazon :-) 

#5: 1,500 sales?! Holy cow!! Thank you, and THANK YOU! Next stop, 2K! 

#6: This has somewhat been covered already, but it bears repeating: REVIEWS are the absolute lifeblood of newly published books. We need to get to 100 on Amazon. It’s not really an option. Like winning the contest, that wasn’t optional either. So let’s make a big push! We’re at 32 on Amazon right now. 68 to go! 

As mentioned before, we have an Audiobook now and I’m offering it for FREE in exchange for Reviews on Amazon and Audible. Also, I’ve slashed the eBook to $1.99. No barriers to entry for this entertainment! Leave a REVIEW!! 

I will leave you with this today. The Last Machine is doing amazingly well, and I have you all to thank. That’s forever. But there’s still a ways to go. Below, you can see us in the Tri-City Voice newspaper about the Sun Gallery exhibit, and in Green Apple Books, a San Francisco institution, on the fiction table - next to some guy named Neil Gaiman! Keep spreading the word!

Machiners!

Can you believe we flew past the one month mark since publication? Crazy times! This will be a quick update with some goodies to report.

First, The Last Machine AUDIOBOOK is coming! You read that correctly, this is going to be epic! And I don’t expect it to take very long to produce. After a highly competitive audition process - 60 narrators submitted recordings to read Jonathan’s story - I’ve selected the voice to read our story! Look for an update in the next month or so about a release date. Shooting for around July 1.

Super important: Have you read the story? Have you not left a review on Amazon? 

Then I need your help. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. I liked the Last Machine for x and y reason, etc. One or two sentences will do the trick. Want to write a longer response to the story? Please do - Reviews come in all shapes and sizes! We need to get to 100 on Amazon, and at the moment, we have 16. Many thanks in advance!

Amazon page for reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Machine-Solar-System-ebook/dp/B06XRSS26Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Goodreads page for reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30221887-the-last-machine-in-the-solar-system

Lastly, pics! From the book launch at Book Passage in the San Francisco Ferry Building. Oh, and the book in Huntington, NY at Book Revue next to some guy named George R.R. Martin.... I told you these were crazy times :-)

Machiners!

I was just made aware of an issue downloading the eBook on Inkshares. The eBook had not been available for download. Inkshares just fixed this. So if you had recently gone on Inkshares and were puzzled about how to get your eBook, please try again! Full instructions are just below. 

I hope you enjoy the story. And remember, your support is still very much needed. After reading the story of Jonathan and Nikolai, please leave a review (CRITICAL) on Amazon and Goodreads (see my previous update for full details). 

Still having issues? Email me: matthew.sobin@gmail.com Thanks so much! -Matt

eBook Download Instructions

1. Log into Inkshares.com and go to the homepage for The Last Machine. Click on the "Download" tab next to "Reviews" (red arrows in the screenshot):

2. You will see the various eBook options as shown below. Pick the one for your device.

Machiners,

My most ardent and unabashedly enthusiastic supporters! Good morning!

Uh oh, I hope none of you are malfunctioning today - do not close this email !!

Believe it or not, we are now less than two weeks away from publication of The Last Machine in the Solar System (April 11!!!). There’s been lots of exciting news lately, which I’ll mention in subsequent updates. 

Here I want to hit a few critical points relevant to YOU, benefactors of Jonathan, The Last Machine:

1. If you bought a book during the CONTEST, you should have received it. Whether that is a hard copy paperback or an eBook. Didn’t receive your book? Don’t know what I’m talking about? Email me please and let me know what’s going on: matthew.sobin@gmail.com

Let’s make sure everyone who put up money a year ago when this was just an idea gets the final product! eBooks are available for download by logging into the Inkshares website and going to the webpage for The Last Machine.

2. If you have received your book, please read it! Seems obvious, right? In theory, one of our big advantages is that this is a 60 page illustrated novelette. It can be read in 1-2 hours. And that brings me to...

3. Leave a REVIEW! This is possibly the most critical thing you can do. Read the book? Great! Please go onto the book’s Amazon page and tell others why you LOVED it :-) Authors need 100 reviews before the Amazon algorithm takes them seriously and starts suggesting the book to random Amazon visitors. Here’s our Amazon page: Last Machine on Amazon

Also important: You can copy the same review over to Goodreads. So far we’re doing really well with Goodreads reviews. Check them out here and leave your own: Last Machine on Goodreads

4. eBook holders, grab a paperback! This can make a huge difference as we push The Last Machine to a wider audience. Go to your local independent bookstore and see if they have The Last Machine in the store! They don’t? They’ll order it for you! And this may bring about a larger wholesale order from that store. They’ll say to themselves, "Hey, what’s this cool looking book that brought this person in here with such enthusiasm??" That’s the idea!

Can’t make it to the store but still want a paperback? Purchasing on Amazon helps too. Then when you leave an Amazon review, it will be shown as a "Verified Purchase" review, which further helps the Amazon algorithm. 

5. I’d love to know what you think of The Last Machine in the Solar System. You’ve now read the book, left your reviews, and have strong opinions about the story. Great! Shoot me an email. I’d love to hear your personal reactions to Nikolai and Jonathan’s journey to the ends of the solar system (and back)! 

Email me here: matthew.sobin@gmail.com

Signing your books!

And for those who haven’t seen it yet, the final front and back cover!

Stunning work by artist Dan Stiles and the design team. Also, my sincerest thanks to authors Tal M. Klein (author of The Punch Escrow - check it out on Inkshares!) and Jacques Vallee for their wonderful back cover blurbs.

Expect some more frequent updates as we hit pub day and beyond! More to come!

-Matt

Hello Machiners! And a happy Saturday to all of you!

So have you seen it yet?? 

You must have. After all it’s been up on the Inkshares homepage for The Last Machine for more than a week.... And I know each of you must be checking in over at Inkshares.com almost daily as you eagerly anticipate any updates on when Jonathan, the last machine, will finally arrive on your doorstep (as a book, not a 9 foot tall robot)!

It’s going to be a bit longer, Inkshares has decided April 2017 is more conducive to a successful publication date than February. So Spring 2017 it is!! And back we all go to our thumb twiddling...

And now, without further ado, for those of you who don’t frequent Inkshares as often as you should, the final high resolution cover art!!!

Awesome, isn’t it?! Many thanks to artist Dan Stiles for this tremendous result. It’s going to absolutely POP on the bookstore shelves!

Lastly, Jonathan and Nikolai are officially back in action, together, billions of years earlier in a new short story called "The Creator and The Machine" to be published in the Nerdist contest winning video games anthology Too Many Controllers!!! I may have BURIED the LEAD here. Go check it out and grab a copy of this epic book full of work by exciting Inkshares authors!

And believe me, there are a ton of great books funding right now on Inkshares that deserve your attention; in particular there is a Geek & Sundry sponsored FANTASY contest going on right now. Lots of cool potential books to peruse! 

Have a great weekend!

Dear Machiners!

There are mere hours left in the Nerdist Video Games contest on Inkshares!! As many of you know, I have been competing in this contest with an amazing group of authors. We are now T-Minus 13 hours until the contest ends - and we’re aiming to finish strong and take first place!

Our book,Too Many Controllers is a collection of fifteen short stories across genres, time and realities connected by one theme: video games. We all love video games, or know someone who does, so it would be wonderful if you supported this excellent anthology. I can almost guarantee that there is something for everyone in this book!

And here’s the best part for all you machiners and fans of The Last Machine in the Solar System: my short story will feature Jonathan, the last machine, and his creator, Nikolai. This story will take place many billions of years earlier than the events of the novella, while Jonathan is still young, and Nikolai still lives. 

Much more to come as the journey continues! Thanks again for your tremendous support!

Dear Machiners! 

We have an important decision before us. And I need your help because this is just too tough a call. As my benefactors, your support cannot be understated, and therefore you have a voice in the direction our book takes. 

With little further ado…. the cover concepts! Sweeeet, right? Artist Dan Stiles did an outstanding job capturing the essence of The Last Machine in the Solar System. 

Now we need to provide feedback to the production team at Girl Friday and Dan so he can refine one or two of the options as we move toward a final cover. Send me your feedback: Vote #1, #2 or #3 by messaging me with a DM on Inkshares or emailing me at matthew.sobin@gmail.com. Thanks!! 

Dear Machiners! 

A good Monday evening to you! We have a number of important items to address, so I will get right to it. 

First, I have been blown away by the continued response for The Last Machine in the Solar System following the Sword & Laser contest. Just this week we blew past 400 pre-orders for the novella. And there are now over 500 people following the book’s progress. So thank you all so much! With the support of the teams at Inkshares and Girl Friday Productions, I am 100% confident that we are going to produce a stellar book, with a great story and beautiful illustrations that you’re going to love. 

Toward that end, we have received a preliminary publication date from Inkshares of February 7, 2017. This is huge! I know it seems far away. But I remind myself that quality takes time and we want this to be just right. Nine months is going to fly, and that time will be well used as we ensure the story and interior design is perfect, the back and front covers shine, and we prepare and execute a promotional marketing campaign that sets us up to reach as wide an audience as possible come February. 

A couple of big upcoming dates: I expect to receive feedback from the developmental editor on May 17th. Then on 5/26, I’ll receive the initial cover designs. 

I’m incredibly excited to see the three possible cover designs and share them with you. Our cover designer is Dan Stiles. His work is fantastic. You may have seen his handiwork before on book covers or band posters. He is also the artist for Dracula v. Hitler on Inkshares. You can check out his art here. 

FREE INKSHARES MONEY 

If you supported me during the contest, Inkshares sent you $10 in free credits last week on May the Fourth (insert Star Wars joke here, yada yoda yoda...). So, check your email! Claim your credits and get something fun to read from Inkshares. 

There are tons of great books to support - some of which have been published, while others are still in need of support to make the threshold for publication. Simply claiming your free credits and spending them can help make an author’s dreams come true, just as you did for me. 

To claim your credits: Click on the green CLAIM button in the e-mail Inkshares sent on May 4. If you deleted the email, never fear! Just log into your Inkshares account, then click on "credits" in the top right corner; click the button to get the e-mail re-sent. 

On Inkshares $10 can go a long way. For books still funding, that can be 1 ebook or 1/2 a paperback - regardless, it is one vote toward publication. For books that are already or will be published, prices start as low as $3.99 for an ebook and $9.99 for paperbacks. 

Here are couple of suggestions on what to support: 

This is the last week of the Hard Science themed contest on Inkshares sponsored by Geek & Sundry. There are many awesome projects and as we well know, the last week is when things really start heating up. So your support for any of these books can help shoot them up the standings toward publication. 

Last week my new SciFi syndicate supported The Amaranth Chronicles: Deviant Rising by Alexander Barnes and Christopher Preiman. The book is sitting 30 pre-orders shy of qualifying for Quill publication. Your support could make a big difference!

That’s all for now, but there’s much more excitement to come - and soon! 

Until next time, 

 -Matt