When I kicked off the 120-day pre-order campaign for These are my Friends on Politics on January 3rd, my hope (even though I had little idea how to do it) was to reach Inkshares’ light publishing goal — 250 copies sold and distribution to Amazon — by campaign’s end.
89 days early, and exactly one month and four hours later...
...we got it there. And I say “we” because the majority of you reading this update are responsible for getting it there. Barring an unforeseen circumstance on the level of an alien invasion or the cancelation of the election (both of which admittedly have their upside), the book will go into production this spring and into your hands not too long after that. I can’t thank any of you enough for making that a reality.
With that said, there’s more work — specifically, 497 more copies’ worth of work — for me to do before May gets here. Reaching Inkshares’ light publishing goal is wonderful. But achieving the larger goal of 750 copies pre-sold — which means the book will go to national and independent physical bookstores all over the country, among other benefits — is a whole other layer of exciting.
So with that said, if you’re willing, I have a few uncomplicated favors to ask (that don’t involve ordering more copies of the book, though of course I won’t stop you if you do that):
1. If you know someone whom you think would enjoy the book, please tell him or her (or them) about it. The vast, vast majority of sales so far haven’t come from all-encompassing Facebook or Twitter posts or other impersonal tactics, but from one person telling another person about the book. If I’ve learned anything about sales in the first 31 days of this campaign, it’s that classic, personal appeals work like nothing else. Some of you have already done this favor for me multiple times over. But if you know someone who would enjoy this and don’t mind telling them about it, every recommendation helps immensely. Feel free to give them this easy-to-remember URL: FriendsOnPolitics.com. (That’ll lead them to the right place.)
2. If you’ve followed the book but haven’t yet ordered a copy, please consider doing so. I won’t twist your arm but the support is greatly appreciated. And if you’re an author on Inkshares, I absolutely will return the favor.
3. If you know ANYONE who has ANY aspirations about being a writer, please tell them about Inkshares. I received several congratulations from people I’ve known forever when I reached 250. But I received just as many from other Inkshares authors whom I didn’t even know 32 days ago, but who have supported my work wholeheartedly since almost the instant I arrived here. I cannot overstate how valuable this place is to anybody who has any aspirations of writing a book and seeing it get published. The prospect of breaking into publishing, even finding an agent to represent you, is daunting and possibly alienating. Self-publishing is a lonely, frustrating proposition. Inkshares offers the potential possibilities of working with a publisher, combines it with the freedom of self-publishing, and surrounds you with a community of writers who understand what you’re trying to do (because they’re trying to do the same thing). More than simply an innovative way to shake up the publishing industry, it is a gratifying community that rallies around itself to give aspiring and talented writers (and illustrators) a chance that may not otherwise exist. The proof is right here.
If you know someone who might benefit from such a place, tell them to pay a visit and get involved. If they do, they will thank you later — possibly in the pages of their first book.
(Photo of Nina included for no reason. Thanks for reading all of that.)
(Rather lengthy note because I tend to write these monthly and all at once, but there are new pictures of Nina below if you want to skim.)
To everyone reading this who pre-ordered: A half-thousand thank yous.
I’m starting to really like the 3rd of the month. The campaign to get These Are My Friends on Politics published launched on January 3rd. Thanks to a ton of you, it reached its light-publishing goal on February 3rd. A month later, thanks to a second ton of you, we’ve doubled that goal and stand more than two-thirds the way toward the full-service publishing deal. I won’t bore you with the details of what goes into that deal, except that it includes the ability for me to eventually walk into a physical bookstore and awkwardly stand near my own book and watch customers read it like David Duchovny’s character did in the first episode of “Californication.” (I hope that’s where the similarities between that character and me end, for the record.)
So again, thank you. What has happened so far is miles beyond what I anticipated happening when I pressed the big green button to start this campaign. I cannot appreciate it enough.
To everyone reading who has followed but not ordered: Thank you too.
When you keep an idea to yourself for years while attempting to develop it into something tangible — I’m a big believer in the superstition that discussing projects before they’re presentable is a far worse jinx than walking under a ladder — it’s easy for that idea to grow stale before you even get to share it. Conversely, when you finally do share it, all at once, with people you know and don’t know, it’s extremely weird. But when I see someone react to the book upon seeing it for the first time, as brand new to them as it was to me when I first envisioned it, and when I see them respond positively enough to follow its progress, it’s gratifying every single time. There are myriad great projects in the works on Inkshares, all looking for support, and no one can monetarily support them all. So thank you for expressing the interest you’ve expressed in this project. It does not go unnoticed.
(I’d be remiss if I didn’t still encourage you to pre-order, of course, but mostly, I just want to say thank you.)
To everyone still reading: Here’s a small portion of a page you haven’t seen before, presented completely without context.
Only a portion, because I want to keep as many surprises locked down before the book is in your hands. But in case you’re worried the book is secretly only six pages long because that’s all I’ve shown off, here’s a completely vague part of another page. I won’t explain what’s going on though.
To everyone who’s just here to see the new pictures of Nina: I understand.
As promised. Enjoy. And thank you again. More to come. (Perhaps on April 3rd.)