Wow, that’s seriously gripping.

Monthly Update time! Short and simple. As the next Nerdist contest fires up into it’s first weekend, I can peel back the veil of what happens as your book enters production. Here are some dates I have:

2/5 – Editorial letter with comments due to AU

2/15 – Author revisions due to dev editor

3/5 – Line edited MS due to author

3/12 – Author revisions due to dev editor

3/15 – Clean dev edit due

4/19 – CEMS due for author review

5/3 – Author review of CEMS due

5/10 – Clean CEMS due to Proofer

5/26 – Proofread due

6/7 – Author review of Proof due

7/12 – Format proof due

7/19 – Format proof review due

7/22 – Interior digital proof due

7/29 – Interior digital proof approved

8/11 – Mechanicals (final files to printer)

8/25 – Ebook files due for review

8/31 – Ebook changed due from AU

1/10/2017 – Pub date

See that Pub Date?! It feels so far away, but that’s a lot of neat stuff I get to do leading up to it. Now, this is just on the side of the written word. Here are some more dates that go into this: 

3/7 – R1 cover concepts due

3/21 – R1 feedback due

4/4 – R2 covers due

4/18 – R2 feedback due

5/2 – R3 covers due

5/16 – Final front cover approved

5/23 – Spine and back cover R1 due

6/14 – Spine and back cover approved

7/27 – Final cover layout approved

8/5 – Digital proof due

8/9 – Digital proof approved

8/11 – Mechanicals (final files to printer)

AND even after this, there is a marketing schedule as well! But I don’t have any dates for that stuff yet. Just a plan. In the middle of all of this, I’ll start writing the sequel: The Rise of Dystopia. 

The next update I’ll try videos, pictures, and music to show some of the themes I used when writing the book. You can find me on Twitter @CrankyBolt and on Facebook /CrankyBolt as well. Reach out to me if you have any questions about this entire process. As always, if you are a backer, and would like a copy of the manuscript early, email me: CrankyBolt@gmail.com and I’ll send you whatever current revision I’m on. 

Happy New Years everyone! 2016 has begun. Next week I have my Inkshares kick off meeting to begin production on the Seventh Age Dawn. So, there is that. I'm going to be at Midwinter Gaming Convention up in Milwaukee on the weekend of Jan 16th. Peddling my wares and trying to get some gaming in. If anyone wants to meet up, drop me a line on twitter if you are in the area. 

Lastly: Today I begin trying to define the sequel. The Seventh Age: Rise of Dystopia into to 15 words so I can start building my outlines. If you curious how I start a book, it works something like this: I start off with 15 words regarding what the story is about. (This is actually really damn hard). I then make those 15 words into 5 sentences, followed by taking each of those 5 sentences into a paragraph. Finally each paragraph ends up as it's own page. That's how I start off building my outline. Today... I need to do this. 

So here is where I ask for help: I LOVE music, and it's my largest inspiration for writing. Tweet me @crankybolt for any music that reminds you of the cyberpunk or techno-thriller music. I'll be assembling a playlist all month as I dabble with the outline. 

I'm really curious to see what some of you other authors and Seventh Age Followers come up with in regards to music. Toss your best at me :)

Get ready for the inaugural Inkshares Review-a-Thon, an independent event, organized by Inkshares authors!

On December 19th, all authors and readers are invited to leave reviews on currently funding Inkshares books using the Inkshares “leave a review” option.

Throughout the day we’ll be hanging out on Twitter in the #InksharesReviews tag as we share our favorite book projects, answer author Q&As, debate the merits of astronauts with swords versus cavemen with lasers, and much, much more!

From 6 - 8pm ET, JF Dubeau and Paul ‘such a nerd’ Inman will be hosting a Google+ Hangout livestream filled with author interviews, review readings, and live announcements of prize winners!

Prizes?!?!

Everyone who leaves a review on December 19th by 6pm ET will be eligible to win one of our fantastic general prizes:

• Sword & Laser Contest Winners Package - print copies of the six winning books from the Sword & Laser Inkshares contest!
  

• Nerdist Contest Winners Package - print copies of the five winning books from the Nerdist Inkshares contest!
  

• An immediate pre-order of the book of their choice for five winners!
  

• $30 in Inkshares credits!
  

Readers: Peruse the “currently funding” books on Inkshares and leave as many reviews as you want. You could even start up a “must-have” list of books to order in case you win a free pre-order or the $30 in credits!

Authors: Join our review exchange to leave three reviews in exchange for two guaranteed reviews on your Inkshares project and a chance at author-exclusive prizes!

Email Cara Weston at cara.c.weston@gmail.com with questions, or simply to learn more.

(And authors, if you’re in, please copy the message above and include it in your next update!)

It’s gonna be fun.

Good on you for getting the official work done. Definitely take time for iZombie and chili before you dive in to the rest of the publication nitty gritty. :)

So, it's officially official of the officialness. (I'm a writer! I use words!) I have turned everything into Inkshares. Now I do the waiting game and see what the Girl Friday Productions team thinks of the manuscript and prep myself for editing. 

If anyone wants a copy of the manuscript I sent in, (since backers are totally able to get access to author drafts) just send me an email over to Crankybolt@gmail.com and I'll gladly share it with you. Maybe you can offer feedback as well before the final product. 

My next step is to start tackling the creation of a website, look into starting my own Inskhares Syndicate with some author friends and start emailing conventions about tablespace. 

Although, I secretly kinda just want to binge watch my guilty pleasure of iZombie and Gotham Season 2 for a day and feast upon the sweet smell of chilli being slow cooked today 10' away from me. 

It's kinda like torture actually. I'm going to start gnawing on human flesh I'm so damn hungry. 

End of November update: I has finished my developmental edits and a quick round of copy editing. I've also filled out the Inkshares paperwork. For everyone out there, their initial packets they have you do are not light reading. It easily takes a few hours to fill out, and a few trips to book stores. 

They ask about your target audience, excerpts you want, what kind of books you like, what covers are appealing to you, why are they appealing. What percentage of your presumed reader base are male or female? So on, and so forth. 

I'm super curious to see how this process goes from here on out. On Tuesday, I turn everything over. I'm glad to see that Inkshares has a very robust initial packet. It's feels good to provide them with some meat. 

I'll keep you guys posted! Now my next step is to continue with a two more rounds of editing. One more developmental edit, even though I already had that done, a second pass never hurt anyone. Then a round of copy editing. This last part, I'm super pumped for. I'm a storyteller, not a writer by trade. So I'm about to pick up a bunch of new skills and grammar rules I probably never even heard of. 

Zac Linnville has already been busting my chops on comma usage in dialogue. :).

My round of editing is complete! If you are a backer who would like to read the early draft pre-submission to Inkshares team. (As one of your neat perks for backing early!) Send me an email at CrankyBolt@gmail.com. I'll hook you up with my initial draft. 

Okay guys, I'm dropping you guys a little update about what to expect. 

I've been finishing up my round of developmental editing. I should be done very shortly, as I only have 59 pages left to go. After which, I'll be adding an epilogue. Ultimately, I'm ahead of schedule. I'm due to turn in the manuscript to Inkshares on December 1st. 

After I finish this pass through, I'm going to ask how I can best release the entire draft for those who wish to read it. After all, a perk of backing the book early, is you get to read or see how these drafts work! If you catch anything, or have any feedback as I do this, by all means, send me an email!

After I turn in the manuscript to Inkshares. I'll undergo two more rounds of editing. One more round of developmental editing, and then copy editing. Meaning I'll have rewritten this book roughly six times before it sees print. 

All told, to take a book from a blank sheet of paper, into a fully published printed book, it's looking like a year and a half turn around. I've been writing and editing on my own for the past year, and this marks the one year date when I sat down and began writing. So I'm getting very close!

I'll be dropping you guys monthly updates about the entire process, and trust me: You'll know when I start releasing additional chapters :). 

Okay! It's Saturday! Update time! We made it!!! THANK YOU!



"Well Rick, now that you've won the contest... what are you going to do now?"

Going to Disney World! (Seriously, going for Halloween. A much needed vacation). 

Many of you made this possible, and I have a lot of work to do in order to get you the best possible book. Thank you very much. I'm really excited for what comes next. Websites, faction stickers: Society of Deus, Unification, or Sons and Daughters? Banners to be made. Books to be finished. Tacos to be had. 

mmmmm... tacos. 

So, it's not over by any measure for me. I still have to keep working on getting this book out there. Just not in the fashion of a rabid squirrel. Everyone should take a moment to log into their Inkshare account and poke around. You can update notifications in the upper right as well to toggle how frequently updates come along. 

You can follow me on Twitter if you haven't @CrankyBolt. (Or here)

I'll keep my updates sparse to preserve the sanctity of your inbox, but I will let you know on events and happenings regarding the book. 

But for now: I begin the editing!