Tony Valdez · Author · added about 1 year ago

Thanks guys! :)

Dave Barrett · Author · edited about 1 year ago · 1 like

Wait’s totally gonna be worth it Tony. I’m still super excited :)

Renee Horsman · Reader · edited about 1 year ago · 1 like

Keep up the good work! Looking forward to the final product!

Tony Valdez · Author · added about 1 year ago · 22 likes

Hi there friends,

Tony here. I know you haven’t heard from me in a good long while. You may have even completely forgot that you helped crowdfund a book nearly 2 years ago and have yet to see it. For that, I apologize. I assure you that these long delays have been out of my control. And more importantly, NO THIS BOOK HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED, and YES, IT IS STILL COMING.

"Why the long silence, Tony?"

Well, frankly, I grew a bit tired and embarrassed of sending updates with no real news to speak of. I’m sure you may have grown tired of it as well, so I figured I’d lay low until I could come back with something real for you.

"Why the delays?"

Inkshares is a small publishing team with limited resources, and business decisions resulted in my book being put on the back burner for a very long time. It’s been unfortunate and frustrating, but there it is. The plus side is that I’ve had plenty of time to edit and revise. So the book you’ll be receiving is better than the book that would have been published a year ago.

"So what’s going on with the book now?"

As of a few weeks ago, I was assured by the Inkshares team that they should be able to get my book published and into your hands "by the end of summer". I have submitted the updated version of my manuscript to them and am currently waiting to hear back on the next steps of production. The book has been polished with the aid of beta readers, a professional dev editor, and my own neurotic nitpicking. I even added a bonus prequel short story while I waited. Inkshares will assist with copy editing (sentence structure, punctuation, making sure things make sense, etc), formatting, slapping on the cover art, and it’s off to the printers. Again, hopefully, in an expedited fashion from here on.

"So when exactly is the book coming?"

I wish I had an official date to give you rather than "by the end of summer", but that’s all I got for now. I will let you know as soon as I have more.

"How about that cover art?"

Not that anyone asked, but I am excited to say the final book artwork is in progress. And if the concepts I’ve seen are any indication, it’s going to be something special. So whether or not you enjoy my writing, you will at least have a very pretty book to display on your shelf. ;)

All right gang, that’s all for now. Thanks again for your patience. I hope to have an official date and/or some art to show next update. See ya!

-Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added over 1 year ago · 15 likes

Psst! Hey friend,

Just a reminder that phone cameras are dumb and always make my forehead look like a fivehead.

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! And Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, etc...

Oh, and Life Day. Can’t forget the Wookiees.

7 days left until THE LIST 2016 contest comes to an end. Bought your copy of Dax Harrison yet? Good. Convinced all your friends and family to buy it too? That’d be swell.

Whatever the outcome, let’s hope the new year brings a swift publishing date for Dax and his pals.

Cheers!
Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added over 1 year ago · 4 likes

HEY AGAIN, READERS!

Of course I hit SEND on my last update and immediately realized I forgot to mention something:

The illustrious Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares, has posted an article on the official Inkshares blog featuring the top 10 contestants in THE LIST 2016. There you’ll find a quick blurb from each of the authors chatting about their books, their writing inspirations, etc.

Take a look and get to know the contestants! You might find Dax isn’t the only new read to pique your interest...

Sitting Down with the Top 10 Authors in The List 2016 Contest (so far)

Cheers,
Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added over 1 year ago · 16 likes

HEY THERE READERS!

As you know (or if you forgot), DAX HARRISON was nominated into a new Inkshares competition known as THE LIST 2016. From now until December 31st, the amount of new readers I acquire will determine if I land a FULL publishing ride (as opposed to the "Quill" light publishing deal I originally reached). That means additional perks like marketing support, physical bookstore distribution, cover design, etc.

Currently, Dax stands in 7th place according to the contest page. Though that number may be corrected in the near future (My actual total reader count stands at 274). Either way, I would looove to see this number go up.

I know it’s been a long ride for those of you who have been with me since this thing started last year. But if you get a chance to do me a tiny favor this holiday season and just take a minute to share this book with another silly sci-fi loving friend, I would really appreciate it. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, in a personal email, smoke signal, telegraph, messenger raven, whatever you like. Just tell them it’s a fun little story with laughs and spaceships and explosions, all for the price of 2 Grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes! (Actually cheaper if you include the tax!)*

*$10 for the ebook, $20 for paperback/ebook bundle

And for those of you who are following this book (there’s over 500 of you total!) but have NOT bought a copy yet, let’s chat a minute.

"What can I do to get you into your own personal copy of Dax Harrison today?" (Imagine that in a sleazy used car salesman voice)

Seriously though, I would love to hear from my mysterious followers. Feel free to direct message me on Inkshares and say hi. Who knows? Maybe I just might be able to convince you to give old Dax a chance. ;)

Happy Holidays everyone! (*slips on plaid blazer, combs hair, adjusts pinky ring*)
-Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added over 1 year ago · 17 likes

(Long update ahead, bear with me)
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO PUBLISHING...

Hi there, friends! Family! Fellow authors! Perfect Strangers! (Points to you if you get that reference)

So the weird journey to publishing continues. Here’s a quick refresher in case you’re late to the party or if you simply forgot where we left off...

-I launched a campaign at Inkshares to publish my very first sci-fi novel, DAX HARRISON!

-With the help of reader pre-orders, I secured a light publishing deal. Huzzah! In short, Inkshares promised to publish my book to anyone who bought a copy, and continue to make it available online through all major outlets (Amazon, Barnes & Noble online, etc).

-I handed over my manuscript and have since been waiting for my turn to begin production (copy editing, review, etc).

BUT WAIT! THE PLOT THICKENS!

Inkshares has launched a new contest titled THE LIST 2016, gathering a handful of the best projects which either did not meet their campaign goal the first time around, or only reached light publishing (like yours truly). The winners will be guaranteed FULL PUBLISHING. That means all kinds of fancy things that light publishing does not include, such as developmental editing, professional cover design, marketing assistance, and getting books into physical book stores.

Why am I telling you all this? Because the contestants have been nominated by their fellow Inkshares authors. ...And guess who was nominated.

Yep. I am officially part of this new shindig, courtesy of my fellow writers who believe in my silly stories, or maybe just like me as a person. Either way, I gotta say I’m pretty humbled.

"HOLD UP, TONY! I BOUGHT YOUR BOOK AWHILE AGO, AND NOW YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU WANT MORE MONEY?!"

No, no, no! Again, I apologize for the long wait for the book, but NO I am not asking you to buy the book again. The point of this contest is to gather unique readers above and beyond my current readers. That means fresh new folks to join the adventures of Dax. While I appreciate your support, I don’t need you to buy 10 more copies just so I win this thing. What you CAN do however, is spread the word to friends, family, coworkers, strangers in passing, anyone who might enjoy a good fun read like Dax. Just tell them to head to daxharrison.com!

Per the contest rules, the top 3 books with the most unique orders will be guaranteed the full publishing deal. There are also guest judges who will have the opportunity to select 3 more winners of their choosing, beyond the top 3. So there will in fact be 6 winners total!

"WAIT A SEC, TONY! WHAT GIVES?! YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE ALREADY GOING TO BE PUBLISHED! NOW YOU HAVE TO WIN ANOTHER CONTEST?!"

No, no, no! I assure you, I will be published and you will have your book in your hands no matter what. This contest is more of a 2nd chance for the gold. If I fail, I will simply continue on with the light publishing deal as planned. So I have nothing to lose. But if I win? Professional edits, meaning the book will be better than ever. Cover design services, so I won’t have to pay out of my own pocket separately. Marketing support, needless to say, SUPER important. And getting my book into physical bookstores. Can you imagine walking into a Barnes & Noble and seeing Dax Harrison on the shelf?! I would melt, into a puddle of joy. A puddle, I say. And then I would apologize to the cleaning staff.

Not to mention, higher sales = more incentive for my publisher to hurry up and get my book out there and into your hands! ;)

More to come soon. See ya!

-Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added almost 2 years ago · 17 likes

DEAR DAX HARRISON READERS, FANS, PASSIVE FOLLOWERS, ETC...

I did a thing. A book trailer thing. Please enjoy! And then spread it around the internet like butter on free restaurant bread. :)

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Your pal,

Tony V.

Tony Valdez · Author · added almost 2 years ago · 12 likes

Hey there, readers!

My TimeHop app on my phone just informed me that today marks two anniversaries...

1) Today is one year to the day since I joined Inkshares and started my book campaign.
2) 26 years since the classic Disney cartoon TaleSpin premiered in 1990.

Anyone around my age probably has the theme song stuck in their head now. You’re welcome. (If not, here you go)

They really just don’t make them like they used to. Seriously though, bush pilots and air pirates in 1930s-40s style serial adventures? This is the kind of stuff that fuels me. Granted, Dax takes place in the far future, but the spirit is the same.

Speaking of which, I hope you all are enjoying the early ebook! I am both excited and terrified to hear your reviews. :) In the meantime, I’m continuing to occupy myself with a few things on my to-do list.

1) A proper book trailer
2) Scraping together all my notes and carving out an outline for Dax 2. Ooooh I want to talk about it so bad but I don’t want to spoil anything!

I’ve also updated the synopsis on the book project page to better reflect what I think might be the back cover copy. Again, I’ll keep you all posted on the publishing date.

Until next time!