Brad Kawamura · Reader · added about 7 years ago
Hi Matt,
For what it’s worth, my vote is for Cover #1.

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

It’s here at last! The final cover design for Sorcery for Beginners, done by the amazing Mike Corley (with graphics from illustrator Juliane Crump). Without further ado:


Love it love it love it. Mike managed to capture the feel of a 1940s how-to guide but also make something that is striking and engaging. On top of that, we were able to add in elements from the book itself. All the graphics on the cover relate to the story in some way. There’s even a coded message in runes. I can’t wait to see this on bookshelves.

I couldn’t be happier. Actually, I could, because we also have pages on Amazon and Goodreads! 

Amazon
Goodreads

These two sites are extremely important when it comes to book marketing. The more people add the book to their wish lists, the more the sites will drive traffic to them. So even though you guys have already done so much, I have another favor to ask. If you could log in to your Amazon or Goodreads account and add Sorcery for Beginners to your Wish List and ’Want to Read’ list, it will make a HUGE difference for us. 

Thanks again for everything. More updates coming soon!

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

One more runner-up cover to reveal before we get to the final choice. I promise we won’t do a last-minute switcheroo like last night’s Oscars. I was happy to see Moonlight win, but man do I feel for those La La Land producers. To have the trophy in your hand, then to realize you have to give it back ... oof. 

But on to happier topics. Our cover designer Mike Corley gave us such an embarrassment of riches with the options he sent. Keep in mind, I’m only showing three of 12 that he sent. They were all different, all interesting in their own ways. 

Here’s the last runner-up:



I love how striking this cover is. If I saw it on a bookshelf or Amazon page, I would immediately pick it up. I love the retro feel, and the title font, and the bold red. This should definitely be the cover of a book. But for Sorcery, it still came in second to our final choice, which you’ll see tomorrow. Amazing work, Mike Corley!

Another note: you might notice that the book is written by "Euphemia Whitmore." Those you who have read the sample chapters will realize that Ms. Whitmore is actually a character in the book. I thought it would be fun to treat this novel as if it were a real instruction manual, and Ms. Whitmore is a real person. Kind of like how Lemony Snicket pretends that the Series of Unfortunate Events books really happened. You will even be able to unlock a riddle in the book and apply for your very own Sorcery Learner’s Permit.

So you will see Ms. Whitmore’s name on the final cover of the book. In fact, she is listed as the primary author while I am but her ordinary, non-magical civilian aide. Not everyone gets this (my parents certainly don’t - sorry Mom and Dad), but now you know the truth.

Stay tuned for the final cover reveal, and some other awesome announcements tomorrow!

mh 

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Quick update today as we build up to the reveal of our final cover design next week. Here is Runner-Up #2:

n

Mike Corley is so talented! Love the vibe of this one, but ultimately it felt more adult, like a Dan Brown novel, than the fun magical adventure feel we’re going for. One more runner-up to go, then we’ll reveal the final cover next week!

Enjoy your weekend -

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Some wonderful updates for you from the end of this rainy Los Angeles month. First, the new draft of SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS has been sent off to Inkshares. We got great notes from the development editor Staton which forced me to take a hard look at the whole novel. Thanks to her, I think the book is much improved. We may get notes back from a few more beta readers and make some more adjustments, but I think we will be heading off to copy editing soon. 

Secondly, we have a cover! Inkshares hired the amazing M.S. Corley to do a whole round of covers. We’ve settled on a final design, but before I unveil that, I wanted to show some of his other designs first, ’cause they’re just that awesome. Also you can check out some of his other work here: http://mscorley.com/

But for now, here is Runner Up Cover #1 for SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS:



Really cool, love that it has the feel of a real textbook, but the one we chose is even better! Stay tuned for more ...

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

It’s been awhile. Things have been very busy here at the Codex Arcanum, in no small part because of all the wonderful book things that have been happening at Inkshares. Sorry for not updating sooner, but after three months of crazy crowdfunding, I think a little breather was in order for us all. 

But good things are happening. We got notes back from Staton, our editor. Lots of great suggestions for changes and improvements, which I am in the process of implementing. We got a production schedule from Avalon and a marketing plan from Angela. Both have confirmed that this is really a thing that is happening, and it’s now my job to make it as awesome as can be. 

We also have a release date - August 1, 2017! It’s crazy how close that is (in a good way), and how many items still need to be crossed off the to-do list (in an exciting way). But we will make it happen, fear not. We are sorcerers.

Finally - the moment for which you’ve truly been waiting. As you know, one of our last funding prizes was the offer to name a character in the book after one of you lovely book-buying supporters. So after consulting the tea leaves, throwing the bones, and clicking the button of a random number generator between 1 and 255 unique readers, the Fates gave us back the number 213. Going down the list, that means the winner is ...

MOE MOE!  

One of the best names I’ve ever encountered on a human now gets to be enshrined for all time as a character in the Codex Arcanum series. Thanks again to all of you have supported the book. We’ve got some cool info coming down the pike. Stay tuned ...

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Happy New Year! You may have seen this in another email, but thanks to you, WE DID IT! We made our funding goal. Because of some last-minute pre-orders, we held on to third place and won The List contest! This means that SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS will be published later this year with FULL MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT. 

I’m over the moon, you guys. Four years ago, I pitched the concept for this book as a screenplay, but my agent said no one would buy it as a spec. If it was based on a book, he said it would be a slam-dunk sale. So I decided to write my first real novel, and nine drafts and several wrong turns later, here we are. In less than a year, SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS will be on the shelves of bookstores. 

And I owe it all to you. Your tweets, your shares, and most importantly, your pre-orders got us to this place. Thanks to you guys, we donated $560 to breast cancer research, we finished in the top ten of two separate contests, and SORCERY got a real publishing deal. There’s a lot of work still left to do -- I have to address notes from my editor, Juliane has to do the illustrations, plus layout and cover design and marketing one-sheets -- but for now, I simply want to say THANK YOU. Thank you to all who supported this project over last three months, and to everyone who has supported my writing in other ways over the years. I owe you all drinks. I’d also like to send a special shout-out to all the folks in the Inkshares community, especially Adam, who believed in this book. I look forward to working with you all in 2017.

For now, may you enjoy the rest of your holiday. I wish you all the best in 2017, and no matter what else happens, I hope this book will be a little bright spot in your year. It wouldn’t exist without you.

Thanks again. Onward!

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

WE’RE NUMBER THREE! After nearly three months of crowd-funding, pre-orders, and silly GIFs, SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS is within striking distance of FULL MARKETING & PUBLISHING SUPPORT from Inkshares! 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwimrKjp55zRAhVMw4MKHWAoBY8QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgiphy.com%2Fgifs%2F7-days-nmI6E4Ci1uhqg&bvm=bv.142059868,d.amc&psig=AFQjCNHG7mYN1UCG-CWEgBdqE3lw3nXAeg&ust=1483217345378023

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist one more silly GIF.) We had a lot of great things happen at Inkshares during this campaign — we hit guaranteed e-publication at 250 pre-orders, we finished 8th in the Geek and Sundry contest, we were picked for Gary Whitta’s syndicate, and we were chosen out of thousands of projects for The List. 

But finishing at #3 on The List will really take us to the next level. Not only will Inkshares be involved with every aspect of production, including editing, cover design, and layout, but they will also put a full marketing team behind the book. SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS will be available at bookstores and conventions. It will be reviewed by major publications, both web and print-based. It will have its very own ISBN. It will be, in every respect, A REAL BOOK. 

But first, there’s ONE MORE DAY of crowd-funding. You will still be able to pre-order the book, or buy it in stores next fall, but the funding incentives will disapparate like so many Hogwarts sixth years. 

Only people who purchase within the next 24 hours will get a signed copy, the Codex Arcanum bookmark, and their name in the novel’s acknowledgments. But just to sweeten the deal …

Once funding closes, I will name ONE CHARACTER in SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS after a randomly-selected pre-orderer! (Or I’ll give the character a name of your choosing. (Within reason.)) That means if you haven’t ordered yet, you have 24 hours to take part. Only one of you will live on in literary infamy, but as my dad always says, “You can’t win if you don’t play.”

Thanks again for all your support. One day more!

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Two updates this week. First, we broke 300 copies sold! Y’all got me like:


Second, SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS has been sent to our editor at Inkshares! It is very official and awesome. We’re talking about cover designs and illustrations and other cool stuff. I am very excited to get the editor’s notes and dive into the final re-write in January. 

Also, we are super-close to hitting number 3 on The List. Only 19 unique orders left to go. Do you know any friends with 10 year-old kids? People who like reading about magic? Breathing human beings who believe in goodness and light? Share the link to our project and see if they’d like to pick up a pre-order. It’s only $10. That’s less than a movie, and they’ll actually be making dreams come true. 

Thanks again for all your support -

mh

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All, 

Only 30 days left to pre-order Sorcery for Beginners! As you may know, the book was recently selected by Inkshares as one of the top 14 unpublished books on their site (out of thousands)! 

We’re definitely getting published, and you will get your copy, BUT -- We want the full publishing and marketing package. We want SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS to be in bookstores everywhere. We want it be at book festivals and comic-cons and magic shops. We want it to be reviewed in websites and newspapers. The top 3 pre-sellers on THIS LIST will receive all these things: 

https://www.inkshares.com/contests/the-list-2016 

As you can see above (if you crane your neck sideways, not sure why it’s showing up that way, this is why I need full graphic design help), right now we’re at Number 4. To hit number 3, we need 30 more UNIQUE READERS. That’s it. 30 new people buying the book in 30 days. $10 each. I know there’s a lot going on right now, and people are worried, and it’s the holiday season, but I’m betting at least 30 people out there would like to read about a group of magic-using teenagers taking down a greedy millionaire. 

Again, if you or someone you know purchases a pre-order before January 1, you will get: 

- A signed copy 

- Your name in the back of the book 

- A handmade bookmark that figures prominently in the novel 

- My undying gratitude! 

Thank you again for all your support, and I can’t wait for you to see the finished novel!

mh

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