Do you have a website or Facebook Page we could follow?
Top of the Monday, Space Crew!
Today I need to get personal. This campaign has been among the most heartwarming and most stressful experiences of my life. It seems that you all hold the power to make or break my day.
That’s something I hope to get better at pushing out of my mind as my writing career advances, but this is my first major publishing endeavour, so I’ve got a lot of jitters around the whole thing.
I was recently asked about why I needed to publish this book in an Inkshares article. You can see my full answer there, but it comes down to this:
Science-fiction used to be a thing that brought people together. I think of Star Trek in the 1960s, and how groundbreakingly diverse it was. That was a time when we didn’t divide people into segmented nerd cultures. It was a time when grandparents and children could share an appreciation for fiction together.
When I try to put a genre on my stories I get pretty overwhelmed. If I want to appease the "true" sci-fi crowd, then I need to go with hard sci-fi, which means pulling out the old physics textbooks and hitting up r/askscience. If I want to include magic it becomes fantasy, unless it could be explained by science. If I mention anything potentially unscientific while the rest of the story is consistently well-researched, I break suspension of disbelief.
Now, I love science-fiction. I have a sort of reverent respect for futurologists, and well-studied fiction writers. But I couldn’t take all of these constraints and still make The Traveller’s Cup what it is today. So when I discovered the Nerdist Space Opera contest, and my eye caught the following line, I gaped for a moment:
"We define (a space opera) as any adventure that takes place in space."
I have never felt so liberated as a storyteller. I began to dig out old notes. I tore a page out of one of my fantasy ideas and shoved it in the middle of a sci-fi project. I let my imagination run wild with all the rules I could now break! I can write fantasy set in space. My heroes can be space pirates who run into space dragons battling space wizards. The Tolkien-esque fundamentals of a classic adventure story can exist in a galaxy far, far away.
So with reckless abandon I began breaking these rules, and found a story that was always meant to be told. A story that I think can transcend our need for niches and subgenres and just breathe. This is a book for your mom. It’s a book for your geeky brother. It’s a book for teens as much as seniors. At least that’s my hope. I wrote The Traveller’s Cup to be approachable and accessible.
Because I think it’s time we stopped focusing on our differences and let our minds experience the unknown again.
Your Exuberant Overlord,
-AC
Happy Saturday, Space-Friends!
First, thank you all for your continued support. I squeal with glee when I see your pre-orders in my inbox. You guys are the best space crew a writer could hope for.
First Piece of News: New Chapter Preview! It should have hit your inbox already. Still going chronologically. You’ll get a glimpse of the Contessa, the highest ranking person on Palunos. And you’ll get to see a bit more of Damaus’ fate as one of the Twelve.
We’ve Hit 50 Pre-Orders! This is an important milestone. We still need to double this number to be near the top three, but I’m confident we can get there as long as you guys keep spreading the word. I want to prepare something for you all when we hit 100, and I’m open to suggestions.
Thanks again for your support. This ship needs a passionate crew like you to make the journey successfully.
Your chaotic captain,
-AC
Good day, Travellers!
Time is going by fast. In just a few days the month of February will end and we’ll be entering March. The Nerdist contest closes on March 15. On that day the authors who’ve managed to hold a spot in the top 3 will have their books published.
I don’t know about you, but I want The Traveller’s Cup to be a part of that.
I’ve been campaigning hard for this book, and I’ve started to get a lot of questions about overall theme and where I want to go with the story as a whole. While I must keep some of the mystery buried under lock and key, I thought I’d answer some FAQs here for you.
1. Is The Traveller’s Cup a Standalone Novel or Part of a Series?
The novel stands well on its own. Don’t get me wrong—I love to write sprawling complex series, but I don’t want to make you guys invest too much time to get a fulfilling story. There’s always a chance of the universe expanding. I mean it takes place in the depths of space, so there are a lot of places we could go. But right now I’m only focused on making this book the best it can be, with no plans for a direct sequel.
2. What’s the Theme of The Traveller’s Cup?
I don’t know if there’s a single theme, but I hope this story can open a few eyes to parallels in our own history about privilege and culture. I’ve had a lot of inspiration from historical events on our home planet, and it’s been interesting thinking about how similar mentalities would affect interplanetary settlers.
3. Would I Like This Book? I Don’t Normally Go for Science Fiction or Fantasy.
I hope so. My goal in writing his has been to make something approachable and engaging. There are planets and space and magic, but at the heart of it this book is an adventure story.
If there’s anything else you want to know, just ask! I’m still selecting a sample chapter for you guys, which you’ll receive before the week is over.
pew pew fire space lazer,
-AC
Happy Tuesday, Space Crew!
My spirits are high because you all are amazing. We’re holding steady in 7th place, and the orders keep trickling in. So let me remind you of what that means in regard to the whole Nerdist/Inkshares thing.
This book won’t be published unless we kick it up to third. And for that, only pre-orders count. If you’re still on the fence about ordering, let me know what would change your mind. If you have ordered a copy, think about who else you could share this with. Maybe you have a geeky uncle or you hang around a hobby shop. I need help getting the word out. You guys are my space crew.
This publishing deal makes me a pro author. Inkshares has a team of very capable people like any traditional publisher. If I hit my funding goal they’re going to make sure The Traveller’s Cup is a well-vetted piece of fiction. I’m doing my part now to make sure it gets into their hands, with support from all of you.
And in other exciting news!
Another Nerdist article coming soon. If you liked the last piece on space opera inspirations, you’ll be glad to know I’ve been asked to participate in a new article. Stay tuned for details and links.
New sample chapter coming this week. You guys have asked for more, so I think it’s only fair to give you another glimpse at what’s happening with Damaus. You can let me know if you’re enjoying getting the beginning of the story or if you’d rather see something from later on too.
Thanks again for all of your support.
Your affectionately indebted cap’n,
-AC
Good morning, local Travellers! And good [insert time of day] unto ye others.
Reminder that in about 20 min (8:30 EST) I’ll be taking questions on Twitter with the hashtag #TheTravellersCup. I’ll be sticking around for about two hours to answer whatever I can about writing and the book in 140 chars or less.
I foresee no greater pleasure than to exchange Tweets with you.
Your coffee-fueled captain,
-AC
Merry Thursday!
My spirits are soaring today, and it’s thanks to you. We jumped into 7th place overnight. I can’t thank you guys enough. Each vote counts. With all of you backing this book, it’s going to be unstoppable. If you still haven’t placed an order, why not help me bump it up to 6th today?
I’m doing an AMA on Twitter tomorrow using the hashtag #TheTravellersCup. It will be from 8:30-10:30am EST. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions about the book and about me as a writer, which I’ll do my best to answer in 140 characters or less. Everyone who asks a question will be put in a draw to name a space dragon!
In other news I’ve been working on a few sketches to depict some scenes and characters from the book. I get that you might want to leave that up to your imagination, but if you’re interested you can find a sketch of Westalyn Chi Soha here: http://bit.ly/21bj2Cf
Thanks again for your continued support. I’m looking forward to taking your questions tomorrow!
From the distant realms of chaos,
-AC
Hello, Traveller’s Cup Supporters!
I’ve got a lot of exciting updates to share with you.
First, we’re still in the top 10! Barely hanging in, but we’re there. I want to be completely transparent with you. If you haven’t checked out the actual contest standings, we have 37 pre-orders. That’s it. This contest is spread-out and close. To give you a comparison, the current second-place holder is sitting at 72. This is an extremely tight race, and every single pre-order counts. If you’ve held back thinking it won’t make a difference, I assure you it will.
Second piece of news: the latest chapter preview. If you didn’t notice it in your inbox yesterday, we continued to follow Damaus after his name was called for the Cup. I decided to keep going sequentially for this one because there’s a lot of detail and worldbuilding that I think is important to the later story. If you did or didn’t like the piece, please let me know on Twitter at @ac_baldwin. You guys are my backers, which means we’re partners in this. Your feedback is important to me.
Third piece of news: This Friday, February 19, from 8:30am to 10:30am EST (UTC-5), I’ll be taking questions about my book and writing on Twitter using the hashtag #TheTravellersCup. Everyone who asks a question will be entered into a draw to name a space dragon!
I’ve got a lot of ideas bubbling up in my head to get more people engaged in this book, like sketching out characters and places, and maybe another contest or two, but I want to hear from you guys. What great ideas do you have to get the word out? Or if you’re someone who hasn’t ordered, what can I do to convince you The Traveller’s Cup is worth your pre-order?
Your tireless space-writer,
-AC
Happy March the First!
Well, space crew, we’re getting close to the end. There are only 15 days remaining on our voyage in the Nerdist Contest. It’s time to get serious.
These measley two weeks are going to fly. Not only for me, but for the other contestants. I need your help to triple our pre-order count in that time. Otherwise this book won’t be published.
Let’s make this week about word of mouth. I challenge you, today, to tell your friend, partner, brother, sister, or dog about The Traveller’s Cup. Tomorrow maybe try your coworker. Friday your Dungeon Master. If you believe in this project as much as I do, I need you to take up this challenge as part of the crew.
For every day that we increase our pre-orders by 10 I’ll release a new sample chapter or excerpt.
That means that right now we’re sitting at 53. If tomorrow by midnight we’re at 63 I’ll give you a new sample on Thursday. I’m willing to keep this up to the end of the campaign if it kills me, because I believe in this book.
Also! If you successfully refer 3 people to order (have them mention your name by Tweet or Inkshares comment to me) you’ll get an honourable mention in the book and a 1,000-word piece of micro-fiction written just for you. This will be a space-themed piece where you can choose the setting, character, or scenario.
Spread the word, space crew.
Your Compulsively Copacetic Captain,
-AC