5 days left and so close to the end!

We’re nearly to the halfway point (which I’m hoping will be enough to show that there’s enough reader interest to publish) and since I’m not asking for another extension, this really is the final countdown. If you’ve been thinking about ordering another copy, reading, reviewing, or referring a friend, there’s only a few more days left to do so. After that, everything is in the hands of the people at Inkshares, so we’ll see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow is also my birthday so if you wanted to order another copy, that would be a great present…just saying (wink, wink; nudge, nudge). Or you can buy me a slice of chocolate cake. Or a donut. All options are good options.

Thanks again to everyone who has already supported me in buying a book without having it in your hands yet, and to everyone who has expressed excitement to read Showtime in full. It means a lot, so I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to!

Hoping we can get a couple more by Friday!

Ricky 

P.S. Here’s some updated stats:

Copies ordered: 373 | Followers: 299 | Unique readers: 292 | Days left: 5 | People bothered: 7,577 | Number of copies sold since last extension: 73

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Howdy, Folks. It’s been six weeks since I announced the success of the campaign for Bane of All Things and I finally have an update to share. 

The next step in the process is the Editorial Letter. This will be an exhaustive evaluation of the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses in all dimensions – character, plot, pacing, tone and all that subtle stuff that most readers probably don’t want to know too much about because it’s kind of like pulling back the curtain on the Wizard in Oz. But damn, doesn’t a story sing when the author gets it right. 

I found out yesterday that my Editorial Letter will be coming in mid-August. Once I have this in hand, the revision process will begin in earnest.

Not that I have been sitting on my hands in the meantime. On the suggestion of Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin, I have been digesting two classic works on the craft of writing that I hadn’t yet added to my reference library, John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction and Madison Smartt Bell’s Narrative Design. Taking the time to reflect on the current draft of BoAT will reading through these has given me some ideas for tweaks and refinements. I have until mid-July to make those changes and resubmit the manuscript to Inkshares so that only the latest best version goes under scrutiny for that Editorial Letter. This will certainly keep my nose to the grindstone!

Those giveaways and prizes I promised

Now I must apologize for being slow with those campaign mementos and prizes I had promised – the signed posters and canvas prints. I have started getting those out, so if you were a prize winner for a canvas, or a supporter who qualifies for a signed poster(s) for having pre-ordered multiple copies of BoAT, rest assured they will soon be on their way. If you live in the Ottawa area and I haven’t asked for your home mailing address, it’s because I plan to either mail to your workplace or drop by and deliver in person.

Other great Inkshares projects you may want to check out

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to a few fellow Inkshares authors currently in funding:

Ricky Ruzin has only nine days left on the campaign for Showtime! and is hoping that getting past the 400-pre-order mark will be enough to earn a publication offer from Inkshares as I did. Showtime! Is a spooky tale about the boob tube described as “America’s Got Talent meets Timeless with a dash of Carrie.”

Jacqui Castle is already a published Inkshares author and has launched her campaign for the second book in her series, The Seclusion. This is one of those cautionary tales about a dystopian future under a total surveillance state that’s looking all too likely these days.

And then there is Allison Basile’s The Little Book of Bad Intentions, described as Jane Austen meets The War of the Roses, in which an aging playboy races against the clock to murder his ruthless trophy wife—before Alzheimer’s sets in, and he can’t remember where he’s stashed the body.

And, again, thanks much!

Once again, my deepest thanks to each and every one of you for making all this possible. 

Cheers

Leo

Happy Friday Eve, everyone!

Only 22 days left before "Showtime"’s pre-order campaign is over and my fate is sealed (for better or worse), so it’s time to p-push it REAL GOOD! Please continue to read, review, and, if you’re feeling generous and your financial adviser gives you the OK, order another copy. And if you haven’t pulled the trigger yet, there’s only one explanation. To paraphrase Salt-N-Pepa, "this [book] ain’t for everybody, only the sexy people."

I also wanted to take a moment and thank (thank, thank) everyone who has been so generous with both their time and funds: sharing my posts on Facebook, taking the time to tell friends and family about my book, read my sample chapters, and, of course, order additional copies. THANK YOU! There’s been many people that I thought would support me who haven’t, but for every one who hasn’t there’s been many, many more (yes, you!) who have. So thank you for your support and believing in a book that you haven’t seen in person yet! (I’m a bit behind on my thank-you e-mails, so if you haven’t received one yet, I haven’t forgotten you!)

There have been 34 additional copies pre-ordered since the last extension and, in the extension before that, 37 copies pre-ordered. So things are still moving along! With that said, only 41 more copies to be pre-ordered until the halfway mark of 375, so everyone keep your fingers crossed we can at least get there (I’d be pretty darn happy with halfway) in the next 22 days.

Enjoy your night!

Ricky

Today Showtime hit another big milestone: 300 copies pre-ordered! I was hoping to reach 300 by this upcoming Friday, so a couple days earlier than hoped for is an unexpected (but welcome) surprise. Thanks to everyone who has ordered over the past couple weeks to get it there. I’m a little behind in my thank-yous so if you haven’t received a personal note, e-mail, or message from me, stay tuned! Your support and generosity has not gone unnoticed, I promise.

In other news, Inkshares has also agreed to another 30 day extension. The new end date is now June 21st. Depending on how the upcoming month goes in terms of sales, this may be the final time I ask for extra time. If pre-orders continue to come in, I could see the benefit of extending; however, if orders start to dry up, I’ll know it has come to its natural end date.

So now more than ever, would you consider ordering another copy—or persuading someone you know to order? Order one for your cousin Jimmy, your great-aunt Hilda, or the ghost in your attic. Maybe even the stray dog that’s been digging through your trash (they deserve books, too). Order one in honor of my squeaky clean, no-cavity dentist visit this morning. Or the series finale of The Big Bang Theory tomorrow night. Or maybe you’re prone to sleep-buying things. That’d be cool, too.

Like I said before, 750 orders is the goal but it’s not the requirement. Shout out to Leo Valiquette who, fifteen days ago, received a publication contact for his novel, Bane of All Things with 438 pre-orders. Leo’s campaign is proof that publication is possible with a sizeable amount of pre-orders, the support of enthusiastic readers, and a polished, ready-to-go manuscript. Looking back, Inkshares has also published books that hit: 277 orders, 183 orders, 251 orders, 278 orders, 339 orders, and others with less than 750. So for anyone seeing my progress bar half-full and thinking, What’s the point of ordering now?—it’s still possible!

Thanks again to everyone who has continued to support and order, read and share, and for sticking around just a liiiiiiitle while longer.

Ricky

P.S. For fun, here’s some Showtime stats (because when are stats not fun?):

Copies ordered: 300
Followers: 245
Ranking of reviewed "funding" books: #1
Days left: 37
People bothered: 7,004

12 days left!

Thank you to Jack Quaranta, Brian James Freeman, Brian Keith Jones, EvaMarie Davis, and Catherine Newman for their recent orders! We’re now at a solid 275! I plan on asking for one more extension post-May 17th (the newest end date), and getting Showtime’s order total to 300 by then, which is my mini-goal, would help make the case for Inkshares to approve one last push!

Remember, eBooks are only $10.00 and you CAN e-mail them as a gift. Two lattes at Starbucks will cost you roughly the same amount as an eBook, but a 400+ page book will give you more hours of entertainment and bang for your buck. It’s math, people. ;) So if you’d consider buying an extra copy for yourself or a friend (or maybe you drink too much on this Cinco de Mayo and order ten), I’d be super appreciative (and a special thank you to those who already have).

I’ve gotten a lot of comments from people who want to read the whole book and I can’t emphasize this enough: it can’t happen without you!

Thanks again to every single one of you who has pre-ordered so far, read, reviewed, shared, and showed enthusiasm for me and my book since January. We’re almost there, you guys. :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Ricky