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James Rasile
Author of Cape’s Side Bay, and my own personal letters to Santa Claus.
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James Rasile liked the forum thread, Hitting limits
You need to meet @Ricardo Henriquez and @Elayna Mae Darcy (or do you already know her? I forget... someone said they know you).

Ricardo started the Write Out Loud Syndicate, which is in the phase of searching for books to support and discovering that there might not be enough books by/about LGBTQ+ people for the syndicate to continue. It’s rough to realize that Inkshares has only a small LGBTQ+ community right now, but it will grow.

As for the anxiety, I have that, too! You just have to find your way of connecting with people. Individual requests are pretty much the main way you will get any orders - lots of people find Facebook messages to be successful, others get hundreds of orders asking in person at conventions. Find your way of reaching out, and also always try new things... and then let yourself rest so you don’t die.

RE: Language, that’s rough. I hope you can find your target audience via the magic of the internet - where we can all find out that we’re not alone, and there are thousands of other people like us! Yay!

As for the credit card thing, I honestly don’t know - don’t trade pre-orders (I’m not a fan of that strategy at all), but maybe you know someone IRL willing to let you pay them cash to buy orders on your behalf with their card? Then you can take cash from your friends and pay the person with the card, and the shipping address won’t matter as much because hopefully you’d know all of these people and you can hand them the book in person.

I like your conclusion; it’s the same one I have had to rely on many times - I love my book and I believe in it. It won’t be easy, but I think this way of publishing is the future and it’s worth it even when it is hard.

Welcome to Inkshares. I’m glad you’re here!




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    James Rasile liked the forum thread, Hitting limits
    Hi there and thank you for being so forthcoming. I don’t think I have solutions to all your obstacles, but perhaps I can offer some perspective as a fellow newbie.

    1.  You listed anxiety as your primary concern, so I’ll address that first. In the US we call self-promotion "hustling." Most creative people I know are not very good at hustling, some because of the anxiety issues you mentioned, and others because they feel their art should speak for itself. For the most part, crowdfunding is a hustler’s game. There are some who manage to succeed without hustling, but they are the rare exceptions. One alternative avenue you might want to consider, if you feel strongly about your craft and narrative but hate hustling, is to pursue publishing through a more traditional route, i.e. send your manuscript to agents and attempt to get a book deal that way. There will still be anxiety in dealing with agents and facing rejection, but you won’t have to deal with the anxiety of asking your acquaintances to part with their money.

    I still experience similar anxiety every time I ask someone to pre-order my book, but I’m what you call a "giver." Every time someone I know asks me to support something they’re doing, whether it’s helping them move or contributing to a charity race, music, girl scout cookies, whatever - I support them. In a bar or a restaurant, I’m always the one who picks up the tab. I never ask for anything in return. I like giving. So, in my mind, making this ask of people to support the book is not a Bad Thing, because:

    - I’m not asking for much
    - I really believe they’ll like the book

    I hope this helps, somewhat.

    2. The LGBT community here and everyone online is very supportive and nurturing. Have you considered reaching out to the Write Out Loud Syndicate here? 

    3. Trading pre-orders is frowned upon. It’s not a practice you should think of as "necessary" in order to succeed. You’d probably be even more successful in getting Inkshares authors to pre-order your book by simply engaging with them in meaningful conversation rather than doing order exchanges.  Asking your friends for things like a cover or to beta read your book doesn’t always have involve money. I do lots of favors for my friends which in the business world would translate to thousands of dollars, and they do the same for me. You’re a baker? If I was  an artist I’d gladly do a cover in exchange for baguettes and cookies :) There’s enormous power in community. Foster your own personal creative circle, and always give four times more than you receive. It’s a great model for living.

    I’m not sure if this helps or not. You’re not alone here, this is an amazing community. We’re here for you.
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      James Rasile liked an update for Tantalus Depths

      Only two days remain in Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition. Barring a miracle, there’s no winning it at this point. Is that the end? Hardly. Tantalus Depths will continue raising support until it hits the necessary goal of 750 pre-orders and sees wide-spread publication. Nothing less will suffice.

      If you’ve not yet bought a copy, now is the time. If you’ve not yet shared with your friends, now is the time.

      The secrets of Tantalus 13 will be revealed regardless of what happens. There is a force there that is waiting to be witnessed.

      ;;

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        K. M. Shapiro followed James Rasile
        James Rasile
        Author of Cape’s Side Bay, and my own personal letters to Santa Claus.
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        James Rasile followed War of the Seven
        War of the Seven
        War of the Seven
        The High Court, threatened by insurrection from the Tri-Planetary Council, recruit the descendants of the original seven settlers to stop the war, and its subsequent consequences, in its tracks.
        James Rasile liked an update for Ageless

        Below are some fun pics I wanted to share with you guys from the launch for Ageless! Thanks for coming out! Remember - those reviews will always be needed! So keep ’em coming as you finish reading! 

        DragonCon is a yearly event in Atlanta and this year for their 30th anniversary they’ve decided to create their own awards for SciFi and Fantasy called, what else, The Dragon Awards! If you enjoyed Ageless consider nominating me for an award. (Alternate History or Military SciFi would be the categories most like Ageless, yeah it’s hard to categorize). 

        Maybe consider any of the books from the original Sword & Laser Contest, we are all eligible! Wouldn’t it be cool to see one of us get a nod for our work?

        Ageless - Paul Inman

        An Unattractive Vampire - Jim McDoniel

        Asteriod Made of Dragons - G. Derek Adams

        Practical Applications for Multiverse Theory - Nick Scott & Noa Gavin

        The Life Engineered - JF Dubeau


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          James Rasile liked an update for And the Wolf Shall Dwell

          Hi All,

          Here’s an update long overdue, but like Tim Ferriss says (look him up if you’re into crowdfunding) - i won’t bombard you with too many links/actions to do.

          Two months to go to this campaign, and we are falling behind... I’m trying to achieve 400 pre-orders by mid-next week so that we can still be in the picture of the 750... But I can’t do it without you.
          Even if you ordered an eBook once, this is a great time of getting a paperback, which will come signed. Imagine the poor saps who had the chance of buying a signed Hemingway more than half a century ago and passed on the opportunity (not that I am saying i’m Hemingway but you get the picture).
          This is the most important link in your current mailbox, use it to order.

          Oh, yes, It worked well last time, so i’m announcing again - from the next 114 orders (when we hit 450), I’ll raffle a new character. this time, you will help me shape this secondary character, so you won’t just have the name. Yes, the novel is finished - but if you ordered and won- we’ll tweak it somehow to get you in! every order = one raffle entry, and no you cannot select a name different from your own (so we won’t have any inspector Seymour Buts here!)

          Also, Two authors that are currently helping me are James Rasile author of Cape’s Side Bay, who is actively helping me getting orders, and Chris Huang author of Murder at the Veterans’ Club who is kindly editing my book when he is not busy with his own campaign. If you haven’t heard from me personally - asking you to get their books - then you will! so better to get it done preemptively and just click their links and give them an order - these are two great books.

          Last but not least - of you haven’t already, then#ComeSeeLondonThroughMyEyes



          .

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            James Rasile liked an update for And the Wolf Shall Dwell

            Hi All,

            Here’s an update long overdue, but like Tim Ferriss says (look him up if you’re into crowdfunding) - i won’t bombard you with too many links/actions to do.

            Two months to go for this campaign, and we are falling behind... I’m trying to achieve 400 pre-orders by mid-next week so that we can still be in the picture of the 750... But I can’t do it without you.
            Even if you ordered an eBook once, this is a great time of getting a paperback, which will come signed. Imagine the poor saps who had the chance of buying a signed Hemingway more than half a century ago and passed on the opportunity (not that I am saying i’m Hemingway but you get the picture).
            This is the most important link in your current mailbox, use it to order.

            Oh, yes, It worked well last time, so i’m announcing again - from the next 114 orders (when we hit 450), I’ll raffle a new character. this time, you will help me shape this secondary character, so you won’t just have the name. Yes, the novel is finished - but if you ordered and won- we’ll tweak it somehow to get you in! every order = one ruffle entry, and no you cannot select a name different from your own (so we won’t have any inspector Seymour Buts here!)

            Also, Two authors that are currently helping me are James Rasile author of Cape’s Side Bay, who is actively helping me getting orders, and Chris Huang author of Murder at the Veterans’ Club who is kindly editing my book when he is not busy with his campaign. If you haven’t heard from me personally - asking you to get their book - then you will! so better to get it done preemptively and just click their links and give them an order - these are two great books.

            Last but not least - of you haven’t already, then #ComeSeeLondonThroughMyEyes



            .



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              James Rasile liked an update for The Amaranth Chronicles: Deviant Rising

              Guys! We’re only 21 pre-orders away from being published!!! Anyone whose been interested in grabbing a copy but hasn’t yet THIS is your time to shine! Your pre-order could be the one that gets us passed the line! I’m so excited!!!

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