(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.
First, congratulations to everyone selected for The List 2016 -- very happy for all of you. There are some amazing stories there. I have to confess, however, I’m still a little confused about how this competition and Launchpad will interact.
So, I understand from some comments here and from the FAQ for The List, that for those who are in both competitions, Launchpad "trumps" The List (for lack of a better word) and if those who are in both win Launchpad, then they are eliminated from The List.
However, if you look at the leaderboard for Launchpad right now, the three leading books have all disappeared giving the appearance that they’re no longer in the competition. So it currently shows me in the #1 spot by a single reader, which is delightful but unfortunately inaccurate.
Do those of us who are only in Launchpad need to check both competitions to figure out where we really are in the standings? Or do I clearly need some more coffee because I’m just not "getting it." (which in the week leading up to having both families at my house for Thanksgiving is ENTIRELY possible. :-))
Thanks for any clarity you can provide!