A bumbling madman in an unholy relationship with the written language. Author of Exile, Magus; Exi...
Double update CAMPERS!
So sorry for the confusion. Inkshares just informed me that there is a slight error on the site. Official pub day is August 15, 2017.
Mark your calendars and keep spreading the word!
Kyle T. Cowan
Hey it’s that anniversary update I was talking about!
It’s now a year (more or less) since Ghosts of War successfully finished it’s funding campaign. Now I know you’re all probably wondering the same thing...
’Dude...it’s been a year....where’s the book?’
A valid question. No doubt. But the last year has been good to Ghosts. It’s a rather different book to where it was at this time last year. For one: it’s finished. At just over 106,000 words, 32 chapters and maybe north of 400 pages, it’s boiled itself down to a story that I’m really rather proud of. Now I say that as it’s author, and the only one who knows how it ends, but I’m quietly confident you’ll like it too (please like it...O_O).
’Yeah, no but for reals...how much longer?’
Not long. I’ve come to realise you can only revise things so much, and at some point you just have to leave it be. As such, I’m currently going through the final polish and tidy up on the current draft and that will be done by the end of January. At that point, I will hand it off to a few beta readers to get their thoughts and then it will be onto the final, final edits.
From there I’ll hand it over to Inkshares (tentatively by the start of March), and it’s generally then around 16 weeks until Pub Day. So, all going well, it should be in your hands by the middle of the year.
’Got anything for us now though?’
I do actually. If you head over here ---->;;;;;;;;;;; CLICK ME
But wait...there’s more...
Chapter 2 has been updated too! Nowhere near as extensively though, I think I only added about 30 words. Most of it was just grammar/punctuation fixes. But it’s still new...kinda.
Chapters 3-8 will be updated over the next week too, so keep an eye out.
Now it wouldn’t be a Ghosts update if I didn’t close with a gif. So...
Until next time.
Weeks ago I made a promise. I told you that I would explain what hitting 250 pre-orders meant. I never intended for so much time to lapse between then and now. Thank you for being so patient. Most of all, thank you for not punishing me by taking your book order back. You may laugh, or groan, but that particular fear has denied me many hours of sleep, I swear.
It’s high time that I make good on my promise. Now that I’ve obtained that magic number of pre-orders, Inkshares will publish Where the Sun Sets as part of their Quill Imprint. Books belonging to this collection receive light editing, limited distribution (including physical and digital on Amazon), and fulfillment of copies to backers. In short, hitting 250 was like flicking a switch. At that moment what went from “You might get this book,” transformed into, “You will get this book.”
Since that day something else more marvellous has come to pass. My big dream has grown a bit bigger. It has grown to include the dreams of another. I’m over-the-moon-so-freakin’-happy to be sharing with you that Maria Laguna-Valenzuela, the artist responsible for the whimsical and wonderful seeding bloom that graces the cover of Where the Sun Sets, has agreed to partner with me as an illustrator! Over the next three months Maria will bring to life the enduring love and magic of the Gibbons’ world in ways I never expected. Furthermore, Maria is just as excited as I am to be creating with the goal to support other creators. What an outcome! I couldn’t be any happier.
This partnership means that it will take three months longer for the book to get into production. Production won’t begin until April at the earliest. This prolonged timeframe means that I have another opportunity to try and gain enough pre-orders to receive full publishing services from Inkshares. But most of all, this partnership means that when you do finally get your copy of Where the Sun Sets, it will be that much richer in content and imagination.
You’ve given me the opportunity. Now it’s up to me to not squander it. I’m tickled pink (and honoured as all hell) that Maria has chosen to help me make this story that much more special by throwing her creative weight behind it too. (I’ve elaborated more on this and other things here on my blog.)
Finally, when I kicked this whole thing off I had it in my head that publishing under two names was a good idea that would ultimately benefit future philanthropic initiatives. I’ve since realized that the distinction is arbitrary, and will be publishing all titles under Donna Litt. Rest assured, all author proceeds resulting from the publication of Where the Sun Sets are still dedicated to supporting creators in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.
I think that’s it! Please hit me back with any questions. Thank you Maria, and thank you all for your generous and kind support.
Donna
PS - Happy 2017 from the desk of Bill Watterson, comic available here.
Happy New Year everyone!
If you haven’t had a chance to read it, here is a really great post by Inkshares’ CEO that really resonated with me:
http://blog.inkshares.com/post/155632230065/the-coal-car
When I started working on "To Live and Die in Avalon", it was a spur of the moment decision so I could get into the Nerdist space opera contest. I had one chapter, a rough outline and not much else. Although I managed to hover around 20th place in the contest out of about 100 submissions, I really had a hard time marketing a book that was not done, that was barely realized. When the campaign ended I stepped away from everything having to do with the novel so that I could refocus and come back with fresh eyes and a fresher mind toward finishing and refining a novel worth reading. It has been nearly a year since I entered the space opera contest and the book is miles away from where it was. First of all, it’s a more or less finished novel of nearly 100k words with a lot of big ideas, some personal themes that transcend the sci-fi setting, more fully defined protagonists and villains and the framework to create more stories in a world I’ve spent a lot of time building, breaking down and rebuilding.
I want my story to be told and the chance to write more stories. I realize now, through this entire experience with Inkshares that this is what I most want to do. I have always believed that the story comes first and my name on the book or even my picture in the back a far distant second. I want people to read this crazy sci-fi story and get something out of it, some thrills, some laughs, maybe some tears and then be ready to see these characters and their world progress into new and exciting directions. That’s why, no matter what happens, whether I relaunch a successful campaign on Inkshares or not, this story will be told and I will find the tools, the feedback and the support I need to make sure it is the best version of the story possible. Because I’m not in a rush to have a book out there just so I can brag about the fact that I wrote a book. Anybody can write a book, but I want to tell stories, and I’m happy to be among a plethora of authors who want the same.
Thank you,
J
P.S. The current draft has been sent to beta readers for feedback, I will let you know how that goes in a future update!
It is a new year! I hope 2017 finds you happy and healthy. Fae Child is sitting at 152 copies sold, which blows my mind (in a good way), but there’s still a long way to go. 98 copies to pre-sell before the end of February, which, I don’t need to tell you, is only a month away, and the shortest month of the year.
I am doing a Twitter takeover for Young Entertainment Magazine ( @youngentmag ) tomorrow about my experiences as a first time author, which should be entertaining at the very least. If you don’t follow me on Twitter, my handle is @hanejolly - I look forward to seeing you there!
Progress on the first draft is continuing on pace. I’m very happy with how things are turning out, and I think you will be too.
Lastly, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you send one friend an email about Fae Child? Here’s a sample email you can copy/customize for your own use:
Hi (insert name)!
I just pre-ordered a new YA fantasy book called Fae Child. It’s a sweet, exciting book about a girl who accidentally falls into the land of the Fae, and her father who will stop at nothing to find her. You can read some sample chapters, view a book trailer, and order a copy at https://www.inkshares.com/books/fae-child
I really think you’ll like it!
Cheers,
(your name)
Hello fellow undead friends...
So, we enter winter finally. The time with the longest night of the year. It’s also the time that you’ve all finally gotten your books after all this time. So, before I start sacrificing small chickens to get reviews from people... let’s get you reading. Here is what you need to know!
The Digital Ebook... Mobi, PDF, Kindle versions will be available for all you backers THIS FRIDAY! Early! When the time comes, you’ll be able to download them from your Inkshares bookshelf by clicking HERE and signing in with the same email or facebook login you used to order the book. Simply click on your picture to the right, and download your style. I’m sure that there will be an email sent out from inkshares about it.
The physical book should be shipping soon, or very soon. Check your email, check your spam folders and make sure that you got a confirmation email of shipping address. Hopefully, you all get them in time for this:
Feel free to bring your books to the event and I’ll gladly sign them!
I’ll also be at Midwinter Gaming Convention in 7 days and Emerald City Comic Con in early March.
For now, I just want to issue a massive thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who helped me out in the contest over a year ago to bring things to where they are now. Now it’s time for you guys to finally enjoy some apocalyptic fiction and me to keep writing!
Thank you so much everyone!
~Rick Heinz
One last quick thank you
It was exactly one year ago today (at about this time) when I opened up These Are My Friends on Politics for funding. I immediately regretted that decision, and would momentarily regret it from time to time in the months to follow, but if you’re reading this, you’re responsible not only for taking that regret away, but also for scenes like these...
(Curious Iguana in Frederick, Md., sharing a table with the likes of The Underground Railroad)
(The Skokie, Ill., Barnes and Noble, which also happens to be the place I bought my first copies of The Writer’s Market and The Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market many many years ago)
...so thank you for that, and if I can return the favor in 2017, message me and let me know how, because I gladly will.
If you want to get a glimpse of what I’m up to next, read on. But if this is your stop, I just wanted to say thank you again.
One last quick favor
If you enjoyed the book and/or it helped spare you from a family blowout over the holidays, a review on Amazon is most appreciated (and a bigger deal than I would ever have assumed it was until I experienced the Amazon bookselling experience from the other side).
Here’s a link to take you straight there (and you need not have purchased the book from Amazon to leave a review there): http://amzn.to/2ivmSIC#customerReviews
One last quick update (until the next one) on what’s next
Books: I’m currently drafting this note in my de facto writing app (Ulysses, if you’re curious), and when I look at the notes library in the sidebar, I see large pieces of four new books staring back at me. Two represent a completely different direction, one is a similar approach to a new topic, and one is a book that will follow up on this one without being a retread no one needs. Publishing plans haven’t been finalized on any of them yet, but I don’t envision funding them similarly to how I funded this first one. Nevertheless, I’ll use this channel to announce them when ready. (If you aren’t interested in any of that, there’s an "unfollow" link at the bottom of this email, and I take no offense if this is your stop and you click it.)
Art: I’d started getting into selling art and showing in galleries before I decided to momentarily upend that by publishing a book, but those plans will resume at some point soon. If you attend a show or festival in the Chicago area this summer, maybe you’ll run into me. But if not, I’ll be maintaining on online gallery here and here. (If you see anything you love, you’re privy to a friend discount on the Etsy side using the altogether fitting coupon code THISISMYFRIEND.)
One last batch of Nina photos for no reason
Enjoy, happy 2017, and thank you again.
Top of the New Year, Space Crew!
This is your Captain speaking, and I have a couple months’ worth of news and updates to share with you, so bear with me.
What was going on with this book again?
I’ve had some questions regarding the book’s funding status even now, so I want to remind you of some great news: we got the greenlight for publication via Inkshares! We officially reached Quill sometime before the funding period ended, so don’t fret; this book will be coming out and you will have it in your hands (or on your reader).
I mean, that’s cool, but, like, when?
I want to show you a piece of a timeline today. But the thing is, publishing requires a lot of steps. A lot of back and forth. There’s writing to tie up, editing to impel, beta-reading to endeavour on, and after all of that: getting slotted in the ever-expanding Inkshares printing and release schedule.
So though this is the question I’ve had the most, I cannot realistically give you an official release date. And rather than risk disappointment now or later, I’m going to focus on what I do know.
About the manuscript
There’s a huge (huge, HUGE, HUUUUGE!) difference between a draft and a polished, publishable manuscript I’d be willing to share with betas, let alone the world. You’ve gotten some sneak peeks of the writing in my updates, but you may have noticed they’re of variable quality. That some excerpts grip you more than others. But I want to give you a joyride of a book from cover to cover, so that’s just not going to cut it.
Also, sometime after the first draft was completed, I realized I had to rewrite about 1/3 of it to deliver a way cooler ending. I mean, I guess I could give you the boring version, but it’s significantly less fun, and I’m all about having an evil plan. So please be patient as I rework the story and weed out any inconsistencies.
Wow, this is taking longer than I thought, Cap
Well, yes. Some of that is writing. And some of that is the fact that this is my first publication, and I had a lot of life things to take care of so that I could put more focus into this.
I spent a great deal of time last year in promo, and it nearly wiped me out, to be honest. It isn’t my strong suit. I love making these newsletters and sending you silly doodles, but campaigning and begging you all to buy copies was far too salesy for my usual taste.
As a result of spending so much time on book promo, some other hobbies and professional goals started to suffer. And while in theory "full time writer" sounds great, this is my first publication, so I don’t have that luxury.
I guess I understand...
Thanks. I’m glad you do. And for your understanding and compassion I will make sure you get a book that is filled with fun, fear, and adventure.
So what can you tell me about the timeline?
All right. Doodle time.
Here’s the manuscript alone. I have no reason to believe it won’t be done in February.
Now, I know you want the big picture. Especially you writer types who are giggling at the idea that a finished manuscript is actually ever finished. I can only approximate here, so the idea is to show you the steps involved and tell you why they’re so important.
The actual writing will be wrapped up soon, but then we have crucial items to address to make sure you’re getting a quality product.
So, Space Crew, this is what it’s looking like. I hope it isn’t disappointing for you. As it turns out, writers are people, and writing professionally is about a lot more than writing. I also hope you still believe in this book. Let’s make 2017 a spacetastic year.
Your Sprightly and Srs Space Captain,
-AC