Matthew Isaac Sobin
liked the forum thread, In the morning I'm making waffles (with some rant on the side)
Dear Machiners!
Time has come and gone since we last spoke. Much has happened and there are many things to update you on.
First, I want to begin with the Nerdist contest which is CONCLUDING tomorrow. This contest was hosted by Inkshares following the Sword & Laser: The Sequel contest (which we co-won, in case anybody forgot :-) and many thanks to you!).
This Nerdist contest’s theme is SPACE OPERA. So that’s really fun and there are many fantastic entries in the competition. I have backed about five or six myself.
I’m not going to pick favorites, especially at this late stage. But I will emphasize that as a past contest participant I very much appreciate the drive, love, dedication, passion, and ultimately sometimes, pain, that goes with these six week emotional sprints. I tip my cap to these authors, fighting for discovery because their words need to breath. The battle doesn’t end here. So even for those disappointed come tomorrow, it’s so critical to remember that if your words deserve to be heard you must never stop fighting for them. This is also part pep talk for myself - just because my story will be published, it remains difficult to stay focused on writing, and write on we must.
Remember, the contest is not over yet. So keep pushing authors! The last full day was the best day for us in the S&L - I think I had exactly 50 new readers.…
And to all my supporters: Some of you may even have stray Inkshares’ credits hanging around on your accounts. Go take a look at the entrants and pick a favorite to support:
https://www.inkshares.com/contests/nerdist-space-opera-contest
To update you on THE LAST MACHINE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
I really cannot tell you how excited I am for you to hold this story in your hands, to read the words and to enjoy the truly unbelievable illustrations by Jack Katz. I have completed the manuscript and it is ready to hand into Inkshares, and then all the real fun shall begin! I am wrapping up a few straggler pieces that Inkshares requires to begin the process and will be handing things over in the next couple of days. I am not sure yet of a publication date, but expect to know soon. Whether it is late this year or early next, I know that the wait will be worth the ultimate reward. Thanks again for being along for the ride!
At the bottom is a brand new illustration from the man himself, Jack Katz. I don’t know how he does it or where it comes from. He takes inspiration from my writing it seems. The value I draw in turn from him bringing my story to life is the best part of all.
As a fan of my story, I have an important favor to ask on behalf of Jack, the greatest creator I know. Jack is 88 years old and his vitality and creativity, as evidenced by his illustrations, has not waned. With that said, after a seven decades long career, illustrating such famed works as Popeye and Bulletman, money remains a hardship. In addition to working with me on The Last Machine, Jack is working diligently on the epic sequel to The First Kingdom, called Beyond the Beyond. Please consider supporting Jack, one of America’s great living artists from the gold and silver age of comics via Patreon. I very much appreciate your support for my friend!
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2830339&ty=c
This update is becoming long-winded, which probably shouldn’t be surprising as I took too long to update (nearly 2 months). However, I have a couple more quick hits which are important!
There is an absolutely spectacular epic fantasy project which everyone who supports me, Inkshares, and flat-out awesome writing, should back. The book is Blood Dawn by John Robin. I could write an elaborate explanation of why, but it’s actually not necessary because a number of John’s super fans (including yours truly) made a sweet video. Here’s the awesome fan video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdDc8B-dL7o
And here’s my uncut endorsement of Blood Dawn! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqLl2njZbTw
Last but certainly not least, I have started a syndicate on Inkshares! This is basically a monthly subscription book club. Inkshares is the real deal everybody and as one of their authors I want to support Inkshares and the wonderful projects that they help bring to light. The syndicate is called GREAT SCIFI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE!
As indicated by the name, we are backing books that explore complex issues in the realm of SciFi. Books in the same genre as The Last Machine. So if you like my novella, you will hopefully enjoy the work we support. Feel free to check out our syndicate and sign-up today to support other authors. You can also read more about syndicates in general here.
Annnnd, drumroll, I’m thrilled to announce that The Inhabitants: An Unremembered Life is our first backed book! Congratulations to author Mike Sebby. His book is amazing and perfect for our syndicate. I love it as our first selection; it sets a great tone for us going forward. Check it out today as Mike is still funding his book and needs your support. Also, Mike sent out a hysterical video update today. I suggest you watch. You also may hear mention of a certain machine in said video!
I will do my best to update more frequently so I don’t have soooo much to mention per update. It’s all important, and I hope none of the individual items get overlooked because of the length of this message!
-Matthew
Ladies & Gents-
So I surpassed 100 unique readers! That’s splendid. I mean, seriously. Absolutely splendid.
This means it’s time to raffle off a $50 Amazon gift card! So I made a video. Or at least I thought I made a video.
Thanks to human error (in the IT biz, we refer to it as PEBKAC -- Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair), I kinda messed up my raffle video. Look, it’s been a very tiring week after moving to a new house, and I’m going to use Daylight Savings as a cop-out excuse like the rest of your co-workers inevitably will today, even though one hour shouldn’t make that big of a difference in our basic functioning. But hey, I’m not above playing that card if it gives me a pass for making fundamental technical mistakes.
Fear not, though. I still have something to present, and all prizes were still awarded!
If you want to know more about that and who won, you’ll just have to click this link to find out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoRvK8Pv0v4
Phew, okay. Congrats to the winners, and let’s hope the next one is less bungled.
Toodles.
Hello Friends!!
It has been a while! So I thought I give you an update on the world of The Catcher’s Trap
The production process is moving steadily. Last week I received my manuscript back from the developmental editor, and I’m working hard on the revisions. Many thanks to Ryan Boudinot for his thoughtful editing, his honesty and his words of encouragement.
Funny thing. Apparently my straight main character spends too much time talking about other male characters’ bodies and outfits, which, I’ve been told, most straight men don’t do. Lol, that’s the beauty of developmental edits. Your editor sees things you don’t.
The back cover copy is done and ready to go, and I’m expecting to get the first round of front cover concepts by the end of the week. All exciting stuff.
The e-book will be out the same day of my husband’s birthday! October 8th. Which I take as a good omen sent to me from the multiverse.
In the meantime:
Have a wonderful week!!
Hello friends and readers!
Just checking in with a brief update. Today is my 6th day off work in 6 weeks, so it has been more than a bit hectic. I continue working on various materials for and relating to Exile, Magus, but due to the time constraints of my work schedule and the general physical exhaustion it brings on that work has been slow. There’s a silver lining though. Based on what was said in our Thursday meeting we’re going to be able to stop the excessive overtime for at least the next few months, maybe even until the end of this season. The slow down is kicking off in a big way for me since I’ll have a 3 day weekend this coming week as well as another 3 day weekend the following week. That means I’ll have as much time off in these next 2 weeks as I did in the past month and a half! Even after that we’re scheduled to be back to a normal 5 day work week, so I’ll actually have time to get things accomplished.
With all this time off rapidly approaching my brain is swimming with all the (currently unpaid but loved deeply by me) work that I’ve been having to put on the backburner and/or creep slowly into. I’m having a hard time deciding just what to focus on first, which means I’ll probably be skipping between projects maniacally the entire time. The only thing set in stone in my mind is that I will finally complete some beta-readings I’d promised to do. You may also be wondering if this means I’ll be getting back to Sunday reviews. Probably not since I’ve built up such a large backlog of other things I need to do at this point.
The main announcement on the Exile, Magus front at this point is that I’ve decided to start an email newsletter to more directly keep in contact with and update everyone interested on my progress. In addition to the status updates each month, I’m starting a monthly newsletter. It will mainly be detailing the progress which has been made each previous month, but I also intend to include exclusive, sneak peek content such as maps, short stories, bits of background lore about my world and its people, and so on. I’ve already sent out an email to those of you who I have email addresses for, but for the rest of you feel free to email me at redtom.mythmaker@gmail.com if you also want to sign up for the newsletter. I want to make this more of an interactive matter than the typical newsletter, so also feel free to include any comments/feedback or requests for newsletter content when you message me to sign up. Here’s hoping I hear from the lot of you.
Final bit for today is solely on the current contest. I have been watching it(especially during the craziness of these last few days) with all the rapt attention that most folks reserve for sporting events. I’m not much of a sports fan myself, but a literary race for the top just turns me into a whooping, screaming, and often nonsensical superfan. So of course I’ve picked out favorites, those books which move beyond the realm of “I really want to read this book” into “OMG I must read this book!”
Unfortunately some of those have dropped below the top 10, and thus are not likely to make it. There are however 3 remaining which are in truth my dream team of winners which are currently still high in the rankings. I realize that I will likely not get to see all 3 of them in the final winner’s circle, but I can still dream!
Anyway, the 3 books I would most like to see finish in the top 3 are(in no particular order)
“The Life Interstellar” by Zack Jordan
“The Traveller’s Cup” by AC Baldwin
“Lucky” by RH Webster
Ultimately though I just have to say good job to those of you in this contest. Even if you didn’t get named to my own personal top 3, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve caught my eye because this top 10 is filled with great choices (not to mention all of the great choices that aren’t currently on the top 10).
That’s all I’ve got for this week. I’ve got to do lowly human chores such as laundry and house cleaning now. This place has reached nearly full blown clutter mode during these hectic few weeks and I fear what may be hiding under the piles of clothes or behind the empty Cheerwine bottles. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and keep reading!
Dear Readers,
If you’re a follower who hasn’t ordered my book or her book yet, now is the best time EVER to do it. Go on, GET LUCKY!
I don’t think we can expect any other authors to go through the effort of scrutinizing a reader’s profile page before sending a pitch - people are just going to send a pitch. One reader who doesn’t like scifi getting a scifi pitch isn’t going to hurt Author A at all; they’re going to methodically send 100 pitches a day, hoping to gain some interest. It won’t matter if a reader’s profile says "Interested in: scifi" or not. No one is going to go to that level of effort before deciding to pitch.
(If you want a tip for who to pitch to, just go to a book that you think shares your target audience and pitch to all of its readers.)
It would be cool if Inkshares allowed readers to identify what genres they’re accepting pitches from for a given month, and then the system could automatically stop pitches from other genres from going through. Authors could just receive a "[Reader] is not accepting horror pitches at this time" message, and then maybe readers would actually READ THEIR PITCHES instead of disregarding them because there are sooo many.
The fact that readers can’t browse by genre needs to be fixed immediately. We as author should also be able to tag our projects with key words that readers can search by. These would improve the reader experience immensely.
(Now that I’m on a roll...) The fact that I can search for "Matt Sobin" and @Matthew Isaac Sobin doesn’t show up as a possible search result is frustrating. Same goes for searching for "A Life Engineered" when I really mean "The Life Engineered". These things need to be fixed.
I’m not a fan of requiring a fee to post a project; I don’t see the point of that. There’s already a limit to the number of pitches you can send to a given reader: one. I don’t see how asking an author to pay $15 would do anything to recruit readers.