Hi all you fantastic supporters!
Wait, you’re probably like, new number, who this?
Well, it’s me, dear friends, Erin S. Evan. That book writer you pre-ordered from all those years ago. Let me refresh your memory....
The Spring of 2016. My son Jack wasn’t even a year old, the sky was blue, the earth was filled with fossils, and you preordered a book called The Pirates of Montana.
So much has happened then, amirite? Moving (for me, a total of three times), new babies (my daughter Sara says hi), new jobs, a global pandemic. I’m sure you all have new updates and stories to tell. I hope they are all wonderful and bring you joy! Except for that pandemic. That can go to hell.
But the most important part of this update- THE BOOK COMES OUT ON APRIL 11!
A HUGE thank you for your patience all these years. For those that preordered a copy years ago, you’ll get it sent to you around April 11. For those that didn’t, check out Amazon or, better yet, ask your local bookstore to order a copy.
In fact, for those that preordered, you should have gotten an email from Inkshares asking for your updated address, if needed. Definitely fill that out! I wouldn’t want the book going to an old address you haven’t lived in for years (I’ve updated mine)
Now, the hard question- why did it take so long? Because Inkshares is a small publishing house, I had to wait in line. Plus I needed to become a better writer. I went into this never writing fiction before. I’ve always made up stories, often spinning my yarns to my kiddos during their bedtimes, but I’d never put anything on paper.
Now I kinda claim I’m not too bad at it. What is that saying? You need 10,000 to master a skill? Well, I’m probably about a third of that way along. Not kidding- I’ve got lots of drafts of this book on my hard drive, plus tons of notes, treatments, summaries, etc. Over the years, Inkshares set me up with several amazing editors who challenged me to become a better writer. For that, I’ll forever be thankful.
When you read the book, check out the acknowledgements- there are many individuals that have impacted this book and your name might be in there.
And, just when we finally were about to publish, Covid hit. The closures of bookstores was brutal for the industry, to say the least. E-books did okay, but Inkshares, like many indie publishing houses, makes money through the sale of physical books. So we decided to wait till people could go back into stores.
So we waited.
And waited...
And waited….
Until now!
Now the fun stuff.
I’ve changed the title, as you probably noticed. It’s now called The Bone Wars. This is a nod to the greatest paleontological race in American history, the rivalry of O.C. Marsh and E.D. Cope. You’ll learn more about it when you read the book (along with a ton of other cool paleontologists). However, the book is now apart of a series called The Pirates of Montana. So keep your eyes peeled for more info in the future on that.
While the book is now defined as a Young Adult book, I’ve written it so that adults will enjoy it too (think Hunger Games).
Booklist, one of the literary trade publications, has reviewed the book and given it a fantastic review. To quote: it "is a remarkable combination of incredible scientific detail and convincing fabrication." What does that mean? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out (muahhahaha).
Professor Charles Marshall, Director of the University of California Museum of Paleontology, wrote a really awesome blurb for the book. It’s on the back cover. I’m really proud of his review. I haven’t been in "the game" for a while now, and to have a professional paleontologist read my book and not find any glaring errors was a fantastic feeling. His email was so nice, just a suggestion or two (which I incorporated). Additionally, he really enjoyed it!
Another science fiction author, Tal Klein, also wrote a nice blurb for the book. For those that have been on Inkshares for a while, you’ll definitely remember his book, The Punch Escrow. If you haven’t read that one, stop reading this update and go order it. It’s fantastic.
The Bone Wars will be on Audible! I met with the voice actors last year, and they are amazing. More on that to come!
Finally, the book was also selected by the Junior Library Guild as one of their Gold Standard Books, which is also very cool. The Guild helps Libraries choose books for their students. Fun fact: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was on its editorial board for decades! I’m incredibly honored to have been selected.
We’re at the finish line. Thank you all for the support and encouragement over the years. It took longer than I would have liked, but thankfully it meant a stronger, more fun book with an awesome cover (by the fantastic M.S. Corley! Check out his work at www.corleyms.com!)
Best,
Erin S. Evan
Hello all!
I have news!! A few days ago, I received the copy edits for Curio Citizen! This round of edits focuses on minor grammatical errors (I use WAY too many unnecessary hyphens, haha) and making sure formatting is consistent throughout the manuscript. This stage of edits is a big step forward, as it means that the manuscript is ready to go and all that remains is the book production itself!
I reviewed the edits and also had the benefit of working with a Spanish translator to ensure the Spanish in the book is correct. I even found a translator who is from the specific Puebla region of Mexico where Carmen’s mother was from so I could include the proper dialect that Carmen would have learned in her bilingual household. It was a fun and enlightening experience, and I think it will add to the quality of the book and pay homage to the culture Carmen comes from.
When I hear more news, I will be sure to let you all know! I appreciate your care and dedication in asking me about the status of the book, and I thank you for your patience. We’re getting closer!
Best wishes,
Katherine
Here we go.
It’s been a long time coming, but I am happy to share that Cape’s Side Bay is slated to be released in the spring.
I spoke with Noah Broyles and we have discussed a publishing date of May 30th. So, look for your copy of Cape’s Side Bay sometime around then.
As more updates come in I will let you know.
Thanks for your support and patience,
James
Happy New Year!
As we entre Year Seven of Cape’s Side Bay being published, I wanted to send an update and let you all know that over the past 6 months Cape’s Side Bay has been worked on and is now in its FINAL stages before publishing.
At this time the book is ready, edited, and all that fun stuff that goes within the book. We still need a cover, and artwork, and some other things but I am told it will be published sometime early this year.
I really hope it is. Seven years ago I waited until Cape’s Side Bay was at a place I was happy enough with that it could be published, and after many many many many many many delays we are almost ready.
I apologize for the wait. I hope it’s worth it. When I hear new updates I will let you know.
James
7 days. 1 week from TODAY is the official publication date for Eudaimonia.
E-books are out. I know the Kindle download was a little funny, so at the end of this email, I have a little trick.
Paperbacks are on their way (in fact, some of you have already received them).
For any questions, issues, or problems email: hello@inkshares.com
Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you’re all having a great time filled with all the best kinds of dread.
It’s been a full month since Tantalus Depths launched, so an update is definitely warranted. Things have been a bit chaotic on my end, with some pretty drastic unexpected shakeups in my personal life that really threw me for a loop. But if Mary can keep getting up again every time she gets knocked down, so can I. I’m finally bouncing back, and things should reach a new level of normality soon (fingers crossed).
Unfortunately this obstacle has definitely disrupted my post-launch plans for Tantalus Depths. I had hoped to have multiple signings and events booked by now, but so far Galaxycon is all I have on the agenda. Hopefully I’ll be able to line up some more opportunities soon, but I’m definitely not where I’d hoped I’d be at this stage.
But one area where we have made pretty solid progress is our reviews. At the time of writing this, we have 22 reviews on Amazon and 26 on Audible, which is not shabby at all. The algorithm starts to notice and promote books when they hit 50 reviews, so we’re nearly to that first goal! So far our reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and I am beyond thrilled to see such a strong positive response from the community.
If you haven’t left a review yet, please consider doing so soon. Even the simplest reviews are tremendously helpful, and each one serves to elevate the book’s success and increase the potential of my career as an author.
Follow this link to leave your fair and honest review on Amazon. Every review makes a difference!
That’s all I have for an update today, but hopefully there will be a lot more exciting news very soon!
It’s been a full week since the launch of Tantalus Depths, and it already feels like the whole world has changed. Our launch event was a fantastic experience; I loved the chance to spend time with so many of you and revel in this amazing experience with so many of the people who made it happen. Bookstores and libraries are beginning to carry it, glowing reviews are coming in from all over the world, and we’re right on track with where I wanted to be.
So what comes next? Well, the official launch day of a new novel is only the beginning when it comes to determining that book’s overall success. Technically, I could just forget about it and move on to the next project right now, but as far as launching a career as a published author, that would be the equivalent of sitting down to take a nap ten feet away from the finish line in a marathon. Many people have now read, and enjoyed, Tantalus Depths, but this still mostly consists of those of you who preordered it years ago. In order for this book to truly take off and become successful, it must be able to find new readers. It needs to build momentum, gather attention from outside my personal social circle, and start catching the attention of complete strangers. It’s a challenging, but necessary phase in launching a book, and right now the best way to achieve it will require your help once again.
We need reviews!
Reviews are absolutely necessary for a book to find its full potential. Amazon reviews are especially vital: it’s the primary driver of book sales in the industry, and it takes at least 50 reviews for Amazon’s automated algorithms to start recommending it to new customers. Fifty reviews just to get noticed, a hundred to be actively promoted, and at the time of writing this, Tantalus Depths has...four.
Those four reviews are incredibly valuable in their own right, but we’ll need far more to get the attention Tantalus Depths needs to find its best chances of success. With Tantalus Depths in all of your hands now, I must ask for your help one more time. If you can spare a few minutes of your time to leave a fair and honest review of Tantalus Depths on Amazon, or another site such as Goodreads, I would be eternally grateful.
Amazon can be a bit of a pain. Sometimes it takes several days for a review to go up after you’ve submitted it, and sometimes they will reject a review for no obvious reason and not tell you about it. That’s all the more reason why every review is vital and precious to Tantalus Depths’ survival, so please don’t underestimate how much of a difference your review will make.
I’m optimistic that we’ll get there eventually. Early reviews are very positive, and I suspect we’ll keep getting a lot more in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, thank you all again so very much for all your continuing support, and I hope you’re all enjoying your experiences reading Tantalus Depths after such a long wait!
To leave a review on Amazon, follow this link here: