Publication Date: February 22, 2022.
Please LMK if you’d like to be part of the "Going, Going, Gone!" launch team. This is very important.
Video book trailer for "Going, Going, Gone!", by Emmy-nominated director Kirk Davis, on the website: stevehermanos.com.
Feel free to contact me: stevehermanos@yahoo.com
Good day!
I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday season so far. Here is a quick update on a few things.
YOUR COPIES
If you did pre-order an ebook copy (or copies) of Bane of All Things those many moons ago, you should have received an email from Inkshares around Dec. 7 to download the ebook file in the format of your choice. If you did not, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com. I can also look up your original order date for you.
Print copies, meanwhile, continue to arrive. I have received notes (and lovely social media posts) from many people who did receive their trade paperbacks over the past week. If you have not received yours yet, I expect many more are in transit for arrival this week and next. If you have received a delivery and anything is amiss (such as not having received all the copies you should have), again, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com.
GIVEAWAYS
On another note, my publisher launched this morning a Giveaway on Goodreads.com that is open to both U.S. and Canadian residents. Giveaways are intended to drive interest in a book and attract more readers who will then post reviews. Up for grabs this time is 25 trade paperback copies. The Giveaway runs until Jan. 17 and the winners will be announced then.
In January, we expect another Giveaway to run with Canada’s own 49thShelf.com
IN OTHER NEWS
I recently had a great time recording an epic fantasy episode of Writing Bloc’s Indie Writer Podcast with hosts Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel.
We talked about what makes epic fantasy epic, getting started as a writer of this weird stuff, my process, and some of the interesting aspects of world-building found in my novel. Plus, I did a short reading. The episode will publish on https://indiewriterpodcast.podbean.com, Jan. 18.
WHAT’S NEXT
Reviews!
Word of mouth and piles of reviews are critical to drive attention to a new book on Amazon and elsewhere. So once you have had a chance to read your copy of BoAT, please take a few minutes to also post a rating and review – it doesn’t have to be lengthy – to Amazon, Goodreads, your favourite bookseller, and so on.
With January just around the corner, and a certain virus that keeps finding new ways to reinvent itself, we face the long dark of Moria … again. But we’ve made it through before and we will once more!
Stay safe and keep reading.
Dear book supporters,
As the holidays approach, I wanted to update you on the novel. I have received my Editorial Letter from the Inkshares team, and it is chock-full of suggestions to improve the story. Since then, I have been diving back into the manuscript and working to bring it to the next level.
Many of you have asked, “When is the book coming out?”
Unfortunately, I can’t give an exact date. This is an iterative process with many steps (developmental editing, copyediting, marketing). But I can say that I am still working steadily on the book, and that it’s been wonderful to have the partnership of the Inkshares team.
In the meantime, I have been posting my nonfiction writing to my Substack: stephenharrison.substack.com
^ Check out my latest story if you’re curious about the “Birth of Wikipedia” NFT.
Once again, I wanted to thank you for your support of the book earlier this year. I am looking forward to staying in touch with you throughout the holidays and into 2022.
Best regards,
Stephen
Bane of All Things is away!
Launch day on Tuesday, Dec. 7 went well. Those of you who pre-ordered e-books would have received emails that day from Inkshares to download in the file format of your choice. For print copies, these are on their way. Being the busy holiday season for mail and parcel delivery, it could be another week or so before print copies arrive.
As a supporter of my original pre-order campaign more than two years ago, thank you again for taking that leap of faith then and for your patience in the long months since. I also owe huge debts of gratitude to everyone who further supported BoAT’s launch by spreading the word on social media in recent days, by reading advance reader copies to provide advance reviews and blurbs, and by graciously taking the time to contribute in other ways. All efforts are deeply and sincerely appreciated.
That first time seeing your novel on a bookstore shelf
While in town on Wednesday for my next round of immunotherapy treatment, we had to of course stop in at the local Chapters-Indigo to see BoAT on an actual bookstore shelf. (For my American and overseas friends, Chapters is Canada’s big national bookstore chain.)
A member of the store staff saw me posing this photo with my wife. When this lady learned I was in fact the author, she had me sign the store’s copies. And a gentleman promptly bought one to add to his collection of signed first editions!
My first in-store experience as an author, and it came about by chance. Which was awesome, considering no local bookstores that I am aware of are currently doing any formal in-store author events because of the pandemic.
A family friend later visited that same store and took this shot of my signed copies – thank you, Gwen C.!
l
What’s next? Bring on the reviews!
The release of a debut novel is a huge milestone. But it’s also just the first step from the starting line of a marathon. Now comes the grind of working to stand out from the crowd. It’s tough for any debut author to rise above with so many other titles competing for readers’ attention.
A vital part of gaining the attention of the book-buying public is getting a critical mass of reviews on Amazon and any other review sites you may frequent such as Goodreads.com. The more reviews a book has, the more prominence it gets on these sites to draw the attention of readers.
Stay safe, enjoy the holidays, and keep reading!
Cheers
Leo
P.S.: There is a Glossary at the back of the book you may find handy.