Time to check in with an update, like it or not.

We’re down to the last 19 days in Proteus’s funding period, and we’re just shy of the 600 pre-order mark at 592. In the past ten days, we’ve brought in 34 pre-orders. Which is impressive, and I could not be thankful for every single one of them. You guys rock.

I have to be honest, though. At this rate, it won’t be enough.

We need to get 158 new pre-orders in the next 19 days, or Proteus won’t happen. Averaging that out, that’s a bit over eight pre-orders a day. That’s more than I can handle on my own. I’ve gone to everyone I know and explored as many other avenues as I’ve been able to find, but the well is running dry. This is where I start getting truly desperate for help.

If any of you are on the fence about ordering, or have friends or family who said they’d be interested but haven’t yet come through, now is absolutely the time. If any of you can manage to support Proteus directly with a second pre-order of your own, I’d be forever grateful.

We CAN do this. I know we can. We’ve done it before. But the key word there is “we.” Proteus will be written thanks to me, but it will only exist as a published novel thanks to you. It’s going to take an army to get this thing done. So it’s time to rally the troops.

Great news everyone!

First of all, the glitch that was making it appear that we had lost all our pre-orders seems to have been fixed. The number of pre-orders currently displaying on our Inkshares production page now seem to accurately reflect the number of pre-orders we’ve sold, which brings me to our other piece of good news:

Those numbers just got an unexpected boost!

The Staff Syndicate has chosen to support Proteus this month! I had honestly given up any hope of getting any more syndicate support for Proteus, so this came out of absolutely nowhere. Thanks to their sudden surge of support, we’ve gained more than a dozen brand new orders all in one day, and have been brought up to 537 preorders. That means only 213 more to go!

We’re getting so close to the final stretch, and I plan to ride the momentum from this unexpected windfall as far as it will go. The next couple weeks are going to be a wild ride.

July 20, 2018

Hello, hello! Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer. I just wanted to share a few quick updates on "Shadow King."

The Manuscript
The book itself continues to move through the process. It is with the typesetter now and I should get my first look at the layout on or around July 30. From there we have a few more reviews as we close in on having a final book ready for physical production and release.

Cover
The cover has been proofread, and once we know the spine size, my cover designer (the wonderful Charlene Maguire!) will be able to complete the final template that Inkshares will need.

Important: Have you moved?
Everyone who has pre-ordered will get their copies of "Shadow King" in advance of the October 2 release date (yay!). If you ordered a hard copy, and have moved in the last 365 days, please contact Inkshares to update your shipping address! I’d hate to see your copy go to the wrong address!

Interview
I was interviewed by Writing Bloc about "Shadow King" and writing dark fantasy as a genre. Please check it out!

Spread the Word
Like all writers, I’m always interested in spreading the word about "Shadow King." Please share what you know about "Shadow King" with friends, family, your hair stylist, dog walker, and mailman (mailperson?). And if you’re following my adventures here but haven’t ordered yet, now would be a most auspicious time! 

Thanks again for all of your support, and I’ll update again in August!

Best,
Susan

Well, folks, we’re due for an update, and I have some good news.
We’ve passed the 500 pre-orders mark!
 

We’re at 510 right now, with 40 days left ‘til our goal. That means we only need to sell 240 more copies to get Proteus its publication deal. We are over two-thirds of the way there.
Unfortunately, this has been a much busier summer than I expected it to be, so progress has been slow the past couple of weeks. I’m gearing up for a super intense August, but it’s still going to take every scrap of support I can gather from now until the campaign’s end. We should be getting approximately 6 pre-orders a day to stay on target, which is no easy thing to do when I’ve already asked everyone I know for support. This is why now, more than ever, I’m dependent on you all to get the word out. If each of you could find just one person who’d be interested in supporting this book, we’d absolutely crush our goal I cannot stress enough how much I can’t do this without your help.
It may feel like we’ve been treading water this entire time, but we are truly making progress that we should all be proud of.

I’ll leave you this week with another lore update. In the spirit of the long and agonizing stasis this campaign has endured, let’s take a look at the technology the Somnambule uses to keep its 50,000 colonists safely preserved during her 150 year journey. Cold stasis is gruelling, painful, and invasive, but just like our campaign for Proteus, it’s a necessary hell with a paradise on the other side.