Meh Update:
Those of you who follow these updates regularly (and I genuinely have no idea how many of you do) may have noticed that I haven’t had much to say over the past two-ish weeks. You may also have noticed that my pre-orders have barely moved at all. So what’s the deal with that?
I’ll be honest. I’m exhausted.
I’ve been working this campaign since March now. This has taken up the majority of my year. We’ve come an incredible distance in that time, but the distance to our goal is still vast. We’ve sold six pre-orders in the past ten days, and only eleven days remain to get the remaining 158 we need, which is virtually impossible barring a miracle. I’ve been told I can get another extension if I need one, (and if I need one I will get one) but...good lord am I ever tired....
I’ve poured my life, heart, and soul into this campaign, and right now there’s just not much of me left. My brain is fried and I’m having a hard time thinking of new interesting story-based content to update with that won’t spoil anything I want to keep secret, or lore-related content that isn’t completely disconnected from this story. I have a few ideas left, but I haven’t had the energy to put them together cohesively yet (expect some soon though).
I miss having a life outside of campaigning. I’ve had to put a lot of the things I love on hold for the duration, and I miss those things. I miss being able to hang out with friends regularly on my days off. I miss going to see movies in the theatre. I miss acting in plays. I miss DMing my custom Star Wars tabletop campaign on Friday nights. I miss...just life in general.
I probably sound whiny in this update, but honestly, I’m saying this more for my own benefit than anyone else’s. I’m still confident this is all going to be worth it. I have a literal lifelong dream within reach, and I’m not about to let it slip out of my reach. If I can get my campaign finished within the next eleven days and get back to having a real life, that’s fantastic. If I need to ask for another month or so, I will do so, and probably die young of old age shortly thereafter, but I’ll die happy.
Obviously I’m not giving up. I’m too stubborn, this is too important, and Tantalus Depths is too freaking good. But man am I ever tired.
P.S. I have something else really cool that I am working on, but it’s nowhere near ready, so I’m just going to be really obnoxiously vague about it for now. But stay tuned.
750! THANK YOU!
When I first found out about Inkshares, my goal was to get to 250 preorders and accept the lower tier publishing deal. I honestly did not think I would come anywhere close to 750 preorders. I am in awe of the amount of support, encouragement, and attention my book has gotten so far! Thank you so much for investing in this project. I really hope you love the book when it comes out.
So where do we go from here? I am going to send my manuscript to Inkshares as soon as possible. After they evaluate my manuscript, I will work with my assigned editor to get Sunshine is Forever into the best possible shape. A design team will redesign the cover and interior of the book. After that, the release date will be announced! I will email out updates periodically to let you know where the book is in the publishing process, but rest assured, you will receive your copy when it is ready!
You can help by continuing to spread the word. Just because the funding stage is done, doesn’t mean you should stop telling people about Sunshine is Forever. My next goal is to make Sunshine is Forever a Bestseller. Keep telling your friends!!!
This is the first of many books to come, so I hope that you like Sunshine is Forever enough to preorder/order my next book when the time arrives! If you want to stay in touch, feel free to friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and Instagram.
As a final note, Jamison Stone (another Inkshares author) was an instrumental part to the success of my campaign. I hope you will check out his book Rune of the Apprentice, which will be available November 1st in stores nationwide. https://www.inkshares.com/books/rune-of-the-apprentice
Thank you all for the help! Crowdfunding is one of the hardest, most rewarding things I have ever done. This is my second time funding a project this way, and it won’t be the last. Inkshares, Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and Seed and Spark are proving that crowdfunding is the way of the future for independent/undiscovered talent. Please continue to help your friends, because you never know when you might need to ask for support.
I appreciate each and every single one of you. Now I am going to get back to doing what I love, writing.
Kyle T. Cowan
