If you have arrived here and missed the announcement, Mr. Butler has left as of 2/9/19. Please email hello@inkshares.com if you have not received a refund by 2/20/19. Please email michael.haase@writingbloc.com with any needs or questions.
Autumn is here, and the cogs are steadily turning...
.
In my last update, I explained that the developmental editor and I were working on the rewrite 100 pages at a time. He edits one section while I rewrite the next... Well, I am pleased to report that I am roughly half-way through with the third and final segment. I hope to have that turned over in about two weeks. I’ve combed through and rewritten all of the existing text, and am now drafting a brand spanking new ending that will get the blood pumping a bit more than the original.
There will be at least one more round of developmental edits as I address the notes that Matt makes on the new draft. Each run-through should be swifter than the previous. After that, we move on to copy editing, then proofreading, then ARC printing and marketing. Cover design will take place alongside the final steps.
I am crossing my fingers that an estimated release date will be assigned once we have an idea of how long the rest of the developmental edit will take. My best guess is Summer ’18 (based on the trajectory of other books further along in the production process). If the last two months are any indication, I will be hard at work until the last minute (and after). As always, thank you for your support.
Until next time,
-Jacqui
9/27/17
Good morning.
There are now officially less than two weeks remaining in the Inkshares piece of the 2017 Launchpad Competition. “The Devil You Don’t” is hanging out in 5th place right now with just under 40 readers, so getting into the Top 3 is a reachable goal, but I definitely need to start seeing those pre-orders ramp up.
To my official readers, I can’t say this enough but: THANK YOU for supporting Devil on this little adventure. Please keep sharing your enthusiasm for The Devil You Don’t with your friends, relatives, dog sitters, and UPS dudes (pretty much anyone you know who likes to read). Every pre-order counts, and personal recommendations really carry a lot of weight with potential readers.
All of you awesome folks who are following my progress in Launchpad, thanks to you as well. Please consider pre-ordering a copy before the 10/10 deadline. (https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-devil-you-don-t)
Don’t forget: when we reach 50 readers, that will trigger my first raffle. Two prizes will be raffled off: a signed copy of Darkstar Rising (my first novel) and an Amazon gift card.
And here’s a little tidbit you might not know about my main character, Mara Dullahan. I created her name from two different Irish legends. The Mara (or Mare) is a demon that causes bad dreams, and a Dullahan is Ireland’s version of the Headless Horseman. This headless rider (usually on a black horse) carries his or her own head under an arm. While typically male there are some female versions of the Dullahan, and the mouth on the head is typically a gruesome grin that touches both sides of the head.
Personally, I think my Mara is much more attractive than that, but it was important to me that there be some darker meaning behind her name given that she is a devil.
With the clock starting to count down, I’ll update again soon. In the meantime...
Best,
Susan
Well this is it. The campaign ends this coming Friday and it doesn’t look like we’re gonna make it.
I want to send out a special thanks to my sister Michelle and to Julianne Fleming for ordering multiple copies to help me out. Thanks also goes out to Kyle Cowan, Ryne Drogemuller, M. Robert Randolph, J. Graham Jones, and David Byrne for putting in orders. They constitute everyone who did order and I really appreciate the support.
Barring some monumental miracle, Battle Flag most definitely is not going to reach even the Quill goal, so it’s time to reassess my options. From the look of things I don’t think I have the social media presence to really make a campaign like this work. So what I am going to do, after the campaign officially ends, is cut back the sample chapters to just the Prologue and 1-3. Then I am going to take a look at making another run at traditional publishing or sending The Agoge out to agents and come back around to this later. Maybe I’ll do both and maximize my chances of getting an agent for at least one of my finished projects.
Thanks to everyone who has followed me through this and I hope that one day, if you see a copy of Battle Flag on the shelf at the bookstore, you’ll pick it up and check out the other half of the story.
I don’t know if I’ll do another update before the end of the campaign but we’ll see.
September 21, 2017