Six letters ended the world. We didn’t realize it at the time — swept away by the excitement of advancing technology and endless possibilities. We failed to predict the chain of events which would follow, but in hindsight they appear inevitable. Sooner or later, someone was bound to be tempted as we were. Perhaps they wouldn’t have made the same mistakes. Perhaps they would have been more cautious. Perhaps not. History cares not for your regrets, pays no heed to your guilt. It will not change regardless how often or fervently you pray. History’s purpose is not the past, but the future. If we are lucky, we learn, move on, and build a better tomorrow. If we don’t, I fear we are all doomed...
Good day my friends, human or otherwise (I don’t judge),
Oh boy... It’s finally happened. I’ve pulled the trigger on the funding campaign for the sequel to The Life Engineered: Arch-Android. (pre-order now!)
Well, it’s like The Life Engineered, but more and better. The one complaint I got about The Life Engineered that I could never really shake was how the world was intriguing but not fleshed out enough. Good news: that is exactly where Arch-Android is going. Now that I feel more confident as a writer, I feel better equipped to write a longer, more complex book about the Capek and their evolving civilization. Expect more about their universe, new characters and several familiar faces. Check out the details and book trailer (voiced by the amazing Amy Landon, who did the The Life Engineered audiobook) on the campaign page.
Well, obviously you’ll want to pre-order a copy. If you feel like doing more but can’t order a bunch of books, lend your copy of The Life Engineered to a friend and recommend that they check out Arch-Android. Let’s grow the family.
I’ll be sending more of these updates of course, but to really stay on top of events, follow Arch-Android, or join my mailing list at jfdubeau.com/books (scroll all the way down).
Thanks for your support!
JF
This is the best update of them all!
WE DID IT!!!
With the help of you who are receiving this email (the “follower” list,) we finished the contest in the top three and have won the publishing prize! That is the dream of every writer, to be published. I have ONLY YOU to thank for that. There are many excellent writers who never have this opportunity. The difference here was YOU!
Here are the numbers: Mission 51 has an awesome number of “Followers” on Inkshares: 419. Most of you helped with a pre-order. Mission 51 would not be getting published like this without those pre-orders! Pre-orders is what Inkshares uses to determine who merits publication. It can’t be done on Inkshares without your vote of confidence and crowdfunding support! - Many followers helped with public exposure and awareness by simply “liking,” and “sharing,” and “commenting” on the Inkshares site, facebook, twitter, and instagram. Even without purchasing a pre-order, drumming up support for Mission 51 like that was enormously helpful. The level of interest and enthusiasm for Mission 51 was phenomenal! I will point out proof of that in just a bit.
Of the 419 Followers, 246 of you purchased a pre-order. Wow!!! That’s the number that counted for the contest. That’s the number that was top three out more than 180 submissions.
Those 246 fabulous supporters purchased a total of 267 copies, as some people purchased multiple copies of the book. That’s the crowdfunding Inkshares is looking for to: 1. prove the project is worth it, and 2. provide funds so they can at least start the expensive process of pre-production and production.
Those 267 copies broke down like this: 63% ordered ebooks, and 37% ordered physical books. That amounts to over $3,600 worth of crowdfunding support!!! That’s HUGE!!! Inkshares will use all of that and more to provide world-class editing, layout, production, marketing, and distribution services. I will update you all later on the timeframe of this exhaustive and comprehensive process.
So the Mission 51 project page on Inkshares suddenly changed at 3:00 AM EDT this morning as the contest ended. The part that said “Funding” now says “In Production.” I am so very, very happy and proud about that! The green funding bar has disappeared. But I’m happy that most of the content is still visible.
There is now one new little badge which appeared under the title and description on the Mission 51 project page. It says, “#18 Community Interest in Science Fiction.” I am blown away by that!!! There are many Science Fiction projects on Inkshares. To be ranked as #18 in Community Interest is unbelievable! That’s the proof about "interest and enthusiasm" I was alluding to!
I am starting to receive emails from Inkshares about my next steps. I have a number of things to learn and to decide, as you might imagine. As I know more, I will continue to keep you all informed through this medium. I ask for your patience as Inkshares navigates Mission 51 through their pre-production process. The goal is to eventually have a professionally polished product in your hands as soon as humanly possible. It won’t be as soon as anyone of us would like, but I will do my part to make it happen as soon as possible. I’ll keep you informed.
Again, THANK YOU! From the bottom, middle, and top of my heart, THANK YOU!!!
Peace!
Ferd 👽
To my good friends who this week were among the first to pre-order my upcoming debut novel Skavenger’s Hunt...thank you! To those waiting for ten minutes of quiet coffee time to join the Hunt, now’s your moment. As most of you know, my writing career has been dedicated to screenplays like Finding Forrester, The Rookie, Radio, Secretariat and Cars 3. But now? I’ve written a book!
Skavenger’s Hunt is an adventurous read inspired by the great novels of my youth: stories like "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It’s the fictional, yet magical, origin story of the very first scavenger hunt, layered with a dash of time travel to the year 1885. It comes complete with young underdog heroes, mysterious villains and larger-than-life true historical figures; as well as seemingly unsolvable clues and riddles that thousands of hunters are tasked with unraveling on a journey that will take them around the world. All of it put together by one charismatic, reclusive character named Hunter Skavenger.
Sound enticing? Click on https://www.inkshares.com/books/skavenger and you’ll learn how to get your hands on this coming November’s release of Skavenger’s Hunt. You’ll love it...and your kids will love it too. Pre-orders are critically important to early momentum, so I’m asking you to join the Hunt right now. Thanks to the support of my publisher, Inkshares, the book will be delivered just as the holiday gift season begins, and I’ll sign and personally dedicate all orders for three copies or more (just go to the Super Reader Box on my Inkshares webpage and adjust the 3 in the Quantity window to whatever number you’d like). And if you like what you see? Send the link to your family and friends!
I had a blast writing Skavenger’s Hunt, and I’d like nothing more than for you to be among the select first to have my first novel in your hands within the next few months. If you’ve enjoyed my films, I promise you’ll enjoy this too.
Thanks!
Mike Rich
