This is an email I’ve dreamed of sending, but was fearful would never happen. Thanks to the amazing support you have provided, Human Resources is going to be published by Inkshares!
The competition is not over yet, and the campaign rolls on, but in the last week HR reached a critical milestone — we passed 250 pre-orders. This means the novel has qualified for "Quill" publishing by Inkshares, regardless of the competition outcome.
I am thrilled, and can’t thank you all enough. I can’t stop and relax yet though, as I need to continue campaigning until the end of the competition — 16 December (PST).
Why keep pushing when you are going to get published?
Quill is a "light" publishing model — it is print on demand (not mass-production), doesn’t include marketing to bookstores, and misses out on some of the more valuable editing. If the book is published under Quill, I’ll hire an editor to make sure you get a quality finished product, but if we win the competition that is included — and obviously the marketing and mass-production would be amazing.
But wait, there’s more! Human Resources has also been selected by two Syndicates; the "Quill Brotherhood" syndicate and the "Great sci-fi for the 21st Century" syndicate. For those not familiar with Inkshares syndicates, they operate as a block. Readers can sign up to a syndicate (most have a clear theme) and agree to purchase the syndicate pick each month. I’m honoured to receive the support of both these groups.
And now for some bad news...
The judges’ of the Launch Pad Manuscript Competition announced their Top 10 finalists this morning, and Human Resources did not make the list. This is disappointing, but I have much to celebrate:
Over the course of the competition so far I have interacted with a number of the authors I have been competing against. Not only do they have some great books, but they have all been friendly and supportive. My sincere congratulations to the Top 10.
Where’s my "special" update?
Last week I promised something special this update. I was full of enthusiasm at the time, expecting to get everything done in time. However, I’m still refining the content of my second bonus feature. Rather than send it out bursting with typos, I’ll hold onto it and share it over the next week.
As always, if you haven’t ordered yet — there’s still time!
Robert
Hey everybody,
Wanted to give you one more update: today KILL CREEK was named as a Top 10 Finalist in the Launch Pad Manuscript Competition! It’s a huge honor, especially considering it started this journey in the Top 75. KILL CREEK is a passion project of mine, one that I’ve always hoped would be read by more than just family members, so it’s incredibly exciting to know that others are enjoying my wicked little ghost story.
Thank you to everyone who has supported KILL CREEK by pre-ordering it and/or sharing it with friends. And if you haven’t pre-ordered a copy yet, there’s still time!
Best,
Scott
Readers, Friends, and Sorcerers All,
A couple of updates before my favorite holiday of the year. First, the Leaderboard for The List was posted on Sunday, and SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS is currently at #4! This is great news, but only the top three are guaranteed full marketing and distribution by Inkshares. So we need to sell some more copies. 30 more unique readers (that means new people buying books) would get us there.
If you haven’t purchased a pre-order, now is the time. Or if you have, beg someone you know to pick up a copy. In the spirit of the holiday, I would be very thankful.
We also have a NEW INCENTIVE! After weeks of design and discussion, we’re ready to unveil a very cool prize for everyone who picks up a pre-order at the Mage level or above. It’s a BOOKMARK!
But not just any bookmark. This actually plays a key role in the novel itself. As you may know, Codex Arcanum is the bookstore where Owen first finds Sorcery for Beginners. He is given this exact bookmark with his purchase, but pretty much forgets about it until much later, when the bookmark plays a key role in the final act of the story.
If you look closely, there’s also an Easter Egg that hints at future books in the Codex Arcanum series. Let’s just say Sorcery is only one of many Arcane Fields of Study, which include Cryptozoology, Cryptocartography, Time Manipulation, and Multiverse Exploration, to name a few.
But to get to those topics, we first need to publish this book and get it out to as wide an audience as possible. And YOU can help us do that. Please think about purchasing a pre-order if you haven’t already, and think about sharing this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. It helps us out a ton.
May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you celebrate, and if you don’t, an excellent week. Again, I really appreciate the support!
mh
P.S. Special thanks to Juliane, who designed the bookmark!
GUYS GUYS GUYS. IMPORTANT INCOMING ANNOUNCEMENT.
I know, you thought you were done with me for a little while. But this is EXCITING.
Inkshares recently announced a new contest: The List 2016. Inkshares staff and industry professionals have chosen the 35 best books that didn’t get a full publishing deal from this year, and guess what? Yours truly made the list.
Once again, the top 3 in unique pre-order count will get a full publishing deal. It just so happens that I’m currently in 3rd place, thanks to so many of you lovely people. Of course, I’m sure there are a lot of books on the list that are about to make a serious run for the top, so I’ll need to keep pushing to keep my spot. If you know anyone who might be interested in my book, I’d be very appreciative if you passed the word along.
However, this news just keeps getting more exciting. In addition to those top 3, this contest will have 3 guest judges, and they can greenlight any project they want, regardless of pre-orders! So there’s potential for 6 books to get the full publishing treatment, and Evelyn and I could be one!
So, if you wanted to order but thought you’d missed your chance, or you know some people who need to be pestered, I’d be so thankful for your help!
Happy Thanksgiving! (If you’re in the U.S. If not, enjoy the 4th week of November, I guess.)
Best, Maggie
The Tuatha Dé, House of Starlight
The Tuatha Dé, House of Starlight, are the preeminent race in the dominions of the antediluvian world. Commonly the Tuath Dé are referred to as the Fair Folk, Fairies, or Wingers. They hail from the Fomorian Valley of the realm of Tir na nÓg. The seat of their power resides in the capital city of Formene, otherwise known as the Eternal City. They are ruled by the High King Dagda Starlight, the first druid, who sits upon the Starlit Throne of the Summer Court, to which all races in the realm of Tír na nÓg pay tribute.
The Fair Folk are ageless, immune to most disease, and adept in the arcane arts. Though ageless the Tuatha Dé can be killed and it is said that only weapons that have been twisted by the dark fire can lay a mortal blow against them. They are a prideful, high-born race of people who see themselves as transcendent when compared to the other folk throughout the dominions, especially when it comes to the banal folk/exiled tribes of mankind.
The Fair Folk were born of pure starlight to illuminate the darkness of the First Age. The Sigil of the House of Starlight is a three-pointed star, known to some as the triskele or triquetra which symbolizes the three aspects of the Great Goddess.
As always if you have questions, please reach out. I adore engaging with my readers!
Cheers!
Christopher Lee
Katie
EXCITING NEWS!
"Murder at the Veterans’ Club" has been selected for The List. This is a contest for book projects on Inkshares that have caught the eye of the Powers That Be--unlike other contests, participation is by invitation only. On 31 December, the three book projects with the most unique readers will win the Full Publication deal ... you know, that thing that happens when you get 750 orders.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It means that on 31 December, if "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" is still in the top three--thanks to you, we have a head start in second position--we can go into production with the Full Publication deal right then and there. It means you could get your books a month earlier than expected. It means the current focus is no longer on the great 750, but on maintaining a position at the top of the heap.
It means that people think "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" is a book worthy of note, in case you had any doubts before.
But wait! Is there any doubt that we can make it? Is there any doubt that we can maintain our position in the top three? Well ... yes. A handful of our competition are only just now starting: they’re blank slates, and anything could happen with them. The first few weeks of a campaign always see a huge spike in orders, so any one of these fresh-faced young recruits could pole-vault right over us. And then there are those veterans infused with fresh enthusiasm. We have to keep moving!
So if you’ve been on the fence before, now is the time to place your order! Stand up and be counted, because that’s the only way we can stay in the top three and make this happen!
Hey everybody!
First of all, thank you for everything you’ve done to support KILL CREEK. I truly appreciate it. I’m currently just shy of 100 pre-orders. There’s still a ways to go to get to 250 for light publishing and a long way to go to get to 750 for the full publishing package, but there’s also still time to reach one of those goals. If you know anyone who you think would dig this book, please encourage them to drop $10 or $20 to make this book a reality.
In other news, Inkshares has announced their list of the best unpublished books on their site. This list is called, appropriately enough, The List 2016. I’m happy to say that KILL CREEK made The List. So here’s another chance to get the book out into the world: the top 3 books with the most unique pre-orders by December 31st will be published.
So if you haven’t pre-ordered a copy yet, please consider doing so. And if you have, please consider mentioning KILL CREEK to someone you think would enjoy it. It’s not just for hardcore horror fans. It’s a character-driven, slow-burn ghost story that builds to a horrific, violent climax. Fans of everything from The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining to Insidious and The Conjuring will not be disappointed.
Thanks again! And have a great Thanksgiving!
Scott Thomas