By my reckoning there is two days left in the Nerdist competition and SQUIDS IN currently requires a minimum of 56 pre-orders to get a top 3 finish. Sadly there are only 55 followers who have yet to commit to ordering, so I don’t think we’re gonna make it. I would love to get back up to 5th place however and that seems very achievable. Another 4 pre-orders will do it :)

GREAT NEWS! The second SQUIDS IN raffle prize winner Brian Guthrie has received his octopus and sent me this photo....

We may not finish top 3 in the contest but Hendrix has now strategically positioned his offspring in the UK, US and Germany. In revenge for not winning, he is going to unleash a deadly virus and there is nothing you can do to stop him. Just be sure to go outside and spray paint a "10 Octopuses" symbol on the wall before you go. It may help to educate a future generation about where it all went wrong:)

Thank you guys for all your support throughout the contest. This will be my last update before the result is announced.

Matthew

Hello Everyone!

Today, as I was sitting on some steps at the park trying to catch a Dratini in Pokemon Go, I received an email with a link to an article. Out Traveler has listed Welcome to Deadland as one of their Top 8 Summer Beach Reads! And not only that, it made the list alongside both Amy Schumer and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script! 

ONLY 97 MORE ORDERS UNTIL 250! AT 250 ORDERS WE WILL REACH THE QUILL GOAL AND GUARANTEE PUBLICATION ONLINE IN BOTH PAPERBACK & EBOOK. ORDER NOW. CLICK ANY LINK!

-MATTHEW DHO

Thank you to all who came out to support Itchy Pig last weekend at Barnes & Noble in Raleigh, NC!  Jessie and I had an amazing time and we appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you for believing in us!

Well, I might have lost the 72 ounce steak eating challenge, but I did receive another syndicate pick! That’s the Idiosyncraticate Syndicate, and those guys are awesome! We have a lot of ground to cover before September to reach the full publishing goal of 750, and this is exactly the push we need. I’ve also decided that every 50 orders will see the drawing for another print from The Sleeping Man art, and when we hit 300 I will eat a python:

The only bad part about this roadtrip is I lost Emma in Texas because she refused to take her state issued gun. 

Please share this book and pre-order so I can afford bail for Emma, it’s getting to her. I can see it in her eyes.

Sweet Dreams,

Stephen 

Something something Monday, Space Crew.

I think I’ve got enough caffeine in my blood to send an informative update. If any of this is incoherent, it’s actually largely because I accidentally stayed up late rewriting some parts of the book. Because you guys deserve the very best (like no book ever was...).

Ahem.

This Past Saturday

I spent 8ish exhilarating and exhausting hours walking and talking around ComicCon. I pitched this book to roughly a hundred people, made a ton of connections in the sci-fi/writing/crowdfunding communities, and collected a pleasing amount of con-swag. It was a great day of finding a group to call my people.

If you’re one of the people I met, I likely have your card or contact info in my swag bag already, but feel free to get in touch with me first—especially if you want to connect for a podcast or blog feature.

For new contacts and old Crew members alike, you can always reach me at acbaldwinbooks@gmail.com, or on Twitter: @ac_baldwin.

Upcoming Cons

The summer con circuit is vast and intimidating. I wanted to make it back home to the Atlantic cons, but I unfortunately haven’t had the time.

I am very much considering (hovering over the "Buy Tickets" button) going to Fan Expo in Toronto as a regular attendee for more networking. Stay tuned.

I will be attending Ottawa’s Can-Con this September (9th-11th). You should probably come out if you’re in the area, since I’ll be even more prepared, and will be giving out more bookmarks, some sample chapters, and maybe signing things? If that doesn’t sway you, it’s on my birthday, so now you’re obligated out of friendship.

Now, may your coffee mugs be overflowing and your Monday be as bearable as a Thursday.

Oh, and if you haven’t yet, please pre-order this book so it can be fully-funded. And then instead of me pitching it at you we can high-five and be friends.

Your Questionably Sentient Space Captain,
-AC

Dear friends and followers,

We stand today at 388 orders. Things picked up a bit this week, and 400 is just around the corner. It’s very exciting, and I thank you all for getting us here. Somehow the thought of being in the 400s makes the achievement of 750 seem that much closer, that much more real.... I should reiterate, by the way, the we go into production as soon as we hit 750, not when we reach the final deadline. This means that the sooner we get there, the sooner everyone gets their books.

If you haven’t checked out the accompanying text adventure game, "Mustard, Music, and Murder", yet, I encourage you to do so.

Speaking of games, it’s the final week of the Nerdist contest. "Too Many Controllers" is currently in the lead, but, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, it ain’t Game Over till it’s Game Over.

Every order helps.

My own personal stake in "Too Many Controllers" aside, there are some worthy contenders in the top ten right now. "Squids In" should, I think, appeal to anyone who enjoyed Landon Crutcher’s "Monkey Business"--which I did. In a way, I see them as spiritual siblings, and it would be great to see them side-by-side on a shelf in matching formats ... part of a series of zoological comedy, perhaps.

In the last Inkshares blog post, the top ten contenders answered the question, "who would you cast in the movie/TV version of your book"? Well, my contribution to the anthology is clearly a John Cleese movie. But what about "Murder at the Veterans’ Club"?

I’d been thinking of Aidan Turner in the role of Eric Peterkin, based solely on Turner’s performance in the latest BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None", even if he’s technically too tall for the part. Thoughts?

Don’t give me that look, Mr. Turner. Sure, it’s a bit early to be thinking of casting actors in the roles, but some people like to be able to visualise this sort of thing.

With that in mind, I bid you all a good week. Have fun, and keep reading.

Greetings Destiny-followers, 

Release the kraken! Awesome work, people! Thanks to all of you for getting behind this project. Right now Destiny Imperfect is tied for 2nd in the Inkshares/Nerdist contest and there’s less than a week left. Both the excellent In Beta and Destiny are currently at 162 pre-orders. It’d be fantastic if we could lock in 2nd place as, no doubt, In Beta has a kraken or two of its own to release. 

So where does this put us? Destiny now has over 200+ followers (thanks very much!) and many of you have already placed a pre-order. If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, it’d be great if you could take a look at chapter one of Destiny Imperfect and see if it’s something you could support. The bigger the crowd we get into the crowdfunding, the stronger Destiny will be! 

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Cheers, 

Peter 

Hendrix and I started the SQUIDS IN campaign like this...

But today I feel a bit like this...

There has been massive movement at the top of the leaderboard which now means that finish Top 3 is now out of reach. I have no plan for achieving 46 unique pre-orders over the next 5 days. That’s what is required as of today in order to finish in the Top 3 and get published.

What does this mean for you guys? Well it means that, if I choose not to chase the target of achieving 250 pre-orders within the next 2 months, you guys will all get your money back and this project will be put to bed.

I have a difficult decision to make.

In the meantime, please check out the current leaderboard and support one of the books still in with a chance of finishing in the Top 3 - https://www.inkshares.com/contests/nerdist-video-game-contest

Throughout this contest I have been supporting Peter Ryan and his book "Destiny Imperfect" as well as Prescott Harvey and his book "In Beta". If you have yet to order either of these books, please do so. It’s so close at the top, your order may make a huge difference.

Onwards and upwards!

Matthew