Well, folks, we’re due for an update, and I have some good news.
We’ve passed the 500 pre-orders mark!
We’re at 510 right now, with 40 days left ‘til our goal. That means we only need to sell 240 more copies to get Proteus its publication deal. We are over two-thirds of the way there.
Unfortunately, this has been a much busier summer than I expected it to be, so progress has been slow the past couple of weeks. I’m gearing up for a super intense August, but it’s still going to take every scrap of support I can gather from now until the campaign’s end. We should be getting approximately 6 pre-orders a day to stay on target, which is no easy thing to do when I’ve already asked everyone I know for support. This is why now, more than ever, I’m dependent on you all to get the word out. If each of you could find just one person who’d be interested in supporting this book, we’d absolutely crush our goal I cannot stress enough how much I can’t do this without your help.
It may feel like we’ve been treading water this entire time, but we are truly making progress that we should all be proud of.
I’ll leave you this week with another lore update. In the spirit of the long and agonizing stasis this campaign has endured, let’s take a look at the technology the Somnambule uses to keep its 50,000 colonists safely preserved during her 150 year journey. Cold stasis is gruelling, painful, and invasive, but just like our campaign for Proteus, it’s a necessary hell with a paradise on the other side.
So the several year long journey of getting Ghosts of War: Retribution to publication day has finally come to an end. Many, many hours of writing and editing and deadlines and design and planning and crowdfunding and...
I got a cold on release day, proceeded to be wiped out, and forgot to do an update...
Go me.
But fear not! The book is just as released today as it was yesterday and here are three simple things you can do to help the book as it takes it’s first steps into the wider world.
1. Read it!
Unsurprisingly the first step is to actually read the book. If you haven’t yet received your print copy (they’re on the way!), you should be able to download the ebook from the Inkshares website. If you haven’t bought it yet, and would like to here are a few places you can do that:
Physical
Ebook
2. Leave reviews!
The next step is to head over to Amazon and Goodreads and leave your reviews. I believe the magic number is 50 reviews for Amazon before it does something magical with their algorithms. So lets aim for 50.
Every review helps grow the books profile, and will help to get it in front of more peoples eyes.
3. Tell some people about it! (or everyone even)
Spread the word. Tell people about the book. Encourage them to buy a copy (and leave a review!)
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I think that’ll do for the moment. Lastly though, I want to thank everyone that helped make this thing a reality, you’re all awesome. It still feels weird. It still doesn’t feel real. But I am a published author today (er, yesterday) because of all of you.
I do really need to go lie down now though.
Hello friends and supporters!
I mentioned this briefly in my last update for Tantalus Depths, but I don’t think I actually shared it in a Proteus update, so I’m amending that now. We’ve received one more extension for Proteus, making our new deadline the end of August. I didn’t want to do it, but with about 270 orders left to go, there was no chance I’d hit the goal otherwise. With our new extension, we should have no problem hitting the 750 pre-order goal on time though. We’re almost two thirds of the way there, so with your help, we should definitely be able to do it!
In other news, the amazing Jacqui Castle just interviewed me for Writing Bloc. We discussed the merits of crowdfunding and worldbuilding, and I shared a few insights about the writing process for both Tantalus Depths and Proteus. Check it out here!
Hello Adventure Readers!
Hopefully you have all received you hardcover copies and ebook versions of "Wings of the Pirate". If not, please contact me or Inkshares directly. I have an Author Event & book signing coming up next week June 30th, noon at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. If you’re in San Diego or you know people in the area, send ’em by - it would be great to meet them!
Amazon reviews are trickling in - If you’ve finished the read, it would be a great favor to me if you left a star ranking and a few short words on Amazon or Goodreads.
Thank you all for bringing this adventure story to the shelves!
Sincerely,
Eric H. Heisner
www.leandogproductions.com
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a huge announcement for Tantalus Depths!
Last week, my development editor, Matt Harry, sent me his notes on my last draft of Tantalus Depths. They were sparse this time and easy to address, so I made pretty short work of them. Last night I submitted my third full draft with the new changes added, and Matt gave this draft his seal of approval. We are officially done with the development edit stage!
So what does that mean? Well, for the moment it means we wait. In case you hadn’t gathered by now, the editing process is very much a “hurry up and wait” kind of deal. There is a queue for the copy editing stage, I’ve been told by the Inkshares staff that my copy edits probably won’t start for a month or so.
That might seem like a bummer, but it’s not. Once the copy editing begins, the gears start spinning a lot faster. I’ll be given a full production schedule, and we’ll finally be put on a set time table, with hard deadlines. We are almost at the top of the roller coaster now, and when we get over this hill, we’re going to seriously move.
I’m personally grateful for this downtime, for one very specific reason: Proteus.
I’ve had Proteus’s campaign extended one more time, and it now runs until the end of August. I didn’t want to, but we were down to just under two weeks to go and about 270 orders to go, so there’s just no way I was going to be able to hit that goal without driving myself insane. Fortunately, with the extension, I should absolutely be able to finish funding Proteus on time, and with this gap between Tantalus Depths’ editing phases, I should be able to finish the Proteus campaign before Tantalus Depths goes to the next stage of edits. I’ll finally be able to give Tantalus Depths my full attention during one of the craziest parts of the editing process.
The development editing process for Tantalus Depths was stressful, but absolutely worthwhile. I can’t wait to see what the next few steps in this process are like, or to see the finished product that is steadily creeping closer. Thank you all so much for supporting me this far. I know it’s often felt like nothing is moving anywhere, but fortunately I can say we’ve made major progress getting through this stage.
Hello there wonderful followers!
Beyond the Code has been climbing in both orders and reviews. Things are going great and i have some news I want to share. My author website is up and running. Check it out to find links on where to buy Beyond the Code, reviews, podcast appearances and more. It will be a one stop shop for any news regarding my life as an author. Take a look and let me know what you think.
http://www.kelseybarthel.ca/
Kelsey Barthel
Hello Adventure lovers!
Yes! May 29th was the official release date for "Wings of the Pirate". I have heard from many of you that have received copies and have already read the book. It’s a fun read for the beach, in the jungle, remote island or to take with you on your travels this summer. It would be great for all of you who have already been on the adventure to spread the word to others and leave a star ranking and a few words on Goodreads or Amazon. It really makes a difference and is much appreciated.
Thank you for being on this novel journey with me!
Sincerely,
Eric H. Heisner
www.leandogproductions.com
