Thank you everyone that has been following Human Resources here on Inkshares. Today I received some exciting news. Actually, "exciting" doesn’t cut the mustard in this circumstance.
Today, The Launchpad Manuscript competition announced its Top 75 finalists -- and Human Resources is in the list! I am humbled, excited, and a little intimidated -- but I am strapped in and ready for the ride now taking off.
If you don’t know about the Launchpad Manuscript Competition -- it is one of the "Inkshares" competitions, but a little different to their others. This one is run independently in conjunction with Energy Entertainment and Scott Free Productions
Apart from being a partnership, this competition differs from Inkshares regular fair by having an expert judging phase -- entrants had to submit a traditional synopsis and up to 50 pages of manuscript for industry judges to assess.
The Top 75 have been selected by that panel.
You get to pick the winners (hint -- pick me).
At some point there will be a more traditional Inkshares crowdfunding competition -- I’ll be reaching out to you when that happens. For now, I’m just too excited not to share the news!
Robert
750! THANK YOU!
When I first found out about Inkshares, my goal was to get to 250 preorders and accept the lower tier publishing deal. I honestly did not think I would come anywhere close to 750 preorders. I am in awe of the amount of support, encouragement, and attention my book has gotten so far! Thank you so much for investing in this project. I really hope you love the book when it comes out.
So where do we go from here? I am going to send my manuscript to Inkshares as soon as possible. After they evaluate my manuscript, I will work with my assigned editor to get Sunshine is Forever into the best possible shape. A design team will redesign the cover and interior of the book. After that, the release date will be announced! I will email out updates periodically to let you know where the book is in the publishing process, but rest assured, you will receive your copy when it is ready!
You can help by continuing to spread the word. Just because the funding stage is done, doesn’t mean you should stop telling people about Sunshine is Forever. My next goal is to make Sunshine is Forever a Bestseller. Keep telling your friends!!!
This is the first of many books to come, so I hope that you like Sunshine is Forever enough to preorder/order my next book when the time arrives! If you want to stay in touch, feel free to friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and Instagram.
As a final note, Jamison Stone (another Inkshares author) was an instrumental part to the success of my campaign. I hope you will check out his book Rune of the Apprentice, which will be available November 1st in stores nationwide. https://www.inkshares.com/books/rune-of-the-apprentice
Thank you all for the help! Crowdfunding is one of the hardest, most rewarding things I have ever done. This is my second time funding a project this way, and it won’t be the last. Inkshares, Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and Seed and Spark are proving that crowdfunding is the way of the future for independent/undiscovered talent. Please continue to help your friends, because you never know when you might need to ask for support.
I appreciate each and every single one of you. Now I am going to get back to doing what I love, writing.
Kyle T. Cowan
9 away...so close...
I am out of people to contact! Please help me finish my preorder campaign! We can do this TODAY! Thanks for believing in this story! Thank you for getting me this far! Now, let’s finish this!
PREORDER NOW: https://www.inkshares.com/books/sunshine-is-forever
Kyle T. Cowan
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
Recently, Rick Heinz, the author of The Seventh Age: Dawn and all around mensch, wrote an article highlighting five of the underdogs in the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest. Yesterday, A Beast Requires returned to the top ten list, with 95 backers and 117 pre-orders, putting the book 45% of the way to that elusive Quill goal. With 57 days left, doubling the number of pre-orders is totally doable, so let that specific type of hustle begin.
I like underdogs. Hells, I write about underdogs, seeing as I am one. When I told people I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid, they laughed. There was no way the kid who couldn’t spell, let alone write, would ever string more than five words together in a coherent thought. I’m a stubborn one. Tell me I can’t do something and I will bust my ass to prove you wrong, then send you a postcard with a crudely drawn middle finger.
I’ve been an underdog most of my life. I lost a lot when I came out, especially my family, and survived for almost two years living out of my car and on people’s couches. When I got sick, they told me it was terminal, and this month now marks my 6th year in remission. Yea, I’m so stubborn I told cancer to fuck off. When I lost my job of ten years, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever recover, I wrote a book. A Beast Requires has taken me four years of blood, sweat, and tears. When you tell people you’re writing a book, they think you’re a fool, that you’ll never finish it, and that there is no way in hell that it will be any good. Well, fuck those people.
Don’t ignore the underdogs. While they face incredible odds, eventually they will be victorious, and they will have done it their way.
57 days. Yea, we’ve got this.
The Animal in Man is done. I can hardly believe it. No one doubted that this day would ever actually arrive more than me, I assure you. After months of what I called Radio Silence, I’m back - fingers trembling - to send out this reader update.
So what happens now? Well, I’ve sent all 350+ pages to Inkshares just an hour ago, and from there they’ll put together my production timeline and all the other wonderful things they provide. I’ll collaborate with them to nail down some ideas for the final cover design. In the months that follow there will be edits… load upon load of edits. The more meticulous work, you see, is really just starting.
I’ve never finished a project this massive in all my life, and yet, it’s not entirely finished. Still, I can’t contain my excitement. This is a turning point for me, and I couldn’t have done it without all the follows, all the interest (all the pre-orders!) for The Animal in Man. I just wanted to thank you all for your continued support. You’ll be hearing from me on the reg from now on!
(“Natural Collapse” - Design by Diogo Hornburg via threadless.com)
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