A.C. Weston followed Charles Moore
Charles Moore
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A.C. Weston liked the forum thread, Hitting limits
Hi there and thank you for being so forthcoming. I don’t think I have solutions to all your obstacles, but perhaps I can offer some perspective as a fellow newbie.

1.  You listed anxiety as your primary concern, so I’ll address that first. In the US we call self-promotion "hustling." Most creative people I know are not very good at hustling, some because of the anxiety issues you mentioned, and others because they feel their art should speak for itself. For the most part, crowdfunding is a hustler’s game. There are some who manage to succeed without hustling, but they are the rare exceptions. One alternative avenue you might want to consider, if you feel strongly about your craft and narrative but hate hustling, is to pursue publishing through a more traditional route, i.e. send your manuscript to agents and attempt to get a book deal that way. There will still be anxiety in dealing with agents and facing rejection, but you won’t have to deal with the anxiety of asking your acquaintances to part with their money.

I still experience similar anxiety every time I ask someone to pre-order my book, but I’m what you call a "giver." Every time someone I know asks me to support something they’re doing, whether it’s helping them move or contributing to a charity race, music, girl scout cookies, whatever - I support them. In a bar or a restaurant, I’m always the one who picks up the tab. I never ask for anything in return. I like giving. So, in my mind, making this ask of people to support the book is not a Bad Thing, because:

- I’m not asking for much
- I really believe they’ll like the book

I hope this helps, somewhat.

2. The LGBT community here and everyone online is very supportive and nurturing. Have you considered reaching out to the Write Out Loud Syndicate here? 

3. Trading pre-orders is frowned upon. It’s not a practice you should think of as "necessary" in order to succeed. You’d probably be even more successful in getting Inkshares authors to pre-order your book by simply engaging with them in meaningful conversation rather than doing order exchanges.  Asking your friends for things like a cover or to beta read your book doesn’t always have involve money. I do lots of favors for my friends which in the business world would translate to thousands of dollars, and they do the same for me. You’re a baker? If I was  an artist I’d gladly do a cover in exchange for baguettes and cookies :) There’s enormous power in community. Foster your own personal creative circle, and always give four times more than you receive. It’s a great model for living.

I’m not sure if this helps or not. You’re not alone here, this is an amazing community. We’re here for you.
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    A.C. Weston liked the forum thread, Hitting limits
    I’ve been thinking about how Inkshares and the Geeks & Sundry contest have showed me a whole new world and also some of the limits that I’ve encountered in the last few days.

    1. Anxiety - a big part of crowd-funding is pestering people you know until they buy your book, but personal interactions and especially ASKING PEOPLE FOR STUFF triggers my anxiety. A couple of days ago I was this close to a panic attack. And there’s not really good advice to help with that except to know that it’s normal and will pass.

    2. Language - I’m German and even though I absolutely believe in my ability to craft some good English prose, I’ve encountered a very different but related problem: none of my local social circle speak English well enough to order a book or help me market. There’s also not exactly a sizable English-speaking audience for queer science fiction.

    3. Money - I’m a pastry baker, I get minimum wage and work occasionally gruelling hours. I can’t afford to trade pre-orders with the community here. Even more problematic, I don’t own a credit card and neither do many of the friends who might want to buy a book from me. I have super talented friends but not enough money to pay  them to design a cover or some background art.

    So a couple of days ago I figured I’d absolutely hit my limit of things I could do. I despaired like a romance novel heroine at her worst. Community building is a fight against my own pathologies. Money seems an insurmountable obstacle. I can’t share this burden with my friends and family. But every day I have renewed hope.

    Do you know why? I absolutely believe in my story and my ability to tell it. No matter what happens, that’s not going to change.

    I’d love to get some more insight from all Inkshare veterans though and build some new relationships right here. 
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      A.C. Weston liked the forum thread, A question from a new user regarding content
      Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. It feels at present like I’ve dived straight in without first checking the waters, but I guess I’ll be learning as I go. 
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        A.C. Weston followed Children of the Dire: The Renegade Blade
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        A.C. Weston liked an update for Jump the Gun

        Readers and followers of Jump the Gun, I want to thank each and every one of your for being interested in this little story. It’s such a labor of love and it means so much to me to one day hold it in my hand as a real, physical book.

        If you’ve pre-ordered, there really aren’t any words to say thank you. It means the world to me that you would bet on me, my writing and my story.

        I originally entered this story as a bid for the Geeks & Sundry contest. It was a late entry and there was probably never any way we could have made it to the top, not days away from the finish line. Still, with the weekend coming up, it would be great if each of you could think of one other person that might be interested in the book. I know our audience is out there, let’s find them.

        As for the future, I’m a professional pastry baker, so I’m thinking about how we could reward some of the people with the most referrals. A small package of handmade space themed chocolates, with fillings of your choice? Believe me, you’ve not had chocolate this good before.

        I’m not holding out too much hope for the G&S contest, but I am aiming for hitting that August goal. I will need your help. Anything you can do, from writing reviews, to recommending the book here or on twitter and facebook, to sharing the book with friends, to sweet-talking little old grandmothers into buying a copy of their own.

        Again, thank you for your interest. It means so much.

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