@Zack Jordan Thanks for greater clarity, I think it will help your cause. I still have a few questions though:
You said "A number of traditional publishers have expressed interest in The Life Interstellar, completely unrelated to its campaign on Inkshares." Was this done before you began your Inkshares campaign? If it was after, how could it possibly be independent? (Agents/Publishing houses have Google, too.)
Was this interest expressed in an unfinished manuscript? If you, an unpublished author who is not "famous" (no offence) received an offer of an advance (large enough to take off work) for an uncompleted manuscript (key here uncompleted) I’d be DEEPLY impressed. Buuuut without a direct conformation on this by you, I’m actually just deeply unconvinced. But if you got an actual offer with a large advance for an unfinished manuscript, tell me, and you get all the kudos--yes all of them.
My guess, and please correct me if I am wrong, is that agents/publishers have "expressed interest" in you finishing and then sending them a completed manuscript via a query you have sent them possibly before, and possibly after your campaign. I’m leaning towards after, though, because then why would you have started the contest in the first place if you had this potential advance. Although, it could have been before if the agent/trad house said they only wanted completed MS, and that’s why you entered the Nerdist contest with an unfinished MS--something which is not a deal breaker for Inkshares, but is for trad houses.
Either way, key here is on if the trad house wanting a completed MS though, because it is not industry standard to sign an actual book deal (let alone get advances) with a trad house for an unfinished manuscript unless you are at least internet famous, but most usually famous, famous--I’m talking Lady Gaga famous, here. Remember, Gary Witta had difficulty placing his novel and he is internet famous, and working on famous, famous.
So I’m reading this all as, (and again please correct me if I am wrong):
"I am leaving Inkshares for the *potential* of greener pastures, pastures which I sought out on my own, and not actual pastures which I have been promised, but pastures even though only potential, are much more desirable (greener) to me than the current ones I have built my platform on because I did not win the Nerdist contest."
Again, if I’m wrong, tell me I’m wrong (I have no problem being wrong here) I just am trying to understand your choice making because if the chips are falling the way I think they are, my gut tells me you will be the first of many potential authors leaving after a near miss on a contest. You can call it "contest mining" if you you like, but I feel people will come for the hope of working with Nerdist/Geek&Sundry, but leave if they don’t hit that goal.
Additionally, I’m also super confused when you said that you have an offer because I am deeply skeptical that any trad house would offer you an advance (worthy of taking off work) for an unfinished manuscript...
Again, I’m not trying to be "judgy" here, I was deeply impressed with all of your updates and very excited for your book and am now just trying to make sense of what you are telling me despite the fact that is does not coincide with my understanding of the trad publishing industry. I’m also tracking a new and potentially damaging tread here on Inkshares, too, making this situation bigger than just you and your book.
Ultimately, as
@Brian Guthrie you should manage your project you see fit and just because I gave you $20 in credits (which Inkshares has not gotten back to me about as far as a refund goes) does not, as GRRM says, "make you my bitch" however, what you are saying does confuse and worry me.
At the end of the day, I think this is larger than just your book and am sorry if you are catching flack for that greater looming situation (threat.) I also can only assume this whole situation is profoundly stressful for you. If you want to answer my questions, that’d be cool and would help us other authors understand what is going on. If not, well, "dems da breaks" I guess. Either way, your book looks great and I wish you the best of luck. Truly.
