The winners of the Inkshares Mystery Contest have been announced, and I’m happy to say that "Cat’s Paw" is on the list! This means we will be going forward with all the editing and rewriting and nosegrinding that goes into the publication process, and, probably a year from today, the book will make it into your hands.

Onwards!

Good day, everyone. It’s been an intense four months to get where we are and now it’s crunch time for Bane of All Things.

I can’t emphasize this enough – it’s now or never. We crossed the 250 pre-orders mark a week ago. Help me get this thing past 300 by March 1 by encouraging a friend or family member to pre-order, too.

(And if you have followed BoAT but haven’t yet pre-ordered, please do!)

Before I go further, let me again acknowledge and express my deepest thanks for the support and patience of each of you. This campaign would not be anywhere without you.

Help build the Ripple Effect

Most funding campaigns on Inkshares fail. Some that succeeded hit that 750-pre-order goal, but many did not. As I wrote in my previous update, the Inkshares team is tracking metrics beyond just number of pre-orders to decide which books to publish.

The common denominator among Inkshares’ success stories is that the author’s friends and family had the biggest impact—they not only pre-ordered, they brought in their friends and family to also lend support. This ripple effect is key. An extended community of people who wanted to support a new author, even if the author’s kind of story wasn’t necessarily their thing. 

Many of you have helped to bring in those additional supporters. You have helped to spread the word. And some of you are of course Super Reader supporters. Again, thank you all.

It takes just one, for US$10

I have asked you before about bringing in other supporters. I can definitely appreciate that it may seem like a daunting task. But you don’t have to muster a whole team—it takes just one to make a difference. A single additional e-book purchase by a fresh face for a mere US$10. (Of course, if you can bring me more than one, please do!)

So, I ask you, please and thank you, can you find me that fresh face, today, tomorrow or by the end of the week? It could be your sibling, parent, cousin, child, co-worker, neighbour, workout buddy—anyone interested in supporting a new author and a good cause.

We may be literally a few dozen more supporters away from success! Together we can cross the finish line.

Reach out with a direct message/email or phone call. This is much more effective than social media posts. Remember to tell them that this also supports autism services and if my campaign does not succeed, they do get a refund.

There will be prizes

If we cross the 300 mark, I will be holding a prize draw for a piece of artwork printed on canvas, signed by me and the artist. Do you remember that skull and sword illustration from the early version of the BoAT cover? This is the work of award-winning Canadian comic book and graphic artist Dominic Bercier:

An additional prize will be drawn for those of you who bring in an additional supporter(s) between now and then – a $50 Amazon gift card.

And FYI: You can also pre-order additional copies of BoAT yourself. Up to 10, in fact. That includes e-books. The way Inkshares’ shopping cart works, you can’t purchase multiple e-book copies on one transaction – you have to do separate transactions. But anyone who pre-orders at least three copies, even if they are all e-books, will be recognized as a Super-Reader supporter.

Thanks again, and happy reading.

Cheers

Leo