Well, Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition has come to an end. It’s a tremendous honor to have been able to come in fifth place in the running, especially after getting such a late start and a slow build at the beginning. I’d like to give a heartfelt congratulations to the winners:
Tal Klein, author of
The Punch Escrow,
Brian Guthrie, author of
After Man, and
Erin S. Evan, author of
The Pirates of Montana. All three of them deserve every pre-sell they have gained. They’ve worked hard, built a huge following from the ground up, and most importantly, they’ve all told brilliant stories. I heartily recommend following them all.
I’d also like to give a shout out to
Ronald D. Vale, author of We Clocked the T-Rex, for coming in fourth place (although if the contest had lasted a few more hours, I totally would have passed him. Just saying :P). I understand he’s suspending his own campaign, but his book also looks absolutely fascinating. Follow him, and please give him support when he inevitably decides to give it another go!
So what does this mean for Tantalus Depths, not winning the competition?
Absolutely nothing.
I knew from the very beginning I had about zero chance of winning it. I didn’t even start my campaign until the contest had already been running for three weeks! Therefore, I was never banking on a win. Sure, it would have been nice to catch some unexpected windfall and take the lead, defying all odds. But a wise man never depends on chance, and I’m only a fool on weekends.
The work really begins now. We have 91 days to get Tantalus Depths to 750 pre-orders. We’re getting those pre-orders.
If I have to print out posters and put them in every shop window in my entire state by hand, I will. If I have to beg for coverage from every book blog on the internet, I will. If I have to take out a loan just to buy enough books to do enough author-swaps to reach goal, I will. I’ll allow for no obstacles. Tantalus Depths is, above all, a story about one lone person overcoming unspeakable odds to come out of the experience victorious, and if I can’t hold myself to the same standards that my main character embodies, I’m no author at all.
I may not sleep until August 16th, but so be it. I perceive a need.
Keep following, keep spreading the word. You’re all a part of this. We will descent into the Depths together, and we will come out the other side.
To the Depths!
