Robert Batten liked the forum thread, Recommending Resources for Writers

And if you can, be sure to check out the video series from the delightful and talented @Donna Fung , "Coming Clean on Crowdfunding" on YouTube. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyij8KsiwndSSI6sSvBhE8w

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Robert Batten liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

One more runner-up cover to reveal before we get to the final choice. I promise we won’t do a last-minute switcheroo like last night’s Oscars. I was happy to see Moonlight win, but man do I feel for those La La Land producers. To have the trophy in your hand, then to realize you have to give it back ... oof.

But on to happier topics. Our cover designer Mike Corley gave us such an embarrassment of riches with the options he sent. Keep in mind, I’m only showing three of 12 that he sent. They were all different, all interesting in their own ways.

Here’s the last runner-up:

I love how striking this cover is. If I saw it on a bookshelf or Amazon page, I would immediately pick it up. I love the retro feel, and the title font, and the bold red. This should definitely be the cover of a book. But for Sorcery, it still came in second to our final choice, which you’ll see tomorrow. Amazing work, Mike Corley!

Another note: you might notice that the book is written by "Euphemia Whitmore." Those you who have read the sample chapters will realize that Ms. Whitmore is actually a character in the book. I thought it would be fun to treat this novel as if it were a real instruction manual, and Ms. Whitmore is a real person. Kind of like how Lemony Snicket pretends that the Series of Unfortunate Events books really happened. You will even be able to unlock a riddle in the book and apply for your very own Sorcery Learner’s Permit.

So you will see Ms. Whitmore’s name on the final cover of the book. In fact, she is listed as the primary author while I am but her ordinary, non-magical civilian aide. Not everyone gets this (my parents certainly don’t - sorry Mom and Dad), but now you know the truth.

Stay tuned for the final cover reveal, and some other awesome announcements tomorrow!

mh

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Robert Batten liked an update for Are You Sure You Want to Quit?

Hello faithful readers!!

I know it has been wayyy too long since my last update but please be rest assured that I am working hard to finish writing AYSYWTQ? My oldest guinea pig Arya recently had a cystotomy (to remove a bladder stone) and as you can imagine that whole ordeal has been stressful for my boyfriend and I. Arya is recovering very well, although she hates being wrapped in a burrito when it’s medicine time >;;;;;;;;;;;.>;;;;;;;;;;;

As of right now I am setting a deadline of end of March for myself to have a draft ready for editing (yay!). The Nerdist video game contest was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done and so in a way I had a recovery period like Arya. I am back feeling rejuvinated and ready to hammer out the rest of Maggie’s story and I hope ya’ll are ready for more dragon-filled pages :D

Thank you all for being supportive, patient, and kind on this journey with me I sincerely appreciate all the love. Please don’t hesitate to contact me through email or Facebook if you have any questions or concerns I am always here.

Oh, and I’ll leave you with a shameful plug for a Facebook page I admin called Relentless Empire....a nerdy, geeky page led by myself and 7 other lovely gamer girls so check it out and give us a like on Facebook if you wish!! :)

Have a great rest of the week!!! Catch all those Pokemon ;)

-Alisa King

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Robert Batten liked an update for Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid

!!! 250 book ordered in 2 weeks !!!

This is just huge! Can you believe that? It is something terrific, folks! That is tremendous!

But just 250 is for losers. Weak. Lightweights. (Sad.) Now we need to get to 750! Believe me. You’ll never get bored with winning. You’ll never get bored! The next 2.5 months are going to be so amazing! You will love it! It’s gonna be huge!

But seriously, people - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone, who supported. And special thank you to those, who ordered 10,5,4 or 3 copies! Please help me with the next part of the journey! Please send info to others, who may be interested!

Yey! Have a great weekend!

Cheers

Sergey

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Robert Batten liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Quick update today as we build up to the reveal of our final cover design next week. Here is Runner-Up #2:

n

Mike Corley is so talented! Love the vibe of this one, but ultimately it felt more adult, like a Dan Brown novel, than the fun magical adventure feel we’re going for. One more runner-up to go, then we’ll reveal the final cover next week!

Enjoy your weekend -

mh

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Robert Batten liked an update for Rune of the Apprentice

Military Family Charity Donations
MP3 Audiobook CD
New Vai’kel Map!

1. Military Family Charity Donations

Excited to say we have our final pre-order royalties numbers all figured out! The grand total came to $2,806.33 (again, this was triple checked/confirmed by Inkshares)! So very excited to get these hard earned funds to our four designated Military family charities! With February nearly over, it has been both suggested and requested that I wait until next quarter (just over a month from now) to submit, and I will follow up with you all both here and on my blog once the donations have been made!

Additionally, if you all remember, when my Inkshares campaign ended in October of 2015, I also made my own independent $10,000.00 discretionary grant to ’Our Military Kids’ to support their fabulous work. Although not connected to my RUNE campaign or my pre-order charity pledges, I had really wanted to do all in my power to aid these communities. ’Our Military Kids’ no doubt put those funds to good use, and will do likewise with their share the new funds they are soon to receive!

Thank you all for your help and support in this. We were able to raise a good deal of money for some great organizations! Yay!

2. MP3 Audiobook CD

Shiro has an important announcement! The MP3 Audiobook CD of Rune of the Apprentice is now available! It’s only $9.99 and super awesome! Not only a perfect collector’s item, this is a wonderful option for those who want the audiobook, but just don’t like digital. And no, I’m sorry I don’t think they are making a cassette tape edition, so we will all have to settle with only CDs! I highly suggest you listen to a free sample HERE! Enjoy!

3. New Vai’kel Map!

Amazing artist M. S. Corley and I are 95% done with the new Vai’kel map! How exciting! For the next update, I think I am going to do an entire post showing exactly how I made it (with pictures of each step along the way) but for now you can have a seek peak below! Again, I cannot speak more highly of M. S. Corley (if you remember he did RUNE’s cover) and am so excited to show you all the finished map soon! Super stoked to also collaborate with him on the cover art for RUNE’s sequel, Oath of the Apprentice.

Alright, that’s all for now! Thank you all for your support with the charity campaign! I am so proud of our community for making this happen! And, lastly, if you have not yet reviewed RUNE on Amazon and/or Goodreads, good god, please do! THANK YOU! :)

"I was immediately captivated by the world created by Stone; the world of a teenage boy, Aleksi, cast out of innocence into the machinations of adult politics and manipulation. Aleksi is forced into a life of danger, uncertainty and the possibility for a hopeful, better future. He has the skills and the magic, does he have the courage?" ―David Atekpatzin Young, Native American Storyteller and Healer, author of Chicansimo and A Magic Feather

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Robert Batten liked an update for Rule Britannia

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say a quick hello and thank you to all of you for following Rule Britannia this week, and a special thank you to those who have added a comment or a review!

I have a follow-back policy, I’m working my way through checking out each of your projects (if you have them) and following them.

What’s next?

This weekend I’ve given myself a long list of to-dos which includes working on a cover for the book, making some tweaks to the first chapter based on feedback I’ve received, and setting up a Facebook page. I’ll share the link to the Facebook page once its up, and I’ll be using that to share extra info about the world of Rule Britannia, and of course, the characters.

Thanks again for your support in these early days, it means the world to me!

Cheers
Helen.

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Robert Batten liked an update for The Walls are Closing In

Another week of the campaign has come and gone! Knowing that The Walls are Closing In has passed the light-publishing goal and will be in your hands in the future is an amazing feeling, and reaching that milestone allowed me to take a few days to refocus and come up with advanced marketing plans.

To achieve the full goal of 750 orders, I can’t afford to slow down for long. The campaign halfway point is in a few days, and there are a couple of marketing efforts in the works. The Walls are Closing In will see some online publication attention in the coming weeks, and I will share those links as they become available.

To continue spreading the word on social media, I have started a giveaway. I invite all of you to enter for the chance to win a bundle of 5 dystopian books! All are eligible to enter in a variety of ways - those who have preordered already, and those who have not. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you again for your overwhelming support!

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Robert Batten liked an update for Fae Child

I apologize for sending you two emails in a row, but we did it! Fae Child has hit the 250+ threshold for Quill publishing!

This is going to be a real, live, book. Thank you so much - I’m in a little bit of a daze right now! I will update in a week or so with what happens after the preorder campaign is over.

Thank you again!
Jane-Holly

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Robert Batten liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

Some wonderful updates for you from the end of this rainy Los Angeles month. First, the new draft of SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS has been sent off to Inkshares. We got great notes from the development editor Staton which forced me to take a hard look at the whole novel. Thanks to her, I think the book is much improved. We may get notes back from a few more beta readers and make some more adjustments, but I think we will be heading off to copy editing soon.

Secondly, we have a cover! Inkshares hired the amazing M.S. Corley to do a whole round of covers. We’ve settled on a final design, but before I unveil that, I wanted to show some of his other designs first, ’cause they’re just that awesome. Also you can check out some of his other work here: http://mscorley.com/

But for now, here is Runner Up Cover #1 for SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS:

Really cool, love that it has the feel of a real textbook, but the one we chose is even better! Stay tuned for more ...

mh

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