Moemoe.Modin liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

First off, an apology. A few readers had issues with the Kindle files that went out last week. The Inkshares team quickly fixed the problem, and new e-files will be sent to everyone later today. 

Secondly, books are being printed! There was a slight snafu with the covers so physical copies will be shipping the week of October 17. This has been a tricky book to format and finish, so again, our apologies for the delay. I think you’ll be happy with the finished product, though. 

To thank you for your patience, we’ve put together a special treat that will be included with your physical book when it ships. (Extra thanks to our illustrator Juliane, who did all the work.) Here it is:

Once you read the book, you’ll get the full significance of this bookmark. For now, I’ll just say there’s a secret code on it that’s key to our heroes finding the Codex Arcanum bookstore.

Finally, we’ve had some more great reviews! GeekMom praised the "compelling, engaging characters" and said you should "plan on reading the book twice." Nivi really got the spirit of what we were going for, and this is my favorite review so far.

Also, Ohio.com gave us a nice shout-out, calling the illustrations "refreshing" and the story "exciting and humorous." 

Hard to believe it, but we’re one week away from our first book events! Both Juliane and I will be at the Westlake, OH Barnes & Noble on Friday, October 13 at 7 PM EST, and at Magic Tree Books in Oak Park, IL on Saturday, October 14 at 4PM CST. If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you!

Thank you all again for your support and patience. Keep posting those reviews and pics of the book on social media, it means a lot to us!

mh

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    Moemoe.Modin liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

    Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

    This week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. First, Sorcery for Beginners was placed on NetGalley to solicit reviews. For those who don’t know, NetGalley is a website that gives out books to influential reviewers and readers for free, in exchange for honest opinions. Good reviews lead to positive word of mouth, which hopefully leads to sales. 

    So basically, my little word baby that I nurtured for five years and tried to raise as a decent manuscript has just been dropped in the middle of Times Square on a sweltering afternoon in July. Was I worried how people would respond to my earnest, adorably doe-eyed creation? It’s the Internet, you bet I was worried. 

    But then a few hours later, less than 24 hours that the book went live on NetGalley, the Inkshares marketing department sent me this:

    Amanda Scheel (Reviewer) has just reviewed Sorcery for Beginners. To add this review to the book page on NetGalley, click here: 
    https://www.netgalley.com/book/118069/review/418228

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

    Full Text:
    I got this ebook arc copy for free from netgalley and I must say this is absolutely amazing! Fell into the world of magic and after reading this book, I didn’t want to put it down, even when I reached the last word. Such an incredible book, any Harry Potter fan will fall in love all over again!

    Links: 
    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2065594383

    Additional Questions:Would you purchase this book for yourself or a friend? Yes

    WOW. Amanda, I can’t thank you enough. I know all the reviews won’t be this awesome, but these words mean a great deal to me. The fact that someone I don’t know enjoyed the book and finished it in ONE DAY is humbling and gratifying. As they say in E.T., I’m glad Sorcery for Beginners met you first.

    Oh, and something else came in the mail yesterday:


    For the first time, I held Sorcery for Beginners in my hand! My first reaction was how weighty the book is. It has heft, y’all. I think it could stop a bullet. 

    We have a couple more tweaks before we send the final final version to the printer, but this thing is real. It is coming your way. And no matter what kinds of other reviews come in, we’re already bulletproof.

    mh

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      Moemoe.Modin liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

      Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

      Big news this week. The galleys for Sorcery for Beginners have arrived!


      A "galley" is a printed preview version of the book. What you see above is called an "Advance Reader Copy," or ARC. ARCs are sent to bookstores, reviewers, and libraries to build buzz and help booksellers decide if they want to stock copies. That’s why the back includes marketing information. 

      If you look closely, you’ll also see an amazing blurb we got from Mike Rich, author of the forthcoming Skavenger’s Hunt, which drops in November 2017. Mike wrote the movies Finding Forrester, The Rookie, Miracle, Cars 3, and many more, so it was incredibly kind of him to take the time to read Sorcery and write such a nice blurb. In case you can’t see it, here it is in its entirety:

      "Sorcery for Beginners makes me wish I had this book when I was Owen Macready’s age. The story casts a spell of its own." Thanks again Mike!

      Also thanks again to Juliane, whose interior illustrations can be previewed here:


      We wanted readers to feel like they really picked up a working guide to sorcery, and Juliane’s illustrations went a long way to making that possible. 

      I started writing this book in 2012. Now, five years later, to see a printed version of it is a humbling and emotional experience. This was not a solo effort by any means. At least a dozen people helped it reach its final form, and hundreds more people actually paid money to preorder it. 

      Now it’s real. No matter what else happens, it’s a real printed book that come October 10, will sit on the shelves of bookstores. It exists because of you. I can’t thank you enough. 

      -- mh
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        Moemoe.Modin 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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          Moemoe.Modin followed Sorcery for Beginners
          Sorcery for Beginners
          A 13 year-old boy finds an easy-to-read, how-to manual for magic. Now he just has to prevent everyone else from stealing it.