12 Hours Left!
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Aug 06, 2019 at 09:05:02 PM
And SO CLOSE to 200 backers - let's get that content!
There is also just ONE cameo tier left available, leaving it open for one more brave adventurer to become a hero, lord, lady, or flunky in The Dragon's Contract.
This has been a heckin' ride, and I'm looking forward to the end so I can get The Graverobber's Sword into your hands!
16 hours remain!
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Aug 06, 2019 at 03:10:57 PM
We're down to the final hours!
Only 6 backers needed to unlock some free 5e content! WE'RE SO CLOSE!
If it's not too much trouble, now would be a GREAT time to share The Graverobber's Sword link on social media - Let's get that stretch goal!
THE FINAL STRETCH
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Aug 02, 2019 at 07:36:32 PM
We're down to the last four-ish days of the campaign!
Thank you all so much for sharing this weird, wild trip with me! It's been hectic, stressful, and surprisingly tiring, but it's also been an amazing learning experience and a fantastic ride.
With just four days left, the possibility of reaching the 200 backers mark to unlock that next stretch goal is still entirely possible. I still haven't gotten any of the quotes back for audiobook narrators, and I'm starting to guess it's because 180,000 words is a LOT of narrating and I very well not be able to afford it. I hope that's not the case, but I guess we'll see!
Even if an audiobook can't happen immediately as a result of this campaign, I'll still work with whomever I can to try and make it happen in the future.
I had some crazy cool suggestions, like having myself narrate the non-dialogue lines and hiring folks to just read for the characters (Which is honestly SUCH a fucking cool suggestion, basically making the book into an audioplay rather than a traditional audiobook), but like all things it comes down to the cost versus the amount of money I have avaiable to spend on such things.
I do have one piece of bad news...
And it's that ebooks won't be able to go out IMMEDIATELY after the campaign ends - This being my first real experience running a Kickstarter, I didn't realize how much of a delay there was post campaign ending and me actually receiving the funds.
Why does that matter?
Because I need to be able to pay Tablo before I can get the ebooks done and sent out.
They will still go out AS SOON AS I CAN POSSIBLY GET THEM OUT, it just looks like it can't be day one, and I'm really, really, really sorry it can't be instantaneous.
Fortunately, that's the extent of the bad news, and I like to think that it's not so terrible?
(OH GOD PLEASE DON'T LEAVE)
What's next?
Paying Tablo, Paying Sam, getting the ebooks distributed, waiting for the physical printings to come in, and mailing them to you all! After that, the book will be listed on Amazon, and be available through different retails such as Barnes & Noble and a whole mess of other places!
After that, I start working on the sequel, The Dragon's Contract, which I would like to release roughly the same time next year, as well as working on my TTRPG core book, The Drifting Plane, which I would ideally like to release before 2020 rolls around, or early 2020 if not!
In short, my career as an author begins after this campaign, and it's 100% thanks to all of you.
I owe you all more than I can say, and I will strive to return the favor to each and every one of you.
Have any Qs? Need some As? Lemme know in the comments below!
15 days left!
over 6 years ago
– Wed, Jul 31, 2019 at 12:09:49 AM
We are officially 50% of the way through this campaign, and HOLY COW what a roller coaster it's been!
As of right now, the campaign is sitting at 125 pre-orders, which is AMAZING! I've spoken with Tablo, and they said that for a debut author this is a fantastic start. It's also just 75 pre-orders away from unlocking some free D&D content, and bringing the campaign ever closer to the possibility of funding an audiobook release!
I put out a call on Twitter asking for some voice actors/audiobook narrators to sound off, and from there I asked a few of said folks for their rates. Unfortunately I'm still waiting to hear back from most of them, which I'm hoping is more so a 'life is busy' than a 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it' type scenario.
I'd really, really like to hit 200 pre-orders so I can give you all some free stuff.
It also lowers the cost per unit of each book by about $2, which gives me a little bit of a margin in case of any problems with shipping or lost rewards. I want everyone's books to arrive safe and sound!
Backers at the $300 tier:
At this point, with the hardcover reward unlocked, backers at the $300 tier will be given the option to have the hardcover or softcover. If it's feasible, I'd like to give you both for being such incredible supporters, but I really need to see the final numbers before I know what's what.
Progress on my end:
Finalizing edits, fighting with my anxiety, and getting the book ready to print with Tablo! Myself and my editor are doing a final pass of revisions on the book, which is then uploaded to Tablo, and then (unfortunately) reformatted all over again.
It's a time consuming process, and currently Act 1 has been revised, so it's on to acts 2 and 3 over the next two weeks!
What happens after the campaign ends:
Tablo staff has said they're standing by for the day the campaign ends, ready to get started! As soon as the campaign funds reach me, the bulk of them will go to Tablo to pay for their services as well as the print run. As I outlined in the Timeline of the campaign, it may take 2-3 days for the approval process, but once that's one it's full steam ahead!
The ebooks will go first, as soon as I am possibly able to! I've never worked with Tablo before, but I have to assume that the approval process and such will need to come first before I can get those sent out. Typing this is making me want to shoot them another message and confirm, so I'm going to do that! Expect an update on this soon.
Once ebooks go out, the printing process begins! As soon as Tablo gives the okay, the books will begin the printing process. Tablo gave me the projection of about four weeks, with the total expected timeline being no longer than six weeks. As you'll note, I gave ample time for delivery on the campaign - Not because I expect it to take anywhere NEAR that long, but because I'd rather give myself the chance to over perform than set myself up to under deliver, know what I mean?
My hopes are that we'll all be holding The Graverobber's Sword in our hands by mid-to-late September, so fingers crossed!
Finally... Enough with the prattling, am I right? The last thing I'll say is that if you can, please, please, please consider sharing the campaign and recommending the excerpt on social media! This campaign won't hit 200 pre-orders without some help!
As always, if anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know in the comments below!
I hope you have a fantastic day!
-Jesse
:D
General update and Excerpt #2 - Dogfight
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Jul 16, 2019 at 05:38:49 PM
When I first launched this pre-order campaign, I was honestly terrified that I'd spend the entirety of the campaign struggling to get funded...
Thanks to the support from all of you, that's not the case!
Not only was the pre-order campaign successful, but it's currently sitting about $300 away from being able to get the hardcover edition, which I'm thrilled about!
Based on your suggestions, the next stretch goal afterwards will be an audiobook of the Graverobber's Sword. I'm currently researching prices, vendors, and recording services to find the most feasible way to do it, but I would love to make it happen!
In the meantime, give this a read!
