January | 2013 | The Veil War

January 31, 2013

Chapter 32

Or chapter 2^5 as we like to call it around here. The long delay has been probably even more frustrating for me than you, though the threats of bodily injury if I didn’t finish were both touching and scary. So, here’s your traditional teaser:

Bolts of actinic fire rained down from Archimandrite John’s fiery apparition, and his eyes glowed with the power coursing through his body. The apprentices looked like shadow boxers, but were more lethal by far. The force they projected crumpled enchanted armor like tin foil, threw trolls from the line like rag dolls. Their breath came hard, Lewis could hear them rasp as they fought to inhale. The strain was incredible and Lewis through the agency of his sword could feel reality twist and curl around them as they focused that force.

I know it’s been a while, but remember you are encouraged to point out flaws, errors and outright mistakes in the comments. Thanks for reading, and for putting up with the unavoidable delays imposed by my silly need to have an income.

January 29, 2013

Writing

I am doing it.

Expect new chapters shortly. I’ve got Chapter 32 written and rewritten, and substantial progress on chapters 33 and 34. Settling into the groove of writing again, and it feels nice.

2 Comments

January 17, 2013

What would a Veil War Kickstarter look like

Fabulous feedback on the last post, thank you all.

In response to Ian and Allison, especially – my thought about Kickstarter was not that it would replace all the hard work and relentless progress you discuss (and exemplify) – but rather purely as an adjunct to it. As an additional means of advertising, rather than purely a means of making money off my writing directly. Between the hundreds of readers here on this site, plus facebook, twitter, boards, etc – it was my thought that I could, potentially, gain enough traction on a modest kickstarter campaign to achieve some success.

Also, looking at successful (and unsuccessful) kickstarter campaigns – it seems that Tobias Buckell has the right of it:

I think there are three things that make for a Kickstarter success:

1) An intriguing product

2) Created by an entity that has proven it can deliver it

3) Created by an entity that has a following (or publicity reach)

Any two of those create an atmosphere where I think success is more likely. Hit all three, you’re likely to see something interesting.

To which I would add that being able to create a compelling kickstarter campaign is a necessary fourth thing. A lot of the less successful campaigns have decidedly non-compelling awards. I would argue that I have #1 and as soon as I finish the novel, #2. I certainly do not have an internet-scale following, but it’s not exactly zero, either.

As for the campaign itself, here’s what I tentatively imagined as a Veil War kickstarter project:

$5 Mention in the credits (included in all bigger awards)

$10 eBook (included in all bigger rewards)

$25 Trade paperback

$35 Signed trade paper

$50 Limited edition signed hardcover

$75 Artwork – nicely matted and so on

$100 Red Shirt – you will be named, and then killed

$150 Red Shirt + Signed Hardcover + Artwork

$200 Minor Character – you appear, as yourself, in the story.

$250 Minor Character + Signed Hardcover + Artwork

$500 Bonus Story – 2000+ word story, all for yourself to do with as you choose

$750 Supremely grisly and/or heroic death

$1000 Super double-plus mega pack – all smaller rewards in one awesome package deal

I’d also thought that perhaps some other things could be worked in:

various types of merch, the sort that is easily created on CafePress or similar sites and based on the artwork.
access to background information and projected storylines.
meet with the author personally or via internets

Don’t want to overload it, really – but it seems that there are a fair number of people who like being patrons, and will actually pull the trigger on the larger awards. The big question of course is whether any of those people read the Veil War.

My thinking is that if it works, fantastic! I get money, additional publicity, feedback, and a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart-cockles. After it’s over, I go on and put the book up for sale on Amazon and proceed as normal. If it doesn’t work, so what? I finish the editing and so on and put the book up for sale on Amazon anyway. It seems perfectly complementary, and wouldn’t in anyway interfere with what I would be doing regardless, and might actually help it along.

What say you?

10 Comments

January 16, 2013

In 10 Days…

Two weeks of vacation for the last week of January and the first of February. More Veil War!

When I found out that I wouldn’t be telecommuting anymore, it had been my hope that I might be able to squeeze out some writing. That has, sadly, turned out not to be the case. I need moderately big stretches of time to write, and those just don’t exist in the new dispensation. (Small silver lining – thinking, editing and planning are possible. Fer instance, I now know exactly how to fix chapters 9-17, and I’ve substantially improved 1-8 with some stellar feedback from a friend and former Marine.)

Seeing as we are so very close to the end, those two weeks will be enough to finish Lewis’ story arc at a bare minimum. I also hope to complete the other elements of the story – the ones that have not been posted here, but will make the story a complete novel. It is my sincere wish to be able to type “the end” sometime early next month. To be sure, that will not be the end of it. There is the editing to be done, the rewriting, the proofreading – but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter at long last.

You may have some questions.

Does this mean the end of the Veil War? Not at all. Corny as it is, the Veil War will be a trilogy.

When will the excitingly titled Veil War II start? That depends on a number of things – most crucially, how quickly I can finish the clean up of Veil War I. My goal is end of Spring.

What’s VWII going to be about? Magic, ultraviolence, ‘splodey-splodey, dark forces, suffering and Coleman saying goofy shit. While VWI is set in the first couple weeks of the invasion, VWII will cover a broader range of time about a year in to the war.

Will you keep publishing online for free? Right now, that is in fact part of the plan.

Part of the plan? Once Veil War I is cleaned up, I want to sell it. Moving forward, I will continue to publish parts of the ongoing story for free.

Well, what’s the other part then dammit? That’s the big question. With a complete manuscript, I could submit to an agent/publisher and maybe two years from now you could by a book. Or I could throw it up on Amazon five seconds after I finish it. There are pros and cons with each method. Yet… I feel that traditional publishing is dying.

So what’s the other part then dammit? Right now I’m leaning toward the possibility of a kickstarter campaign, followed by sales on major online distributors.

***

Now, I have some questions for you:

Would you be interested in a kickstarter campaign?
What sort of bonuses would entice you to pony up your cash?
How high, or how cautiously should I set the goal? (Things I’d want to cover with the cash would include copy-editing, regular editing, artwork…)
Do you have other suggestions?
What price point is most comfortable for you for an eBook? (aside from free) That is, where do you feel decent price for a good story meet?

Collectively, you all have been extraordinarily helpful in the writing of the Veil War. Without the slightest hint of exaggeration, I can say that I have been staggered by the level of support, advice, feedback and information that has been showered upon my head. I think that you will likewise be just as amazingly helpful in getting the finished product out there.

12 Comments

Month: January, 2013