Primae Noctis will not reach its goal of funding independent
editing and promotion via Kickstarter. I want to genuinely thank all of
the backers who took the time to support my efforts to bring
independent science fiction work written for adults to the market, as
well as thank all of the well-wishers who have lent their support in
intangible ways to this effort.
A Brief Analysis:
For its funding goal of $5,000, 30 days was simply not enough time to
raise this project's funds on Kickstarter. Although Kickstarter's own
recommended period of funding is 30 days, I don't believe that a
non-young adult science fiction project that doesn't have in-build
graphics or significant marketing collateral can easily raise more than
$2,000 in such a short period of time- unless the author already has
serious street credibility and access. This begs the question as to why
they even really need Kickstarter. As a new author, there are too many
hurdles to simply getting people on your side to begin with. Getting
visibility within the Kickstarter site itself was very challenging, and
It is of note that more than 70% of the pledges raised came from
efforts generated by weblinks outside of Kickstarter, such as Facebook,
Twitter, and from other sources of traffic.
As an exercise in public relations, this Kickstarter campaign has
been of some assistance in getting word out about my novel, which has
gotten me valuable exposure and feedback from genuine players in the
world of science fiction literature. Showman P.T. Barnum allegedly once
commented that "there's no such thing as bad publicity", and for the
most part, he was right.
As for Primae Noctis, I am considering my various options in
moving forward to proceed with a November release via Amazon. I am
still examining ways to get the novel in front of professionals in
sci-fi before independent release, but it is likely that I will turn to
even more informal methods of peer review (such as readers circles) to
get the novel prepared for market.
You can continue to find me at the following places across the web:
www.aimerythomas.com
www.twitter.com/aimerythomas
www.facebook.com/primaenoctisnovel
aimerythomas.blogspot.com
Thanks again for all of your wonderful support, friends and strangers,
and I hope to continue to be able to bring Primae Noctis to you sometime
in November.
Aimery
As a total newcomer to the world of Aimery Thomas, I have to say I identify with your valiant attempts to get your treasured brainchild off the ground and the difficulty of acknowledging when enough is enough on a particular project. I'd love to read an extract of your novel, but I can't find the links you give at the bottom of the post. Are they expired?
ReplyDeleteBut I've been a few months, coming up to a year, venturing into the world of trying-to-get-published. When I found ebooks and got a few of my short stories up there on the web, I thought, Wow! I'm doing it! Then the sales hardly even twitched. I sold 4 or 5, enough to recoup the cost of a picture file I bought for a cover image, but it's stalled.
I can see how it's a huge feat of endurance to reach success. So I'd like to encourage you to take a deep breath, go for a long walk or whatever, and re-focus. I've found that networking with other writers at a similar stage to me has helped. I take an honest look at what I'm really trying to achieve and how best to do it.
Also, when I began despairing at how my little ebooks are getting deluged by millions of others and lost in the surf, I decided to aim at capturing a small slice of the global pie of readership: I have a YA sci-fi novel that's been almost-finished for a few months, and an adult SF novel underway.
So I wish you every future success, and may your present difficulties be but grist to the mill of your creativity and inspiration!
Thank you for your heartfelt and inspiring words, John! I took some of your advice, but I am back on track and deep into editing of the novel. Thanks!
ReplyDelete