August 2020 Update
August feels weird. I’ve been working on so many things, that seeing them all grow and ripen ready to be plucked is making me nervous. I’ve treated myself to a couple of new games for my switch and a whole bunch of new books to reward the amount of work I’ve gotten done!
Book Release
The first version of the cover is done, I’m just waiting on a few little nuggets of ‘praise’ from some amazing authors to include on the back before it can be finalised. I’m so excited for the cover and amazed by how well it fits my story.
Proofreading is in progress and feedback from the ARCS I sent out show that this is definitely needed! Everything is still on track for a Halloween release. I have booked the time off to organise the pre-order appearing mid-September, so watch this space.
Pre-order Swag
Yes, there is swag!
That’s the good news, sadly the bad news is that distribution will be limited.
Due to COVID-19 I will only be able to offer the physical goodies within the UK.
HOWEVER, to combat this I have made a special treat that will be free with pre-orders internationally. This will take the form of a small collection of queer short horror stories. These stories are quite dark, and though set in the same world as the book do not match it in terms of tone or themes but do serve as a bleak little taster as to the types of things that inhabit this world we know so little of. This collection of shorts will be EXCLUSIVE to pre-ordering customers but may become available to buy in the future.
With regards to physical swag, if the response is positive then I will consider adding this to my website in the future as merch and make it available internationally.
Technicalities
I’ve taken a little journey through the logistics of publishing this month. I have registered as a sole trader with HMRC so that I can sell my book on Amazon. I also purchased my ISBN’s and joined the appropriate network to have my books listed. I did this to maintain sole rights of my books and allow me to publish paperback across platforms and sell my book in shops too. Digital copies will be exclusive to Amazon including Kindle Unlimited. I had a play with Vellum to prepare my ARC’s and that seemed to go well too! Next up I have to figure out the loops for sorting out a hardcover edition on Barnes & Noble.
That’s it for progress this month. In the coming weeks I will get my proofread manuscript back and start putting the story into its final form (ohohoho) for distribution.
I’m excited to finish up putting this story out into the world and hold a physical copy of my book for the first time. I might be livestreaming things like this on insta, so add me on rory_michaelson_author to join in!