Hello m’lovely subscribers
I bring you news – some good, some maybe not so good. But there’s a happy ending. So bear with me.
Firstly, the good news. THE DIABOLICAL CLUB is being published! Yay! Whoop! Sound the carnyx and raise the alarums! You’ll see the funding total suddenly whoosh all the way up to 100% next week.
It means that you’ll get your book in about seven months’ time (that’s the typical turn-around for any book, no matter who it’s published by) so you’ll probably have it in time for the Summer holidays.
However ...
In order to make this happen, I’ve had to make some concessions and these do affect you.
The fact is that, for whatever reason, pledging on the book has ground to a standstill. It hit 50% funded in April but has barely moved since.
I’m not really sure why this is; sales of my previous novel - A MURDER TO DIE FOR - have been reasonable, it was turned into an audiobook (read by Rula Lenska) and a large print edition, it’s had overwhelmingly good reviews and it’s been put up for two awards. But, despite this, many people haven’t plumped for the sequel. And no matter how many emails, texts, and social media messages I’ve sent, THE DIABOLICAL CLUB is still barely over halfway to being funded.
Times are hard and money is tight. I know that. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the air. And I’ve already asked so much of people, having published four previous books with Unbound. Maybe I’ve hit a kind of crowdfunding saturation point? Who knows?
But, whatever the reasons, the fact remains that pledging has stopped. So, in order to get the book into print for those of you who have pledged, I’ve taken the decision to drastically reduce the amount of money I need to raise.
That will mean a smaller initial print run (although reprints will be possible). Secondly, I won’t have a specific budget for PR although I will have a little for marketing. Thirdly, the cover will be designed in-house rather than by a freelance professional. By doing this, it means that there’s enough in the kitty right now to jump to 100% and the editing and production process can begin.
HOWEVER, this does mean that I won’t be able to produce special edition copies of the book, which means stripping away a lot of the fancy stuff I’d have liked to include (like illustrated maps, metal foils on the cover etc.). The copies you'll receive will be the same as the ones in the shops (though you will get them earlier). If you’re not happy with this, then please feel free to withdraw your pledge without repercussion or comment. I will completely understand if you do.
However, if you decide to stick with me you will, of course, get your name listed as one of my patrons in the back of every copy of every edition. And, if you pledged for the paperback, you’ll still get a beautifully-produced book. You've seen how good Unbound books look - they are gorgeous, without exception.
For me, the most important thing is that you get the books you've pledged for as soon as I can get them to you.
And, as a bonus, I have written a number of short stories – all set in my fictional county of South Herewardshire – which I am going to make available as a free e-book for subscribers ONLY; the stories won’t be available in shops. So you’ll get two books for the price of the one pledge.
So there you go. Your book is on its way to publication.
Thank you so much for your continuing support.
Sx