I realized with my last update I said I'd be shipping physical rewards out no later than August. But I realized I didn't take into account three things: 1) how long shipping will take with having to order proof copies, 2) how long it will take for me to correct anything amiss, and 3) ordering the copies and doing quality control before sending the book to all of you. With these additional details in mind, please expect digital rewards between September and October and physical rewards between October and November. All rewards will be fulfilled no later than 20 December.
I would like to stress again that my editor has been great in working with me and my shifting deadlines. This is my third crowdfunding project, but it's the first one I've ever ran where I didn't have the book complete before running the campaign. I grossly underestimated how long it would take me to write, edit, get sensitivity readers, and publish this book. Juggling health issues, multiple events, my day job, and life in general was a feat.
Mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.
I'm just sorry the deadline for the book had to continously be extended. Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to deliver on time and I feel like I broke many a promise.
That said, thank you all for bearing with me. I promise to do better on future campaigns. For instance, for Printopia, I'm going to give myself a year to complete the Covenant of Blood audiobook rewards. Though I've already secured the narrator, there is the issue of reformatting the book and making some minor edits so it flows better that needs to be taken care of before recording can begin.
And for the fall Book Bazaar campaign I'm a part of, I plan to give myself a year from the date of the campaign to complete The Brotherhood of Blood. I already have a full draft of the novel, but it requires some heavy revisions. And, though I plan to work on it once I've completed all of the 2026 rewards, I'd like the extra buffer so I don't make the same mistakes again.
All of this to say, I've learned a great many things from this campaign and I hope that you'll continue to support me. If nothing else, I will always keep you aprised of what stage I'm at with fulfillment. Thanks!
I know it’s been a bit since I last sent an update. I’m sorry about that. Honestly, my health hasn’t been great lately, but rest assured I’m working on everything little by little so I can get the book(s) to you. So, here’s where we’re at:
Rimi’s story is the only one left to be sent to the editor. This means I won’t be delivering any books to anyone at Imaginarium this weekend. Again, apologies. I was really hoping to meet this deadline.
Because of this hiccup, I will be splitting up distribution of rewards: Digital tiers will receive their rewards first, and physical rewards will ship out later.
At the latest, physical rewards will ship out in August. I have two Backerkit Campaigns coming up in September and October respectively, and I want to make sure this campaign is fulfilled before I begin those.
There is some good news, though. With the exception of the books, I am in possession of all the physical rewards! Photos of those to come. I’m actually very impressed with what the company I chose sent.
After looking through all the polls, it looks like the additional story I’ll be writing for you will be about Vlad’s unnamed mother discovering something about someone. Who or what that is remains to be seen, but maybe it’ll be in the next update!
That’s all I have for you for now. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected] or write them in the comments and I will answer you as soon as I can. Thank you again for bearing with me through this.
Y’all did it! Everyone filled out their survey on time, so the whole group will get a 25% off coupon that can be used on anything on my online store. The coupon will be available when I’m in the fulfilment stage of the campaign and will be good for one year from the date of distribution. Go check out www.thejsliving.com/shop to see what kind of goodies you’ll be able to buy!
In other news, let’s talk Short Story Polls (last one!) and Fulfillment Updates
Short Story Poll:
I just posted one more short story poll!
As we get closer to the fulfillment stage, it’s time for me to write the short story I owe you. Since I want to keep crafting the stories that you’re interested in hearing, I wanted to give everyone one last chance to participate in the short story poll. I’m so thankful to have found this community, and I want to continue earning your trust as I move forward on more and more projects.
The last poll for the short story closes in one week, or seven days,so make sure your voice is heard by voting. I can’t wait to see the results!
Fulfillment Updates
Everything, with the exception of the book, has been ordered!
And, if all goes well, I’ll be able to ship rewards out in early June. But, that depends on how soon I receive everything, and when I can get proof copies of the book.
Our sensitivity reader finished reading, and everything looks good. I’ll be putting in for the LCCN sometime this month, and assigning the ISBN right after. That said, obviously, the mid-May deadline is a no go, so the only local pick up I might be able to offer is Dreaming Dirty in Maryland, which will be in Baltimore, Maryland on June 13 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel and, if I’m lucky, Dreamcon, which will be in Houston Texas from July 10-12 at the George R. Brown Convention Center (though I still haven’t heard back from them).
But, as always, I’ll keep you updated.
Once again, I apologize for these delays, and thank you soooo much for your patience and understanding!
I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned this, but I have chronic fatigue, and it tends to mess with my publishing deadlines. I try my best to stay on track, but it doesn’t always work out. And, while a two month delay isn’t as bad as, say, two years, I still feel awful that it’s taking me this long. I’m going to try to do better in the future by doubling (or, maybe even tripling) the amount of time I think I need to complete a project so I’m not running behind. So, again, thank you!
One last reminder before I go: If you find yourself attending Dreaming Dirty in Maryland, you can choose Local Pickup as the shipping address and fill out J.S. Living’s Local Pickup Form to obtain your order without paying shipping fees. If I’m accepted to Dreamcon, I’ll add it in as an option. But I will be removing Imaginarium as I just don’t have faith that the book will be complete in time for you to pick it up there.
Remember, if you choose this option, you are responsible for picking up your order; and if you miss the event, you will have to contact me to arrange alternative shipping options. Only choose Local Pickup if you’ve already secured your ticket, and/or your designated helper’s ticket, to the event because pickup requires a proof of purchase in the form of the Backerkit Confirmation number found on your survey.
Just sending a quick update to let you know that y’all did great. Only five surveys remain to be filled out!
Don’t worry though, there’s still 24 days left to bump the store coupon from 15% to 25% off your order. But, don’t wait too late! Time has been moving fast and this is a group effort. All or nothing—much like the platform itself. 😂😂😂
Short Story Poll Reminder:
Don’t forget to vote on the short story poll! It closes soon, and I want to make sure I’m crafting the stories that you’re interested in hearing. I really love the idea of my projects being community based, but I can’t do that without you—my community!
The poll closes in four days,so make sure your voice is heard by voting. I can’t wait to see what y’all pick!
Fulfillment Updates
With only five surveys left, I can begin ordering the prints!
The book itself is still being edited, and that’s going well. I also hired a sensitivity reader to look over one of the stories to make sure I’m representing their community in a respectful manner. She didn’t find any issues on the first read through; but she’s going to look over it again and answer my specific questions. So, we’re good on that front.
Writing Inspo from when I visited Massanutten Resort
I’m working on some other logistical things that go into publishing that I won’t bore you with (unless you truly want to know), but I’m hopeful I can deliver by mid-May, just in time for some of you to pick your books up at Imaginarium Bookfest, which will be in Washington, DC from June 5-6 at the University of the District of Columbia Student Centeror Dreaming Dirty in Maryland, which will be in Baltimore, Maryland on June 13 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel. If I’m lucky, there may even be an opportunity for you to pick up your order at Dreamcon, which will be in Houston Texas from July 10-12 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, but I won’t know about that until the end of May.
A set up of my table at an event I attended in 2024.
Speaking of upcoming events, if you find yourself attending one of the bolded events, you can choose Local Pickup as the shipping address and fill out J.S. Living’s Local Pickup Form to obtain your order without paying shipping fees. If you choose this option, you are responsible for picking up your order, and if you miss the event, you will have to contact me to arrange alternative shipping options. Only choose this option if you’ve already secured your ticket, or your designated helper’s ticket, to the event as pickup requires a proof of purchase.
Just sending a quick update to let you know that all smoke tests were completed; and, as most of you have noticed, I've sent out surveys!
Thank y'all for completing the Smoke tests before 28 March. 🥰🥰🥰
I didn't see any questions, so that's a great sign that everything was self explanatory. I love to see that!
In addition, everyone who pledged to this campaign earned a coupon code for 15% off their order on my website.
Thank your smoke testers for making it happen! 😁😁😁
Okay.
Most of y’all or on these surveys like hawks, so I’m happy to say there are only about ten (10) surveys left to be filled out. If they're completed by 25 April, I'll bump the 15% off coupon up to 25% off your order on my website!
The coupon code, whether 15% or 25%, will be sent to everyone on 28 April so I have time to check that all surveys are complete and all questions are answered. (There were a few hiccups once I enabled shipping, but they should be fixed now.) Reach out to Backerkit support or send me an email at [email protected] if you come across any problems with your survey.
Now, as promised, here are what the finalized prints for all seven characters will look like:
Collage #1
Collage #2
I did two collages so you'd be able to see everything. Don’t they look great?
Seriously, though, you can't tell me Indigo and Rimi don't look amazing! So, if we're able to hit $1500 post campaign, I can add their art prints as options for purchase/ your free item.
So, what are you waiting for? Get to filling out those surveys!
