What you may not be aware of though, is that my former publisher has reneged on our contract by not paying me any royalties. They have also refused to have it removed from the sites that they had listed it through, which is a breach of copyright. I have contacted all the sites I can find that still have it for sale, but so far some are proving stubborn. Don't worry, though - I'll get them ;-) Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Kobo have already removed it, which is great news - the other sites, I am still working on. If you find it anywhere online for sale, please let me know so I can approach them!
I have said time and again that writing is free, but publishing is not. To re-release "Absolution" with a new cover, a new edit and to get it formatted for both print and ebook versions, will cost me in excess of $500. This is very true, for all self-publishers. My former publisher have pushed me into a corner - I could not let them continue reaping the benefits of my hard work, so I fought to regain the copyright. Unfortunately, this put me in the awkward position of having to outlay this expense of having it re-released when I was unprepared for it. Therefore, I'm having to use money I had put aside for publishing "Into the Void" to re-release "Absolution" - and even then, I don't have nearly enough put aside yet. Absolutely heart-breaking.
I have two options: continue to save to get "Absolution" re-released (which, at this rate, will be sometime next year - with "Into the Void" being pushed back to 2016), or try to raise the money. I've chosen the latter option.
In order to make sure "Absolution" (MY version) is easily distinguishable by me and by my readers, I will need a new cover (costing around $200 - that's US$, by the way). Then of course, comes the professional edit (by my wonderful editor Sarah Widdup at Irrefutable Proof, whom I used for "Between Before and After"), and then there is formatting for ebook and print. If there is any money left over, I will be using it to organise another blog tour and to pay for further publicity to get it out there again.
To raise the money to make this happen, I'm using a crowd-funding site called Pubslush. If you've never heard of them, don't worry - neither had I until a few days ago. They are a site where you can pledge your support to help authors release their books to the same standard that the Big Publishers do. Because, as I said, this costs money - and simply put, most of us indie authors just don't have it in abundance!
My Pubslush campaign is running like this: you can pledge either $5, $10, $20 or $25 to help me raise this money. At all levels, you are effectively pre-ordering a re-released ecopy of "Absolution" - along with the new cover and extended epilogue. Here's what you will get for your money:
$5 - an ecopy of the re-released version of "Absolution", along with the new cover and extended epilogue.
$10 - the above, plus your name listed in the "Dedications" page of the new version, both print and ecopy.
$20 - ecopy, name in "Dedications" page, and your name goes into the draw for a signed paperback of the new version.
$25 - ecopy, name in "Dedications" page, and your name goes into the draw for a signed paperback of the new version PLUS a handmade Swarovski crystal bookmark/pendant (examples as per my website,www.pallinadesigns.com).
If I don't meet the minimum threshold of $600, you pay nothing. If I do (and I really hope I do!), then I pay a 4% success fee to Pubslush, and they will be calling in your pledge for payment. The maximum amount (what Pubslush call the "goal") is $800, but the campaign is deemed a success if it reaches the minimum level of $600.
PLEASE help me by pre-ordering your copy and supporting this campaign!
It really would mean so much to me! Yes, you will need an account with Pubslush to support it, but this is free, and very quick and easy to open. AND you don't have to pay until the campaign is over (that's if I reach the minimum at all!). The campaign will run for 44 days from today.
Here's a link to the campaign: http://pubslush.com/project/3762
I would be extremely grateful if you would also share this link with your friends, on Facebook or any social media site!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me - I'd be happy to help!
Thanks so much for your support - I appreciate it so much!
~Amanda
