Today I blasted through another 3,000 words on Eulogy.  I see the end in sight, my minions.  It’s growing brighter and brighter with each day that passes!  I’ve got less than a month to go before my workshop with David Farland, but I’m confident I can have the second draft finished by then.

I’ve made a fairly confident decision to ePublish this book.  I’ll still send a few chapters to a select agent or two–namely Matt Bialer and one or two others–but I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for them.  The eReader industry is exploding.  There’s a wave there, and I intend to catch it.

However, with that being said, I also don’t intend to go at this half-assed.  I’ve arranged to have a professional cover created.  I’ve arranged to have a professional trailer created.  I’ll market the hell out of the book for a month or two before it comes out, renting ad space, making fliers and posters and book markers.  I’m going to try some things not many indie authors do to market their books.  Go places others won’t go, do things others won’t do.  Yikes.  Without selling myself on the street, thank you.

I’ve got a basic timeline in place.  In my head.  Not on a calender, because I’m not quite that organized.

• Finish the damn book sometime before April 18th.
• Take it to David Farland at the Novel Rewriting Workshop.
  • Let he and the other students tear it apart.
    • Have myself a good cry.
  • Fix what they’ve suggested.
  • Learn a thing or two about writing.
  • Beg David Farland to advise me as to how hard I should search for an agent.  Is it good enough?  Will it actually sell?  I’m a failure, aren’t I?
    • Maybe have myself another good cry.
• Send the book through another round of beta readers.
  • Curse and yell at them.  Throw a punch or two.  Stupid beta readers, what the hell do they know, anyways?  Nothing!  Nothing I say!
  • Kesh will undoubtedly find a plot-hole or ten.
    • Sleep on the couch.
  • Calm myself with a bottle of Jack Daniels.  A whole bottle, not just a sip.
  • Fix what they suggest.
• Make up with Kesh.
  • This gets an entire bullet list all to itself.  Because it’s important.
    • Or something.
• Marketing
  • Design a book cover with my brother, Michael Brown.  He’s also going to design the map and paint a picture or two to use as “Part” intros.
    • I may shift the cover and/or map and make some posters, too.
    • Bookmarkers.
  • My sister and her husband will produce the book trailer.  Some sample videos from them can be found here.
  • I need to spend some time and find websites to advertise with.  AISFP will be one of them, for sure.  SFreviews.net might be another.  There are an asston out there, I’ve just got to select what’s best for my particular market.
  • Look into self publishing some actual print copies.  I think I’ll probably do this, just so I can feel the finished product in my hands and not on a Kindle or Nook.  I want to feel it, smell it, perhaps it even taste it.  Omnomnom.
    • Perhaps even attempt to get a booth at DragonCon.  That would be something, wouldn’t it?  Don’t worry, I won’t eat you if you wish to visit.
• Send the book to my editor, Lane Diamond, while I’m also working out the marketing.
  • Fight with him about if I want to use a comma to separate that Independant Clause.  I don’t think I do.  He, for some reason or another, will think I should.  Damn grammar Nazi.
  • Toil.
    • Toil.
      • Toil some more, but without the boiling.  Or the cauldron.
  • Polish the book until it gleams brighter than Irreor Ark’s Synien dagger.
• SELL IT.

How’s that for organized?  Yes, I know it’s brilliant.

Thus, I raise my minion count to 17.