Double-Barrelled Jessie Shimmer (The First Stretch Goal For the Kickstarter For Lucy A. Snyder’s Next Book)

[Note:  This is adapted from the fourth backer update when it was pointed out to me that some people who read this blog might not have backed the project yet…]

https://bit.ly/kickdevils

 
I’m soooooooooooooooo thrilled that Devils’ Field – the new Jessie Shimmer story from Lucy Snyder – reached its funding goal over the weekend… because that means I’ll get to read more of Jessie’s story!

Which kind of gets to the point – you and I are in this for the stories. For the art and joy of them.

But there’s a strange thing about publishing – it is art… but it’s also a business.

At some levels, this is pretty straightforward. We have to be paid for what we write (or edit, or draw). We have mortgages and bills, just like you. The art and stories are important, and the money pays the bills. It works out pretty well.

But when it gets to the higher levels, where publishers are owned by huge multinational conglomerates, the decisions change. It’s ONLY about money. The stories and characters you love are now just a commodity – just a widget to be sold.

That makes for some strange decisions.

An author might be asked to turn one big book into two or more to meet page lengths. Or a publisher not asking for more books in a successful series because it’s not making ENOUGH money.

And that leaves readers unsatisfied. The characters are left hanging, their fate unresolved.

But now that won’t happen to Jessie Shimmer.

And that’s some of the awesomeness of doing publishing like this.  Now that Lucy knows she can write the story (and still pay the bills), she can focus on writing instead of the risk of selling.

And that’s also why the first stretch goal is to give her a bigger budget so she has the room to write the story the way it needs to be written.

We’ve set the next target at $5500.  Except for fees, all that money goes to Lucy (and the editor) so that we can budget nearly twice as much book for everyone who backs the project.

https://bit.ly/kickdevils

So let people know that Jessie’s story isn’t over… and with your help, will continue for quite some time.  Point them at https://bit.ly/kickdevils today!