Short Summary
I am an Indie author in Southern Indiana. I served four years in the USAF, from 1990-1994, as a law enforcement specialist, then returned home and began a career in criminal justice.
Writing has always been something I've wanted to do, and the self-publishing digital revolution has made that a reality. After twenty years of civil service, I'm ready to retire and go from helping people to entertaining them, full time.
Stone Soldiers is a supernatural military thriller series of action-pulp novels. I've so far produced seven of these entirely on my own, e-publishing and doing everything myself, from writing and editing to cover design. Now that the series is starting to sell, I want to up the ante. I'm working to produce new stories every month and that means I'll need to hire some help.
By contributing to this campaign, you'll enable me to produce a better product more often. You'll also help me to continue to release my novels at a low price, rather than try and gouge readers like so many publishers are doing.
What I Need & What You Get:
The $3000 I'm asking for is a rough estimate, on the low side, of what I'll need to push this series to the next level. It includes professional editing and cover design, and promotional items and advertising. I intend to shop around to get the most bang for your buck. And money the series generates in sales will continue to be reinvested until I can reach the point where I can make the plunge and write full-time, producing not just Stone Soldiers stories but many of the other ideas I've got in waiting.
For your contribution, you'll receive e-copies of the books and short stories so far released: for less than what it would cost to buy them from normal ebook distributors. All of your money will go to the series, instead of just a percentage I normally would collect as a royalty. Those of you inclined can also purchase print copies of the books, although those will go through regular channels as they'll be printed-on-demand.
I'm also planning on making some unique rewards for supporters, ranging from Ace of Spades Deathcard bookmarks to challenge coins (support allowing). There may also be unique Stone Soldiers t-shirts made available as stretch goals.
In the event I don't reach the fundraising goal, what I do collect will be used as best as possible. I place greatest importance on ads, to expose the series to more readers, but those can be pricier than editing. Cover design is also a way to improve the series as could be commissioned art of the series' characters, for release as cards or mini posters. Bottom line, whatever I can collect, I'm adding to the royalties I'm already generating to make this series bigger and better.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't help, please spread the word about Stone Soldiers! Word of mouth is the best support any indie author could hope for, and yours is greatly appreciated!