5 for 5
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 04:37:27 AM

Backers,

Thank you for being involved in Ennead's best campaign to date. Between October 2020 and the present Ennead has launched 5 times on Kickstarter. Each of those have been successful and have helped to make volume 1 possible. Over the weekend I will begin putting together a series of short updates that include more detail on our next steps. For now I can share these:

• Finalize Book 7 for digital release (will be shared as soon as funds are transferred, about 10-14 days)
• Put together Kickstarter survey and pledge manager survey (there will be two surveys for some of you to fill out)
• Get ready to send Black and White books to the printer (if you backed a color book, which most of you did, those won't ship until September at the earliest)

I want to say thank you once again for all the support. Ennead continues to grow because of folks like you and for that I am eternally grateful. Let's keep re-envisioning the fantasy genre for a modern and diverse audience.

JL

Writer's Corner # 4
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 22, 2022 at 09:47:32 AM

Well folks,

The last Wednesday in the campaign means our final bit of writing advice is here. We saved a couple of great pieces of advice for last. But before we go into it I wanted to share a bit of a "eureka moment" from yesterday. As many of you know, I've been building this world for quite some time now. Bits and pieces of it have existed in various forms. Including the introduction of The United Provinces of Lokmee (check the map). Not only was I able to script the moment where that happens, but by doing so a bunch of those other bits and pieces finally came into alignment. I'm finally able to say, with confidence, that I see the next 3 arcs clearly unfolding now. 

My point: never let an idea die. Write it down, record it, make sure you don't lose it! Now for today's guest:

David Pepose is a name many of you are likely familiar with already. He's the writer of amazing indie comics like The O.Z., Spencer and Locke, Scout's Honor, Going to The Chapel, and Grand Theft Astro. Most recently David has been tapped to write Marvel's next iteration of Savage Avengers! When you have the chance to get advice from a Ringo Award Winner, you take it.

What’s one piece of time saving writing advice?

I write dessert first. Just because a reader consumes your work sequentially doesn't mean you need to produce it that way. Start by writing the images that immediately pop into your head, then chisel your way through the easiest pages first. Hard pages will always be difficult, but if you're coming at them with the momentum of having a bunch of other pages done first, you can break through those obstacles more quickly.

What’s the most underrated crowdfunding strategy?

Be generous with your preview art. You want potential readers to know you mean business, but you also want them to have no guesswork about what they're about to get themselves into. The more art you can share, the more confident you look as a creator and the better your project will do.

I love it! Let's close out strong tomorrow! Check out the video below!

JL

The Home Stretch
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Apr 19, 2022 at 02:00:49 PM

We are quickly approaching the final 48 hours of this campaign. I'll do a pretty big post campaign reflection to ask myself what did and didn't work this time out. Each one of these campaigns presents an opportunity for me to become a better crowdfunder. As much as I'd like to say I have plans for Ennead to be picked up and paid for by someone else that's just not realistic. So despite being extremely proud of Ennead's 5th campaign I'm already thinking about this summer's convention run and campaign # 6.

Book 8 will be starting production soon and hopefully so will Book 11 (those are the next two shorts). Book 9 should begin again in the July/August timeframe. All the while I'll be adding to this story via my Substack. Ennead isn't slowing down.

New Rat City: The Complete Series

"A pest controller battles rats, roaches, pigeons, and more for the future of NYC in this 120+ page two-part comic series!

"It's 2083, and there's not much left of New York City after years of floods, pests, and infrastructure mismanagement: just a small community in northern Manhattan and a few enclaves in the Bronx. Broadway is a sea of grass that ends at the 59th street floodwall, and tourists arrive by ferry to take glass bottom boat tours of downtown and the outer boroughs.

The only people keeping the city habitable for its few remaining residents are the pest controllers, and humane laws mean they generally aren't allowed to kill. Felicia Shepherd is a pest controller who has recently taken over the family business, after her mother disappeared and a rat-related accident took her dad out of commission.

Felicia does the best she can for her clients, but her job becomes much harder when swarms of unnervingly organized pests start running rampant across the city!

That's when the mayor lifts the no-kill order..."

Honor is a good friend of mine and I had the privilege of sharing a table with her last year at NYCC. She is a gifted writer whose story concepts are second to none in creativity and execution. Give her newest series a look and I promise you won't be disappointed.  

The Following Casework: Issues 1-4

"Deity has new meaning in the 21st century. With the Gods gone, what does it mean to believe? A new fantasy comic series to dive into!"

Jack is a veteran Kickstarter creator and a prolific backer who is back with a brand new series. Give it a look!

Our final Writer's Corner is released tomorrow and you aren't going to want to miss it!

JL

Happy Monday
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Apr 18, 2022 at 09:23:35 PM

Backers,

Here we have it. This is the last Monday in the campaign. The last opportunity to start the week off strong. We are officially in unchartered funding territory and I am extremely grateful. We are still short of our all time # of backers, but I'm confident we will close that gap over the next few days. 

I had a few questions about add ons last week that I wanted to address here:

I'll still be offering add ons in the post campaign pledge manager. Each single issue, every print I have in the back catalogue, variant covers, and more. This will be the last opportunity to pick up single issues via a Kickstarter campaign. Going forward I will only be offering mini trades and complete trades for Ennead. If you catch me at a trade show you'll be able to secure single issues while they last.

The reason for offering add ons post campaign is twofold:

• It allows me to offer more accurate shipping costs
• I can extend the period during which I can raise funds 

If you are looking to add to your Ennead collection the pledge manager is for you! 

We have two more stretch goals left to reach! Let's make it happen folks. Share Ennead with friends and fans of fantasy.

Be back tomorrow!

JL

Cover Reveal
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 15, 2022 at 02:04:47 PM

Well folks, 

Here we are. Less than 1 week to go and I couldn't be more excited for this stretch of the campaign. Yesterday we officially reached our highest funding total on the platform! I held off saying anything publicly until now in the off chance that we had another cancellation.  

I wanted to celebrate by revealing one of my final surprises: the brand new cover for the Book # 1! This cover will only be printed on the 250 copies of Book # 1 in full color. Secure your numbered copy of the book! It's available now as an add on! 

Ennead OG's, you might recognize this one... Check it out!

Enjoy your weekend folks! I'll be back Monday with more.

JL