Topic: Mikira could use a bit of help

I have recently discovered through conversations with Mikira/Karen Sundstrom that she has initiated a Kickstarter project for her novel The Aurora Mission. I loved the storyline, character development, and her plans for the entire novel so much that I plan on making a donation to her project. At the moment, she has a very tight deadline to raise funding and could use a hand.

Take a look at her Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/1C7pgXE and see what you think. I know she'd appreciate it very much.

~Tom

2 Reply by mikira (AKA KLSundstrom) (edited by mikira (AKA KLSundstrom) 2015-03-03 21:44:13)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Thank you Bill - oops I mean Tom for posting this in the forum. I really, really appreciate it.

By the way, since I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays I posted two more chapters of my novel. 

I want to add that I have loved the tNBW community since I became a member back in 2006. I know some of my original friends are no longer members of this site. But everyone, from the people who reviewed the stories I put up back when I started on the site, to the people I was able to review, had helped me become the writer that I've become today. You may never understand how truly grateful I would be if you decide like Tom decided, that this novel I want to get published, deserves to be published and make the decision to help fund my campaign.

Oh and Tom didn't mention I designed some awesome gifts to send all my supporters if I get successfully funded.

Here's a link to my novel if you'd like to leave me a review: http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/content … /version/0

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Hey, Mikira - I don't understand your need for funding. If a publisher is demanding money up front, that's a publisher to avoid.
Jack

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

mikira (AKA KLSundstrom) wrote:

Thank you Bill - oops I mean Tom for posting this in the forum. I really, really appreciate it.

By the way, since I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays I posted two more chapters of my novel. 

I want to add that I have loved the tNBW community since I became a member back in 2006. I know some of my original friends are no longer members of this site. But everyone, from the people who reviewed the stories I put up back when I started on the site, to the people I was able to review, had helped me become the writer that I've become today. You may never understand how truly grateful I would be if you decide like Tom decided, that this novel I want to get published, deserves to be published and make the decision to help fund my campaign.

Oh and Tom didn't mention I designed some awesome gifts to send all my supporters if I get successfully funded.

Here's a link to my novel if you'd like to leave me a review: http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/content … /version/0

I don't think the forum is the place for self-promotion.   It's like a litterbug that thinks - well, if I throw down this one piece of trash, it really doesn't make a difference.  I say -  think about it this way - if every member of the website decided to hit the Forum and beg to be reviewed, the Forum would turn into one big slum of self-promotion/advertising.  I think this is especially relevant here when Mikira has already said she wants these reviews gratis because she's not going to have time to review in kind.  I appreciate you have your own personal needs, but I'd appreciate your not using the Forums for advertising and begging reviews - and certainly not for begging money and bribing with gifts.  This is the second post you have made on the Forum for self-promotion.  I hope you'll respect the users and not make a habit of it as you pursue your mission.

5 Reply by dagnee (edited by dagnee 2015-03-03 23:35:08)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Mikira--
I agree with Temple. The place for self-promotion is your home page.

6 Reply by Rosie Zander (edited by Rosie Zander 2015-03-03 23:39:08)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

I don't see any problem with this type of request in the forums. Isn't that what they are for? Good grief, they can't just be to log issues with the site. I'd go mad. I would hope this community would want to help its fellow members in a writing-related project.

I do concur with Jack though and wonder why you need to raise money to publish a book. Today there are so many free options that money is not a factor in getting published.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Rosie Zander wrote:

I don't see any problem with this type of request in the forums. Isn't that what they are for? Good grief, they can't just be to log issues with the site. I'd go mad. I would hope this community would want to help its fellow members in a writing-related project.

I do concur with Jack though and wonder why you need to raise money to publish a book. Today there are so many free options that money is not a factor in getting published.

So, if one thousand members did this, you wouldn't have a problem with it?

8 Reply by Tom Oldman (edited by Tom Oldman 2015-03-03 23:50:44)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

So, Temple and Dags, you see this as SELF-promotion?  Check closely at who started this thread. It was I who decided I'd like to help.  Blow off steam at me if you will, but don't blame anyone else.

~Tom

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Sorry, Tom, you're right. So, I guess I should have addressed my post to both you and Mikira.

I have an idea. Maybe someone should start a group where people go to promote their stuff and other author's stuff. big_smile

10 Reply by Temple Wang (edited by Temple Wang 2015-03-04 00:10:41)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Tom Oldman wrote:

So, Temple and Dags, you see this as SELF-promotion?  Check closely at who started this thread. It was I who decided I'd like to help.  Blow off steam at me if you will, but don't blame anyone else.

~Tom

This is not the first post.  The first one was of the self-promotion type, subtly disguised.  This one utilizes a different approach, but it was leveraged well by Mikira.  People that do this, use whatever tactics they see fit.  So, either you were complicit in this, or you weren't.  Don't matter to me.  I just prefer not to be pitched to on the Forum.  Lots of people will disagree, some will agree.  I don't care if people disagree with me or not.  I think the Forum is not the place for promoting your own work or promoting your buddy's work as a segue for self promotion.  In fact, most forums have guidelines on this so they don't turn into advertising zones. If it wasn't me that would be irked by this, it would be someone else --- just another reason for nipping this in the bud before it goes off the rails, as it will no likely do -- probably before the day is out.  I've flagged the thread, and hopefully Sol will step in and redirect promotion (self or otherwise) to a better place than the forum.

All you have to do to understand the logic of this is just extend it out - if everyone chose to do this, it would turn the Forum into a mosh pit of advertising/promotion.

11 Reply by njc

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Or limit self-promotion to a single, designated thread?

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

njc wrote:

Or limit self-promotion to a single, designated thread?

Or using the site-designated method of Bookshelves to promote your book:
http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/member/ … -bookshelf

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

I had asked SolN -  I really didn't want to have to bring him into this. - but it appears that I have to - if I could let people know that I had started this Kickstarter project. And he had graciously said that I could. But even though I had asked I was hesitant to write a post about it in the forum. While Tom and I communicated about this, he on his own, after checking out the project for himself decided he wanted to start this thread to help me spread the word. I think he had figured out that even though I had asked SolN if it was okay, that I would be too self-conscious to start the thread.

Even though some of you think that all I've done was self-promotion, since I've returned to this site. You are sadly, mistaken. In fact it's too bad all - well at least I think all of the very old posts are gone - when SolN migrated everything to this new and improved website. Because you would have realized I had been very helpful to many people during my past membership, in fact so much so that I didn't have time to write the novels I was working on at that time. And it was the forum that we had used to call for reviews.

14 Reply by Temple Wang (edited by Temple Wang 2015-03-04 00:32:14)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

mikira (AKA KLSundstrom) wrote:

I had asked SolN -  I really didn't want to have to bring him into this. - but it appears that I have to - if I could let people know that I had started this Kickstarter project. And he had graciously said that I could. But even though I had asked I was hesitant to write a post about it in the forum. While Tom and I communicated about this, he on his own, after checking out the project for himself decided he wanted to start this thread to help me spread the word. I think he had figured out that even though I had asked SolN if it was okay, that I would be too self-conscious to start the thread.

Even though some of you think that all I've done was self-promotion, since I've returned to this site. You are sadly, mistaken. In fact it's too bad all - well at least I think all of the very old posts are gone - when SolN migrated everything to this new and improved website. Because you would have realized I had been very helpful to many people during my past membership, in fact so much so that I didn't have time to write the novels I was working on at that time. And it was the forum that we had used to call for reviews.

So, you have no problem if a thousand people do this?  I don't doubt you've been helpful.  But this is not the let's donate to Mikira's Kickstarter Forum.  Where does it end?  It's not personal. It's a bad precedent, that's my point.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

jack the knife wrote:

Hey, Mikira - I don't understand your need for funding. If a publisher is demanding money up front, that's a publisher to avoid.
Jack

This isn't to pay a publisher, the project is to get funds to help me pay for a professional editor, cover designer and a list of other things such as both paperback and hard cover books, plus money to help me promote the book once I publish it, because I will probably look at self-publishing this novel.

And in fact the idea to use Kickstarter to get the funds I need to do this wasn't my idea at all, it had been a co-worker of mine who had suggested that I tried doing this. Because she knows my financial situation.

I will pray about all this tonight. Because I am feeling very sad right now.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

I see no problem at all with someone who has developed their book on the site and spent the time to help others (as Mikira has done) putting out a call for some help promoting their book. In fact, I encourage it.

Let's worry about 1000s of promo threads if that happens. We can always find a solution.

Sol

17 Reply by Temple Wang (edited by Temple Wang 2015-03-04 01:12:39)

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

SolN wrote:

I see no problem at all with someone who has developed their book on the site putting out a call for some help promoting the book. In fact, I encourage it.

Let's worry about 1000s of promo threads if that happens. We can always find a solution.

Sol

I'd say appealing to God for funds is a better way than appealing to the members of a website that we pay monthly to be on.  I get enough pitches on email to buy this and buy that and give to this poor soul and give to that poor soul.  I get it from beggars on the street too, and on the phone and text messages, yadayadaya.   I don't need to hear it here where I pay good money not to be bombarded by advertising and people begging money for their book. Why wait until it's a problem?  And why encourage soliciting for money?   It's a bad idea, bad precedent.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Then maybe this site is not the right place for you.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

SolN wrote:

Then maybe this site is not the right place for you.

You sure that's where you want to take this?

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Are you joking?

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

SolN wrote:

Are you joking?

You have my email address.  Let's take if off line.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

SolN wrote:

I see no problem at all with someone who has developed their book on the site and spent the time to help others (as Mikira has done) putting out a call for some help promoting their book. In fact, I encourage it.

Let's worry about 1000s of promo threads if that happens. We can always find a solution.

Sol

Sol, thank you for responding.  I appreciate all you do for aspiring authors.

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Mikira/Karen,

Anyone who contributes to this group is welcome to solicit the support of it. We are here to help writers bring their dreams to fruition and that's more than just getting feedback.

I wish you luck with your kickstarter campaign.
Sol

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

Makira. I remember you from the early days! Horses and a fantasy novel. You were one of the first people I reviewed. It's really good to see you're so close to a complete project.

I haven't any money and don't have the time to review right now either (school! finals & papers! etc.) but I wanted to stop by to offer a forum hug and my best wishes with this project.

Keep your chin up. x

Re: Mikira could use a bit of help

SolN wrote:

I see no problem at all with someone who has developed their book on the site and spent the time to help others (as Mikira has done) putting out a call for some help promoting their book. In fact, I encourage it.

Let's worry about 1000s of promo threads if that happens. We can always find a solution.

Sol

Okay-dokie, SolN.