Bad news/good news about Robin Hood and the Caliph’s Gold
As the old joke goes, I have good news and bad news about the novel I’m writing: Robin Hood and the Caliph’s Gold. Over the past month, I have tried to raise some money on Kickstarter so that I could design, print and distribute 500 hardback copies of the novel to people who backed the project. Unfortunately we did not reach the target amount and the project has been cancelled by Kickstarter.
I feel a bit guilty, to be honest. And rather sad, too (see above). I vastly over estimated the enthusiasm for my Robin Hood books with the general public, and aimed too high. And while many kind people pledged money – some supremely generous souls promising even more than the cost of the book itself – I didn’t reach the target I set myself and, under the rules of Kickstarter, I get nothing. Nada. Zero. Bubkiss. Not a sausage. (See sad clown above.)
The good news is that all you kind people who pledged money on the Kickstarter website, YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED A PENNY. The pledge is invalid, nothing will come out of your bank account.
The thing is, I still really want to write The Caliph’s Gold, and while I do now have a temporary problem of liquidity – ie, I’m borassic lint – I’m going to struggle on somehow and finish the book and then self-publish it on Amazon. Obviously, you will hear more about this nearer the time – probably in a couple of months – and I’ll be bending your ears then to buy a copy. There won’t ever be a hardback, not now, unfortunately, but Amazon will still allow you to buy a print-to-order paperback (about £10) and, of course, the ebook – which should be substantially cheaper at about £2.99.
There is one other thing I would like to mention. I have started something called the Outlaw Club, and I was hoping to include all the people who backed my Kickstarter project in the club (known as the OC). Obviously now that won’t be happening. But I still invite all genuine fans of the Outlaw Chronicles to sign up. There will be giveaways, jokes, prizes and an annual dinner/piss-up. I’ll be communicating to members of the OC on Facebook, primarily, and I have set up a page already. The fees are modest, and tbh, even that small amount of money would be helpful. If you’d like to know more about the Outlaw Club click here.
OK, that’s all for now, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I hope people will rally round and buy The Caliph’s Gold when it does finally appear on Amazon.
Angus out!
I just finished the Caliph’s Gold and it was great. I was so shocked to find that there was no hardback. I have all your other books in hardback, even tracking a few down from the U.K. and am sorry that I completely missed the kickstarter. Don’t give up on the kickstarter idea. I know of at least three readers of the series that had no idea that there was even a kickstarter for the hardback version. I look forward to more Robin Hood adventures. You have become one of my go-to authors when I introduce folks to the historical fiction genre, or am looking for a good recommendation to other historical fiction readers.
Thanks John! I really appreciate it when people recommend my books to others. I’m sorry there was no hardback – I tried, as you know, but there just wasn’t enough interest. Hope you enjoy the next in this series – Robin Hood and the Castle of Bones, which will come out in September (I hope). All the best, Angus