The new cover art is in! I mentioned in my last update that I was working with an illustrator to make a new cover that would better fit the direction this book is going in, and the new cover is done!
I love both of these covers so much.
I plan on using the new cover for the upcoming wide release, but for you, the backers, I am leaving it up to you to decide which cover you will end up receiving. (i.e. which cover will adorn the “backer-exclusive edition” of the book.)
I am getting so close with these book edits! To make things easier on myself I’ve split the book into four parts to edit separately, and I’m mostly done with part 3 and also working on part 4. After that I just have some end chapters to write, then it will be off to the editor! I have a beta reader going through the first and second part while I wrap up the other parts of the book, so we can get this book as polished as possible! I am aiming to get Ødiri’s Board published this spring and will do my best to get it to all of you before then. I just want to make sure that it is as good as I can make it to honor your trust in me.
Thank You
You all have been so patient waiting while I take way longer than planned to get this book finished. Thank you so much, I appreciate you!
In an age when AI makes it so easy to create things instantaneously (and I am steering clear of AI for my story), I am so incredibly grateful for all your patience!!
Thank you Robot
UPDATE
I have been spending a lot of time working out the timeline, distances, overall consistency, character depth, and character arcs throughout Ødiri's Board. This has been taking longer than I originally anticipated, but the good news is the book has improved SO much, and I’m getting closer to being able to send it to the professional editor!
SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO
As I’ve been editing my book, it has changed from what it originally was when I started writing it years ago. It’s gotten deeper, more emotional, and more impactful. With that, although I absolutely adore the original cover, I’ve realized that the cover and series name don’t fully reflect the updates.
So, sometime this month, I will be working with an artist to design a new cover with the new series name that will better show what we want to convey. (The book title will still be Ødiri’s Board.)
The new series name, instead of “Otumpi’s Game” (which seemed confusing) will be “Game of Immortals.” As I've been going through updates, I feel that this better captures the overall story and the new direction the series is headed.
If you’re panicking because you like the original cover, no worries! Once we get the new one, we'll send out a poll for you all to choose which cover you would like to receive.
THANK YOU
Thank you once again for your patience. I hope to have another update for you soon! Have a great day!
It's been a bit since my last update, and I wanted to keep you in the loop with everything!
Writing Update
We are still working through the editing process. It's going well. We are currently working through what should be the final major edit, which is about 67% done. Once that’s complete, the rest of the editing process will go much quicker, and then we’ll be able to send Ødiri’s Board to our professional editor! 🥳
Surveys / Shipping
You may be wondering where your surveys are. These are mostly ready to send out — we just have a few minor tweaks to make on them, but our plan is to get the surveys to you closer to when the books are ready to print. The benefit to doing it this way is that we’ll ask for your shipping address at that time so we can make sure everything is as accurate as possible. So, in case you’ve moved, you’ll be able to give us those details, and we’ll be able to charge for shipping then, and you won’t be overcharged.
Once we send those out, you will also have the opportunity to snag any additional add-ons, should you want to.
Thank you all so much for your patience. We’ll hopefully have more updates for you soon!
Let's get right into things. If this is your first experience with crowdfunding and/or BackerKit, you're probably wondering what happens next.
First, you should have received a confirmation email regarding your payment after the campaign ended. If you haven’t been charged, you may have received an email saying your card was declined. In that case, you'll need to update your card information. (If you have plenty of funds but it still declined, you might try running the card again. Sometimes it doesn't go through on the first try, for whatever reason.)
Delivery of Funds
It takes around two weeks after the end of the campaign for the money to be delivered to my account, minus BackerKit fees and processing fees.
Surveys
Once we’ve finalized them, we will send out backer surveys. These allow you to confirm your pledge and snag any additional add-ons you might be interested in. Once the surveys have been sent, make sure to fill them out ASAP.
The survey is also how we will get your address for shipping physical rewards. If you move before the fulfillment of physical rewards next year, don’t worry! You will be able to change your address before then in BackerKit. There will be an email sometime next year to let you know when we are locking addresses, and you will have one final chance to update your information then.
Shipping
For physical pledges, the surveys will calculate shipping at the time of checkout.
Updates
As I progress through edits and preparation of the book, I will keep you updated. I’m working on the last rounds of edits, after which the manuscript will be sent to a professional editor.
Digital Fulfillment
Digital fulfillment may take place in waves as things are finalized and made ready. Once Ødiri's Board has been fully edited, proofread, and formatted, all digital rewards that haven’t yet been distributed will be sent out.
Proofs
Before we send physical copies, proof copies for the paperback and hardcover books will be ordered, as well as for the card game. This will be an exciting step, and we’ll be sure to share lots of pictures with you.
Physical Fulfillment
After quality and accuracy have been checked, we will order all the physical rewards. And once they arrive, we will begin sending them out!
We are estimating sending everything out in Summer 2025. Of course, this is my first campaign, so as we will work to get your books and goodies to you as quickly as possible, we appreciate your patience in this matter.
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
Unforeseen Problems or Delays
If there are any unforeseen issues like sudden scarcity, environmental disasters, market crashes, or other things that cannot be accounted for, we will make sure to communicate with you about any delays and other issues.
We will also make sure to share any schedule changes with you in regards to manufacturing and other pieces of the process.
THANK YOU
I just wanted to take a minute again, because you all are awesome 😎, to sincerely thank you. Without you, this campaign would not have succeeded, and I am eternally grateful!! 🫶
