Thank you all and checking in!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 01:19:33 PM

Not too much to report today. After the campaign closed, I took a few days off to recover from the 80-hour weeks I had been working while it ran. 

Starting today the heavy lifting on the book itself begins. 

• Next Step: collating all submissions for the anthology
• Step After That: harassing contributors who have not yet turned in their submissions
• Meanwhile: i'm waiting on proposals from the designers i'm considering for the book's interior, and will make a final decision early in April

It's my plan to post weekly updates, plus updates whenever something interesting happens. 

Stay tuned, all!  Thanks again.

13 Hours to Go!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Mar 18, 2022 at 02:19:54 AM

Hey all!

I wanted to drop a note to thank you for supporting the project over the past three weeks. We're in the final hours of the campaign, and thrumming along nicely toward a very successful funding round. 

As it happens, I wanted to make sure you know a few things:

Thing One: There's an Ebook Now

I was planning to add that option later in the process, but enough people asked me that I've gone ahead and added that backer level. If you have a friend who wanted it, now they can have it. 

Also, you can add it to your backer level for just $5 (about 1/3 of what it costs normally). Just use the add-on.

Thing Two: We Are Currently On Schedule

About 70% of the contributors have turned in rough drafts to me, so at this point, things are looking good for August publication. 

Thing Three: Launch Parties!

This fall, I'm putting together several book signing-slash-workshop-slash-launch party events at dojos across the country. Each will consist of a class on violence prevention, followed by a celebration of the book and a few readings of my favorite stories. 

I've already set them up in Portland, Seattle, and Tucson. Boise, Reno, and an undisclosed location in New England are also currently in the works. 

If you'd like one at your dojo, school, church, or other organization, message me. We'll work out the details. Or take a look at the seminar backer levels if you want to schedule early at a reduced price. 

Those final 48 hours
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 05:38:56 PM

As we close in on the last 48 hours of the Kickstarter, I'm super-excited about what comes next. I imagine you are, too, so here's my likely timeline:

• At this point, we have a rough draft of the cover, a template for production, and about 60% of the stories turned in.
• March and April I will be working on the stories, getting final drafts of each. During that time, you can expect a few sneak peeks and previews.
• During May things will slow down a bit. The goal is to have final decisions about design and cover done by the end of the month. It's a light work month so I have time to catch up if the stories take longer than expected to finish. 
• June will be final production, where I slot all the stories into the design details and have the beginnings of a completed book. 
• July is for proofreading, final edits, and galley copies. I hope to have the book turned in to the publisher by mid-month, with production starting before it's over. All of that will lead to...
• AUGUST SHIP DATE

I'll keep you posted as things develop. 

Meanwhile, please consider helping us finish strong. Share about the project with a friend, or post it on groups you think might be interested. 

I'd also like to invite you to get the book club/seminar version. It costs a little more, but will be a lot of fun. Maybe jump in with a few friends and do a set that way. 

Regardless, thank you all so much for being part of this. I'm proud of what this book is becoming. 

PREVIEW GOODIES!!!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Mar 08, 2022 at 07:50:51 AM

Hi all. 

First: thank you each and every one for the awesome support you've shown for the book. It seems to have really struck a chord someplace and I'm glad you're part of it. 

Second: I'm attaching a handful of videos here, some of which you might have seen before. They're from the interviews where I got about half the stories in the book. 

Third: Before we get to those, an announcement.

We're sooooo close to our next stretch goal. 

As of this writing, we're at $6279. Our next stretch goal is $6,500. 

When we get there, I'm adding three new contributors and a premium cover for the book. That's a total of five more. 

If we get there today...I'm doubling the number of new contributors, bringing the total to 50!

So do your part, please, to make the book that much better for everybody. Tell your friends. Share about it on your social media. Go pick up another copy for a library. Whatever works best for you 

works great for us.

Thank you in advance. I know we'll get there. 

Okay. And now the videos. 

Previews and NEWS you can Use!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Mar 01, 2022 at 10:40:11 PM

Hi everybody!

I wanted to check in and share some news, and a couple of teasers you may or may not have seen elsewhere. 

First, the news.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 1), I'm putting up a new backer tier/add-on option. The Cutting Room Floor. It's a package of raw video from contributor interviews, rough drafts of contributions, early art, and some notes and conversations from the process of creating this here anthology. 

It will be great for martial arts geeks, because you'll see informal conversations with some greats from the community. 

It will be great for collectors of all stripes, since it's limited-access stuff I won't be putting out otherwise. 

It will be great for budding self-publishers and other people interested in kickstarting their own work, because you'll see a bunch of what I did to make this successful. 

So stay tuned. The option adds $5 tomorrow only, then bumps up to $10 for the duration of the campaign. 

Now, the Previews.

This first is from Steven Barnes, legendary martial artist and science fiction writer, about a mugging that went another direction due to his poise and influence. 

This one is from Tony Blauer, founder of the SPEAR system and all around tough-guy, about when he used quick thinking and a gift for gab to stop a would-be robbery.

Stay tuned for further previews as they happen. 

Thanks again for supporting this book. I really can't believe how amazingly well it's been going.