Inkshares 2017 Horror Contest Update; Hear from Author J-F. Dubeau and Editor Matt Harry
As you should be aware if you’ve been following the site lately, we’re currently co-sponsoring a horror contest with Inkshares aimed at discovering the next great horror novelists. There are currently almost 60 submissions, and we’re hoping to break 100 in early September.
Today we’re pleased to share a testimonial from J-F. Dubeau, whose horror debut, A God in the Shed, was published by Inkshares this past June; the novel is also now in development for TV at Skydance with Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman producing.
Dubeau’s testimonial is below, but we also wanted to share the following video, in which Matt Harry, Head of Story at Inkshares and Dubeau’s editor, discusses working on the title.
If you missed the previous news item about the contest, click here for the details.
The publishing industry is a mess. The traditional publishers are ostensibly looking for something ‘new,’ or whatever is ‘next,’ but won’t touch ideas that push the envelope too much—which is frequently the case with horror. Meanwhile, to self-publish a novel at a professional level of quality requires more administrative work than it does writing and still has no brick-and-mortar distribution.
I was trying the self-publishing route with one book and exploring submission to publishers with another when I stumbled onto Inkshares. It seemed a little too good to be true. I could name almost a dozen small companies that offered vanity-press services under the guise of ‘quality traditional publishing.’
I’ve gone through the production process with Inkshares twice now: once for my debut science-fiction novel, The Life Engineered, and again for my second book, a horror novel entitled A God in the Shed.
I was already impressed after my first book. Inkshares matched me up with a superb developmental editor. I can’t impress upon you the importance of that: not an editor who would work for me, nor one whom I could work for, but one who understood the book—its theme and the message behind it—and helped me refine the narrative. Production and distribution of the book was on par with what I expected from a serious traditional publisher, but what stood out was the passion the people at Inkshares had for the book. I walked out of my experience with The Life Engineered more than satisfied. I was impressed. So much, in fact, that I threw in a second novel.
So how was the experience this time? Even better.
Between my first and second books, Inkshares—now over two years old—retooled its production process and managed to improve an already excellent end-product and reach by a significant margin. My first book was of a professional quality and well distributed into brick-and-mortar. But A God in the Shed, from the cover art by M.S. Corley through the deckle-edge on the paper, is a work of art (to be sure, I’m speaking about the physical product rather than my writing). There’s been no end to the compliments I’ve received on the cover; and as a graphic designer myself, that was an important point that I’m glad was handled so masterfully. In terms of distribution, A God in the Shed is all over the front tables of the indies, Indigo, and Barnes & Noble.
To boot, Inkshares put A God in the Shed in front of several influential eyes in the TV and film world. This got the attention of many people and allowed me to work with Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment as well as Akiva Goldsman of Weed Road Production. The fact that I have a real, chugging-along “TV deal” at Skydance remains surreal.
While there is a thrill like no other in holding a finished copy of a book you’ve written, I find myself surprised by how much I’m looking forward to the production process for the sequel to A God in the Shed. There’s something truly addictive to working within the Inkshares family. If you’re thinking about entering the 2017 Inkshares Horror Contest, consider this my ardent recommendation. Please feel free to also DM me on Inkshares.
—J.F. Dubeau, Montreal
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