A.J. Conway’s first self-published graphic novel: Exo
A.J. Conway is a young Australian writer from Melbourne, and he is hoping to self-publish his very first graphic novel during the calendar year 2015. During his studies, he has managed to write and publish three novels, one of which was successfully so with Random House: My Nova (2012), The Treaty (2014), and Skyquakers (2014). According to Conway, he plans on dedicating 2015 to writing, illustrating, and publishing Exo, a superhero graphic novel.
As a self-published author, he mostly relies on his friends, family, and local students to help him out with the cost of editing, graphic design, formatting, and distribution. This time, however, he has decided to go the Kickstarter route, with all donations go to the people who are assisting him in this endeavor; what remains will cover printing costs. Should he reach his Kickstarter goal, he’ll be able to hire a comicbook illustrator right away, and in less than twelve months he plans on having a completed graphic novel.
As Conway has discovered for himself, the self-publishing world is a difficult place indeed; many writers understand the agonizing lengths to which they often have to go through in order to get their creative ideas out there, and into the hands of a (hopefully) reading public. So, while the literary industry is suffering, finding agents and publishers who will have the time to even skim over your work is almost impossible, and those willing to do so will only commit if they are paid up front. Hence as a self-publisher Conway has relied solely the generosity of others, and needless to say, he has received an amazing amount of support so far from them.
Conway says that wants to make his work that little bit better, by hiring a professional graphic artists and spending a little, bit on editing services that will help him become more of a professional writer. He is completely confident that he can stick within his own deadlines — that is to say creating a novel within 12 months — and to do so he will rely on the help of others. As he is not an illustrator, Conway informs us that he will require a graphic artist to produce the pictures that go with his story. He tells us that freelancers have offered to take on the project, and that is where donations will mostly be going: rewarding those who assist him create his novel.
This project will be funded on Saturday, February 7, 2015.
