Category Archives: The Phoenix Story

May 4, 2014 · 11:54 am

FIRE BRINGER RETURNS TO THE BOOKSHELVES, TO BACK A DRAGON!

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When the dust settles on the Dragon In The Post kickstarter project running for 17 more days, win or lose, and thanks to the support of younger fans and backers too, an inspiring new generation coming of age, Phoenix Ark Press will bring a classic, Fire bringer, back into print copies again, in the UK and territories not controlled by the US and Canada, where it is still available (we think!). It is real books an author here loved and loves and many fans too, we believe, as opposed to the vast jumble of ebooks being pumped out there, many in part just to test markets. The model must be POD, publishing on demand, at Createspace, Lightening Source or perhaps another printing house.

So an open invitation stands to artists to show their interest now and perhaps win a cover design for that and our ebooks too, or tell us how to re-design everything at Phoenix Ark Press. Just write to us, or comment below. That is much part of the spirit of a Kickstarter project right now too, Dragon in The Post, that is still very much alive but which needs grass roots fire and backing. It can open a door, like a little Firecutter dragon trying to burn a doorway into wonderful worlds (you have to watch the film!), onto many other projects here too, including a Bear epic.

You can join the story of that, help it happen and become part of a wider adventure too by BACKING THE DRAGON!

Thank you again.

PA PRESS

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May 2, 2014 · 10:54 am

WITH BRILLIANT FANS, BACKERS AND NOW A MICHELIN STARRED CHEF ON BOARD A STORY AND PUBLISHING EGG WOBBLE ON THE BRINK!

I guess this is really for people like Barb, Mathew and others, backers of Light of The White Bear and long-standing readers here, who haven’t backed the Dragon. So musings on whether I have offended you, by saying too much or having a go at folk who downloaded nearly 8000 free ebooks during a previous campaign, yet didn’t support this time. I really hope not, and you have to realize surviving as a writer can be as difficult as for anyone, but at least I hope I have put a great deal of heart and energy into things. In fact, money or not, large or small, your moral support can be just as important as anything and I have always said a book and publishing project might not even be worth pursuing, even if I hit a 6k target, because somehow a whole doorway has to be opened. One that is not about remorselessly self promoting on Social Media either, but some kind of new spirit, a grass-roots publishing excitement, a shared energy and inspiration, that would get the word and deed out to many people swiftly. To make those Friends of Phoenix Ark Press a reality at last too. So think of a Dragon as leading the charge on many things, like bears, a new wolf book, The Christmas Code and indeed your projects too. Can it be done though?

Dragon in the Post, like that strange blue egg wobbling in Gareth Mark’s suddenly delivered adventure, in the post, now hovers precariously on the brink – at 33% we are nearly at where Light of The White Bear didn’t make it, yet we stall have a fiery 20 days to go! To make the break through. To hatch a publisher. To crack it open!

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With such creative younger fans, one who has just painted us a real egg above, a British Michelin Starred chef now on board too and Backing the Project, who I met many years ago, we can stand with the great Bouchbold in the kitchens of Pendolis, a citadel in Blistag, and cook up many genius life recipes. I have slogged at Social Media, irritated at Facebook, growled too much, but reached many. But I hope this weekend we can all somehow make a little blue Firecutter fly, cut a doorway into wonderful worlds, and I will try to give it back to you, however I can! Come love a little dragon into life then, and a real publisher, and for all my flaws, I will try to start again:

Here’s the link and hope you support and see what it’s about https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1159695087/dragon-in-the-post

Thank you.

David

The photos are a special created egg sent yesterday by Stephanie Jackson and a still from the animation, labelled Pummrey Farm. Come and Like The Dragon In The Post page at Facebook too and “Join the story, become part of the adventure.”

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April 22, 2014 · 10:31 am

KICKSTARTER COMES GOOD FOR DRAGON LAUNCH TOMORROW AND THE STREET TEAM GROWS!

Well, at least a very courteous reply from Kickstarter about both a ‘raffle‘ and mooted charity element I put in the project, Dragon In The Post, and the OK to launch too. Tomorrow, April 23rd, so be there, or be square! 18 are already coming to the Facebook chat too on Saturday, 6pm London time, and 10 Maybes, but do come.

I still don’t quite agree that five specially illustrated ‘Invitations‘ hidden in books sent out, like that ‘Golden Ticket‘ in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can be perceived as a raffle. It was for magic and excitement and offering a reader a chance to work with me or an illustrator on something, after I took out the monetary element of up to £150 of books. There we are. Kickstarter have to abide by Amazon guidelines themselves, which shows why big business is so obsessed with dominating the platforms, and projects can be denied funding even if they hit their targets, if it is considered they have or had breached guidelines. I agree with anti gambling and raffle rules, it’s just I don’t think five special invites and thus unique rewards constitute the Barclay’s Bank libor-rate fixing scandal! It was about art, communication and creativity.

As for the charity element they were sympathetic to the spirit of it, though it was always couched purely in terms of holding a conversation about the future of Phoenix Ark Press, if there is one, but it is something they watch on projects across the board. To quote “Kickstarter is meant as a home for creative projects, and while we definitely understand the desire to be charitable, unfortunately that’s outside of our scope for projects that fund through our site.” That conversation can easily be had elsewhere but it does seem we create a system where the first and sometimes only criteria is money, as the great machine rolls on, mind you it could embroil any crowd funder in all sorts of disputes later.

Also wonderful news yesterday though about reaching potentially 1500 on Deviant Art, via a bookselling friend! Great stuff and even more chance to make a project soar, especially engaging what Sheila Ruth at Imaginator pointed out is often called a Kickstarter ‘Street Team‘. I love that idea, if we are really to crack one book project but also begin to build a grass roots publisher, or if that is even possible, and hope all those who backed Light of The White Bear are part of The Dragon In The Post Street team. Especially some younger backers, who know who they are, and have been so supportive and important.

So let’s kick arse!

DCD

PA PRESS

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April 3, 2014 · 6:07 pm

GRACE UNDER KICKSTARTER FIRE OR ANOTHER STORY TRYING TO COME OUT

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Hello all,

I’m attempting to wrestle with showing grace under Kickstarter fire, not to mention bad hair days, and so sorry a blog has become a tedious repetition of links and reminders. I’m a little surprised though many readers have not backed the great Light of The White Bear fight and seem to be here only for the un-allowed and long gone private lives of authors and editors, and the gossip too. Not to mention the laughable poison that can sometimes lurk in the immediate neighbourhood of dear old Facebook. It was a delight to see that jumped on by other supporters.

Very well though, as the project seems to fail at last, though 40 backers is damn good, you can have the whole story of Harry N Abrams, (very rarely the whole story of anyone’s innards), in both a film and the updates, by CLICKING HERE

They really are very welcome to disagree, and of course still almost publish Fell, one reader blogged he could not find in the shops, but I should be telling the story of Uteq of the Black Paw! Another glimpse is in an Update, but then off to study St Cuthbert and get a bloody life.

David

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April 2, 2014 · 1:24 pm

THE LAST WEEK OF KICKSTARTER AND IT AIN’T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS!

It was what a fan and backer in the UK said, about that singing lady, and yesterday’s April Fool about the UN was meant as part of some fun, though it would hardly hurt! But spurred by readers, rather than giving up, a last talk and film goes up about a Kickstarter project on the newly named Light of the White Bear.

I just won’t be silenced on what happened in New York and London, among ‘friends’ and colleagues, but it is a story that needs pushing into the background, so only appears in the second part of a film. If Abrams, which still publishes Fell, for those who talk of ‘the past’, wants to challenge on libel, I have also said I would prove it, but this is hopefully about the future now. There is also a free e-edition of Fell alone, available till Monday April 7th from Amazon.com

Likes are fantastic but it really needs your active support now and you can see a talk that raises the bar of ambition by CLICKING HERE

A warm thank you both to Backers and to readers at Phoenix too.

PA PRESS

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March 30, 2014 · 11:01 am

MELTING ICE, POLAR BEAR BOOKS, TEN DAYS AND BROKEN CONNECTIONS

For Sarah, so sorry that the link to Kickstarter and Light of the White Bear wasn’t working yesterday. I hope it does now by CLICKING HERE

It really needs support now, if you want to be a reader and person waking up to connections in the world.
But if technophobes here have still got it wrong, you can instead Copy and Paste the URL into your browser https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1159695087/light-of-the-white-bear

I think if we reach just 30% today we still have a melting ice cap’s chance of doing it!!!! Whether it’s there only being two months of ice in Greenland, when there used to be five, and this has happened in our lifetimes, or supporting Ban Ki-Moon’s cry and the UN New York summit in September, or just the love of good story and many blocked projects at Phoenix Ark it would be lovely and important having you along.

Thanks so much.

PA PRESS

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March 27, 2014 · 5:53 pm

KICKSTARTER AND THE GREAT WALK TO THE SEA!

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Hello again,

well 33 brave backers of Light of The White Bear but the last race to the finishing post now, with just 12 days to go. Over a quarter, with 26%. I am going to treat it like the Ah Tic Tok, when polar bear mothers and their cubs come out of their ice dens and wander across the spring sea ice to learn how to fish and marvel. Never fear, if it fails it fails, but it would still be wonderful if we all believe in magic and story and I could hear your calls of the wild.

You can see another little talk, about a plot, and the work behind Phoenix too, while you can also join this brave band of brothers and sisters by Clicking Here

As a friend once said a Phoenix is a mythical bird that, wherever it’s found, can simply never really fail.

Thank you.

DCD

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March 25, 2014 · 4:50 pm

FREE EBOOKS TO CELEBRATE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

Well, to help spread the good word and celebrate an attempt to publish a new big novel, Light of The White Bear via Kickstarter, Phoenix Ark Press are giving away Free copies of The Sight and Fell co-edition on ebook by David Clement-Davies, for the next five days only. At a 5 star rating and valued up to $8.99 it all starts tomorrow and lasts until this Sunday, March 30th. Enjoy.

You can download by copy and pasting the URL – http://www.amazon.com/The-Sight-Fell-David-Clement-Davies-ebook/dp/B008C3DLSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395765573&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Sight+and+Fell

But the good spirited deal is this, sort of!!!! In exchange for more than a taste of highly rated work could you be good enough to share this promotion and also go to the Light of the White Bear Kickstarter page and think about pledging, or asking a friend to? If you cannot afford it, it would be wonderful if you spread the word about Light of the White Bear too.

You can see a project with the clock ticking rapidly down by Clicking here

Happy reading and happy word spreading.

PA PRESS

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March 23, 2014 · 8:16 am

FLOUNDERING PHOENIX KICKSTARTER TURNS TO FACEBOOK AND AUTHORS!

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Milton, would’st though were living at this hour, Phoenix hath need of thee!

Hello, not to get too poetic but after an appalling weekend the howl goes up again about Light of The White Bear and failing pledges too. But now a reader and kind pledger, Jonathan T, has kindly begun to instruct me on how to use Social Media and especially Facebook. So I have just been blocked for sending out so many Friends invites, including to a great many Young Adult and Adult authors! I’ve sent a message to the Zuccerbergers (some mistake? Ed It’s Hamburgers) asking if we have turned into Turkey and surely they can chose or not to be chums.

It seems appallingly opportunist to mix new friendship with asking shamelessly for support at Kickstarter to publish a long delayed novel properly (meaning real and well designed books) and yet, like Wordsworth calling on Milton during the French Revolution (see above), needs must! I rather cynically fell off my lonely chair when someone suggested I actually turned to writers for support, since Gor Vidal said something like when I see a friend succeed a little bit more of me dies, but actually I don’t think I was ungenerous in my long lost heyday and the landscape has changed so much too, that we all wonder who the successful publishers are. Let alone the best parties! So perhaps we can all test if we are locked in our boxes, with worried or impressive tag lines line ‘New York Times Besteller‘, or can test Kickstarter and spread the love.

I must say there is a fight too which wrestles with this being just about story and the book itself, or something bigger, like planet and species saving, including saving endangered authors. Because I was one of those idiotic authors who, wolf like, bit the hand that fed him in New York City, fought internally for two years, exposed corruption, raised an eyebrow at appalling internal cynicism and then sued in the New York Supreme Court. Um, the judge refused to let me social network and the complaint was too epic for her to even pick up. Much less painful, fighting back, then when I threw down my pen in the terrible conditions that developed out of betrayed friendships and loves, and said I hadn’t become a writer for those kind of values! But some of the pledges involve not just the specific project of the novel, but involvement here at Phoenix Ark too.

You can see the project, spread the word or, more wonderfully PLEDGE (pretty please) by CLICKING HERE

Thanks for listening (again!)

Warmest wishes, David Clement-Davies x

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March 20, 2014 · 8:00 pm

KICKSTARTING WALL STARTS TO CRUMBLE? LIGHT OF THE WHITE BEAR JUMPS TO 20%

Yeah, with a superb pledge today a project jumps to 18%, and with another promised pledge in the background in London too Light of the White Bear on Kickstarter has technically reached 20%. So still alive and kicking! Thank you Darren, and look forward to working with you here.

To celebrate crossing that Grand sticking line and to thank Kelly too, a fan and young ecologist, for the very first pledge and a charming email, another talk to fans goes up tomorrow, a reading, a little dig at Tim over spirit and a talk about travel journalism too at Phoenix Ark Press.

Things seem just breaking through, so now’s the time and you can see and Back the Project by CLICKING HERE

Or pasting the URL https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1159695087/light-of-the-white-bear

DCD

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