The League of Scientists

LoS #1: “Ghost in the Water” publication update #3

Andy Kaiser — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:13:41 +0000

As the astute reader will no doubt recall, last week’s post contained a cliffhanger: What’s happening with “Ghost in the Water”? Will there still be a ghost? Will it still be in the water? The answer, of course, is “yes”, though there were questions as to when the ghost would appear. So, I sent out queries to the publisher, [...]

LoS #1: “Ghost in the Water” publication update #2

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:44:02 +0000

Hi everyone. Hello, Andy. What’s the matter? Why the mopey face? Why so sullen? Where’s the book? Ah, yes. That. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. It wasn’t my intention to do so. Yes, the League of Scientists is still around, and yes, the book will be available one way or another. I’m trying [...]

LoS #1: “Ghost in the Water” publication update

Andy Kaiser — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:03:27 +0000

“We are on track to have the manuscripts in layout by the end of the year and then we’ll send the book to the printers.” The quote above is directly from the publisher. We are looking good for final publication of “Ghost in the Water” for the end of the year! That means books should [...]

Weird YA fiction trends – Massive book length and dark content

Andy Kaiser — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:18:01 +0000

There are two interesting trends in young adult fiction today and the ‘spheres have been buzzing excitedly about each. Since they (or more specifically, their absence) directly apply to the League of Scientists book series, I wanted to address them here, and explain my own thoughts. YA books are dark and depressing I’m not talking [...]

Is there an educator in the house?

Andy Kaiser — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:59:37 +0000

What’s going on with the book? Nothing much. Or rather, nothing much from my perspective. I assume the publisher is working hard, but there’s nothing for me to do but wait for publication later this year. So if I’m stuck waiting, I want to at least do something else to help out. You’ve seen the [...]

Ghost in the Water: The reviews are in (at least some of them)!

Andy Kaiser — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 06:03:30 +0000

In the wait for the publication of “Ghost in the Water”, it’s important we advertise the thing properly. By “advertise”, I mean that I have to spend a lot of time getting copies of the book to appropriate people and see what they think. By “appropriate”, I mean that the people have to be either [...]

Why the wait for “Ghost in the Water”?

Andy Kaiser — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 06:03:01 +0000

After my last post about the rescheduling of the “Ghost in the Water” release, I’ve had several people ask about the reason for the delay. “What happened?” “Is there anything wrong?” The answer to the second question is no, I don’t think there’s anything wrong. The rescheduling seems legitimate and is one of those things [...]

Ghost in the Water new publication date

Andy Kaiser — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:46:02 +0000

An update on book #1: The publication date for Ghost in the Water has changed. It was previously due to come out in stores in April 2011. The publisher had to push it back slightly – it’s now due to come out in late 2011. As usual, I’ll update as events occur, and when I [...]

Hello, world! Love, Ghost in the Water

Andy Kaiser — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:37:57 +0000

I use Google Alerts to keep track of many things, including finding any mention of the League of Scientists on other websites the moment that mention occurs. It found something. I’m sharing it with you now. Imagine my surprise this morning, when I found the picture you see below, showing the ISBNs, pricing, release date [...]

Names & nocturnes, editing & errors

Andy Kaiser — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:14:05 +0000

I’ve been doing a lot of night work lately. I believe the effort is worth the result: The draft of book #2 is complete! This means its pretty much the way I want, and now want someone else to look at it. Through new eyes, I can find the book’s weaker points, plot holes, mistakes, [...]

League of Scientists #2 is on the floor

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:36:26 +0000

Book #2 – the working title is “The Magician’s War” – is on the floor. You may think this is an industry term, like slang for being just about to print, or having been picked up by a movie studio, or [injecting pessimism to balance out the optimism] it’s been dropped from any possible publication. But [...]

The League of Scientists series and “The Grid”

Andy Kaiser — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:48:57 +0000

I’m not done writing the second book. The first book isn’t even out yet. I have no idea how the first book will sell, or if there will be readers who want another one. …Doesn’t this sound like the perfect time to plan out the entire series? Actually, it’s not as weird as it sounds. There [...]

Between

Andy Kaiser — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:10:42 +0000

After a fairly long pause since the last update, I’ve had several people ask me what’s going on with the book and the artwork. My answer: I’m in between. I’m between my submission of the final, final (final!!) draft of book #1 and having a book in my hands so I can take the next steps [...]

Site redesign: less is more

Andy Kaiser — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:02:14 +0000

Previous visitors to LeagueOfScientists.com may notice changes: I’ve pruned away many pages and removed two menu choices. This should make it easier to find your way around. Important for you, Reader, are two things: 1) As we’ve recently learned, the originally-planned artwork is being replaced by something else by another artist. This is why you [...]

Mammas, don’t let your authors grow up to be art directors

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:22:10 +0000

We handed the cover art to the publisher, so they could add the book title, “ghost tentacles” and other graphics. After working with their own graphic designer, we came up with the picture you see below. This is one version of what the book cover could look like: …and after we got to this point, [...]

How to write a book and how not to write a book

Andy Kaiser — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:15:59 +0000

I’ve been writing League of Scientists #2, currently titled “The Magician’s War”. And: It’s done! Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. Let me rephrase that to something a little more accurate: It’s not done, but it’s getting pretty close, particularly if one considers the effort spent and the results to date. Yeah, I know, the first [...]

Progress, pictures, particular points in my plife, and how not to use a silent ‘p’

Andy Kaiser — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:23:09 +0000

Book #1 – “Ghost in the Water” – is now pretty much out of my hands, and is the publisher’s responsibility. Here’s what’s happening right now. Or, if not RIGHT NOW, then at least here’s what’s happening at THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN MY LIFE. The book: The text may need a tweak here and there, but [...]

Skeptic celebrity endorsement: Joe Nickell

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:17:46 +0000

“This adventure of The League of Scientists is… a wonderful introduction to scientific detective work and critical thinking skills – all wrapped up in a delicious mystery! Although the exploits are shared with young readers, this seasoned detective looks forward to the League’s next adventure.” Joe Nickell Forensic, Historical, and Paranormal Investigator …the above is [...]

“Ghost in the Water” Ultra-Secret Preview

Andy Kaiser — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:07:57 +0000

My printer is mad at me. As I type this, my poor, abused, overworked home printer is in the process of printing over 1500 pages. That’s a lot, particularly when it’s only used to printing single-page birthday invitations once a year. What if I asked you to type that much? …that’s right. Now you know how my [...]

“The Ghost in the Water” printing timeline

Andy Kaiser — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:47:26 +0000

More news from the publisher: we have a tentative publishing schedule. This is good news, because it allows me to tell you when you can buy book #1! December 2010 – We’ll print the book. January 2011 - We’ll start distributing copies for review and marketing. February 2011 – “The League of Scientists and the Ghost [...]

“The Ghost in the Water” cover art status = “really, really done” (mostly)

Andy Kaiser — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:41:11 +0000

Great news – the publisher has approved the cover art! It’s done! As I type this, the artwork is physically located at Green Frog Photo, a local photography studio. There, Jeff Hage and Jeff Huyck will set up the art under a controlled four-point lighting system – this will bring out all the colors of [...]

The League of Scientists #2

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:17:24 +0000

The League of Scientists book number two has a working title: The Magician’s War Sure, it may change as I actually write the book, but hey, one of the first things a newborn baby gets is a name, right? And this is more than just a newborn, since I’m already well into the outlining stage [...]

“The Ghost in the Water” cover art status = “also kinda” done

Andy Kaiser — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:17:57 +0000

Just like my last post about the text of “The Ghost in the Water”, I’m happy to announce that the cover art is also kinda done. That is, it looks good to me, and has been submitted to the publisher for final approval. If they approve it, the artist and I will take the painting [...]

“The Ghost in the Water” status = “kinda” done

Andy Kaiser — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:57:54 +0000

It’s done. Well, actually, let me amend that: It’s kinda done. What I’ve accomplished is a completed first draft of the book. The story is complete. All chapters have been written. The story is (mostly) coherent, the characters (mostly) well-developed, and words (mostly) spelled correctly. I know you’re saying, “That’s nice, Andy, but give me [...]

Mr. Andy goes to school

Andy Kaiser — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:44:05 +0000

I did it! I went back to school! Back to crowded hallways, packed with students. Back to standalone desks and personalized lockers. Back to cool teachers, and, OMG, some awesome students. I saw all of this today, and I even did a little teaching myself. I went back to the fifth grade. For those of you [...]

The League of Scientists #2 (…What?! The first book isn’t even out yet!)

Andy Kaiser — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:08:16 +0000

I’m in an interesting situation. League of Scientists #1 – “The Ghost in the Water” – will release to bookstores in early 2011. The delay is due to the requirements of traditional publishing. This isn’t an ebook we can post online. It’s not a print-on-demand publisher to whom we can just hand a text document, [...]

“The Ghost in the Water” cover art concept is approved

Andy Kaiser — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:44:07 +0000

A big, tasty chunk of news for you to chew on: After a lot of back and forth on what the characters should look like, we now have a publisher-approved sketch for “The Ghost in the Water” cover art! Ladies, gentlemen, I’d like to introduce the (pencil sketch versions of) The League of Scientists: From [...]

The League of Scientists is online

Andy Kaiser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:01:07 +0000

Welcome! Take a look around. Get to know the place. If you don’t do anything else, visit the news page and sign up for email updates. I want to keep you updated with the latest information on The League of Scientists. Thanks, Andy