In the words of author Zach Weiner, “Trial of the Clones” is:

“the tale of a clone who finds out he’s chosen for greatness. In a path-of-the-hero adventure, he conquers over and over in the service of his country, only to meet… a twist ending.  So, if you like high fantasy and low humor, you’ll like this book. ”

Zach and his amazing publisher Breadpig put this great premise out as a Kickstarter project.  They hoped to raise $15,000 and promised autographed copies for everyone who pledged more than $20.  Perhaps intuiting they might significantly exceed their target,  Zach prophesied:

As a de facto bonus, if we sell more than a few thousand signed copies, my hand will shrivel up and fall off. If that happens, I’ll take pictures as the source of everything good in my life slowly melts away.

Fans wound up committing over $130,000, putting Zach on the hook for over 2,500 signatures. So this past weekend he drove over 700 miles NONSTOP to Amplifier’s headquarters to do just that. Sign a mountain of books. Incredibly, Zach knocked them out in less than a day. And his hand still seems to work.

In this clip, Zach signs the very last book after a marathon 12 hour session.

What’s Next?

Now Zach and the team at Breadpig face the nightmare of packing nearly 3,000 orders and shipping them out. It is a thankless, seemingly unending task.  Weeks of one’s life… GONE.  Vague anxieties around esoterica like “Is this the right customs paperwork?” And then of course the act of delivering over one ton of parcels to UPS… 

Oh wait! Scratch that! Amplifier will knock all this stuff in no time!  So what about YOU?  Got a successful Kickstarter campaign giving you ulcers?