Traveller
Free
- Public updates
- Selected excerpts
- World introductions
- Campaign news
- Major publication milestones
- First to know when crowdfunding opens
THE ROAD TO PUBLICATION
Help bring The Bell of Silence into print.
Book One is written. The next work is turning a finished manuscript into a professionally edited, designed, printed, and delivered book. Join the Aurefold community for free, follow every major step, or become a member and help carry the work forward.
No canon is sold. No mystery is decided by payment. Support brings access to the work behind the book — not control over the story.
Where the project stands
ManuscriptComplete
Internal developmental revisionComplete
External reader programmeNext stage
Professional proofreadingPlanned
Cover & interior designPlanned
Print preparationPlanned
Crowdfunding campaignIn preparation
Ways to take part
Witness
€5/month
- Monthly development update
- Selected early excerpts
- Behind-the-scenes notes
- Non-canonical member polls
- Optional digital thank-you credit
Most popular
Chronicler
€10/month
- All Witness benefits
- Deeper monthly Aurefold material
- Worldbuilding and archive features
- Early visual and campaign previews
- Quarterly written Q&A
Keeper of the Blank Page
€25/month
- All Chronicler benefits
- Optional founding-supporter recognition
- Digital Founding Patron Dossier when completed
- Advance major campaign previews
- Priority written Q&A submissions
- Selected production notes
Joining now — free or paid — secures founding-member recognition and first notice the moment crowdfunding opens.
Patreon may display prices in the visitor's local currency. Memberships can be cancelled through Patreon.
Membership now. Crowdfunding later.
Patreon supports the work leading to publication: reader testing, production planning, design development, and the campaign itself. The later crowdfunding campaign will be a separate, time-limited opportunity to help finance the book's final production and receive campaign rewards.
Joining for free now is the best way to be notified when that campaign is ready.
Crowdfunding updates will be announced to free Patreon members first.
Or join the reading list
Prefer email? Get the same publication milestones straight to your inbox — no Patreon account needed. One message when there's real news; unsubscribe any time.
The reading list opens soon — for now, follow free on Patreon.
Prefer to read offline? Download the opening as a free PDF — the prologue and the start of Chapter One.
Where the money goes
Support pays for turning a finished manuscript into a printed book — never for the story, which is already written. Roughly in order of cost:
- Printing & production — the physical books themselves
- Shipping & fulfilment — packing and posting worldwide
- Editing & proofreading — external reader testing, final revision, and professional proofreading before print
- Cover & interior design — licensed artwork, typesetting and layout
- Print proofs — production testing before the run
- Campaign material — website, audio, and trailer
- Platform & payment fees — the crowdfunding platform's share
- Contingency — fulfilment and damaged copies
What the campaign will offer
The crowdfunding campaign — separate from Patreon, and still in preparation — is where the book itself becomes available. Planned reward types include:
- Digital edition — the eBook
- Paperback — the printed book
- Hardcover — a collector's edition
- Signed copies — signed by the author
- Named in the book — founding-patron recognition
- Art & extras — map prints, bookplates, and more
These are planned, not final — nothing is on sale yet. Formats and prices are confirmed when the campaign launches, and free Patreon members hear first.
You can help without spending anything
- Read the opening
- Join free for publication updates
- Join the Discord and say hello
- Follow on TikTok
- Share Aurefold with one reader
- Take part in non-canonical Moot questions
Lend your craft
Aurefold is being built in the open, and there's room for a few collaborators who want to help carry Book One to publication. These are pro bono roles — unpaid, but credited, with a real hand in how the book and its world reach readers. A few evenings a month is plenty.
- Video editor — trailers, TikToks, and campaign video cut from existing footage and art
- Lore master — keep continuity, grow the world archive, and field reader lore questions
- Beta / manuscript readers — read the finished manuscript and give structured feedback before proofreading
- Illustrator — cover, map, and spot art: the visual hooks the campaign is built on
- Social & community manager — grow and run the TikTok, Discord, and Instagram, and steward the Moot, where readers help shape the world around the book
- Audio manager — audiobook, trailer sound and music, and the audio side of social
- Graphic designer — interior typesetting and crowdfunding key art
Interested? Write to tobias.carneteg@gmail.com with the role and a little about your work. Every collaborator is credited.
What support does — and does not — buy
Members receive closer access to the making of Aurefold. They do not purchase authority over its canon. The ten Houses, the central plot, the characters' fates, and the unresolved mysteries remain the responsibility of the author. What the Moot can shape is the world around the book — which supplemental material, art, or topic the archive opens next, and bounded extras like which side-story gets written or the name of a minor figure in the supplementary lore. The heart of the story stays the author's, and no vote is bought — one voice per reader.
Questions
Is the book written?
Yes. The Bell of Silence is a completed manuscript of approximately 106,700 words.
What stage is it in?
Internal developmental revision is complete. Next comes external reader testing, then professional proofreading, cover and interior design, and print preparation.
Why use Patreon before crowdfunding?
Patreon lets early readers follow the work and helps build the community that makes a later campaign viable. It supports the preparation itself.
What will crowdfunding pay for?
The final production: proofreading, cover and interior design, typesetting, print proofs, and fulfilment. Exact costs will come from real quotes, not guesses.
Does membership influence the story?
The central plot, canon, and the book's unresolved mysteries are the author's alone. What the community can shape through the Moot is the world around the book — which material or art the archive opens next, and bounded extras like which side-story gets written or a minor figure's name in the supplementary lore. Membership brings closer access to how Aurefold is made, not authority over its canon.
Will members receive the complete manuscript?
No. Selected excerpts are shared. The full manuscript is not released.
Are physical rewards available now?
No. Physical rewards belong to the future crowdfunding campaign, once printing, packaging, and shipping have been modelled.
When will crowdfunding launch?
There is no date yet. Free Patreon members are notified first.
Can I follow without paying?
Yes. Free membership (Traveller) gives you updates, selected excerpts, and campaign news.
Where can I read a sample?
On the Excerpt page: the prologue and the opening of Chapter One.
A note from the author
Aurefold and The Bell of Silence are written by me, Tobias Carneteg. I could publish quietly and show you only the finished object; I would rather do it in the open, and let readers be part of the road to print.
The book is written. The road to publication is open.
Every truth has a keeper. Every silence has a cost.