How has it been 7 months since my last update? I am so sorry for the silence.
In my last update, I mentioned that I was waiting on a moving date. Well, I can happily announce that I have finally moved house and I'm settling in just fine. The new property needs a lot of work doing to it, but my temporary office is up and running in the dining room and I'm back writing again. I still have a bit of work to do with Ruthless Wolves, but it is moving in the right direction (despite a few mishaps in the beginning and several delays).
I originally planned to have Ruthless Wolves completed and sent out in 10 to 12 months, but because of a few delays, the end date has kept moving. I don't foresee any more delays, but if any crop up, I will post an update as soon as possible.
To be completely transparent, I need to finish writing the last 4 chapters and then I'm onto editing. I have made a start on editing and I'm already halfway through, so it shouldn't take long once I've finished the final 4 chapters. As long as there are no more delays (which I can't foresee there being anymore), Ruthless Wolves should be finished within the next 6 to 8 weeks and then I can begin ordering the physical books. That means, depending on shipping, you should have the books and other rewards in plenty of time for Christmas this year.
Thank you again for your patience while I work on this book ❤
Once the campaign "ends" at noon PT, the challenge begins! If the backer train continues unbroken for 2 hours past close, we're in Overtime. Keep it going until at least 2pm PT to receive an Ivy House greeting card--a gift for every physical tier.
Goal: 120 reached! — We did it! This project reached this goal!
Congratulations, Leveling Up backers! It's been a long battle, but Door 6 has been unlocked, and the bonus enamel pin is yours. The bonus pin reward will be added automatically to every tier or add-on that includes a pin set, at no additional cost!
Moment of truth: which pin design will you choose? This is another BACKER-ONLY vote, so you'd like to participate, please back at any tier to make your selection.
PS: The voting will remain open past the (scheduled) end of the campaign, so take your time~
So We Launch In Two Months and I am starting to think about the FAQ for our campaign and I would like to know if there are any Interesting Questions that anyone would like answered that I can add to it?
-Faedrice
So also stated on over on our Substack. I was originally thinking of naming myself Mavis (Real Surname). But on the off chance this book does become popular. I did not want any future fans to end up on social media's of any other Mavis's out there. So I am torn between these two...
Help me choose please ☺️🫶, What do you guys think?
-Faedrice
It is now August 7th, which means there is only one more week until I close this campaign for good.
There are still four surveys that have not been filled out, and one failed payment. I would hate for those of you who initially backed Monitored Activity to miss out on your goodies!
This is your last and final chance to get your orders sorted.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at [email protected].
Today, you should have recieved the remaining print-on-demand key messages, and I can happily say that StoryGuider is a closed project!
The proofs for the last books came in a bit early and checked out, so I was able to finish distribution.
Thank you all for supporting StoryGuider and helping make this series what it is today with art by a whole group of talented artists and having it in print! It is a great feeling knowing these books are out there and already being enjoyed (a couple folks have shared how they've enjoyed them with their families already). I'm happy to share this project with you all, and I hope you enjoy these stories with your family, classroom, library, and/or friends!
COMPLETED:
Oct – campaign funds released from Backerkit
Oct – send contracts for funded art to artists
Oct – draft the Tome Traveller Trilogy (part of the Heroes series)
Oct → Nov – collect first round of art from early artist kick-offs (from itchio and ko-fi prefunds)
Nov – artists working on Heroes series
Nov/Dec – finish writing the new Dragon series adventures
Nov → Jan – reformat the Heroes series
Jan – Heroes series art due
Jan – order Heroes series proofs (round 1)
Jan – artists working on Friends series
Feb – Friends series art due
Feb – Heroes series proofs arrive, review, update (round 1)
Jan – Mar – reformat the Friends series
Jan – Apr – artists working on Dragon series
Mar – Dragon series art due
Mar – send backer surveys
Apr – update + order Friends series proofs (round 1)
Apr – update + order Heroes series proofs (round 1.5)
Apr – set up digial pages for Friends and Heroes series
Apr – fulfill digital print-and-play for Friends and Heroes series
May – Friends series proofs review, update, reorder (round 2)
May – Heroes series proofs review, update, reorder (round 2)
June – reformat the Dragon series and make coloring book
June – order Dragons series and coloring book proofs (round 1)
June – set up digial pages for Dragons series
June – fulfill digital print-and-play for Dragon series
July – Friends series proofs arrive, review, update (round 2)
July – Heroes series proofs arrive, review, update (round 2)
July – Dragon series proofs arrive, review, update (round 1)
July – start distribution of Friends and Dragons POD keys
July – order Heroes series proofs (round 3)
Aug – finish POD release of small books
Aug – Heroes series proofs arrive, review, update (round 3)
Almost forgot I had to do one of these. I'll keep this one short and brief. Probably.
The Bright Spot Hardcover Cover reveal
Now if you are a bright spot super fan, you might be asking silly questions like "I thought you already did a hardcover" and "How come its taken this long" And the answer I have for you is "don' worry abbadit" The first hardcover edition had many issues. The biggest one was ISBN conflicts. When publishing the bright spot I tried using an ISBN for the amazon edition of the paperback version. I decided to not use amazon kdp and stuck with IngramSpark. The ISBN I used at amazon, never really went away. So when I published the hardcover with the same isbn that I tried using, Amazon found that very confusing so I had to take it down. Otherbook sellers like B&N and even Walmart had no issue with the hardcover version. I could get more technical but I don't really want to because I don't understand it fully myself. I also didn't like the cover I made for it. It had the iconic red space cover for a dust jacket and the inside binding was fully black with a sliver of red as a sillhouette of the planet. It looked fantastic on the computer, but in print, you could hardly even see it. So back to the drawing board. I really wanted to create an experience that incentivises readers to pick up both editions. I think the paperback space versions look amazing, so I needed a cover for the hardback to look equally great with a minimalist approach. So I present to you...... The Bright Spot Hardcover and Blight Eater Hardcover!!
Keep your ooing and aahing to a minimum please. These are still work in progress, so if theres something you notice that I should change or update, let me know!
Now these designs are for the dust jackets. I have the potential to make the inside covers different or special. So I could either keep this design, on the inside, or put the paperback design, or something entirely different. Maybe I'll make that a stretch goal... Thoughts?
Writing update
I kinda took a break for the last week so I could brainstorm a bit on how I'm going to edit the second half of Blight Eater. There are a lot of rules I need to create and keep consistent. There are also a lot of rules I've previously established that I'll need to break using newer rules. Its gonna be fun. I know I need to hurry it up, but I also have to do my best to make sure you don't hate it. Outlining has sort-of begun with the second half. Once I decide how badly I want to hurt my characters, I'll have a pretty good idea on what to do.
POLL
New poll btw. Not that anyone cares. No one even participates
