Time for the March-April Infinitas Publishing status report! 📋
I had hoped to put this out sooner, but between vacation and then a second unplanned trip a few days later, this is coming out a little later than expected.
Lots happening, though, even with the chaos months having begun.
I’ve highlighted the projects that had changes in blue.
* * *
Changing Tides: (Book 4 of the Distant Horizon series). While no revisions were made on the draft, Isaac and I did discuss the climax of the series and possible options regarding the final battle. Additionally, some ideas were tossed around in regards to how the future of that world might look, which could affect what foreshadowing I focus on.
Otherwise, this is on hold while working on The Dark Forest of Aneth. Next step is to merge the two revised drafts and start writing the missing scenes.
Betrayed (Deceived #2): I still need to finalize the post reviewing the launch for Betrayed, but I did start the process of making notes on the sales as related to promos with the exception of the sales I was still waiting to see finalized.
Next up, revising Deceived #3 (tentatively titled Exposed).
Other future steps: Input Isaac’s notes from Deceived #5 (formerly #4) into the manuscript, revise Deceived #5, and revise #6 (formerly #5) before handing it to Isaac for his feedback.
Dossiers (Deceived Spin-off): This is a short story I started during the Betrayed launch that, per usual, took on a life of its own. I not only included character bios for the main group of Deceived, I also included a running short story involving a future antagonist, Agent Shepherd. I’ve sent an episode at a time to Distant Horizon newsletter subscribers.
Since the previous status report, I’ve sent episodes for Nia, Erin, Luuk, an an additional chapter focused on Luuk’s brother. Currently I’m debating whether to continue the story a bit further or end it there.
Once complete, I’ll likely edit it to have as a bonus for newsletter subscribers. I haven’t decided if I’ll publish it separately.
Multiverse Chronicles (Distant Horizon Universe Spin-off): I dusted off the Scrivener file and made revisions to the prologue. I may be sharing this soon with the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter.
TWB 4: (Book Four of The Wishing Blade series). On hold. Next step is to add the remaining outline to Scrivener, review that outline for missing plot points, and then write the rough draft.
The Legends of Cirena – Collaborative Adventure Facebook Group: On hiatus. There’s a possibility I might move this concept to the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter, but that’s just a vague idea at this point.
The Legends of Cirena Volume One (Collection of books 1-6): This was one of the unplanned projects that I had in my list of maybe-get-done during chaos months. I already released the print edition a while back, but I hadn’t yet compiled the ebook edition.
Good news: I finally completed the ebook version!
I’ve created the Infinitas Publishing page for it, uploaded the ebook to most of the online retailers (with the exception of Google Play, which will be coming soon, and Smashwords, which needs a small file adjustment) and started preparing to send out ARC files.
The ebook version will release on April 22nd!
Next up: Create a launch week plan and order newsletter promos? (I’ve chosen a few but haven’t yet ordered them).
The Dark Forest of Aneth (“Ro’nor (“The Restless Sands of Neel”) & Zynia (“The Dragons of the Mist”) cross-over / A Legends of Cirena short novel): I essentially completed my goal for February, which was to finish another round of revisions and write the missing chapters. Woot!
However, there were more missing chapters than I realized. So I got the amount of work done as intended (plus a couple extra chapters), but there are at least two more chapters that need added, as well as heavy-duty revisions to the new chapters and another light revision pass after all that.
Additionally, I tested ProWritingAid’s new Manuscript Analysis feature, which provided both the suggestions I already intended to implement, as well as ones I hadn’t considered previously. So I intend to look over those in the next pass, too.
Goals: Revisit the book cover concept. Create a blurb.
The Ruins of Amixthael (The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear Spin-Off): I’ve started the continuity revisions. So far the first two chapters are complete. I’ve also drafted a Daz render for the cover. It needs a bit more work before I render the final version for Photoshop editing and the title.
Untitled LoC Short Story (Standalone – Merchant in Reveratch): I’ve drafted, polished and sent three more chapters to the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter. (We’re now on chapter five). Despite having an outline, this one is turning out longer than expected, but I’ve been having a lot of fun exploring this particular area of Cirena (both Reveratch and the Immortal Realm). I anticipate at least two more chapters before completion.
Additionally, I’ve been working on a related poem/ballad that explores the lore as related to this particular story. I haven’t decided yet if it’ll make it into the story.
The Wind Mage and the Wolf (“Livena (The Wind Mage of Maijev”) & Nuaka (“The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear”) cross-over / A Legends f Cirena short novel) : Joran’s short story is on hold. Still needs a couple scenes smoothed out, and I need to cross-reference the final scene in The Wind Mage and the Wolf (from Joran’s point of view). After that, it’ll be ready for a read-aloud and proofreading.
Huntress 3: On hold. Next step is to finish re-reading Changeling to make notes on the series guide, finalize the cover (proof created), and create a detailed outline.
Other Stories: I wrote a couple of flash fiction shorts that I posted to Substack. Both are set in the same fantasy post-apocalyptic world:
- “The Courier” – A homesteader in a post-apocalyptic wasteland gets an unexpected delivery.
- “The Proposal” – A nervous office worker turns in an ambitious proposal.
Next up: Revise ending of YA Alien Invasion/Dystopian story.
Game Design: Isaac designed a simple dice game (tentatively called Anchor). We’ve been beta-testing the basic rules and created a rough draft of a potential playmat. I’ve also been researching customized dice prices, and we’ve been working on gathering the pieces needed to create a prototype.
Marketing: The last couple months had far less focus on marketing than the previous month, though I’ve begun planning promos for upcoming launches. Meanwhile, these are some of the recent projects:
- Amazon Ads same as usual, just the ones that were already running.
- I scheduled Deceived for a BookFunnel promo that ran in March. That one was promoted in my Distant Horizon newsletter later in the month, along with a blog post. I also scheduled Stone and String for a couple promos in April. The newsletter is set to go but I still need to prep the blog post.
- I tested an updated design for the individual book pages on the Infinitas Publishing website (Distant Horizon). Only one done so far, but I like the result. I’m planning to eventually update all the pages for the more streamlined design, though I may do a couple more setup tests before finalizing the general setup.
- I sent out an email to the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter with a book promo for an author friend who had a new release.
- Finished business taxes for 2024.
- Hoopla removed a massive number of ebooks (most of mine included). I sent an email to D2D (the distributor) to follow-up on the reasons why, but haven’t heard anything new about having the books reinstated since the first reply acknowledging that this happened.
- I revised the backmatter for all Legends of Cirena ebooks and updated them at all retailers.
- I updated the mailing list automation for the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter.
Next up: Continue adding sample chapters to the BookFunnel sales pages for each book, and then to the main Infinitas Publishing website. Add BookBub and Goodreads links to each landing page. Update my author bio across the different retailers. Continue updating Stripe and Payhip so I can offer direct sales from the main website. Revise Amazon ads, and overhaul book categories, keywords, and blurbs.
Substack – Though I missed a couple weeks of posting, I continued posting writing tips and weekly roundups on my Substack.
Events: Isaac and I joined local author, R.Aveen, at the Portage Lake District Library for a YA Author panel. We had a lot of fun talking about our processes and the audience asked great questions.
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough people sign up for my Crafting Your Fictional World workshop at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, so that one didn’t run. I’ll be talking with the art center to decide on what workshops might work better to run in the future.
At the beginning of April we had a booth at the KYCA Art and Music Festival, where we primarily focused on our art prints. We added several new prints to the mix, using secondhand frames we found at various consignment stores. Additionally, I got to test out my metallic photo paper!
SBibb’s Photographic Illustration: I’ve finished my most recent book formatting project for Cave Hollow Press! You can now pre-order Just Willa by Helen Sheehy. I may have another formatting project coming up, but the details for that is still in the works.
Future Goals: Update the SBibbPhoto website to incorporate Daz work and fix the SEO information. Finish designing cute mascot for a local store. Finish editing photos for a local Aikido group.
SIFlint Art: I’ve received the stickers from my most recent order! I’ve added a trans-themed shark hoarding dragon, as well as the Ghooste of Christmas Yet to Come and the Ghoosteling of Christmas Past.
Additionally, I finally placed my paper order with Red River Paper. I’ve already gotten to print on the metallic photo paper (which I framed for the KYCA Art and Music Festival), so my next step is to print more business cards. I do plan on printing and mounting one of the dragons as a display for future shows.
Daz PA: I took a series of snow and ice texture photos on a couple different photoshoots, which I started merging for the use of texture photos. I’m considering making another texture pack.
Other future projects include searching for a collaborator for my Genesis 9 Diverse Worlds set, and to complete some of the pose sets that Isaac started last summer before he got his new job.
* * *
Happy writing and reading (Or 3D rendering if you’re into Daz)! 🙂
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 