Embracing the Digital Age

Image: GuerrillaGeek.com

Ok, so very suddenly I seem to have a lot of stuff on the go all at once. Not that this is a bad thing, but I’m wary of the fact that with so many plates spinning at once, I may end up taking my eye off of something for too long and fall on my arse.

Poetry Progress
I have one chapbook being hotly edited and prepared for submission—yes, I said submission, because I’ve found a publisher that *may* just may be the perfect match—so hopefully it might be my first collection not published through Smashing Press. We shall see.

Fiction Progress
I started the final edit and polish of BACCARA BURNING last night. I want it ready for my trusted readers by the end of the month, and then it’ll be one final round of edits before the publisher gets it. With it being my first ever attempt at a sequel, I’m rather nervous about how it will be received. Then again, I think it’s a rather good story and has elements that build on what happened in STELLA as well as expanding into the characters.

I’ve stalled with development of the storyline of the new novella that began in last month’s advanced dialogue workshop over the past few days, so after work last night, I went to the coffee shop and got fired into it. It’s almost ready to begin where I left off; yet something else I’m totally charged up about!

Event Progress
The plan of action for my visit to The SKY Project later in the month is all but complete. I’ve sent it off to the project coordinator and I’ll wait until she verifies everything before I settle on it for good. I’ve got lots of good things planned for the kids—it’s going to be a great night so long as I don’t get too nervous and remember what I’m supposed to be doing.

Rebranding Progress
And finally, I’ve put a lot of work into my rebranding. I know it makes me sound like a PLC but this is going to form the major piece of change and development work I’ll undertake this next year.

To give you an overview of where I’m headed, (and I’ll explain all my decisions in more detail in posts nearer the time), my rebranding will involve splitting off my poetry work entirely from my fiction writing through the use of a pseudonym and a new website.

This will leave me to focus on marketing myself as a thriller and paranormal writer—I’m making myself sellable—which in turn, will see the release of some new books through my own means. HUNTING JACK, SLICK and GREENER IS THE GRASS are all to be released through this new channel, with BACCARA going to the current publisher of STELLA.

In short, I’m embracing the digital self-publishing age with as much energy and force as I can muster. As far as the marketing of all of this goes, I have some pretty radical ideas up my sleeve as well and that’s not including the two new websites I’m going to put together to support all of this.

As you can probably tell, there’s a lot more to come on this in future months.

At Last a Sermanni
Rachel Sermanni has finally released an album! It’s only a four track EP but it is well worth the £2.49 to download it from iTunes. It’s called The Bothy Sessions and it’s a beautiful mini collection from one of the finest female singer/songwriters to come from Scotland. I would heartily recommend you all get a copy.

Best get back to work. Ciao for now!