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  • Patreon for Creators

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs Comment

    Patreon for Creators

    A.P. Fuchs-Patreon-Logo

    A lot of time and thought has been put into the essays and articles I post on Patreon for my patrons to help the creators there boost their arts career.

    These articles and essays aren’t available anywhere else online except for patrons. Definitely worth the read even if you drop in for just a month.

    These are the topics covered so far with more to come:

    Realm of Heroes and Monsters Patreon Page Trailer

    Please join me on my Patreon journey by going here.

    For some free reading on writing and self-publishing, please check out the articles at this site.


    📂This entry was posted in Articles Patreon Promo Items Self-publishing Social Media Writing 📎and tagged

  • Project Blog Site Adjustment

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Project Blog Site Adjustment

    project blog site adjustment

    So if you read last weekend’s edition of THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION, it was revealed that I spent last week working on this website behind the scenes while I wait on the editor for AXIOM-MAN/CRIMSON CLOAK: SCARLET SYNERGY and for my [hopeful] blurb for CAUGHT IN BLACK HEADLIGHTS. (The latter is presently airing on Patreon.)

    This is an old site. If you’ve been with me even for just the past 5 or 6 years, you know a lot of content has been put up here. And as good as that is–because I want you guys to have content–technology and software is changing all the time (as we all know) so there are parts of this site on the interface side of things where all this content is produced that needs updating and adjustment.

    I’ve managed to create an organized workflow to get it done and thus far have altered the Book and Comic Shop and the titles therein (plus a few other page tweeks). If you check it out, you’ll notice the book pages are laid out differently than before. This was a move to get rid of some old, unnecessary coding that, while it worked for a while, could have been better in terms of title presentation so that’s what I did: Made the book pages pretty just for you. Awww.

    So you might notice over the next bit slight modifications to this site in terms of appearance. I like this blog site the way it is in terms of having the columns with the books and other bonuses along the sides with the main content in the middle. Keeps the fun stuff easily accessible while you peruse the content down the center.

    Anyway, website-wise, that’s what’s been going down. It’s a bit of a big project on the whole but easy to manage when broken into chunks.

    I look forward to having it done within the next month or so. It’s kind of a pick-at project so will take some time.

    Cheers.


    📂This entry was posted in Blogging Canister X Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Some Thoughts on Blogging

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Some Thoughts on Blogging

    station ident apr2420

    Just sitting here thinking about blogging. It’s considered a great sin in the blogging world for a blogger to blog about blogging. But, every now and then should be okay, right?

    To be honest, I don’t have much to add to the idea of blogging or what a blog is. I mean, what is a blog anymore? A long, long time ago in an Internet far, far away, blogs were basically public journals where writers–pro or hobby–could express thoughts and opinions on whatever topic, post it up for the world to see, then hope someone out there agrees with them.

    I’ve been thinking about this blog here at Canister X, the Realm of Heroes and Monsters. It’s not really a blog, is it? I mean, kind of. It’s runs on a WordPress engine so thus a blogging platform. The site’s divided into sections and pages, I have the main window of this place to share whatever I want on any given day, and I try and encourage you to explore the site because there’s lots here from articles, to comics, to artwork, to videos, to podcasts–I mean, we’re not really blogging anymore per se. We’re not journaling or running a series of articles on a topic as our main thing either. We’re just sharing art and writing and hoping to entertain and inform you. That’s it.

    This site–this place–is more a multimedia hub than a blog-blog. And that’s how I’ve been viewing it for a while: A place of free entertainment and a celebration of pop culture, superheroes, and monsters.

    Just some random thoughts this early Sunday afternoon (the time I’m writing this).

    Well, let’s just go forward step by step and take it from there.

    “Every day’s a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something’s bound to turn up.” – Harvey Pekar, AMERICAN SPLENDOR

    Peace.

    – APF


    📂This entry was posted in Blogging Canister X Life Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Blogging Has Lost Its Way

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    blogging has lost its way

    I discovered this link through Warren Ellis’s blog. As a paraphrase of what it’s about–though I encourage you to read it–it basically says that blogs have now been geared toward getting traffic via catchy headlines and, simply, have become a complete defeat of what blogging was meant to be, which is merely a place for someone to log their thoughts and personal items and create content of interest without getting all gimmicky about it.

    The argument put forth over at Ribbon Farm is a compelling one, especially to someone like me who hates the pursuit of money and fame and popularity. (If those things are an honest byproduct of what you do, that’s different. I’m talking about making those things one’s goal(s) as the error).

    The idea of writing a blog where, even if it had just an audience of one (me), is tantalizing. I’m very anti-establishment by nature and tend to see the strings in what people are doing (especially in the creative industry). It all comes off as so flimsy and childish. I’m not knocking my fellow creators but am talking straight to whomever this entry here at Canister X and over at Ribbon Farm speaks to. Should a person not be of interest through genuine organic efforts instead of a blatant attempt to sell a product? Shouldn’t who they are be more important than what they make? When did an inorganic object of extremely limited value replace a person whose value is limitless? Something’s not right here.

    I’ve always been partial to the random, the underground, the unique. Maybe because those are my roots and are a constant theme in my work (taking an idea and trying something new with it, consequences be damned). There has always been a soft spot in my heart for that guy or girl with an obscure blog from some other part of the world, the kind of blog you read where you don’t know if you’re the only audience member or not.

    Capitalist culture would call blogging for no one a wasted effort because it doesn’t–or is unlikely to–yield a financial result.

    This is foolish.

    Running a blog isn’t about money despite what the marketers tell you (who want you to visit their blog for information so they can sell you something).

    Blogging is about showcasing a life in thought, word, and deed. Blogging is about honesty. It’s about talking to the world about anything that interests you or is on your mind and heart.

    I might not have always succeeded, but since I’ve been back after being ill, I’ve made every effort to showcase myself and what I do and talk to you honestly through my blog entries and newsletter. Sometimes you might have enjoyed what you read, other times not. And that’s okay. I’ve been doing this long enough to know I won’t hit a chord with everyone. The magic is in the honesty. The magic lies within you, dear reader, when you commit the simple act of reading regardless of how you feel about what you’re reading. It’s the fact that you did take the time to read the words of a person you only know through a screen. And maybe that’s the secret right there? Taking the time to read the words of a person–a very real person with a physical body and mind and heart and spirit–whom you never met. Like I always say, time is the most valuable thing a person has and its wealth surpasses anything we can compare it to. The fact that a person takes that precious commodity and spends it on you is magic.

    Here at Canister X, the Realm of Heroes and Monsters, there is a certain blogging style, a way of communicating that’s in a constant state of adjustment and fine-tuning but one that has a core that has been in place long enough that you know what to expect from me. If I segue into experimental blogging styles, I hope you come along for the ride. Or I might start a new blog where I can fiddle with blogging conventions until I find a method I like and is an honest expression of myself. Time will tell.

    In the end, it does indeed dismay me that blogs are often started as business ventures versus public journals. I get the reasoning behind it, but it doesn’t sit right and that’s probably because it replaces a person with a commodity and, in the end, it’s our replacement of people for commodities that caused the world to be in the state it is currently in.


    📂This entry was posted in Articles Blogging Canister X Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Not Dead Yet

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    station ident apr2420

    I haven’t blogged here in nearly a year, which makes me a hypocrite because I used to stress blogging fairly frequently. Thing is, I fell ill again and had to put a full stop on most things while I recovered. I was able to pick at odds and ends but wasn’t able to get back into the full swing of things.

    Over the past few weeks I’ve been as productive as ever and finally brought some book stuff out of the darkness and into the light. I did a lot of work and the following is an update as to where my various projects are at.

    In no particular order:

    Giganti-gator Death Machine: Triple Feature – with the editor.
    The Canister X Transmission: Year Four – with the formatter.
    The Canister X Transmission: The Long Year Five – with the formatter.

    Expected release: Summer 2022

    Reissues:

    Blood of the Dead – with the formatter.
    Possession of the Dead – with the formatter.
    Redemption of the Dead – beginning of final proofread.
    Surprise Project – In pieces but not in a bad way. Just need to assemble everything and write something for it.

    Expected release: Fall 2022

    The Axiom-man Saga:

    The Summoning – to be written soon.
    Episode No. 4: Transformations – to be written.
    New Dawn – to be written.

    These three Axiom-man books will be written back-to-back because these three stories are The Battle of Power Trilogy, so essentially one story told over three parts. My goal is to have them out by Winnipeg Comic Con in the fall. I know the above looks like a lot and overshooting the year but you have to remember what these projects are and how close each one is to being finished.

    Other items:

    Fredrikus – I have one episode inked and ready for scanning. The comic is temporarily on the backburner while I finish up the above.
    The Canister X Transmission: The Very Long Year Six – I plan to resume the newsletter at a later date. I want to wait until I’m fully back up and running so I have something to write to you every week.
    YouTube – I have a package here at Axiom-man Central that I want to do an unboxing video for so look for that soon. I also plan to make more videos once I’m fully back in the saddle.
    Canister X – I’ll blog when I can and when I have something to say.

    And there you have it: A complete picture of what’s happening with various projects on the go. Let’s hope my health keeps up.

    Cheers.

    ~APF


    📂This entry was posted in Axiom-man Blogging Canister X General Announcements Life Web Stuff Writing 📎and tagged

  • Newsletter Delay; The Canister X Transmission Issue 252

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Just a note to inform you there is a newsletter delay this week due to TinyLetter’s site glitching. Until it’s resolved, I am unable to send out the most recent issue so I’ve blogged it here in the interim and will send it out proper once I am able to, which might mean this week you’ll be getting two editions of The Canister X Transmission close together. If the problem persists due to possible staffing shortages on their end, then we’ll just air the newsletter here until things get back to normal.

    There’s a first time for everything.

    Here is the latest edition. It is dated yesterday.

    Newsletter:

    Issue Two Hundred-fifty-two – April 18, 2020

    Hello and welcome to the 252nd issue of THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION, a weekly newsletter from a schlub up north who offers you strange ramblings every week.

    How is everyone?

    It has been a busy week. Lots of tasks. Lots of work. Lots of prep. Lots of thinking. Lots of stress. Lots of accomplishment. Lots of, well, lots.

    And here we are.

    Oh, and I made bread.

    Work log:

    PROJECT JACKASS (title reveal below); uploaded a sneak peek to the Behind-the-Scenes tier on Patreon showcasing one of the opening pages of PROJECT JACKASS in full color (link below); shot and uploaded a new video to YouTube, which announces PROJECT JACKASS’s real title and quickly takes a glimpse at the artwork and offers a brief premise (link below); blogging; and administration.

    Quick note regarding this newsletter: Issue 260 is the final issue of The Long Year Five. We will do something special at that time. As always, the invite is there if you want to see something particular in that double issue. Just shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do.

    In blog headline news—and once information known only to my patrons on Patreon—the title of PROJECT JACKASS was revealed! PROJECT JACKASS was a place-holder name for an upcoming webcomic from me called FREDRIKUS, which is about an anthropomorphic dog in a dystopic sc-fi world. Phew. Now I can finally refer to it as an actual thing and not some project document (which is actually a combination of multiple documents including a notebook for the stories).

    Blog headlines:

    Various Bits from the Net – 041220

    Status Report – 041420

    Project Jackass Title Revealed: Fredrikus

    Fredrikus Social Media

    New Fredrikus Behind-the-Scenes Post on Patreon!

    On Art and Never Arriving

    Fredrikus Webcomic Announcement

    Status Report – 041720

    As you can see from the above headline, you are invited to like and follow FREDRIKUS on social media so you can be notified when the strip airs. Please do so. More details about the webcomic to be revealed in due time. Watch the blog to stay current. I will admit, it’s high time new things started to roll out from me and warming up the machine for FREDRIKUS is part of that journey.

    I’m thinking that the next thing to roll out from me is the Inktober 2019 sketchbook I mentioned in a previous issue. PROJECT REBUILD is taking some time due to elements beyond my control and I don’t want to leave you hanging.

    Side note: As much as my blog has been retooled on the back end, sometimes the theme acts up and reverts to black text on white rather than white text on black. If you come across this, don’t worry. I’m still troubleshooting the issue with the hope of taking care of it once and for all in the near future. Just check the blog as per usual and you’ll be fine.

    We’re also gearing up for the new serial novel to air on Patreon because GIGANTIGATOR DEATH MACHINE is almost complete. Watch the blog for the announcement and be sure to get in on the ground floor by becoming a patron today for just a buck. The entirety of GIGANTIGATOR DEATH MACHINE will remain on the site so come time for the new serial novel, you’ll have two novels to read for the price of one. Awesome deal. Please take advantage (it also helps keep me fed). Link below to subscribe to what is essentially the Netflix of literary entertainment from a book and comic guy like me. Thank you in advance for your support.

    Also going on, but not worked on this week, is PROJECT COBALT. This is a big one and an important one, and a lot of thought, trial and error, and work has already been put into it. I’m suspecting a latter 2020 rollout, but keep that fluid for the moment. The world is in upheaval on multiple levels and things are in constant flux as we combat this invisible enemy (amongst other things). But yeah, PROJECT COBALT, man. Onward.

    For a good while I’ve had the marketing materials for a YouTube subscription drive, but we’re not quite there yet in terms of the channel’s relationship to other things. However, I’m a firm believer in groundwork and foundation and I’d like you to be a part of all that’s planned for the channel plus what’s already there. Please use the link below and subscribe. Your subscription will eventually lead to me monetizing the channel, which in turn will fund more comics and books and the stuff I put online for free. But it all takes time and time, in order to do this job full time, requires money. The subscription costs you nothing other than 5 seconds—which I recognize is your valuable time hence why I try and create interesting content in the vein of Heroes and Monsters—and will go a long way toward keeping the media machine running. Thank you in advance again for your support.

    With Year Six of this newsletter fast approaching, I’m getting eager to see how the new format will work, how it will flow, and, ultimately, what it will do for you as my reader. I hope you enjoy the new format in 8 issues.

    In other newsletter news, Year Four was obviously completed a long time ago but was never published. It is still the plan to release it along with The Long Year Five. Also soon, my how-to book, GETTING DOWN AND DIGITAL: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH YOUR BOOK, will be going out of print. Please grab your copy now. The principles and methods apply to both books and comics. It is also ideal for creators on a budget who are unable to afford fancy formatting programs. It walks you through formatting in MSWord for both print and electronic editions in a tried-and-tested procedure that is quite simple to follow.

    We’re also noodling with the social media broadcaster for FREDRIKUS because I’ve never run a broadcaster for anyone but myself and since good ol’ Fred can’t work the thing himself due to his paws, I’m stuck with the job. Hopefully it all works out. Speaking of which, the broadcaster has run out of broadcasts from that time I loaded ’er up good so that will have to be addressed in the coming week or two as well, but I’m toying with some new ideas. Not that the old ones were bad, but as it is with this game, doesn’t hurt to try new things.

    Okay, I think the above about covers it for this week. Lots of commercials, I know, but we’re at that stage in the grand plan.

    Rollout soon.

    We’re finally getting there. Isn’t that a thing?

    Take care of yourselves and each other. In the end, it’s on us about how we treat people.

    Have a good weekend. Make bread. Send me some.

    – A.P. Fuchs

    All the New Things, MB

    As usual:

    Patreon – Where I post an ongoing serial novel, essays on the creative life, behind-the-scenes secrets, and general jackassery.

    Canister X – Where I’m blogging during the week.

    YouTube – My channel that needs your subscription and views to help it grow.

    Ko-fi – A Tip Jar designed to cover the costs of the free stuff I put on the Web (daily blogging, this newsletter, YouTube videos, and artwork).

    End transmission


    📂This entry was posted in Newsletter 📎and tagged

  • Slowing Down to Speed Up: Social Media Schedule Shift

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Slowing Down to Speed Up 2

    Slowing Down to Speed Up: Social Media Schedule Shift.

    As mentioned in this entry, the blogging schedule is changing here for the short-term due to the workload behind the screen. This also will affect how I run my social media. In short, nearly all my networks will be used to point people to articles of interest, videos, blog entries, and a few other things as per usual, the difference being that that’s pretty much all they’ll be used for. Sure, I might throw in some musings or wisecracks, but in terms of social discussion, we’re pretty much in Broadcast Mode.

    Regarding Instagram, we’re going to primarily be turning it into an art channel and a book cover showcase as well as a notifier of new YouTube videos.

    The social media game is changing in general and the above changes to my social media schedule are my way to utilize those platforms in the best way possible for my particular business model.

    And, of course, tweaks and adjustments will be made along the way as time goes on because that’s the nature of this game.

    Type “A.P. Fuchs” into your social networks’ search bars and you should find me since I am on most platforms.

    Thanks.


    📂This entry was posted in Canister X Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Where Projects Stand a Couple of Weeks into 2020

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    January whiteboard
    Part of the whiteboard listing projects and deadlines in the studio bunker here at the Central.

    Where Projects Stand a Couple of Weeks into 2020.

    Time is flying by. It felt like it was New Year’s last week.

    It was two weeks ago.

    Pretty sure I’m stuck in an accelerated timestream.

    Anyway, I set out into 2020 with specific goals now that all my prelim work is pretty much done. (All discussed in my newsletter.)

    And so . . . here is where some projects stand a couple of weeks into 2020:

    Project Rebuild: First batch of second editions are my Undead World Trilogy. The new cover style–which looks incredible–is almost done. Layout to begin soon. Here is the original announcement.

    Patreon: New tiers and options to be added once some second editions come out. Gigantigator Death Machine is the current feature playing as a serial novel with a new installment every two weeks. This will run until May, if I counted out the installments correctly. A new serial novel will start up after this first one is done. Please go here to start reading the previous chapters so you’re ready for the next episode.

    Artwork: Putting the final touches on a commission. Have permission to share it on-line once the client receives it in the mail.

    Freelance: In the middle of a project for someone and still have my client that requires two days a week. (Which slows down my published work output but, hey, need to keep the lights on somehow.)

    New published work: This involves all the various projects I mentioned in previous blog posts and in the newsletter. As of this writing, the plan is to do a few second editions first then release something new then more second editions then new work, and so on. This plan keeps me at a pace I can manage, which in turn benefits you by giving you a pattern for 2020 and something to look forward to.

    YouTube: The channel is growing and content is going up at, on average, a video a week. Your subscription to the channel helps keep the writing and art machine running so please subscribe if you haven’t already.

    Daily blogging: Still on the Monday-to-Friday schedule. I’m doing my best to give you something each day that entertains or informs at least one person. Check back daily for new entries. If you check back and the blog hasn’t been updated, check back again later. Lately, my blogging hour has been shifting for various reasons.

    Vacation: Though I took a break over the Holidays, it wasn’t really a break. In the end, I had a few days for a breather because it took me until Boxing Day to finally slow down and just relax. Throw in some Holiday activities during that relax time and I didn’t end up having a genuine break. I was back at it on the 30th. So, things are in motion for a legit winter holiday, but by the time all is arranged, that won’t be until February sometime. Watch this space.

    Conventions and public appearances: One convention has been announced. I have irons in the fire in others and am waiting to hear back.

    Posted through my social channels this morning:

    “Hoping to find new inroads in the publishing world (books and comics) in 2020. I’m convinced the current standard system is terrible. That said, it’s up to creators to create the market, not companies. We need to get that straight first otherwise it’ll be same old, same old.”

    I stand by the idea that creators create the market. Read my essay, “Why I Quit the Publishing Industry and Opted to Just Make Books Instead,” to find out my thoughts on the current climate and my general attitude toward it. If you’re a creator reading this, please check out the essay. We’re not at the mercy of various companies to get our work out. They’re at your mercy to provide them work to distribute. They don’t have a business without you. Take that to heart. Stand strong. Make new roads. Find out new ways to share with your readers. You and your readers are the ones in control, not these companies.

    Okay. That’s all I’ve got for now. Thank you for checking in.

    See you tomorrow.


    📂This entry was posted in Artwork Blogging Books Conventions Life Patreon Publishing Self-publishing YouTube 📎and tagged

  • Project Rebuild Notice: Undead World Trilogy

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Undead World Trilogy by A.P. Fuchs

    Project Rebuild Notice: Undead World Trilogy.

    This notice is to inform you all three books in my Undead World Trilogy are the first on the docket for Project Rebuild (the name I gave in my newsletter to the “things to finish” category from stuff leftover from Project Rebirth).

    From now until their re-release, the books will remain available in their original first-edition formats for my readers who want a first-edition collection of my work. When it’s near time to publish the reissues, these original formats will be removed from sale so please don’t delay and grab your copies now before they’re gone.

    Also note Project Rebuild is very time-consuming thus my free content for the web will slow down a little. Daily blogging, the newsletter, and YouTube videos will continue but the content will shift a little so I ensure this rebuilding project gets completed.

    Thanks.

    Ps. A new essay was posted to Patreon today that discusses spontaneous book or comic marketing and gives ideas on how you can market your project at the drop of a hat. Read it here.


    📂This entry was posted in Books General Announcements Patreon Publishing Self-publishing 📎and tagged

  • Recap Tunnel: Catch-up Time

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Recap Tunnel 2019 No. 4

    Here is the last installment of this recap series. It is called Recap Tunnel: Catch-up Time and it’s very simple: I’ve done a lot of blogging over the past few months here at Canister X, your Realm of Heroes and Monsters, so you’re invited to poke around the blog and check out the various pages as well as scroll through previous blog posts to ensure you’re all caught up before we head into 2020’s blogging year.

    Some ways you can make sure you don’t miss a blog update are to use some of the subscription boxes to the right of the screen, which enable you to subscribe to the blog via email and/or to the RSS feed and/or to my weekly newsletter, The Canister X Transmission. My YouTube channel is also regularly updated.

    You can also use these links:

    Canister X RSS Feed
    The Canister X Transmission
    A.P. Fuchs on YouTube

    Reminder: Today is the last day to book me for your project in 2020 and receive 2019’s rates. Please shoot me an email so we can lock something down because the fees go up effective tomorrow. Please go here to see what services I offer.

    It’s been a hard slog this year with recovery from being ill and getting my career back in order, but it was time well spent despite how difficult some days were. And so we march onward down the Timeline of All Things into 2020.

    Join me.

    Ps. A new chapter of Gigantigator Death Machine just went up on Patreon. Please read it and its previous chapters here.

    Pps. Thank you for reading my recap series of posts, starting with this one here (or technically here, if you want to go back to the series’ first mention) and ending up here with Recap Tunnel: Catch-up Time.

    Happy New Year’s Eve!


    📂This entry was posted in Blogging Canister X Newsletter Patreon Web Stuff YouTube 📎and tagged