• New Patreon Page Design

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Yesterday, I revealed my new Patreon page design on social media.

    As part of my redesign efforts for my webpages–this blog and social media–I also redesigned my Patreon page with a new banner and color scheme. My first design was a little distant whereas this new one invites you to immerse yourself in my Realm of Heroes and Monsters.

    This is a screenshot of the new page:

    Author and artist A.P. Fuchs's Patreon page

    Also, a new chapter of Gigantigator Death Machine went live yesterday so be sure to check it out for a just a buck.

    Patreon is one of the best ways you can support me outside of grabbing my books for your personal library. I have some cool stuff planned for Patreon for over the winter so now’s a good time to get in on the ground floor, catch up on what’s there, and get ready to be entertained as the temperature drops and we’re locked indoors together for a season.

    A quick reminder of what is currently offered:

    For $1, you get access to an ongoing serial novel (minimum of one chapter posted every two weeks). Current creature feature playing is Gigantigator Death Machine, an homage to classic B-grade monster horror following a group of friends on a cabin getaway only to meet something sinister at the docks. You also get regular Patreon-only blog posts.

    For $2, you get complete access to the serial novel as well as Patreon-only essay blog posts exploring the ins and outs of publishing and tricks on getting your work done so you can share your craft with the world. (Minimum of one essay per month.) Plus regular Patreon-only blog posts.

    For $5, you get access to the serial novel, Patreon-only essay blog posts, a look behind-the-scenes (whether text, photo, or video; advanced looks at works in progress), a nifty A.P. Fuchs/Canister X Official Membership Card mailed out to you with your name and membership number, and regular Patreon-only blog posts.

    For $30, you become a member of the A.P. Fuchs Book-of-the-month Club. Each month I will select a book or comic book of mine from my inventory and mail it out to you complete with signature for the duration of your Gold Standard patronage. You also have access to all other reward tiers, including your membership card.

    A public thank you to those who have already shown me support on Patreon and a public thank you in advance to those who join the journey as this post goes live.


    📂This entry was posted in General Announcements Patreon Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Welcome to the New Canister X Blog

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Welcome to the new Canister X blog, your home for all things heroes and monsters.

    The blog redesign is complete, with mostly everything retooled. New banner, new overall design, even a new author headshot on the About page.

    There are a few changes still left to make as these things are always evolving, but the big redesign is done. I admit this was a tricky project in that not only did I need the blog to function a certain way, but I also wanted it to look good without coming off as a sterile creator site where the creator feels untouchable. Canister X is my online home and I want my home to feel as welcoming as possible.

    A chunk of Project Media is now complete.

    More winter project plans coming your way soon.

    Enjoy the new blog. Please stick around for a while to explore, and then when you’re done that, head on over to my Patreon page where this morning I posted a new chapter in my ongoing serial novel, Gigantigator Death Machine.


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

  • Gimme Back my Weekends

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    This weekend was a lesson in learning I need my weekends. I spent a lot of time futzing with this blog revamp effort and, man, times have changed. The last time I redesigned the site was somewhere between 2011 and 2013 (I think). Tech has advanced so much that I was lost and spent a lot of time trying things and hitting walls.

    (See, this blog needs to be set up a certain way so it functions the way I need it to for my overall media machine; it’s not just setting up a basic site and calling it good.)

    I’ve never been tech savvy, meaning, I’m the kind of guy whose brain works for most things on the premise of show-me-a-time-or-two-then-I-can-do-it. I also learn through trial and error. But when it comes to tech and looking at it and already having a general idea of how things go? Nope. The last time I was like that was when I got my first computer back in grade six. (Yes, they had computers back then. They were called abacuses.)

    So here we are. This site was supposed to be done by today but isn’t, so please bear with me. Keep checking back as daily blogging will continue. It just won’t be pretty until the revamp is complete.

    Back to weekends: My workflow is much different now due to various reasons both personal and professional and my body and brain don’t work like they used to. Let’s blame age for that. And that I’m still recovering from being ill.

    I need my weekends to recharge after going at breakneck speed throughout the week. I’m not 30 anymore.

    Formal announcement for when the blog is complete is forthcoming.


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

  • Canister X Website-Blog Overhaul

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    This is a quick note to say this website is going to be completely revamped. The current style and functionality are NOT how it’s going to be so please be patient with me as I fiddle with things and try things out over the next short while. Heck, feel free to check in periodically to see how things are coming along and join the adventure. Once everything is settled and in place, there will be a formal announcement. Until then, consider this revision period a work-in-progress. I will still maintain my regular blogging schedule of Monday to Friday in the meantime so you’ll always have fresh daily content throughout the week.

    Thank you for your patience as I get things in order over here.


    📂This entry was posted in General Announcements Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Heavy Broadcast Mode Initiated – Welcome to Winter

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    November Winter Tree
    From outside the window this morning.

    Awhile back I decided that November 1, 2019, would mark the day I officially went into winter hibernation mode aka Heavy Broadcast Mode. My work plate is mighty heavy and I need to keep my head low and just get things done. That said, I will be off the social feeds until spring. However, that doesn’t mean my feeds will be an empty desert. I’ll be broadcasting social content to you from here at the Central, but if you need to interact, please send me an email as I won’t be checking PMs.

    One of the major tasks I need to do this winter is overhaul the website. The content will remain but the programming language is dated and I need to bring things up to speed if I’m to stay relevant as we progress down the Timeline of All Things. The aim is to do that this weekend, so if you come by the site between now and next week, don’t fret if things look in disarray. I’m hoping for a smooth transition and nobody is none the wiser, but I’ve also been around Web stuff long enough to know glitches happen when all you want to do is execute what is supposed to be a simple procedure(s).

    Today also marks the beginning of a new month, which means a new month starts up on my Patreon page, in turn opening the gates for new chapters in my ongoing serial novel, Gigantigator Death Machine, essays, behind-the-scenes stuff, and more. Please join me and my other patrons as we embark on November’s journey by going here.

    What is all this winter stuff I keep talking about? I don’t want to give away all the surprises, so I’ll give you a vague summary instead:

    • Plan for the 2020 convention/book signing season
    • Bring projects old and new up to speed
    • Release new book(s) and comic(s)
    • Build up the YouTube channel
    • Deliver solid content on Patreon
    • Partially rebuild the media machine
    • Engage in interviews through various channels
    • Try not to die from overworking

    There. Straight forward. Just work.

    Enjoy the weekend.


    📂This entry was posted in Canister X Drawing General Announcements Patreon Web Stuff Writing 📎and tagged

  • Inktober 2019 has Concluded

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Inktober 2019 Pumpkin Cake
    Fred (Fredrikus) the dog as a pumpkin cake.

    Earlier this month, I invited you to join me on my Inktober 2019 journey. Today, that journey comes to an end. This was my first year doing Inktober and it was honestly a lot of fun. It has been nearly two decades since I drew in a sketchbook every day. The last time was in animation school way back when people still carried swords to fend off invading armies. And while the daily Inktober sketches are done, I have a little more work ahead of me. My Inktober efforts were shared via social media every day this month, but I realize not everyone saw them, so the next step is to create collage images showcasing the month as well as a video for my YouTube channel. Stay tuned for those. Feel free to check out my social media in the meantime if you can’t wait/want to play catch-up.

    Thank you to everyone who followed along this year!


    📂This entry was posted in Drawing 📎and tagged

  • Nearly Ready for the Winter Season

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The winter season is nearly here, which means this week I’m putting the final touches on getting ready for Heavy Broadcast Mode, which starts November 1. Believe it or not, a lot of planning and organizing goes into making books and comics for public consumption. It’s not just me writing a story and sending it out all willy nilly. Every creator works their own way, but on my end, I need to have certain mechanisms in place so I can publish a story and get it into your hands properly. This ranges from the actual publishing machine itself to the promotion side of it to even making sure I have copies here at the Central for you. Then add on the need to make and have all those systems in place all the while keeping a roof over my head and, well, yeah. Busy times.

    This isn’t over-complicating it. It’s just planning things out so, once all is up and running, I have the greatest resource of all when it comes to creating stories and sharing them: Time.

    Everything takes time. Some things take a mere minute, other things take hours or days, and the only way to have that time is do all that I’ve been doing behind the scenes here at the Central. (Speaking of behind the scenes, a new behind-the-scenes entry is going up on my Patreon this Friday. Join the journey to check it out.)

    To find out more of what it takes to keep the creative machine running, please join my free weekly newsletter, The Canister X Transmission. It’s a letter from me to you week after week. It’s a chance for all subscribers to have a common meeting point each week to take a load off, escape the stress of the world, have a read (maybe even a laugh), and just breathe after busting butt all week. It’s also a chance to bring you up to speed on all that’s happened here at the Central, things not always covered on this blog. Pull up a chair. We always have room for one more.


    📂This entry was posted in Life Newsletter Patreon Publishing Self-publishing Stuff 📎and tagged

  • The Snow has Arrived – Event Planning this Winter

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Snowy Yard
    A snowy yard this morning

    The snow that hit earlier this month had melted but this morning the yard is white. It may or may not stick around, but even if it goes away, it’ll be back with a vengeance because snow is what we do six months of the year here in Winnipeg. And while the possibility of doing things outside gets greatly reduced during the winter months, being locked indoors for half a year has its advantages when you make books and comics for a living.

    You get to just, simply, work. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for out-of-the-studio excursions in the New Year.

    If you go to the Convention and Book Signing Schedule section of this site, you’ll see that I didn’t do events in 2019. There are lots of reasons for this, some of which had to do with being unwell. With the loss of the Central Canada Comic Con–my “default” show for every year except for last year–I have to do some research for local events over the winter so I can book on time for the 2020 season. If I succeed in what I have planned for the winter, then I’ll have a lot of new material for next year’s shows plus any book signings along the way. There has also been talk here at the Central about leaving the province–possibly even the country–for a few events next year. Once dates and locales are locked down, I will announce them here. I’m eager to connect with fans again at these venues. Always a joy to see them.

    In the meantime, I’m really looking forward to just working throughout the winter season. It’s been a good long while since I was able to create without hindrances. I can’t wait to get back to it again.

    Ps. A new behind-the-scenes entry is scheduled to go on my Patreon page later this week. Join the journey to catch the post plus other behind-the-scenes goodies already on the site. Of course, getting access to a serial novel, essays, patron-only posts and patron-first announcements along with an exclusive membership card isn’t a bad deal either.


    📂This entry was posted in Book Signings Conventions Life Patreon Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Creator Breakfast with G.M.B. Chomichuk and Jonathan Ball (Publishing Business)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Publishing venture sketch by G.M.B. Chomichuk
    Publishing Model Visual Documentation by G.M.B. Chomichuk

    This morning I once again met with writer/artist G.M.B. Chomichuk and writer/editor Jonathan Ball at Clementine Cafe in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. On top of the outstanding fried chicken on toast I had for breakfast, we got to work talking about the publishing business.

    See, I have a major advantage over other writers: I’m tapped into both the book publishing world and the comic book publishing world. While there are similarities in the overall business side of things, there are distinct differences and, I believe, it’s a merge of these two models that are the future of publishing.

    What’s happening in the book publishing world at present is an old archaic system at war with the new digital paradigm. While some adaptations have been made, for the most part book publishing is operating on an out-of-date system that doesn’t work in today’s reading climate which is why most writers cannot make a living from their craft. What compounds the problem are publishers–big and small–stuck in the old way of doing things and writers who don’t want to do anything but write. This is a major problem that hurts both publishers, creators, and readers.

    Ground was gained this morning in coming up with a new way of doing things that merges the best of the book publishing world and that of the comics publishing industry while setting aside dated systems that hinder bringing books and comics to the reader. Some of the ideas put forth were new (to me) and others were in line with the bomb that went off when my workload exploded.

    The above photo–a visual documentation of our little meeting created by G.M.B. Chomichuk–shows how three creators think when hashing out how to create a publishing system that benefits both the creator and reader. Yes, the image is hard to follow without explanation, but will serve as a future reference point for a venture that was brought up during the meeting (details still to be ironed out).

    The main goal with these meetings outside of spending time with friends is to learn something new, have discussion, and then apply those lessons to see what works and what doesn’t.

    In the end, it was a productive morning and one that will stew in my brain for a while as I retool things over here.

    (Please also see my first entry about my breakfast with these two creators by going here.)


    📂This entry was posted in Life Publishing Self-publishing 📎and tagged

  • Station Ident – Oct252019

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    My name is A.P. Fuchs and I’m a novelist, cartoonist, and freelancer in all things publishing. You are tuned into my blog, Canister X, my official web presence. I’ve been writing for publication since my first short story sale in 2000, and have been publishing books since 2003.

    My longstanding presence on social media includes:

    Ello
    MeWe
    Twitter
    Facebook
    Instagram
    Pinterest
    Tumblr
    LinkedIn

    My Patreon page can be found here, where I post serial novels, essays on the creative and publishing industries, what goes on behind the scenes here at Axiom-man Central, and more.

    Join me.


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