PROJECT REBUILD has been a long haul. It started mid-August 2019 and is still ongoing. Delays are attributed to bouts of illness and the pandemic. But it makes sense it would take this long. I had eight books to edit or proofread, get compiled and designed, plus cover work.
The first book to go to press last week was GIGANTI-GATOR DEATH MACHINE. And, of course, there had to be a snag. The paperback is ready but the eBook (though ready here at Axiom-man Central) has put me in a waiting loop as I wait on my printer to transfer files and basically move my whole catalog from Lightning Source to Ingram Spark (LS no longer offers eBook distribution). It is still ongoing as of this writing.
Most of the other books are ready or half-ready for press. It’s this eBook thing that’s holding me back at the moment. I ask for your patience.
What I’m doing is building a publishing machine and doing what I can each day to get that machine built and these books out to the public.
I’m sure it will all work out in the end. Just be patient with me as I wait on the infrastructure to complete my vision.
Yesterday marked the end of summer for me thus the end of my easier summer schedule. Today I’m preparing the fall one. Lots going on in the fall in terms of book production and releases as well as two comic convention appearances.
As a reminder, I will be at the following events so mark your calendars. I’ll have books for sale and you can bring copies from home for signature, if you’d like. I do not charge for autographs or pictures.
Winnipeg Comiccon – October 28 to 30, 2022 – RBC Convention Centre (Winnipeg) FanQuest – November 12 & 13, 2022 – Norwood Community Centre (Winnipeg)
Part of prepping for these appearances is ensuring I have enough book stock to take along with me so I’ve been slowly going through what I have and setting up an order at the printer for what I need. As long as my print order is in by the end of the month, that will allow enough time for printing and shipping.
I’ve also been reevaluating current and upcoming work in terms of what I reveal to the public about these projects. How many times have I said such-and-such will be ready for such-and-such a date and it hasn’t been? Sure, part of it had to do with me being ill. Another part had to do with summer. Another part had to do with my own disorganization. You’d think after all these years of doing this that I’d have this down to a science. But, again, in the big picture, being ill and spending a long time doing a webcomic would slow things down in terms of release(s).
With summer drawing to a close, it means it’s time to get off my summer schedule and back to my regular one. Problem is, my regular schedule doesn’t fit what I have coming down the pike.
Presently, I have six books in production and each one needs my attention. I’m finally at that stage where I don’t need to multi-task with them but can work on them one at a time. This will speed up release.
But I want to write. I want to get started on THE BATTLE OF POWER trilogy in THE AXIOM-MAN SAGA.
I’m going to have to spend some think time on this because the variables between my professional life and my personal one don’t always flow together.
Bottom line is I want to get writing and just focus on that.
My summer and fall releases have been pushed back so here’s the tentative new schedule:
Fall:
THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION: YEAR FOUR THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION: THE LONG YEAR FIVE GIGANTI-GATOR DEATH MACHINE: TRIPLE FEATURE
Winter:
BLOOD OF THE DEAD reissue POSSESSION OF THE DEAD reissue REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD reissue
Apologies for the delay. With it being summer, my team and I have different schedules so it’s been difficult to align them. Rest assured, these books are coming.
With the two waves of books I plan on putting out this year, I’ve been so busy as my health will allow that I haven’t been getting any writing done. It makes me feel down and sad especially since there’s no way I’m going to finish the Axiom-man books in time for comic con. Writing them is one thing; publishing them and all the time that takes is another.
So I’m kind of left without a path because I’m busy getting books ready for print and eBook and don’t have a creative outlet.
I am writing this statement on behalf of my fellow writers and artists whose livelihoods depend on the honesty of our readers. This statement is going to be perfectly blunt to ensure crystal clarity in the message.
And the message is this: Please, stop pirating–also known as downloading illegally–our books, comics, movies, music, audio performances or presentations, art, and anything else that does not belong to you.
When someone takes something that doesn’t belong to them, it is called stealing. This makes a person a thief. That is what someone who steals is. It does not matter whether the item you took cost pennies or hundreds–even thousands–of dollars to create. In the case of movies, these numbers can run into the millions. The value is irrelevant when it comes to the principle of taking something you didn’t buy and/or did not have permission to use.
There is a sad and, frankly, pathetic mentality out there that everything on the Internet is free and up for grabs to be consumed however anyone wishes.
This is not true.
Yes, there are platforms out there where entertainment work is posted for free in various mediums, but that is where this work is to remain. If a creator posted a piece of art or a photograph to the Internet, you cannot assume you can take it and use it how you see fit. There are rules and there are guidelines and there are permissions to be asked.
Please, stop stealing our work.
Downloading pirated movies, TV shows, music, books, comics, art, and anything else illegally is just that: illegal. It is a crime and it is wrong.
It is even worse when someone takes someone else’s intellectual property and uses it for financial gain. You are profiting off theft. This is also illegal. The excessive amount of fan art in the comic community is a good example of this.
Please, stop stealing our work.
Most creators–despite what you might read in the news or see on TV–live paycheck to paycheck just like plenty of other people. We cannot afford to have our readers not pay for our work. If you like our work and want to read it, we thank you, but we ask that you do it ethically and compensate us for the lengthy amount of time and effort and sometimes stress put into various projects.
If some creators flat out say they are fine with their stuff being pirated, then that’s different and that’s on that particular creator that they are acting ethically to ensure all parties involved with the work are okay with them allowing it to be used and/or consumed for free.
The Internet does not equal free in the purest sense.
Please, stop stealing our work.
Sure, it is understood amongst many creators that many of our readers do not have the means to purchase our material. And while, having lived on the street, I can fully emphasize with that, stealing is stealing. End of story.
When you steal a piece of entertainment, you are stealing not just the compensation for creating that piece of work, you are stealing a person’s time, which is, like I always say, the most valuable thing any living person has because our lives our finite. You are stealing something that is worth more than any treasure or wealth on the planet. Time is more valuable than diamonds.
Please, stop stealing our work.
This is a moral issue.
It is up to you to decide who you want to be: Someone who is fair and respectful, or someone who steals from others.
Having been so focused on getting books out to you, a lot of little things have piled up both professionally and personally. Today I’m working my way through a laundry list of to-do items like drafting up this week’s issue of THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION.
I won’t likely get it all done and I have a class tonight. By the time that’s over, it’ll be time to wind down before bed.
Anyway, sometimes you need to set aside a day to play catch-up.
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.
