Today I added a Tip Jar option to my Patreon page and set one up on Ko-fi. The former is a set amount ($2.49, basically a coffee), the latter whatever you feel like. This is meant for folks who’d like to support me but are unable to subscribe to my Patreon. There are no rewards. It’s simply meant for those who want to back what I do here at Canister X—the Realm of Heroes and Monsters—in terms of supporting the free content I put on the Web: Daily blogging, YouTube videos, a weekly newsletter, and artwork.
That tip—as it is with all my creative income—goes into an overall pot, which in turn funds everything I do. Like I say, those who support me are buying me Time. I enjoy making things for all of you and want to keep doing that, so I hope this Tip Jar helps keep the media machine running.
To support the Tip Jar on Patreon, please go here. To support the Tip Jar on Ko-fi, please go here. (There are also links on the right.)
Thank you in advance for any tip. It’s appreciated.
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What’s in a Name? Web Domain Issue Resolved
I have my own web domain name back.
Forever ago, I used to own the APFuchs dot com domain name. I can’t remember what happened, but I forgot to renew it or something fell through or whatever and I lost it. When I went to re-register the domain, at the time, it took me to a lady’s site which was all in German. Sigh. So, in a pinch, I came up with the CanisterX dot com domain and used that ever since. (For the meaning of the Canister X name, please go here.) Unfortunately, to this day, the dot com that bears my namesake is still unavailable but, being the proud Canadian that I am, and after talking it over with author Melinda Marshall, it was decided I should get a dot ca domain, and so I did.
APFuchs dot ca is now mine and the web domain redirects here.
Why have two domains leading to the same site? The short answer is search engine rankings. The dot ca works to my advantage because I’m in Canada so it helps with Canadian searches. It also helps simply because it has my name in it. And, lastly, it’s just nice to have my name back. Regarding keeping the Canister X name, I’ve done so much marketing and linking with it that to make it disappear would be foolish.
That said, for the interim, the APFuchs dot ca domain will link here to the blog. In the future, it might get its own site, one that will have a link to this blog but won’t be a blog itself. It’ll just be an on-line presence used more as a brochure than something with regularly-changing content. The Canister X blog is for that, so we’ll see what the future brings.
As for today, before writing this blog post I posted a new essay to Patreon about how to write well every time. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a writer. For the rest of the day, the plan is to work on a freelance project or two then see where I’m at after that.
Hope everyone has a pleasant Tuesday.
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Status Report – 110719
Status report for 110719:
This week was largely spent on Project Media, which introduced the redesign of this blog, my social media pages, and my Patreon page. It took a lot of time behind the scenes here at the Central, which is fine, but by default it interfered with getting other work done.
We’re also doing a big promo push for the Patreon page this week because winter is here and I need to keep warm so I can continue making stuff for you guys. If you’d like to support me on Patreon and get treated to a whole slew of entertainment, please do so here.
Currently pondering: Roll-out plan for Project Jackass, overall plan for Axiom-man (with surprises), Deadline juggling.
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New Patreon Page Design
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: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.
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Welcome to the New Canister X Blog
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.
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Heavy Broadcast Mode Initiated – Welcome to Winter
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.
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Nearly Ready for the Winter Season
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.
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The Snow has Arrived – Event Planning this Winter
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.
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Station Ident – Oct252019
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.
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A.P. Fuchs Novelist Memoir
In June of 2020, I will have been writing for twenty years. Though I was creating before that–primarily comic book art–it was in June of 2000 that I decided to make books my living. I was originally aiming to be a comic book artist but life threw me a curve ball and through various circumstances books became the order of the day.
I’ve been giving thought to a memoir for a very long time. It would be an opportunity to share with readers my creative journey and, when appropriate, my personal journey as well. It would also be a chance to lay my creative life out in front of me where I can see it and visit time periods I haven’t been to since they originally happened. A partial journal effort, so to speak.
Regarding publication, no doubt there would be a formal release of a paperback and eBook, but I’m also thinking of airing it on-line first, whether here at Canister X or on my Patreon or both.
It’s been a wild ride to get to the present day. I started out crafting stories completely naive as to how this business worked and hit many roadblocks along the way. The plan for this project will require further thought but I think I’ve already settled upon the process so I can create it without it overloading my already-hectic schedule.
Now I just need to settle on a title.
Watch this space for more news as this develops.