Hi Bryn, looks like the softcover showed up today in Canada. Of course, I never know for how long because someone may order a copy and then it disappears again for a bit. ๐คช
Amazon is whacky. I think you can order it, even if it's out of stock and they will simply submit a print on demand order to IngramSpark. I can't stand that they do it that way.
I appreciate the authenticity here and the openness to share. I'm working on my first book and am excited to learn the ins and outs of the publishing/marketing industry!
Thank you so much for that, Brian. I always appreciate advice from those whoโve publised in the past. Actuallyโฆthere is one part Iโve struggled to wrap my head around.
Images.
Other than paying an illustrator, is there a place I can use stock photos? Like Canva? What about AI-generated images? Iโve read, watched videos, and talked to friends on the subject but have yet to get any real clarityโฆ
If you're looking for images on a budget there are a number of royalty free stock photography websites. You need high resolution, so 300dpi and above. Of the free AI image generation tools I'm familiar with, none provide high resolution. There is also Unsplash and Pixabay for free imagery, but you need to check the license provided by the artists. Keep in mind that using any of those resources means others could reuse the same images for their books and marketing materials as well. If you need more info, happy to help.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your journey. You also provided some great information! Good luck on your future writing projects! Great motivation for those of us behind you on the path to publication.
love that you worked with an illustrator! getting visual art to accompany my stories is one of my favorite parts of being a writer. congratulations and may this little book go far! โจ
I always encourage people to give it a try with some sort of purpose in mind. That makes it all the more fun and less like you're taking a class. It took me several years to get even remotely decent, doodling every day.
I really enjoy cartooning, so I would try and draw cartoons from my childhood, but also doodling things from around the house to get an idea of space and volume. The lamp, the TV, a nightstandโฆ the cat when he wasnโt moving around. ๐คฃ I would mostly stick to fun stuff instead of doing a bunch of exercises.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅYay!!! The cover is amazing. I can only imagine the insides are impressive, too! Congratulations to you on another finished book!!! Petty envy will drive me to greatness or so help me. ๐๐
Lol, we're cut from the same cloth. I'm over here thinking, oh, really, a Watty Award, well I'll show you, Meg! The balls in your court. ๐
Hey, did you get my email? I know, it's like a novel length response. I just wanted to make sure it didn't send you into a drunken stupor... or a fit of rage.
Nope. I got it! We're currently in school prep mode, so I haven't been able to fully digest it. Things should settle down by mid week giving me ample time for day drinking and publishing rage. ๐๐ฅ
This really caught my attention as I personally struggle with this as well.
"If a novel latches hold, it will mean less writing here on Future Thief. I canโt write a novel โ requiring a different headspace โ while also writing short stories."
Thanks for writing that and being so open. It's good food for thought.
I'm glad that helped, Dan, but I think we can both admit it's not easy. I keep thinking, oh, I can't leave an audience hanging for 3-4 months while I write a novel. But I think there are ways to make it happen and keep readers in the loop, which they would appreciate.
Agreed. Itโs experimenting and trying to figure out what works for each of us. Iโm still working on it but do feel like Iโm getting closer each dayโฆ at least to what works for me and fills my bucket as a writer.
By the way your book looks fantastic and I love your art you drew to go with it. I just wish I could draw as good as youโฆ if I drew something my books would all have strangely similar looking stick people holding swords. ๐คฃ
๐คฃ thank you, it took me a number of years as I was focused on art for a long time before I got back into writing. That was the experiment before the experiment.
Thanks, Winston! You get a special mention in the acknowledgements. ๐ I appreciate your support and it's nice to share in the ups and downs together.
Thanks, Patricia! I hope you got the payment thing figured out with your Substack. I went into my Stripe not too long after you mentioned it, and nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Many congrats, Brian. Looking forward to checking it out when itโs available up here!
Hi Bryn, looks like the softcover showed up today in Canada. Of course, I never know for how long because someone may order a copy and then it disappears again for a bit. ๐คช
Someone beat me to it already ๐๐ Iโll keep an eye out.
Amazon is whacky. I think you can order it, even if it's out of stock and they will simply submit a print on demand order to IngramSpark. I can't stand that they do it that way.
Thank you, Bryn! I spoke with James Fisher, and we'll get you an EPUB to start, and hopefully the Amazon Canada link will become available soon.
Congratulations!
Thank you, Hanna!
Congrats Brian! This looks amazing!
I appreciate the authenticity here and the openness to share. I'm working on my first book and am excited to learn the ins and outs of the publishing/marketing industry!
Thank you, Erica! As you get further into it, let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help.
Thank you so much for that, Brian. I always appreciate advice from those whoโve publised in the past. Actuallyโฆthere is one part Iโve struggled to wrap my head around.
Images.
Other than paying an illustrator, is there a place I can use stock photos? Like Canva? What about AI-generated images? Iโve read, watched videos, and talked to friends on the subject but have yet to get any real clarityโฆ
If you're looking for images on a budget there are a number of royalty free stock photography websites. You need high resolution, so 300dpi and above. Of the free AI image generation tools I'm familiar with, none provide high resolution. There is also Unsplash and Pixabay for free imagery, but you need to check the license provided by the artists. Keep in mind that using any of those resources means others could reuse the same images for their books and marketing materials as well. If you need more info, happy to help.
Thank you so much for the tips, Brian!!
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your journey. You also provided some great information! Good luck on your future writing projects! Great motivation for those of us behind you on the path to publication.
Thanks, Bruce! I'm happy to share as much as I can about the process with other authors.
Congrats! Good short stories are a challenge to write.
Thank you, Susan!
Congrats! Looking forward to hearing how your journey goes!
Thank you, Jessica!
love that you worked with an illustrator! getting visual art to accompany my stories is one of my favorite parts of being a writer. congratulations and may this little book go far! โจ
Thank you, August! I'm actually the illustrator as well, which makes it all that more personal and fun. ๐
oh now Iโm pleasantly envious, in a way that might someday motivate me to learn how to draw ๐
I always encourage people to give it a try with some sort of purpose in mind. That makes it all the more fun and less like you're taking a class. It took me several years to get even remotely decent, doodling every day.
What kind of doodles did you start with?
I really enjoy cartooning, so I would try and draw cartoons from my childhood, but also doodling things from around the house to get an idea of space and volume. The lamp, the TV, a nightstandโฆ the cat when he wasnโt moving around. ๐คฃ I would mostly stick to fun stuff instead of doing a bunch of exercises.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅYay!!! The cover is amazing. I can only imagine the insides are impressive, too! Congratulations to you on another finished book!!! Petty envy will drive me to greatness or so help me. ๐๐
Lol, we're cut from the same cloth. I'm over here thinking, oh, really, a Watty Award, well I'll show you, Meg! The balls in your court. ๐
Hey, did you get my email? I know, it's like a novel length response. I just wanted to make sure it didn't send you into a drunken stupor... or a fit of rage.
Nope. I got it! We're currently in school prep mode, so I haven't been able to fully digest it. Things should settle down by mid week giving me ample time for day drinking and publishing rage. ๐๐ฅ
This really caught my attention as I personally struggle with this as well.
"If a novel latches hold, it will mean less writing here on Future Thief. I canโt write a novel โ requiring a different headspace โ while also writing short stories."
Thanks for writing that and being so open. It's good food for thought.
I'm glad that helped, Dan, but I think we can both admit it's not easy. I keep thinking, oh, I can't leave an audience hanging for 3-4 months while I write a novel. But I think there are ways to make it happen and keep readers in the loop, which they would appreciate.
Agreed. Itโs experimenting and trying to figure out what works for each of us. Iโm still working on it but do feel like Iโm getting closer each dayโฆ at least to what works for me and fills my bucket as a writer.
By the way your book looks fantastic and I love your art you drew to go with it. I just wish I could draw as good as youโฆ if I drew something my books would all have strangely similar looking stick people holding swords. ๐คฃ
๐คฃ thank you, it took me a number of years as I was focused on art for a long time before I got back into writing. That was the experiment before the experiment.
What a big day!! Congratulations, Brian! Look forward to grabbing a copy.
Thanks, Winston! You get a special mention in the acknowledgements. ๐ I appreciate your support and it's nice to share in the ups and downs together.
Congratulations, Brian ๐! What a great milestone for your fiction. Your stories have a home in the real world.
Thank you, Claudia! I can't wait to celebrate when you release a book. I know it will be well received. ๐คฉ
Thank you so much, Brian! In the meantime Iโll learn from the best.
Congrats on the new book. The cover is awesome.
Thanks, Patricia! I hope you got the payment thing figured out with your Substack. I went into my Stripe not too long after you mentioned it, and nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Yes. Itโs sorted. I had to disconnect and reconnect and it started working. Iโm not sure why I had an issue, though. ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Congratulations! Getting out a new book is always something to celebrate.
Thank you, Bill, I appreciate it!
Congratulations!
Thanks, David!
Congratulations Brian, I'm looking forward to getting your new book. I understand how it feels when you get to put some of your hard work into a book.
Thank you, Pennie, I appreciate your support!