June has already passed us and the final half of 2016 has begun! This was a dark and strange eerie month to experience in so many ways, and in other, it was a means of understanding problems still facing the world. This last month was Pride, rainbows were up and we remembered the lives that were lost in Orlando. The event has not only sparked growing focus on the LGBT community the recent episode of Orange is the New Black furthered the desires to make it so LGBT characters deserve better.
Upda
tes from the Past Month
As a micro-publisher there is only so much DasWyrd can do. But if we can we are looking into means of donating some funds to charity to help LGBT and we hope to use any publicity we get to focus continually on LGBT issues! Pride hasn ow has passed us by, and our focus now returns to the slow building campaign to publish our first novel. Here is an update on current objects for the novel:
- Our marketing budget so far for the book is complete, though we may be adding to it.
- Our general marketing overview is complete for now with goals clearly marked for what we hope to achieve in social media, and with awareness of the novel in general!
- Design on the book itself for its layout and formatting has started.
- We have created some marketing materials and releasing information to a few local bookstores in Western Washington State (where we are based).
- We’ve even bought our ISBNs for the books, plus we are considering a hardback edition of the novel.
About the Ad Campaign
Advertisements and branding for the book will focus on the fantasy elements along with the identity of Sik’anzi herself. We want to provide a strong nonbinary role model for fans, and connect readers to the struggles faced by the Sky Chosen in her quest against the Black-Eyed Witch. We hope to focus on growing our twitter presence, and focusing on gaining more followers on tumblr to connect more readily to our future fanbase. Part of our primary goal as a publisher is fan insight and reader engagement. We want our authors to be accessible and to respond to readers.
News about Trans Heroine Chalice has emboldened me personally to discuss the major problems facing the character rather than worrying about alienating people. Sik’anzi was written as a prince who lacked connection to her father, and had a strong maternal storyline. She just wanted to be what her soul meant for her to be. The rest such as Immortal Witches and Tyrannical Kings or undead Pirates really were an obstacle to that. Let’s also not forget a few determined Goddesses!
Planning the Next Production
Our current cycle is slowly winding down for production and a lot has been learned. Time to adjust our plans and to make sure that we try to learn from previous mistakes. A problem we faced this past year was locating an editor and proactive beta readers. We lucked out late in the game with a seriously awesome pair of readers, and with the work of fantastic editor! Took a while and several iterations to hone what we have finally produced something that we are proud of! Now I have already started planning the next novel working on the latest piece.
This includes a new conlang for the novel, and several characters. So we’ll need to flesh it out providing the new Ironvein folk with their own personality, themes, and society.