Moving along!
almost 5 years ago
– Fri, Feb 07, 2020 at 10:06:25 AM
Hey, everyone—
Just wanted to drop you a quick update to let you know I've got a draft of The Art of Paradigm Shift off to my beta readers. I've spent some extra time in the tutorial sections of the book fleshing out the tips and techniques I've learned over the course of my career as a comic creator.
I'm covering the process of creating characters:
Talking about storytelling:
A close look at working in perspective:
Even a section on how I created the cover painting:
I also decided to have a bit of fun and finished up a transformation sequence I had started years ago:
(You can see an animated version here.)
Next I'll be focusing back on the graphic novels and implementing the last round of edit suggestions I got from my proofreader. With a little luck, I may be sending the first files out to the printer this time next week or shortly after.
More soon!
--Dirk
Getting close!
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 04:29:25 PM
Hey, everyone--
January's been a busy month!
Firstly, I want to thank everyone who pitched in to help out with last month's international shipping crisis. Thanks to you, we made up the deficit. This will take a huge pressure off the fulfillment stage. I'm relieved and grateful for your generosity. You are AMAZING!
Also, thanks to everyone for filling out the surveys this month. Aside from a couple of stragglers, I've got everyone's names for the Acknowledgments sections. Thank you so very much!
I'm closing in on getting Vols. 1 & 2 off to the printer. I have extensive notes back from a professional proofreader, and just need to finish the final editing pass before they're ready to go. However, before I can do that, I need to get the Art of Paradigm Shift off to my proofers. The art book has taken me longer to complete than expected. This is in part because I've needed to write and edit more in it than I had planned, but also because I spent some extra time painting a beautiful new cover for the book.
Here's a peek at the cover design:
Unfortunately, this means that while I originally expected to have the digital versions of the books to you this month, I'm not going to meet that deadline. I want to take the time to polish the final books so they shine, instead of just rushing them off to printer to meet a self-imposed deadline.
However, we're only talking about a couple of weeks of delay. I need about one more week to get the art book off for proofing, and anticipate I should have the edits done for Vols. 1 & 2 about a week after that. Then I should have notes back for the art book for a final editing pass as I get the first two off to press.
I'd love to have the graphic novels off to the printer by Valentine's Day at the latest with The Art of Paradigm Shift following shortly behind them. I'll deliver the ebooks after that. I'll keep you appraised on that process so you'll have a better idea what to expect.
I'm looking forward to getting these final books in hand as much as you are.
Thanks for your patience!
--Dirk
Surveys sent!
almost 5 years ago
– Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 11:28:47 PM
Hey, everyone!
All the surveys are now sent. Just fill them out when you get a chance. No big rush, especially with the holidays in full swing right now.
I've gotten a few questions, so I want to clarify a few things:
- The "Acknowledgements" name question is technically a duplicate, since I messaged everyone individually about this a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure when I'd be sending out surveys at that point. However, since I haven't heard back from everyone yet, I want to make sure I get everyone's name right before I send the final files out to the printer.
- Everyone who ordered a book is getting a copy of The Art of Paradigm Shift as a part of the second stretch goal in the campaign. Your survey should reflect that. If you don't want a copy of the book for any reason, please let me know.
Finally, I'm happy to report I just sent the proofs PS Vol. 1 & 2 off to my professional proofreader. So, the books are on schedule to get to the printer right after New Year's. Now that I have them off, I'm taking a little time off this week.
Enjoy your holidays!
best
Dirk
Incoming: Backer Surveys!
almost 5 years ago
– Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 04:34:41 PM
Hey, everyone—
I'll be sending out surveys very shortly. Keep an eye on your inbox. For most of you, it will just be confirming your shipping address and the name you want to be listed under in the Acknowledgements section. (Thank you to everyone who's responded so far! You're awesome!) However, there's a couple of extra questions for those of you who pledged for original commissioned artwork. After all, I'd like to know what you'd like me to draw for you. =)
I'm using a service called "BackerKit" to run the surveys and to set up a new Pre-Order store. So, if you'd like to add an extra book or two to your pledge reward, you'll have the option to do so through the survey. There's also a tip jar. More on that in a second.
I'm pretty close to finishing the final edits to Vols. 1 & 2 before they go off to a professional proofreader. I'm just waiting on notes from a couple of beta readers before I hit "send."
I'm also making progress on The Art of Paradigm Shift, but it won't be ready for proofing until after Christmas. My plan is to get Vols. 1 & 2 finished up and off to the printer soon after New Year's, and then complete work on the art book afterwards.
However, because of The Art of PS, I've run into a bit of a setback.
Last week, the funds from Kickstarter were transferred to my account (hooray!), so I decided to update my budget for the project. As I was adding up shipping costs and estimating the weight of the three books when I discovered a problem. I had originally calculated my international shipping based on two books which put it in around $37.50/order. However, the art book is going to push the postage upward toward $61.00 because of the extra weight.
This, to put it lightly, is really disappointing. I had deliberately undercharged for international shipping with the idea that it would be subsidized by my domestic orders due to the lower postage in the States. I wasn't counting on that rate ballooning like that—I was barely counting on the art book even happening. And I didn't figure the size and weight of an extra book into the calculations when I was putting the campaign together earlier this fall.
Oops.
I've spent the past week trying to find other options or see if there's any way to mitigate it, but it looks like I'm stuck. It's my mistake, so I'm going to honor that original shipping rate and not raise the charges on you after the fact. However, if you're backer in outside of North America, please consider kicking in a little extra to the tip jar to help make up that difference. It's totally voluntary, of course, but I'll really appreciate it if do.
Thanks again, and keep an eye in your inbox for your Backer Survey!
--Dirk
Backer Surveys coming soon!
almost 5 years ago
– Fri, Dec 13, 2019 at 12:40:10 PM
Hey, everyone!
Just want to give you a head's up that I'll be sending out Backer surveys next week. Thank you to everyone who's gotten back to me about what name to use in the acknowledgements section (haven't done that yet? Check your messages!)
I've decided to use a service called BackerKit to help me handle the back-end of the campaign, so you'll be getting an email with a special link to your BackKit survey. There you can confirm your shipping information and answer a few questions regarding your rewards.
I'm also using the service to set up a pre-order site. This also means if you'll be able to add additional books to your order if you'd like to complete your collection.
I'll send out more details prior to sending the surveys next week.
Thanks!
--Dirk
