Today is the day!
When everything goes dark! Mwahahahaha!!!!
Okay, all joking aside, later today is the official end of the Inkfort Press Derby. I am excited for multiple reasons, the main one not being to reveal my identity. Instead, I am more excited for being able to limit my clicks and interactions a bit with this persona and finally put into action a plan in the works for years.
Personally, the main issue I’ve had with this derby is the whole anonymity aspect and everything that goes around that: new accounts, new interactions, new browser tabs and bookmarks, and so many more new things that are just… too much for me to keep track of. I created a specific Google Profile just to have a new window open with all things Derby-related in one place!!
So, I am so excited because today, I get to cut down.
In fact, these are my goals for today as I prepare for the end of the derby (some of which are already crossed off my list!!):
Take down Soultaming from Wattpad and RoyalRoad. I will be keeping the first chapter up and actually updating it to match the final version of the first chapter (one of those major changes), but the rest is coming down!Take it down from here as well - Soultaming first chapter (updated) will be available to read on here andon my new author publication on Substack (this! this is what I’m so excited about!!!)Update the first chapter on here!Check out the final version of the beginning of this story here:Delete that extra google profile that I will not be using again and instead connect that account with my regular browser. Which also means deleting extra bookmarks and consolidating others. But I do want to keep the email (too many new things connected to it) so we’ll see about this point.
Put Soultaming up on Yoru (this is an amazing new reader app, make sure to check it out!) for limited dust - aiming to match other retailers on this one :)
Work on the new cover design and typesetting the inside so I can republish both the ebook under my new penname and publish a print version!!! (This should probably happen before the point above 🤔)
Prepare to close this publication! I’m actually not going to close close it, I’m just going to prepare only one or two final posts, but after that, there will be no new stuff happening here (stay tuned for a link to my main author publication on Substack if you want to keep up to date with my work).
Prepare welcome posts and author site!! SO EXCITING!!!
In fact, I’m going to focus on the last point a bit more because wow… today. is. the. day!
So, basically, without revealing anything just yet (official time we’re allowed to do reveals is 5pm EST), I’ve been avoiding creating an author site and newsletter for a very long time because I don’t have any books on Amazon or other retailers. In fact, Soultaming the Serpent could be considered my debut novel not only for the derby, but it is also my fantasy debut outside of online serials (hint hint!).
Which was the perfect excuse to avoid creating both a newsletter and an author site. I mean, who wants to do all the work involved in marketing themselves when they don’t have any products out yet?
But now that I’ve discovered Substack and how easy it is to use, I am planning on making this my home for both past and future author stuff, and finally start on another objective of mine I’ve had for years now - start reviewing books!
There is going to be so much fun stuff in this new publication and I can’t wait to start it up and meet you all officially.
In the meantime, let’s go DARK!!
See you around,
Hammond (for a few more hours)