Author Names, Catch-22, and a Change of Plans
Hello, dear readers! I know I just shared an update with you last week, but I’m dropping in again to let you know there’s been a slight change of plans regarding my publishing and blogging goals. Allow me to explain…
To Book or to Blog? A Catch-22 Problem
While I do want to self-publish my book of dragon stories and relaunch my blog under my new author name, the question I’ve been facing for the past few weeks is which to do first. The original plan was to publish my book under my pen name, then relaunch my blog and start publishing new books under my real name.
However, when my designer finally sent me the book cover samples with my pen name last month, she included another copy of each with my real name, and frankly, I fell so in love with them that I knew I couldn’t publish the book under any other name but my own. In short, soon JC Wolfe will be no more!
This left me with the question of how to proceed with my plans to publish, relaunch, and rebrand. It wouldn’t make sense to publish under my real name only to redirect readers to a blog written under my pen name, but at the same time, the only way I can afford to properly relaunch my blog and rebrand myself is by successfully publishing and selling my book. A real catch-22, right?
Rebranding One Step at a Time
The solution I came up with was to start rebranding myself through social media first. I can set up a landing page for my book through my email marketing service provider and promote it through my social media profiles under my new author name. Once my book is finally published and (God willing) selling, I can focus my efforts on updating my blog!
This is somewhat of a spur-of-the-moment plan, but for now, it feels like the best course of action. I’m still not sure when I’ll start rebranding, but hopefully I can finish getting organized soon! Keep an eye out for more updates soon, including the reveal of my book cover and my true author name!
Guest Posts and Blog Relaunch Street Team Volunteers Still Wanted!
And as always, the door is still open for guest post submissions for my blog relaunch (be sure to read the guidelines before you sign up)! Those who join my blog relaunch street team will also get early updates about my rebranding campaign, so if you’re interested, feel free to sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
Thanks for reading! Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
September Updates on My Books and Blog Relaunch + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! Yep, another month has gone by since my last update on my blog, so here’s a quick update about what’s been going on in the month of September with my writing and my blog relaunch. Progress has still been slow, but this time I have a little more news that I’m excited to share with you!
So to keep you up to date, here are some updates on my writing endeavors in September!
Updates on My Books
My three dragon stories have been self-edited, though I still have yet to properly format them into an ebook, so there’s no news on that front. There is, however, a spot of good news that came up at the end of this month.
I finally got some book cover samples from my designer!
I’m not quite ready to share them yet, but I’m very excited to be one step closer to publishing my book! Readers on my mailing lists, especially those of you who beta read my stories, will definitely get a sneak peek before I share the final cover on my blog, so be sure to sign up at the bottom of this post if you’re interested!
On the side, I’m continuing to edit my 100k-word fantasy novel every day and writing my short story trilogy in my spare time. I also just started outlining a new idea for a fantasy novel that I may try to write for NaNoWriMo! If I do, there’s a chance this will actually be the book that follows my dragon stories, as I’d like to turn it into a series! More news on all these books later! Wish me luck!
Updates on My Blog Relaunch and Rebranding Campaign
I mentioned last month that I’ve mostly been focusing on my books lately, so I haven’t had much time to spare for my blog relaunch plans. Because of that, I still don’t have a lot of news to share. One thing I can say, though, is that I’m now fairly certain my new blog will be hosted on SiteGround!
On top of that, I’ve been brainstorming plenty of blog post ideas for my new website! I have definitely found my niche now, so you can expect a common theme across my content (hint: it will match the theme of my upcoming short story book). I’m more excited than ever for my blog relaunch! Again, fingers crossed that it won’t be too far away!
Reminder: Guest Posts Still Wanted!
And finally, this is another friendly reminder that I’m still accepting guest post submissions to help me promote my blog relaunch! There’s still plenty of space for more posts, so don’t be shy!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, be sure to read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thanks again to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
August Updates on My Books and Blog Relaunch + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! Another month has passed since I last shared an update on my blog, so here comes another quick update about what’s been going on in the month of August with my writing and my blog relaunch. Progress has been slower than expected, but I’m still excited to share what I’ve been working on!
So to keep you up to date, here are some updates on my writing endeavors in August!
Updates on my Books
As I mentioned before, I’ve already finished self-editing my three dragon stories, but I’m still figuring out how to format my book. As much as I love Scrivener for writing and editing manuscripts, compiling those manuscripts into properly formatted ebook files can be a real challenge! Hopefully I’ll figure it out soon!
I’m also still waiting on updates from my book cover designer, so I have nothing new to report there. Don’t worry, though; I will definitely share a sneak peek of the cover when it’s ready!
On the side, I’ve still been editing my 100k-word fantasy novel every day and working on my new short story trilogy in some of my spare time, though most of my writing time this month has been dedicated to finishing the current book of dragon stories. I can’t wait to finally publish it!
Updates on my Blog Relaunch and Rebranding Campaign
Again, because I’ve been focusing on my books this month, I haven’t had much time to spare for my blog relaunch plans. I have been researching hosting and site migration, though, but in all honesty, it seems I grossly underestimated the time it would take me to migrate my site to a new host and prepare my new blog for a relaunch. In short, don’t be surprised if it really does end up being another year away (but fingers crossed that it doesn’t)!
Because it’s been incredibly difficult to manage both my self-publishing experiment and my blog relaunch campaign on top of my full-time freelance editing work, I think it will be best for me to focus on only the former until it’s done. Therefore, I probably won’t have much to share next month regarding blog updates. On the plus side, I have been learning more about how to run an author blog, so expect plenty of awesome new content when my new site is finally ready!
Reminder: Guest Posts Still Wanted!
And finally, this is another friendly reminder that I’m still accepting guest post submissions to help me promote my blog relaunch! There’s still plenty of space for more posts, so don’t be shy!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, be sure to read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thanks again to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
July Updates on My Books and Blog Relaunch + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! Yes, it’s been yet another month since I last shared an update on my blog, so you know the drill by now. Here’s a quick post about what’s been going on in the month of July regarding my writing and my blog relaunch. Again, I’ve been pretty busy this month, so I’m excited to share what I’ve been working on!
So to keep you up to date, here are some updates on my writing endeavors in July!
Updates on my Books
In my last update, I mentioned that I finally finished self-editing my three dragon stories! Since then, I’ve been in touch with a designer to help me design a book cover for my new ebook (who also happens to be the same designer working on my new site theme). In the meantime, I’ve been researching how to properly format and export a Scrivener manuscript for Kindle. There’s a lot of information out there; I really should have started researching this sooner! Hopefully it all turns out well!
I’ve also still been working on my 100k-word fantasy novel every day, but most of my free writing time this month has been dedicated to the new short story trilogy I’d like to publish next. More details on that soon! Very exciting!
Updates on my Blog Relaunch and Rebranding Campaign
Since I’ve been focusing on my books this month, there’s really nothing new to report in this area. I’ve still been researching hosting, but my opinions haven’t changed much since June. At this point, I’m really just trying to avoid finding more choices, otherwise I’ll never settle on a hosting provider and get my new blog up and running!
I’m afraid I still don’t have a relaunch date, but because I’ve been focusing on my stories over the past month, September is looking like a more viable option, as I’ll have more time to organize myself in August. I’ll be sure to send out an email and share an update on my blog when I know more!
Reminder: Guest Posts Still Wanted!
And finally, this is another friendly reminder that I’m still accepting guest post submissions to help me promote my blog relaunch! There’s still plenty of space for more posts, so don’t be shy!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, be sure to read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thanks again to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
June Updates on My Books and Blog Relaunch + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! It’s been another month since I last shared an update on my blog, so here’s a quick post about what’s been going on in the month of June regarding my writing and my blog relaunch. I’ve been quite busy this month, so I’m excited to share what I’ve been working on!
So to keep you all in the loop, here are some updates on my writing endeavors in June!
Updates on my Books
The first good news is that I’ve finally finished self-editing my three dragon stories! They may still need one more round of thorough revisions, but “Defender”, “Beastly Pains”, and “The Silver Queen” are just about ready for publication! The last of the three did indeed take quite a bit of work to finish, but I’m confident I’ve addressed most of the points that beta readers have brought up in their notes. Thanks to everyone who read my stories and sent me their feedback!
I’ve also been working on my 100k-word fantasy novel every day, as well as a fantasy saga told in three short stories that I’d like to publish after this ebook. I haven’t yet decided if it will be a series of separate stories on Kindle or a single ebook, but if I opt for the latter, I may offer the first story as a freebie for my mailing list! Very exciting!
Updates on my Blog Relaunch and Rebranding Campaign
The other good news is that I finally bought the domain name for my new blog! Actually, I bought two domain names: one that’s just [my full name].com and one that’s [my full name + author].com. Although I do worry that the latter might be too long since my last name is already long as it is, I’m still leaning toward that one because the “author” keyword would be great for my links. I’ll be sure to share the new domain once my new blog is up and running!
As for hosting, I haven’t yet settled on a provider in the last month, but SiteGround is still the frontrunner so far. A2 Hosting and InMotion are still on the table as well, but HostGator and Bluehost are almost definitely out due to EIG’s terrible reputation. They may be cheaper options, but I’d rather prioritize quality in the long run! Hopefully I can decide by the time my new site theme is ready!
By the way, if you have any recommendations for hosting, please feel free to share them in the comments! Any and all input is helpful! Thanks!
Again, because I haven’t settled on a new hosting provider or site design yet, I still don’t have a set date for my relaunch. At this point, a relaunch in August or September is more likely since I’ll be focusing on finishing and publishing my dragon stories in July. I’ll be sure to send out an email and share an update on my blog when I have a relaunch date!
Reminder: Guest Posts Still Wanted!
And finally, this is another friendly reminder that I’m still accepting guest post submissions to help me promote my blog relaunch! There’s still plenty of space for more posts, so don’t be shy!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, be sure to read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thanks again to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
May Updates on My Books and Blog Relaunch + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! I know it’s been a month since I last posted on my blog, so I thought I’d share a quick update about what’s been going on in the month of May regarding my writing and my blog relaunch. To be honest, I really miss being active on my blog and in the writer community, so I’m working hard to return as soon as possible!
So to keep you all up to speed, here are some updates on my writing endeavors in May!
Updates on my Books
Right now, I’m just about finished self-editing the first two of my three dragon stories: “Defender” and “Beastly Pains”. The former was fairly easy to edit as it didn’t require much more work, while the latter took a bit longer because it involved extra writing to address some beta reader notes.
Meanwhile, “The Silver Queen” may take the longest to edit since it’s received the most constructive feedback, but I’m optimistic that my book will be fully edited, formatted, and ready for publication soon! Thanks again to all the beta readers who sent me their feedback!
On a side note, I’ve also been steadily editing my 100k-word fantasy novel every day. Since finishing the first draft last year, I’ve realized it’ll take way longer to finish and publish than I had expected (rookie mistake, I know), so I’m also planning a shorter series of fantasy stories to self-publish first under my new author name. More details on that later!
Updates on my Blog Relaunch and Rebranding Campaign
As far as preparations for my blog relaunch, I’ve already picked out a new domain name, which will be revealed later along with my new author name. As for hosting, the jury is still out while I research the best options for what I need, but so far SiteGround seems to be the frontrunner. Then again, my preference seems to change every week, so it’s still a toss-up at this point!
Other options I’m seriously considering are A2 Hosting and InMotion. HostGator may be a good choice too, especially for the price, but I’ve heard their hosting only gets really good at the cloud tier or higher, whereas shared hosting should be enough for my blog right now. Hopefully I can make a final decision soon!
By the way, if you have any recommendations for hosting, please feel free to share them in the comments! Any and all input is helpful! Thanks!
In other news, I’ve been working with a website designer to update the look of my blog. Since she already knows me personally, she’s had some great ideas for designs that will really fit my personality and author brand! We haven’t settled on a final design yet, but I’m excited to share the new look when it’s ready!
Because I haven’t settled on a new hosting provider or site design yet, I still don’t have a set date for my relaunch. It would be nice to have everything ready by July, but realistically, it may still be as late as August or even September. I’ll be sure to share another update on my blog when I have a relaunch date!
Reminder: Guest Posts Still Wanted!
And finally, this is a friendly reminder that I’m still accepting guest post submissions to help me promote my blog relaunch! I’ve already received a few submissions so far, but there’s still plenty of room for more, so don’t be shy!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, be sure to read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Also note that I’ll be traveling next week, so I may not have reliable access to wifi for several days. You’re still welcome to send me a pitch/post; just be aware that it may take me a while to get back to you!
Again, thank you to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
One Week Left to Earn a Free Review Copy of My Short Story Book! + Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! I’m back with another weekly notice for you all! Seems even after two weeks since announcing my upcoming blog relaunch, I still can’t go a week without blogging! Don’t worry, though, I promise this will be brief! So on to the announcements!
One Week Left to Send Beta Reader Feedback for a Free Review Copy of My Book!
First, this is a friendly reminder about my notice from last week regarding my final call for beta reader feedback. There’s still time to earn a free review copy of my upcoming book featuring short stories about dragons!
Continue reading below for a brief refresher, or go ahead and sign up for my beta readers’ list now!
To earn your free review copy of my book:
- Sign up for my beta reader list here or through the form above. Remember to confirm your email!
- Read the short stories you’ll receive in the welcome email. A brief synopsis of each story can be found here.
- Send your feedback on at least one story by following the instructions in the email. Feedback on all three stories would be great, but if you don’t have the time, just one or two is enough. 😉
After I receive your feedback, I will add you to my pre-launch list—regardless of whether your feedback is positive or negative, promise! When my book is ready to be launched on Kindle, you will receive a free copy in your email!
If you’ve already sent me feedback on at least one of my stories, don’t worry about having to send it again. You’re already on my pre-launch list! Thank you! 🙂
If you haven’t sent me your notes yet, the deadline to submit your feedback and earn your free book is Wednesday, April 25, 11:59 pm PDT. Sign up today and earn yours!
Guest Posts Still Wanted!
In case you missed it, my call for guest posts to promote my blog relaunch is still open!
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thank you to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
Earn a Free Review Copy of My Short Story Ebook! + Blog Relaunch Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Hello, dear readers! How have you been? It’s been one week since I announced my upcoming blog relaunch, and I admit it already feels strange to not be blogging three times a week anymore. Still, I will have the occasional weekly notice until my new blog is up and running, and that includes today!
So without further ado, here are a couple of announcements for this week!
Submit Feedback on My Short Stories for a Free Review Copy of My Book!
First, while I’m already editing my dragon short stories for the final draft of my book, I’m still welcoming comments from beta readers to help me make them better. However, I can’t stay in the editing phase forever, which is why I’m now sending out a last call for feedback.
Send me your notes on my stories within the next two weeks and I’ll send you a free review copy of my book before I launch it on Kindle!
To earn your free review copy of my book:
- Sign up for my beta reader list here or through the form below. Remember to confirm your email!
- Read the short stories you’ll receive in the welcome email. A brief synopsis of each story can be found here.
- Send your feedback on at least one story by following the instructions in the email. Feedback on all three stories would be ideal, but if you don’t have the time, just one or two is enough. 😉
After I receive your feedback, I will add you to my pre-launch list—regardless of whether your feedback is positive or negative, promise! When my book is ready to be launched on Kindle, you will receive a free copy in your email!
If you’ve already sent me feedback on at least one of my stories, don’t worry about having to send it again. You’re already on the pre-launch list! Thank you! 🙂
If you haven’t sent me your notes yet, the deadline to submit your feedback and earn your free book is Wednesday, April 25, 11:59 pm PDT. Sign up today and earn yours!
Guest Posts Still Wanted!
Second, this is a brief reminder that my call for guest posts to promote my blog relaunch is still open!
For more information on the update, be sure to check out the original post here.
If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, read the guidelines first, then sign up for my list below!
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
You should receive a welcome email plus another email in a few days with instructions on how to pitch me your guest post.
Thank you to everyone who’s signed up to help me make my book launch and blog relaunch a success! You’re all awesome!
Talk to you again soon! Until then, happy reading/writing!
Blogging Break + Blog Relaunch Coming Soon! + Guest Posts Wanted!
Dear beloved readers,
Hi! First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this post. What I’m about to say is kind of a big deal for me, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a big deal for you, so the fact that you’re setting aside this time means a lot to me. Thanks!
So this week marks a special occasion for me because it’s the fifth anniversary of when I started blogging! Yay! On that positive note, there are two announcements I’d like to make…
Blog Relaunch Coming Soon!
First, this post is an announcement that some major changes are coming to my website and online presence… eventually! Hooray!
Those of you who follow my blog know that I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as I have been for the past five years.
Well, the changes I’m planning to make will involve a lot of work on the backend, which means I’ll have to take a break from blogging for a while. When I return, expect a major blog update, complete with my new author name!
Now don’t get too excited: these big changes won’t be coming for several weeks at least. In fact, the earliest time to reasonably expect an official relaunch is June, but it could just as easily be a whole year away. In the meantime, I still plan to share updates on my current WIP featuring my dragon short stories.
So why am I telling you all this now?
Limited Time: Guest Posts Wanted!
I will be the first to admit that I haven’t exactly been the most selfless blogger on WordPress. My bad. That’s one of the many things I’d like to change following this update.
This brings me to the real point of this post. After all is said and done, I’ll need some help broadcasting my blog relaunch. What’s the fun of moving house if no one shows up to your housewarming party, right?
Simple links and shares on your blogs and social media pages will be much appreciated, of course. But while that would be very generous of you, I understand that most writers prefer a quid-pro-quo setup. That’s why for the first time ever, I’ll be temporarily opening my blog to guest posts!
Awesome! Where do I sign up?
If you think this is something you’d be interested in, be sure to take a look at my guest post guidelines for this relaunch before signing up below.
If you’re interested in hearing about my blog relaunch and/or want to submit a guest post in the future to help me promote the update, go ahead and sign up for my mailing list! (You should receive a welcome email after you sign up.)
Join My Blog Relaunch Street Team!
It’s important that you subscribe here because aside from still being several weeks away, the relaunch will involve a domain name and hosting change, and if anything goes wrong during the migration (*knock on wood*), email will be the best way for me to keep you in the loop.
Disclaimer: This is a temporary mailing list that will only be used to contact you about promotional help and guest post opportunities related to my blog relaunch. After the update, you’ll be given the option to stay on my main list or unsubscribe. If you choose to stay, you’ll continue to receive emails from me about my published books and other updates on my work. I will never send you spam. You can unsubscribe at any time (no hard feelings, promise).
If you choose to sign up, thank you so much for your help! It seriously means the world to me!
Even if you don’t join my list, you can still help me get the word out about my upcoming relaunch and call for guest posts today! Please feel free to share this post on your blog and social media channels! Many thanks!
If you’ve made it to the end of this post, thank you for your time and attention!
And to all of you who have been reading my blog for years, thank you so much for letting me share my writing with you! I hope to connect with you again soon!
Until then, bless you all!
Love,
JC Wolfe
Update on the Dragon Story Experiment: More Beta Reader Feedback + Final Draft in Progress
It’s been another month since my last update on my dragon stories! Last time, I shared some of the feedback I’d received from beta readers on my first two stories while the last one had yet to be edited and sent out. After sending out all three stories and receiving more feedback from readers, here’s another quick update on my project and where I plan to go from here!
Beta Reader Feedback
So far, all three of my stories have been very well received! Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re perfect, and my beta readers certainly had some great notes to share over the past several weeks!
Based on their feedback, it seems a couple of my biggest weaknesses in writing are passive voice and awkward sentences. This isn’t really a surprise; I’ve caught myself favoring passive voice over active voice more times than I’d care to admit, and even I find some of my own sentences awkward after a few rounds of editing. Despite everything I’ve learned about writing, I still have a handful of bad habits to break!
One thing that did surprise me was someone’s comment that the action in “Defender” was written very well. Action scenes have long been one of the areas I’ve felt least confident in, so hearing that my extra effort paid off definitely put a spring in my step that day! I was also surprised to hear that “Beastly Pains” is very reminiscent of the fable of “The Lion and the Mouse” (not that this is a bad thing, I just hadn’t realized it), and that “The Silver Queen” made one of my readers cry!
Overall, although there have been a couple of comments here and there that were hard to hear, I’m extremely grateful to the readers who have taken the time to read my stories and give feedback. Every comment, both positive and negative, helps me become a better writer!
Final Edits + Publication
Although my stories are technically still open for feedback from beta readers, I’m already getting started on the final drafts. Once those are done, I plan to assemble them into a single ebook and publish it on Kindle!
Now before you say anything, I know this sounds a little crazy. What am I thinking publishing these stories without giving them to an editor first?
Well, as I’ve hinted at before, this isn’t so much a true self-publishing venture as it is an experiment. I’m planning to use these stories to test certain aspects of self-publishing and see how readers respond to my writing so I can learn from the experience. I promise I have no intention of publishing my future “real” books without handing them over to a professional editor first! That would be insane!
The main reason I’m okay with putting this book out there in such a raw state is that I’m going to be rebranding myself as an author soon. This will be the only book I publish under my current name; after my upcoming blog relaunch, I’ll be focusing on a fresh series of stories to properly self-publish under my new author name, hopefully with a little more wisdom about the process!
What blog relaunch and new author name, you ask? You’ll have to wait until next week to learn more. 😉
Thanks again to all my beta readers for your feedback! If you’re not one of my beta readers yet but would like to be, you still have time to sign up for my mailing list! Once my final drafts are nearly ready, I’ll be closing my list, so be sure to sign up soon!
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