Archer’s Aim Text Club

Archer’s Aim Weekly Progress Report – 4/22/2022

When will the next volume of The Cursed Mage Case files arrive? Find out in this week’s Archer’s Aim progress report.

Hi all! PH here with a progress update for the week. This is a new series for me as I detail some of what I’m doing each week. It’s a way for me to keep myself going by posting each week. The update format will likely change over time until I’m comfortable with the feel of the posts. Now for what happened this week.

This Week With The Unseen Hand

The Unseen Hand cover is ready and waiting for the book release.

This week, I took a long look at where I am with The Unseen Hand. This review was helpful as I dug into how long it will take me to complete the next volume of The Cursed Mage Case Files. I started by estimating how many days each section of the book would take to revise plus copy editing, formatting and other preparation details. This assessment was very honest and I arrived at a mid-June completion date of everything up to formatting.

As a result of this appraisal, I’m giving myself until at least mid-August for release. It’s a soft date that could slide closer or further out based on my progress, especially over the next several weeks. If progress is faster, then release will be sooner. The closer I get to a finished book, the better I can determine when to set the release date. I think I should have a pretty good idea of the date within a few weeks.

Why am I being conservative with the release date? The last release was done with about thirty or forty-five days lead. There were quite a lot of details that were not finished and then I contracted Covid several weeks before the launch and haven’t been the same since. As a result, The Order of the Dark Rose didn’t get the proper release it should have gotten and, while it has sold well over the last year and a half plus, it could have been better with a more robust release. I’m planning to release The Unseen Hand with a broader plan. Advanced release copies will be available and more blog posts for the series will be written. I may even complete a growing series companion. There are other plans for promotion that need my attention so I need appropriate time to build toward the release.

This Week With Other Writing Projects

Place holder image for A Charm in the Hand, Book 1 of The Black Glove

What else happened this week? I also reviewed where I stand with The Nine Jewel Heist, Volume 3 of The Cursed Mage Case Files. Again, this book will go into in-depth revision as soon as possible after The Unseen Hand is completed. This book is intended to be launched later this year so my intention is to put myself on the clock for completing the work.

Additionally, A Charm in the Hand, Book 1 of The Black Glove, is almost ready for an editorial review. The plan is to complete that revision to send to my editor ASAP so there’s a chance to release that book this year too. It needs about 8,000 words edited which won’t take too long to complete. I’ve even gotten most of it posted to my Reedsy account where I’ll produce a draft copy for my editor. This book is much further along than it seems due to the nature of the story. I hope to share more about it over the next weeks and months and I think it will be the beginning of an entertaining series.

This Week With Miscellaneous Projects

I’m also planning an overhaul of the site with a new theme. It’s something to juggle, but this is necessary since viewing on the mobile version of the site is somewhat limited. The change is overdue so I want to push this along over the next month parallel with work on The Unseen Hand and getting A Charm in the Hand off to my editor.

Archer’s Aim Press logo

What else is going on? I’ve been planning to launch an imprint for print books this year. I’m behind on this project, so I plan to push it along. There’s some lifting to do, but it’s mainly smaller tasks for existing books. Readying the books is mainly having the imprint stood up with a basic website, obtaining ISBNs registered to the imprint, and putting these into distribution through Ingram. The goal here is to make the print books available to bookstores so there will be some marketing material to create. The goal is to possibly have it all ready for the release of The Unseen Hand and the following books.

Once The Unseen Hand is ready along with the website and the imprint, I hope to clear time to spend on outlining, world-building, and drafting books for publication next year. It’s important to make progress on several projects to free up creative time in addition to editing and revision.

The Unseen Hand is submitted to Podium Audio which could affect the entire Cursed Mage Case Files series.

Oh yeah, I’ve submitted The Unseen Hand to my audio publisher, Podium Audio. If there’s interested, this should get audio on the launching pad for all of The Cursed Mage Case Files series. If this doesn’t work out, I’ve got a few ideas for audio I’ll pursue at a later time

Otherwise, The Order of the Dark Rose is on sale at 99 cents through 4/24. I’m planning more items for listings in the merchandise store. I’m also looking into digital products for the NFT market as well as possible 3D figures. Stay tuned for these developments.

Thanks for stopping by the site today and reading this post. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section. Like what you’re reading? Feel free to follow this site, you can even view the site from the WordPress reader app. Looking for more information? I’m growing a text club for faster, shorter announcements and exclusive specials. You can also join me in Marston’s Station, my private fan group on Goodreads where you can read about more non-public development news and additional exclusive special deals. Look for me at these additional sites too. There are plenty of ways to follow and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Newsletter Notes: Look Ma! I Can Juggle, Sorta…

It’s been a strangely hectic year so far. Here’s why…

I was recently watching a re-run of a sit-com and one of the characters twice walked between jugglers tossing bowling pins between them. It was funny, but it left me with a reminder of how oddly busy this year has been so far. You start out January with goals, especially as a writer, but life wrecks all those plans and you feel like your juggling far more than you can handle. There have been health issues, a steady stream of broken things to fix (seriously, it’s been several things every month so far), and then there’s writing.

Sometimes, I’ve been so distracted it’s been hard to get anything done for days. The Unseen Hand revision has languished as my head has been “swimming” over the variety of issues to address. My personal appointments keep me going and it’s hard to retain focus a lot of days. However, I’m still making progress even if it’s sporadic at times. But sometimes, I default to reading for a variety of reasons whether is fiction or non-fiction, usually just to rest my confused head. But that’s another story.

I’ve been so busy, I looked up and March was gone and April speeding by. Here are a some writing activities I’m juggling:

Marston’s Station:

When and why do you find yourself reading? Join my private group on Goodreads and discuss your answers in the Newsletter Questions folder. I’m also trying to add a few threads about developments with Archer’s Aim.

News about The Unseen Hand:

My progress is up and down due to lingering health concerns and the time it takes to manage the issues. In summary, the “brain fog” seems to create some odd neurological issues which have been discussed with my doctor. The treatment instructions are garden-variety due to lack of information. Input-output activity can easily tax the brain’s executive functions and physical activity can exacerbate the problem. How long this condition lasts is unknown – some people are over it rather quickly, mine is lingering. Regardless, I muddle along with writing and shifting to less taxing tasks as needed. All those oddities slow down revision and is the reason this post .

All that being said, I’m pushing forward the best I can and hope to decide on a release date soon. There are still some free review copies available when the book is ready so let me know if you want one and I’ll add you to my list. Incidentally, I’m still offering some free remaining e-book copies of The Order of the Dark Rose – contact me if you are interested in one. If I am able to land on a release date, I’ll post that in a special announcement.

Regarding special announcements…

I’d like to move those into text format as much as possible so, with that in mind, I’ve started a text subscription since it’s faster and less time-consuming to read. If you’re interested, here’s the sign-up.

In other news

I’m developing series companions which will cover a wide range of background information about books in The Bow of Hart Saga and The Cursed Mage Case Files. Aside from reading, I find that working on these can be therapeutic when I’m not feeling well. I have a small one out for The Cursed Mage Case Files named Magic Gadgets, but I want to expand it. Of course this is a sidebar project and won’t be completed that soon, but if you want the current version, it is available to you via Bookfunnel at this link with newsletter subscription.

A Few Final Notes

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there have been a few new items added on the Archer’s Aim Press Store over the last few months (there’s also a 15% coupon – SPRING15 until 4/30/2022). I’m also considering creating some unique digital items for the NFT market as well as looking into 3-D figures if you are interested in either one of these.

I hope to be back sooner with more news about The Unseen Hand, another fun development, and other news from Archer’s Aim.

Thanks for reading as usual. Please share this email with fellow fantasy fans. Let me know if you are interested in a free review copy of The Order of the Dark Rose as well as one for early reviews of The Unseen Hand. There are only 25 free copies available so don’t hesitate if you are interested.

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Announcing Archer’s Aim Text Club

You may have noticed it on the sidebar already, but there’s a new way to stay informed about developments with Archer’s Aim: text subscription.

Using text is a great way to receive the latest information from the site, Archer’s Aim Digest (newsletter), book updates, additional free content, merchandise specials, and much more. It’s a free and short way to keep up with everything about Archer’s Aim.

There’s a 35% sign-up discount at Archer’s Aim Press Store for signing up to the text club. The code will be sent after sign-up.

Here’s how to sign-up: