Hey, it’s my first newsletter update on Patreon only! Neato! Let’s chat a bit about The Divine Archive’s next steps.
The biggest issue for me right now is figuring out the logistics of selfpub. I’m pretty solid on my intent to go that route, now, but I just wish there was a checklist out there of every little thing that needs to get done. I feel like there’s so many variables, and it’s a little overwhelming!
(And yes, I HAVE googled "self-pub checklist," only to get results where the list is essentially "write your novel. Edit your novel. Publish your novel. Thanks for nothing!)
Here’s my list of to-do’s, though. THEORETICALLY, these are in order from an approximate first to last, though… I don’t really know what the best order to accomplish things is, so I’m sorta just guessing.
Send Blood of the Gods to my line/copy editor
Write back cover blurb, acknowledgements, and other supplemental materials
Research effective book marketing
Format manuscript for print
Design a cover
Find a distribution platform or two or three
Find ARC readers
Pick a release date
Get ISBN #s (One for ebook, and one for print, I think??)
Oof. What a list. Even still, I feel like I’m probably missing something.
In an ideal world where nothing goes horribly wrong, I imagine this book being out in the world by the end of 2026. Will that actually happen? Who knows. Knock on wood.
(I have a running joke where every time I say “knock on wood” I knock on my head instead of a wooden surface. However, I bear a curse that nobody is ever looking at me when I do it, so the joke falls flat every single time. LOL)
Anyways, on the bright side: checklist item #1? I just did that this week!
Blood of the Gods is in my editor’s hands, and I’m super stoked (and also jittery, as always. I love getting feedback, but there’s something about being Perceived in such a critical manner that always makes me a little nervous). Here’s the catch, though:
Edits don’t start until July.
“Wait,” you may say. “Why hand it off so early?”
I don’t want to sit around and nitpick the manuscript for several months. If I allow myself the wiggle room, I’ll poke and prod at the thing, and there’s a point where I just need to sit back and let it stew for a bit. I think my manuscript is in a very strong state—why fuss? Why stress?
So, yes, I’ll be waiting half a year before edits ever begin, but I think for the sake of my sanity, that’s A-OK.
What will I be doing during those six months? Aside from the ample research I have in my path, I’m also going to dig in and really, truly get my first draft of TDA #2 finished. I just got a new idea today for the beginning of this story, and unfortunately that means everything I’ve already written is going to the trash bin, but I think it’ll be even cooler and better as a result.
It’ll be fun to work on a new project for a bit!
Until next time,
Wren Rivers
@corvidarcana [Bluesky, Tumblr]
@corvid.arcana [Instagram]