Post by Thunderstorm Books on Jan 1, 2023 22:58:04 GMT
2023.
Let’s rock and roll.
I debated about sharing all my in-depth thoughts and feelings reflecting on 2022 and ultimately decided against it.
I could have written a scathing review of the year. How both the most rewarding and most enjoyable aspects of running a small press turned into long, aggravating headaches. How I fell short of my expectations. How I feel I have let some people down. How, on my worst of worst day’s I thought the upcoming Drive-In anthology would be a great swan song of a book…I mean damn, take a look at the TOC for this, and tell me I am wrong. How after recently turning fifty I am starting to wonder how much longer I can hold onto the 40 hour a week day job / 40 book a year publishing job with my body and sanity intact. I could have written about all these things. I could have gone in depth with the reasons and circumstances of them all.
I also could have written a glowing review of the year. How I overcame obstacles and managed to publish 24 books for the year. How damn proud I am at how these books turned out. How I cherished visiting/meeting/interacting with everyone at Authorcon, a con I will never forget. How, all things considered, I actually did okay financially. How I signed some amazing, amazing authors for upcoming books. How I continue to remember on all days, other than my worst of the worst, that I am so honored to be part of, and love so much, this world of books that I know in my heart I will never quit. I could have gone in depth with the reasons and circumstances of them all.
But that is the past. I want to talk about the future in four parts.
2023 WINTER (Dec-Feb):
My main goal for the first three months of the year is to get caught up on previous commitments. This is especially true already announced limited edition books, all of which I took pre-orders for in 2022, all of which are coming out later than I would have liked, all of which I apologize to those waiting patiently for them. Road of Bones by Christopher Golden, Beneath a Pale Sky by Philip Fracassi, and Dark Kin by Joe R and Kasey Lansdale should all finally be released within the next ninety days. I also have about a dozen more currently at the printer, unannounced to the general public, that will be coming out as well. I can’t just catch up though…I need get the ball rolling on several other ideas I have, otherwise I will end up typing these same words a year from now talking about 2024.
2023 SPRING (Mar-May):
Now that I have figured out a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C around those headaches I mentioned in the first paragraph, Spring will be all about renewal. I have a lot of prospective books in the pipeline. A lot of ideas in the pipeline. But I need to do everything in my power to make them come to life. There is a cadence to publishing. Something I can’t really put into words, but something other publishers would nod their heads in agreement with, that non-verbal understanding of knowing what I mean, without having to even say it. And the bottom line is I just got out of my rhythm in 2022 and I am going to get it back this year. 2023 is set up to be one of my most pivotal years…a lot of self-pressure to right the wrongs of the last year. I have a lot to prove to myself.
2023 SUMMER (Jun-Aug):
I kind of thought 2023 would be the start of me attending more conventions each year. But it turns out that I have some other commitments that I need to complete, so I am probably going to only make it to one. I promised Wrath James White that I would make it to a Killercon…and that is the one I want to go to the most. I absolutely want to return to Authorcon…to make it a yearly tradition…but I am pretty certain III in 2024 will be the next chance I get.
Regardless of conventions, I want to be more social while simultaneously spending less time on social media. Hell yeah, I am concerned about the future of twitter…it is/was such a fabulous tool for me to connect with authors and artists and to sell books. But I want to see more people in real life. And if that can’t happen, then on podcasts and web events. And if that can’t happen, then via email or on the Keenedom (fucking best old school thing to come out in 2022). And if that can’t happen, I will find another way to connect with everyone. Don’t tempt me with doing an actual print catalog / announcement newsletter / zine / thing because the logistics would be a nightmare.
Most importantly, I am hopefully still coming out with kick-ass limited editions each month through the summer.
2023 FALL (Sept-November):
Okay, let’s be real. I don’t know what I am going to be doing come fall. My youngest daughter will be off to her first year of college. The crystal ball says I’m am thrilled with my first Killercon experience. Maybe, just maybe, I also have a once-in-a-lifetime vacation planned. Oh, and kick-ass books, hopefully the spicket is still on full blast!
Then a break. Yep, a break. When I was at Authorcon, I kind of put together a plan after hearing/talking to Christoph Paul of Clash, Lesley Conner of Apex, Jonathan Janz, and Mary SanGiovanni. Something that will give me endurance for years to come. I actually was going to take a break this year (and some would say I have based on my recent performance in the book release department), but I couldn’t get myself to do it with so many things in turmoil. Even so, I am refreshed and excited and just plain damn ready to hit the ground running this year.
Let’s rock and roll!
Let’s rock and roll.
I debated about sharing all my in-depth thoughts and feelings reflecting on 2022 and ultimately decided against it.
I could have written a scathing review of the year. How both the most rewarding and most enjoyable aspects of running a small press turned into long, aggravating headaches. How I fell short of my expectations. How I feel I have let some people down. How, on my worst of worst day’s I thought the upcoming Drive-In anthology would be a great swan song of a book…I mean damn, take a look at the TOC for this, and tell me I am wrong. How after recently turning fifty I am starting to wonder how much longer I can hold onto the 40 hour a week day job / 40 book a year publishing job with my body and sanity intact. I could have written about all these things. I could have gone in depth with the reasons and circumstances of them all.
I also could have written a glowing review of the year. How I overcame obstacles and managed to publish 24 books for the year. How damn proud I am at how these books turned out. How I cherished visiting/meeting/interacting with everyone at Authorcon, a con I will never forget. How, all things considered, I actually did okay financially. How I signed some amazing, amazing authors for upcoming books. How I continue to remember on all days, other than my worst of the worst, that I am so honored to be part of, and love so much, this world of books that I know in my heart I will never quit. I could have gone in depth with the reasons and circumstances of them all.
But that is the past. I want to talk about the future in four parts.
2023 WINTER (Dec-Feb):
My main goal for the first three months of the year is to get caught up on previous commitments. This is especially true already announced limited edition books, all of which I took pre-orders for in 2022, all of which are coming out later than I would have liked, all of which I apologize to those waiting patiently for them. Road of Bones by Christopher Golden, Beneath a Pale Sky by Philip Fracassi, and Dark Kin by Joe R and Kasey Lansdale should all finally be released within the next ninety days. I also have about a dozen more currently at the printer, unannounced to the general public, that will be coming out as well. I can’t just catch up though…I need get the ball rolling on several other ideas I have, otherwise I will end up typing these same words a year from now talking about 2024.
2023 SPRING (Mar-May):
Now that I have figured out a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C around those headaches I mentioned in the first paragraph, Spring will be all about renewal. I have a lot of prospective books in the pipeline. A lot of ideas in the pipeline. But I need to do everything in my power to make them come to life. There is a cadence to publishing. Something I can’t really put into words, but something other publishers would nod their heads in agreement with, that non-verbal understanding of knowing what I mean, without having to even say it. And the bottom line is I just got out of my rhythm in 2022 and I am going to get it back this year. 2023 is set up to be one of my most pivotal years…a lot of self-pressure to right the wrongs of the last year. I have a lot to prove to myself.
2023 SUMMER (Jun-Aug):
I kind of thought 2023 would be the start of me attending more conventions each year. But it turns out that I have some other commitments that I need to complete, so I am probably going to only make it to one. I promised Wrath James White that I would make it to a Killercon…and that is the one I want to go to the most. I absolutely want to return to Authorcon…to make it a yearly tradition…but I am pretty certain III in 2024 will be the next chance I get.
Regardless of conventions, I want to be more social while simultaneously spending less time on social media. Hell yeah, I am concerned about the future of twitter…it is/was such a fabulous tool for me to connect with authors and artists and to sell books. But I want to see more people in real life. And if that can’t happen, then on podcasts and web events. And if that can’t happen, then via email or on the Keenedom (fucking best old school thing to come out in 2022). And if that can’t happen, I will find another way to connect with everyone. Don’t tempt me with doing an actual print catalog / announcement newsletter / zine / thing because the logistics would be a nightmare.
Most importantly, I am hopefully still coming out with kick-ass limited editions each month through the summer.
2023 FALL (Sept-November):
Okay, let’s be real. I don’t know what I am going to be doing come fall. My youngest daughter will be off to her first year of college. The crystal ball says I’m am thrilled with my first Killercon experience. Maybe, just maybe, I also have a once-in-a-lifetime vacation planned. Oh, and kick-ass books, hopefully the spicket is still on full blast!
Then a break. Yep, a break. When I was at Authorcon, I kind of put together a plan after hearing/talking to Christoph Paul of Clash, Lesley Conner of Apex, Jonathan Janz, and Mary SanGiovanni. Something that will give me endurance for years to come. I actually was going to take a break this year (and some would say I have based on my recent performance in the book release department), but I couldn’t get myself to do it with so many things in turmoil. Even so, I am refreshed and excited and just plain damn ready to hit the ground running this year.
Let’s rock and roll!