Wow! Production for this series has been quite the journey!
Book 2, Seeds of Defiance, has been somewhat arduous for me. What I thought would be a simple follow up from what we had done with Book1 has turned into a nearly 3 year long trek with multiple production teams and some artists joining and leaving the project.
I decided to branch out into the world of conventions and purchased a table in “Artist Alley” at the Granite State Comic Con in late September of this year (2024). This required the books that were still in production since 2022 to be completed. As such, it’s been a panicked race toward the finish line for me as I stress out about whether my teams will meet the hard deadline to complete this book or if I’ll have to bow out of a $300+ convention ticket I purchased a year ago.
In the meantime, I’ve also been incredibly nervous about presenting Infinitale Chronicles directly to customers, in person. It’s one thing to handle logistics for shipping and jumping on a few YouTube channel panels to speak with other creators about my series. It’s an entirely different experience to be sitting there with a lockbox in your lap and speaking with several people at once.
Part of me is also worried that too much time has passed since Book 1’s release and initial fans may have lost interest by the time I’m able to get the next installment out. That production speed is entirely out of my hands – literally.
I’m 100% relying upon two separate art teams to produce the artwork for my books. Since enduring peripheral nerve damage from an autoimmune disease that has taken away most of the use of my hands, I really can’t just roll up my sleeves and pinch-hit when things start lagging like I would prefer to do. It sucks because I fancied myself an artist in my youth, when Infinitale Chronicles was originally being developed.
This is where I greatly appreciate the patience of those that have stuck around as they’ve waited for the second book in this planned ten book series. I’ll definitely need to consider different approaches for future books as I don’t think I’ll live long enough to see Book 10’s release at this release pace.
As a bonus for those that have stuck around, Book 2 will also contain a much higher page-count. We’re looking at 112+ pages for both versions of Book 2. Both versions? That’s right! As mentioned in a previous post, Infinitale Chronicles #2: Seeds of Defiance will be made available in two editions. The Standard Edition is being worked on by the art team managed by Zen, at HICONMedia. The Alternate Art Edition is being produced by Barbusco Comics.
In addition to these two editions, I am also working on a black & white Manga Edition, Jumoku no Taisen (The War of the Trees) Vol. 1. This Manga formatted book, read from right to left, contains the inks of António Brandão (from the Standard Edition and Book 1) halftone shaded by me. I have also added some additional artwork and the script has been slightly modified from its original printing in Book 1.
For newcomers, the lower-priced “two-books-in-one” black & white option may be a great way to jump into the series — especially for fans of Manga.
There is a reason for these three separate books being released like this. I am tracking sales to determine which of the three products sells the most. The winner shall be the future of Infinitale Chronicles going forward.
Finally, I have read through surveys from the backers of Book 1 (sent out after the first book’s campaign) and have created various collectible merchandise based on their feedback. Thank you to everyone that participated in those surveys as that’s one of the most direct ways I’ve been able to listen to your feedback and adjust my campaigns accordingly.
As September draws near, I’ll be doing what I can to get these first edition books to print in preparation for the convention AND the crowdfunding campaign planned to follow it. Stay tuned for more information, including sign-ups for the Indiegogo campaign, in the coming weeks!
