Status Report!

First off, some fun stuff- there’s a new reader-created motion comic up!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMdjSQH_XKg&list=UUB0f2p9TRxkt0aO2JgrkOqA&index=1

If you haven’t read Volume 1, beware- spoilers await.

There’s an open call for aspiring voice actors and artists who’d be interested in making more- the readers are recruiting here:  http://dreamkeepers.forums-free.com/dk-volunteer-army-f24.html


I haven’t been up to anything quite so glamorous- packaging books.  But even though it’s bereft of glitter and jazz solos, it’s still exciting to me.  I’ve never had so many orders to package at once before, so it’s a whole new experience- but thinking that every individual book and sticker and label is destined to launch out to someone who wants it is incredibly gratifying.

Hundreds of books have been sharpie signed & doodled, and next week hundreds of envelopes should be hitting the mail.  I’m hoping another two weeks will get all the Volume 3 fulfillment done.

Hang in there- they’re coming!

Once I deliver on Volume 3, I’ll come back in here and blather a bit about our 2013 plans.

-David

DAVID DESTROYS CHRISTMAS

Another impressive line for my resume’.

We have a V3 completion date from the printer- December 21st!  

Then begins my weeks of signing, sticker-stuffing, packaging, and rounds to the post office.   However, this guarantees I can’t deliver V3 Pre-Orders in time for Christmas.

Thereby destroying it.

I was waiting in fear for Santa to swoop in and foil me, but it appears my precautions on that front have paid off in full.  A little garlic goes a long way…  Or hadn’t you heard?

Santa = vampire.  http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2010/12/santa-horror.html


If you have a Volume 3 Pre-Order, I’ve e-mailed you regarding this.  (The release date, not Santa being undead.)  So if there’s nothing in your inbox from me today, be sure to e-mail me and ensure we have the right contact info on file for you.

I find it curious that Volume 3’s print date falls on the exact day the Mayans predicted earths’ cataclysmic finale.

Everyone have a safe apocalyptic holiday season!

V3 Pre-Orders: COUNTDOWN

Volume 3 is with the printer right now- in a few more weeks, our apartment will be 1,000 books heavier.  Once they‘re here, Pre-Orders will close so we can focus exclusively on packaging & mailing them without confusing ourselves.  I’m expecting us to be mailing for at least two solid weeks-

This means if you want to receive Volume 3 before Christmas, be sure to get your Pre-Orders in now before they close!

And might I take this opportunity to point out that nothing is more in keeping with the warm yuletide spirit than neon cartoon characters struggling for survival against bloodthirsty Lovecraftian horrors.

If you know anyone that might like V3 for Christmas, or even someone that would be interested in Pre-Ordering themselves, please spread the word! http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/storeVolume3.htm
I’m keen on finishing Volume 4 fast- ideally within a year.  Every single V3 order is going to support this goal.


E-books:  We’ll get Volume 3 formatted and available as soon as I’m finished delivering Pre-Orders.  I also plan to get all books available in Nook, Kindle, and whatever else those crazy kids are using these days.

Meanwhile, I’m getting the Halloween Fanart beads sculpted and painted, and I have some other surprises in mind for the remainder of 2012...



Thank you again to everyone for your incredible patience and support!  The next book is almost here, and I think we may be in a position to kick this whole project into high gear.

Happy Halloween!

We finished up Volume 3 *just* in time to get our Halloween Prelude ready:  http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/PreludeHalloween12.htm

And in more seasonal news, if you haven't seen the 2012 Fanart Contest entries yet, help yourself to a gallery of spooky, cartoon delights:  http://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantart.com/gallery/39780694

The winners have been announced, and voting will open soon for the Fan Favorite award.


In miscellaneous news:  Yes, Volume 3 is done.  We're working with the printer now to get the first proof copy for review.  No solid release date yet, depends on how many rounds of proofing we do - I would expect mid November.

I'm colossally behind on e-mails and art account replies & postings, not to mention I need to get in gear on finishing Commissions 13 and 14.   And then there's personal hygiene...    So, I'll be busy getting caught up on various fronts over the next couple of weeks, hopefully before the V3 shipment is ready for mailing.

Thanks again to everyone for being patient with me.  I hope you have an excellent Halloween!

-David

Sneak Peek #26: Finish Line

Time for a quick update on V3 progress!

All but ten pages of story are finished.  I’m pulling an average shading rate of 6 pages per week.    Factor in an extra couple of weeks for cover art, polishing, tweaks, and the book will be with the printers before Halloween.  

Volume 3 is on the verge of being print-ready.  …I can already feel the my sanity levels rising.


Usually we grab shipping supplies from Staples, but not for Volume 3.   Today we received beautiful, hulking boxes of bulk-ordered shipping supplies.  Combining our living quarters with a warehouse is kind of a fun experiment - and just in time to have company over!

Fortunately, everyone loves cardboard boxes.  We’ll make a maze or a fort to play in.  That’s business done right.


Once again, my reply rate with e-mails and art accounts has been sacrificed on the altar of Production.   Churning out V3, filling orders, restocking merchandise, and keeping a job nailed down doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room, and my slave-clone is turning out wrong in every way imaginable.


But despite that, I believe Volume 4 will be going *much* faster than Volume 3.  I’ll speculate more on that later- but for now, the end is finally in sight for the next installment of Dreamkeepers.

I think it’s going to be a fantastic holiday season.    

V3 Pre-Orders

At last, after years of buildup... 

 Volume 3 Pre-Orders are open!   http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/storeVolume3.htm

Thousands upon thousands of hours in effort are finally bringing 144 pages of Dreamkeepers story your way.

...Try not to read it all in one sitting, alright?
 

I had wanted to refrain from opening Pre-Orders until the art for Chapter 8 was finished, and the end of production was in sight-
And Chapter 8 was finished the other day.  The end of production is in sight.

The book isn't entirely done yet - but we're close.

The pencils for the book are finished, and thanks to our intrepid freelancers, the color blocking for Chapter 9 is taken care of.  This means that a single Chapter of shading is all that remains to be done.  Based on my production rates to date Volume 3 should be complete by Halloween, and in the mail to Pre-Order customers before Christmas.

I'm not promising anything, because if a meteorite shrieks through the earth's atmosphere and blasts my head off in the middle of the night, well- that might slow things down a bit.

Apologies to everyone for falling off the map over the last month, but I return with Done Stuffs.

I'm going to take a few days to get caught up on commissions, post up a storm of backlogged images to our art accounts, manage Pre-Orders, prep the next Prelude arc, and assassinate any other miscellaneous tasks bold enough to garnish my attention.


Then I will roll on Chapter 9 like a tank on animal crackers.

DK on Critiquing Comics

Dreamkeepers has been featured on the podcast Critiquing Comics!  http://deconstructingcomics.com/?p=2440


Clear-eyed, useful critiques can be very hard to come by these days - but the guys at Critiquing Comics deliver.  Hop on over and give it a listen, and if you’re inclined to comment on their podcast, go for it!  It’d be nice for the reviewers to know their insight is both heard and appreciated.

…And in other news, we’re back from Anthrocon!  This year was hands-down awesome.  

I’ve got a slew of pencil commissions I ought to post soon.  In fact, catching up on posting in the accounts is now officially on my ‘to do’ list.  

Once Chapter 8 is completely finished, I’ll be throwing a truckload of art up in the accounts, catching up on e-mails, and of course - finally - unleashing Volume 3 Pre-Orders online.

I’m in the color cave - but when I come up for air, fun shall be unleashed.