So, it’s been a while since the big Shifting Sands roadblock happened, and all of a sudden there’s only a month to go before the next wave is supposed to happen. I’ve been busily figuring things out behind the scenes – at least, as much as I can while also still having three jobs, multiple presentations, and the research portion of PhD to do – and I think I’ve come up with a way forward. There are still problems, but at least this is a kind of solution. Hope it works!
The Problem
So, the original Amazon idea went bust. It’s easy for an author to update their ebook, but far harder to get said updates sent out to readers. I investigated other ebook platforms and always ran into the same problems. Apparently years worth of academic complaining about the instability of the ebook must’ve worked or something? The result of this is that I have no choice but to go it alone. Shifting Sands, in it’s unstable form, must come through me.
As detailed in the March update, this meant figuring out what I could do within three months to get Shifting Sands out there to the people who have invested in this journey. At this point, it’s not even really about the research – this isn’t really part of the author performance anymore – I just want to do right by both Shifting Sands and my readers. One day, I’ll either find or create the perfect solution, but for now, it just has to fit within my current capabilities and suit my readers.
The Solution
You may have noticed that, on the top bar, there’s a new link: Shifting Sands. In that link, you’ll find an image of a new Shifting Sands cover, Ryakan, and a link in the captions. Said link, opens what is currently a very short entry in the Shifting Sands universe, following some things that are happening across the desert. This short story is going to come in four parts, updating each Monday ahead of the next wave of Shifting Sands. You should be able to download the PDF file from there if you wish but, if you’d prefer another format, just get in contact (though I’d suggest waiting until all four sections are up on the 14th of June).
I think I am going to do the newsletter solution alongside this method for Shifting Sands proper, but I’m happy to have found something that seems to work the way I want it to and that should be easy enough to update as I go along. It is, however a work in progress, so please do give me feedback! Is the font too small? Does it look terrible on mobile? Would a thumbnail link work better? All feedback is helpful!
As always, thank you all so much for joining me in this journey. I hope you all enjoy this brief snapshot into the world beyond the City!
