1,000 Miles an Hour and a Thank You

Hello, hello, hello! I did not forget about April’s journalling prompts, but wanted to mention I’ll send them your way next week. This week I’ve been slammed-a-bama-rama with marketing, promotions, and Gen Con 2024 prep. Before I share with you some observations from this week’s sprinting marathon, first let me go ahead and wrap up PocketQuest’s 2024 launch by sharing two, very important things. First, I want to say “Thank you!”

Next, I want to share that I took the time to write up an article about the game designers who’re debuting their very first game this year. I’m super impressed with these designers. Their talent and efforts in the community not only build others up, but they ask for advice and share their experiences in a non-competitive way. Want to Support a Brand New Designer? Check out these PocketQuest titles! 

I’m encouraging the debuting designers to write design essays, and so far I’ve gotten a few nibbles. Brandon Crilly wrote about B.O.A. on his website, and I encourage you to check out his thoughts. There will be more reviews, essays, etc. featured on FlamesRising.com in the coming weeks. I’ll continue to pop a link or two in a future newsletter. I want to add a Recommended Links section so you can check out other people’s stuff.

Okay, Real Talk. Promotion is Work.

Yeah, so here’s the thing. I absolutely hate promotion with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I do it to help people be aware of my titles and releases because I feel it’s part of my job, but it’s not where I obtain the most joy. I’d much rather be creating and, as this week has taught me, marketing requires a lot more content than “just” what you’re offering. Promo images, thank yous, videos, newsletters, interviews, blog posts, socials, etc. the list never seems to end. I knew this week was going to be busy, but I didn’t expect I’d be sitting here planning a series of videos highlighting gameplay, either.

Thankfully, I’ve learned that prioritization and self-compassion are key. I’ve sent off an incredibly fun-to-me project, subbed more poetry, and designed/ordered proofs for my promo cards. The “Feeling Overwhelmed?” set will, with any luck, debut at Gen Con Indy 2024.

Though I absolutely feel like I’m in the swamp and I’m a bit out of balance, I know two very important things: I’m not going to get everything done and it’s necessary to schedule downtime regardless. I’m not a machine, I am a human being. To that end, I had a fabulous time in a house of coffee, recently, and plan on actually taking a day off or two next week.

I hope you’re okay and you’re faring well. Next time, I’ll share April’s journalling prompts and some cool-to-me places I’ve been checking out.

‘Til then!