Welcome, all, to Talebones Tuesday!
(or, the missive formerly known as “The Weekly”)
Yes indeed, my friends, it’s a new season and we’re trying some new things!
At the start of Talebones, “The Weekly” was where I chose to place my updates and housekeeping for the Talebones readership. And that worked just fine…until I introduced TALESTACK NEWS to the mix.
Gradually, I started to notice that readers would frequently get the two confused. And it didn’t help that I was using nondescript book-themed stock images for both, so they blurred together visually in people’s minds. Totally my fault!
I’ve puzzled over how to separate the two for a while now, and I’ve decided to try this on for size: first, renaming “The Weekly” as the more specific Talebones Tuesday, and giving it its own Talebones-branded thumbnail image that should (I hope) set it apart from other projects I’m doing.
Functionally, though, Talebones Tuesday is going to behave the same as The Weekly always has. You’ll get round-ups, updates, housekeeping, and other important details to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Will there be a Talebones Tuesday every Tuesday? Probably not, especially not during this Fall Season (when my longform fiction is on a hiatus). Some weeks just don’t have enough updates to warrant a whole email, and I never want to take your inbox for granted. But whenever there’s important info to be had, you’ll find it on a Tuesday.
And with that, let’s chat about our Fall Season…
(It’s a long one this time…grab a beverage and get cozy!)
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Check out my Work With Me page for rates and services. Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss.
Let’s make your projects sing!
Talebones Rebrand
First, did you notice our new Talebones branding??
Mysterious, eh? :)
When I first started Talebones, I picked imagery and colors that I had on hand for each post and the site as a whole (the telescope fella, attractive stock photos, etc). While I’ve enjoyed the look and feel just fine, it hasn’t always reflected perfectly on my newsletter’s subject matter as it evolved. So I’ve been brushing up on my graphic design skillz (such as they are) and giving the homepage a much-needed facelift.
Talebones now has new icons, new branding imagery and color scheme! I hope it makes my work even easier to spot, and I’ve already had at least one person ask for the new logo on a t-shirt, so…potential merch, ahoy?
Speaking of merch…
Fall/Winter Merch Collection
One of my goals this season is to prepare and release a cold-weather merch drop, complete with beanie hats, long sleeve shirts, and hoodies/pullovers! Look out for some of our more beloved designs in cold-weather form, along with some new ones, too (including the amazing design from our contest winner, LoriAnn Weldon!).
Stay tuned, and visit the Ferris Island Gift Shop now to check out our already-popular new Market Collection!
For fun, here’s a recent Note from the lovely
rocking her Ferris Island Ecological Society shirt while she gathers up some birdmint…Are you a happy Gift Shop customer? Take a picture of yourself with your merch and share it on Notes! I love seeing folks enjoying their Ferris Island souvenirs!
Fiction Hiatus
I’ll be taking a break from longform fiction during the Fall Season to give my brain a break, but during that time I’ll be hard at work on:
My first published anthology of Ferris Island short stories
Some one-off short fiction here and there to keep me sharp
Planning for a Winter Season serial!
Paid Sub Overhaul
As you can see, I am turning my attention to the many places in the Talebones landscape that could use a little fine-tuning, and one of the major ones is our Archive Membership.
I am SO grateful to the generous folks who pay for Archive access. From your feedback, I know that a vast majority of you aren’t in it for the perks; that you pay mostly because you want to support the storytelling work I do and keep the “lights on” here at Talebones. That means so much to me!
Though the perks aren’t always the point, I still want to make sure that a paid membership is worth your time and resources, especially since our rate is going to increase by a little over a dollar in the next few weeks (Note: current paid subs are locked into the lower rate; see “Rate Increase” section below for details).
I’ll have more firm plans for you by mid-September, but I’m looking into:
Overhauling how I deliver behind-the-scenes info, like story workshops and analysis (along with what I formerly called “Seasonal Summaries”) to make it more useful and digestible without overwhelming anyone’s inbox
Bringing paid subs more exclusive resources in the same vein as the Ferris Island Map and Timeline
More discounts to products and services, as well as the potential ability to consult with me one-on-one as a freelancer and/or Substack writer
A NEW NAME for the paid membership! I don’t think “Archive Membership” quite captures the Talebones feel and fandom properly…
Rate Increase
Finally, on September 17th, the Talebones paid membership price will rise to $3.75/month or $45/year to reflect both my blossoming portfolio of paywalled stories, as well as the things I feel I’m able to offer now that I couldn’t before.
If you are ALREADY a paid subscriber, you are locked in to the current lower rate and it will NOT change for you!
If you’d like to lock in to the current rate of $2.50/month and $30/year, upgrade now!
Thank you for reading!
Phewww, this was a LONG one! If you’re still here, I applaud you!
Go ahead and respond with a skull emoji (💀) somewhere in the comment section to celebrate your accomplishment of reaching the end.
I’ve kept you long enough, so I’ll say goodbye for now! I look forward to a fun and spooky Fall Season with you here at Talebones, and more fiction fun in the days and weeks ahead.
Your grateful storyteller,
The new branding looks great! 💀
My mother, a keen botanist, saw me in the t-shirt and asked where Ferris Island is. I might have to buy her the anthology when it comes out!
💀