It’s March! It feels like it’s been spring here in Texas for like 4 months, and I feel like we just did Christmas…so I’m really not sure where that leaves me.

2017 is proving to be an exciting challenge so far, as evidenced by the fact that, contrary to my best intentions, I haven’t blogged AT ALL since January. It’s always a crazy juggling act to balance client projects with my own work, but I am also taking some huge steps forward in my business. That makes things much more exciting than usual around here!

I like to think about these kinds of changes not so much as a shift as an evolution. This all is the natural outgrowth of everything I’ve been doing over the last few years…all the living, learning, growing, writing, reading, trying, failing, and succeeding!

2016 was a major watershed for me. It made me realize that I was doing a whole lot of what we in the South call settlin’. I was running the same track over and over because it was safe and comfortable. It wasn’t until Hollywood happened that I realized how much more I could do and be if I would just push off that track and dream big dreams and take big risks!

So here we are, 2 months into 2017…and here are 4 of the HUGE developments underway in my creative business!

#1: Brand New Silesia Trilogy

I am completely rebranding the Silesia Trilogy in honor of the upcoming release of a totally revised and expanded edition of The Outworlder. New covers for Kindle and paperback and a hardback omnibus edition of the full trilogy are all in the works and coming very soon!

Very soon, as in…I’m working overtime to get these ready for Dallas ComicCon at the end of March! {Fingers crossed!}

There will also be a brand new addition to the trilogy coming in the next few weeks: a short prequel story!

#2: New Pen Name

After a lot of deliberation, I’ve made the decision to publish my fiction under a new pen name. Hey, if it works for J.K. Rowling, I figure it’s good enough for me.

So, when the new everything for the Silesia Trilogy is released, it will all be branded under the name RIGEL BLAKE!

I’m super excited about this change! I’ve been toying with the idea for a while, and this seems a good opportunity to make it happen.

So why the new pen name?

It’s really not that I’m particularly keen on anonymity.

My goal is ridiculously simple.  I just want to give readers an easier handle for finding and sharing my work. Because let’s face it: if you can spell and/or pronounce “Valenzuela”, you should get some kind of award.

My only regret is that I didn’t go with my gut feeling on this when I started publishing. It would have made things a hell of a lot easier, that’s for sure! But I haven’t yet met an author who didn’t have some kind of business-related regret, so I suppose I’m in good company!

All my screenwriting work will still happen under the name S.K. Valenzuela, unless my manager tells me otherwise. 🙂

#3: New Business Setup

I’m still hashing out the details on the name, but my own media LLC is in the works! It will serve as the umbrella company for all of my IP, including my fiction, screenwriting work, and (by Summer 2017) my new podcast.

Yes…a podcast! I’m so excited to tell you about this…but it’s not ready for unveiling just yet!

#4: Hybridization

The final massive shift for me in 2017 is that I have decided to pursue a hybrid path as an author. What does that mean? It means that I’m taking Final Origin out to agents right now with the goal of pursuing a traditional publishing deal.

I have a number of reasons for this, but it really comes down to the fact that I like having more than one door open for my work. I never went into indie publishing with the idea that it would always be right all the time for every project. Given the various other shifts in my creative business happening this year, this move makes sense for me and for this project right now.

This doesn’t mean I’m shifting away from my work as an indie — I have a new series in the works right now which will be released under my own imprint. It just means that I’m working to open as many doors for my work as possible!

So…

There you have it! My author evolution is fully underway! Have you made any major changes in your own life this year, either personally or in business? How does it feel to reinvent yourself? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear about your journey!

Peace,

SK