In all likelihood, this State of the Savage will be the last one you read in the current iteration of Traveling Savage.
Break out the bagpipes, bust open the Buckfast, and uncork the malt, this calls for celebration!
As mentioned in my last SoS, I’ve been working with a local web design firm over the last few months to bring Traveling Savage into the present and future. That means updating the site’s look and feel, making information easier to find and read, and focusing on the products and services I provide. The new version of Traveling Savage will also feature much faster load times and optimized appearance on all devices and browsers, among other back-end improvements.
You can expect a much lighter feel to the site with an emphasis on my photos of Scotland’s glorious countryside. One massive improvement I’ve wanted for years is the ability to browse a map of Scotland to find posts. Pins across the map of Scotland will show which places I’ve written about, and you’ll be able to refine these results with filters. This will finally come into being, but even searching the archives for posts without the map will be much easier.
The new site will also provide me with the ability to gate certain information if I introduce subscriber perks or provide unique files or posts to those purchasing trip-planning services. Finally, the site will be primed to host digital commerce when I’m ready to release e-books or other products.
These are just a few of the highlights coming soon. In fact, Traveling Savage 2.0 could be live as early as next month. Keep your eyes on my Facebook and Twitter pages for an announcement in the weeks ahead because as part of this relaunch I’m putting together a Travel Consultation give-away to one lucky person who helps spread the word about Traveling Savage. Details to come!
Once Traveling Savage 2.0 has launched I’ll turn my attention to putting together a suite of e-books. I’ve already got some rough ideas, but I’ll start outlining in earnest and kick off the search for freelance e-book cover and interior design help.
Traveling Savage has been keeping me busy, and I didn’t even mention the planning I’m doing for my next trip this fall — I’ll be heading to Argyll, Kintyre, Cowal, and Bute. If you missed it, here’s my recap of the trip I took in May.
The other massive plate I’ve got spinning is my novel. I hit something of a roadblock to start 2018. I submitted the novel to a couple of agents but the motivation and drive to napalm the agent sphere, what you really must do, was inexplicably missing. I was also having trouble putting together my synopsis.
Since returning from Europe earlier this month I’ve put renewed focus on the novel. It’s finished, and by that I mean it’s about as good as I can make it on my own.
I’m rethinking traditional publication and now leaning toward becoming an indie author via self-publishing. There are pros and cons to both publication methods, and the ability to retain complete creative control with a higher ceiling for earnings is making self-publication increasingly attractive. That entails fighting through the sea of self-published authors, paying for editing and cover design up front (not chump change), and dedicating a huge amount of time building up a base of readers and interested parties so that when the book is launched I actually have some level of buzz.
That’s a tall order, but it’s not entirely different from starting a blog.
I’m getting close to starting another website dedicated to my authorial pursuits, and I’m hoping I won’t need to start from scratch. So tell me, fair readers, how many of you would follow my hypothetical novel-focused site?
I hope you’re all well and good.
Until next time,
Sláinte!