Most Recent Activity

The Gnome-sized Edition of the Storybook has been perfected and the production line methods have been confirmed. I estimate that under optimal circumstances we could produce as many as 500 books per day. I've moved over to perfecting the Big Peoples Book, which is a full size book. Assembly line methods for manufacturing the books is still being perfected, so quantities and pricing are not yet perfected or established. This is almost ready. But all books will be released as signed and numbered Limited Editions. The purpose for this is to raise the capital needed to complete the Artwork for Volume Three. These Limited Edition books will only be offered as a gift to investors who are contributing to our production costs. In addition to other elements which need further refinement before the books can be released to the public, we need to advance with our puppetry, so that when the books are released we will have a promotional presentation to go with the release of the Storybooks. Book one of the Seven Book collection is an Introduction to The Gnomes of New Hope and this book will be released first as a primer to the entire series. Timing for all of this is not yet determined, because it is important that we have the remaining six books ready to release in a timely manner. I have not determined if I will be pitching this to the industry prior to the release of the book, as I am waiting to see if anyone wants to jump in before we initiate a marketing push. The first part of The Business Plan has been released to Broker, so something may come of that, but more work is needed to be done on that before it is ready to be distributed more widely. But any way you look at it, once we engage in the business plan more actively, we will be committed to following through. Out of time, that's all for now. AG

A Quick Update

I don't have much opportunity to post these days but here is the latest news. Production line activities are advancing. I am working on perfection the assembly procedures and constructing fixtures for assembling the books. Other aspects of the studio operations are taking place, so much so that I am focusing on setting up the sales office so that brokers and sales people can come in to review the materials and agreements to engage in distribution activities. My concentration is to refine operations in house, and that includes our work on the sound stage and film/video activities. I am particularly interested in stop-action animation and I am also considering what we need to do to begin constructing miniatures for that purpose. In regard to releasing the books to the public, it has become clear that both the Gnome-sized and Big-People editions need to be released at the same time. That means that I will need to complete both point-of purchase displays and I intend to have two versions of each, to accommodate different sized shelf space which might be available. In this regard we also need to have the ability to accommodate some of the companion products (such as the music and audio book CDs). One important issue which needs to be resolved is that of DRM, without the proper approach to DRM we cannot release the e-Storybook, so until we are in a position to address that issue, the focus of attention will be on other production activities. Again there is the work on puppetry and other product lines which needs attention and without a conclusion on some of these items, release to the public cannot happen. That being said, the work inside of the studio on refining the sound stage, scene shop and art department.Book One will be released and the income from sales will fund the further illustrations required to complete the other volumes. It would be correct to say that we have enough art, which has been applied to Books One thru Four, after that we are running short and need to finish that work (as mentioned elsewhere. I'll be back later for now I'm posting this.

Recent Updates

3/13/16 Production line time studies are underway for assembling the published edition of the Gnome-Sized Booklets. The primary focus is to bring production in line with the budget estimations which are required for viable production in-house assembly and wholesale distribution. Other matters of concern are setting up the production line workstations and the sound/green screen stage in building four (particularly for our work with Sing-a-long videos and puppetry). Mechanical design and fabrication is moving into building three, while wood fabrication is moving over to building four, at least until the metal fabrication can be established in building three. Then a set assembly and some degree of fabrication will be set up again in building three. Costuming is moving into building three, while the lighting requirements of the sound stage is under review. The entire studio is being rewired and some work is taking place on plumbing as well. So these items are affecting the production line for publishing. I am still considering the implications of distributing in-house vs. using a broker. For the time being everything is in-house, at least until such time as a third party can guarantee quantity. So any retail outlets will need to speak to me directly to acquire inventory, as all of the sales will be going through our sales office. Anyway you look at it the margin for the broker comes out of the retail margin and not manufacturing. So unless you are willing to share your cut with a broker, you will need to deal directly with IMS Publishing. Also the Point of Purchase display is being refined before any release can occur. I do expect the initial release to happen in Bucks County only and once that has proven successful, then we will move to other possibilities. But I do believe that the initial release will be jointed to a fundraising effort to secure the funding to complete the remianing illustrations for the complete three volume/seven book set. That's all for now. AG 3/6/16 - The Layout for the Gnome-sized edition is in the final stages of refinement.The business plan is also being refined and has reached the stage where the value of the project has been identified at 14 million. I am splitting the shares in half and creating seven board positions. Six of those positions are up for sale to the legitimate and competent persons who will fill those positions. All activities will be taking place in-house. Those board positions are for a share in The Elder Gnome Joint Venture. This organization will be adjacent to IMS Mgmt Inc. which will manage the affairs of The Gnomes of New Hope Productions and The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture. Image of the Mind Studios will remain the development arm of the structure and Studio 1325 will be the production facility, with numerous capabilities including Green Screen, Animation and the full range of required crafts. Operations are focused on refining the working environment and setting up a production line for the publishing operation. The details of this scenario are not generally available over the internet and I have basically redirected my focus of attention away from internet activities, as there is much to be done within the studio, which is significantly more important that conveying this information to persons who explore the internet but never act on anything more than that. I have concluded that the very real action is taken by persons who are hands-on and not mere observers. So if you are an actual doer and not a watcher, let me know. I have too much to do than to waste my time in anticipation of expecting watchers to do anything more than exactly that. I need doers to be involved. If you are a doer, let me know. As the saying goes- fish or cut bait. AG

The Gnome-sized Edition

Well, the layout has finally been properly configured to serve for numerous publications. This first edition will be distributed with the Business Package to industry professionals and the sample run will be establishing the production line techniques and helping to determine the end product cost. My anticipation is that the booklets, which consist of approximately one hundred pages in each of the seven books in the three volume set, will sell individually for about $4.95 MSRP with the boxed set selling for $30. The larger sized books would be more, obviously. As it stands now, I need to acquire the IBSN numbers for the entire line of published products, although I don't include the published music in that assessment. So basically, I am in the mode of finalizing the price structure to assure that we actually show a profit. All product will be shipped out of Image of the Mind Studios for inventory and quality control. Battery is dying so, that's all for now. AG

Focus of Attention

While The Gnomes of New Hope is the subject of this Blog, it seems that numerous other matters are in need of attention. The creative materials for the Gnomes is advanced enough that a shift away from production work is appropriate. So with that in mind, the Industry package is continuing to be refined and almost ready for distribution. But what this means is that the further advancement of the project will be completely contingent upon agency representation. This is not so much because we cannot advance with out such representation, because we certainly can move forward in a number of arenas... and we will in due time. But for now, the focus of attention has to be on refining the production facilities and tending to equipment acquisition and repairs. Now this would be because; when it became clear just how viable The Gnomes of New Hope was, the energy had to be focused on refining those materials. Now that the bulk of those materials are sufficiently finished, the attention needs to return to other matters which are effectively getting in the way of practical and rapid advancement. Those matters directly effect the ability to move into production in a proper way, but more than that, attending to those matter will make production much more effective and self-contained. So in order to focus on these matters, the modus operandi is to engage agency representation and thus free up, not only, the creativity when we move into production, but also bring the studio environment into a more balanced and effective sense of order. So you may not see a great deal of pitching going on here on this blog. I have a wide range of other projects that are in various stages of development so there may be some shifting into those other projects if the Gnomes does not advance of it's own accord. Keep an eye out here, I will try to post as it is possible, but since the focus is on the studio more so than on the projects, those posts will likely end up on the IMS Virtual Studio site at www.imagemindag.blogspot.com. Admittedly, I have begun to write an Opera which is based on The Apocalypse so my attention is on that to some degree. AG

Other work

There have been quite a few product lines which have been developed at IMS. I am looking at building inventory on these product lines, which may have a direct effect of the momentum of The Gnomes. So I am focusing somewhat on the product showroom and the sales office. That means that activities will certainly have an effect on the Gnomes production activities. Ultimately, those sales & manufacturing activities directly affect the work on the Gnomes, however, focusing on that aspect of things does not really distract from the Gnome activity as much as enhance it, but it does redirect the focus to other marketing efforts as well as manufacturing, since obviously the production line for those products is different than the one for Gnome products. But any way you look at it, refining the shop is required for any direction we take, whether it is the Gnomes or some other project. It would be most advantageous to focus all the energy specifically on details of The Gnomes, but if that is not moving forward as rapidly as we would like, we will clearly move into other projects. Hopefully activities on the Gnomes will kick up to a higher degree, sooner rather than later, because I certainly would not want to get distracted into another direction. Realistically, I will follow the most productive path, whatever it is. Admittedly, directing resources into inventory of other product lines clearly takes away from converting those resources into production assets for the Gnomes though. If you are a potential production partner on the Gnomes of New Hope, I suggest you make your voice known. The Business Plan is almost ready to distribute. AG

Continuing with work on Illustrating the Storybook

Returning the the subject of artwork. A large part of Volume Three still needs to be illustrated. This means I will need to raise the funding for that operation. I exect that to be around thirty grand. Our approach this time around is to design the illustrations so they can serve the purpose of producing the animations for the sing-a-long videos. The descriptions of the panels are completed and they have been integrated into the layout for the storybook. If it seems like the funds for continuing with the illustrations are not forthcoming, then I expect I will move to applying what we have to the storyboards for the film. I am seeking, as I have for some time, representation for the overall project. So that is part of my current efforts. The business plan that is developing accommodates forward momentum with or without representation. Since we are building a sound stage in the studio, and I have been a filmmaker for many years, we can move forward in-house in any event. The difference being that moving forward with the resources currently available to me is a great deal slower than anyone would want. But we'll see what happens there. I have more work than anyone ever would want to have, so it's not like there's nothing else to do. On a different subject - I started working on Act III of "I AM Alpha & Omega" and it is going to be high opera, based on the Apocolypse. So that' a huge task. Again, we'll see what happens. Main focus for the time being is rebuilding the vehicles that need new engines. That's all for now. AG

Notes on the Business Plan

The Business Plan has been developing for the last few months. There is a comment in the IMS Virtual Studio, so refer to that for a short synopsis. The materials are not quite ready to distribute, but they will be delivered to Industry Professionals who make a request in that regard. A Restrictive Covenant Agreement will be required and is part of the introductory package. No further business details will be presented on-line, now that we are bordering on production in a number of arenas. After momentum picks up with investment and production management, publicity materials will be presented, but the intimate details of Production management are reserved for our staff and our vested partners. Inquiries are always welcomed and the address information can be found elsewhere. AG

Business Plan

Well, I've been busy getting ready to release the Gnomes to the industry. If you are a producer, agent, studio organization, or other industry professional interested is seeing the business plan, contact me via image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com. The business plan will be available on CD Rom and will also contain the required Restrictive Covenant Agreement. The core materials are ready to present, but other details in that regard still need to be completed. No materials will be distributed without a signed RC Agreement. Other work that is continuing relates to setting up the production lines for manufacturing the published items and preparing the inventory to meet demand when this is officially released. Studio activities are a priority right now and posting information online about what is happening will have to take a back seat to production line activities. Other studios activities surround renovations to the facility, puppetry and sculpture. I am also working on producing a collection of dolls as an addition the the numerous products in our showroom. Some degree of work is being done on finalizing the score for publication and I am concentrating to some degree on preparing the sound stage for the orchestral and vocal recordings which will be taking place. We are getting ready to start working on illustrations and animation again, contingent only upon an increase in investment. With that in mind I am relocating the files to the new production management office and setting up/expanding upon the art department. I have posted sufficient information for anyone serious about being involved and do not expect to spend too much time online for the time being. So overall, great progress is occurring, but reporting that progress online is taking a back seat to actually doing the work. AG

Big People Book

Well as it turned out the processor didn't die. It was a peripheral that was causing it to not start-up. So I moved forward to finish the "Big People Book". This is where we stand. I have focused on finishing the prototype editions of the published books. The e-Storybook is finished (with the exception of the artwork which has yet to been created). There is a rather large list of artwork which is required for the completion of the series. My goal is to put 50K in the bank to cover paying Jency to finish the work. Everything has been identified as to what needs to be done, so once I have those funds she can come in to start working again. I could start on less, but I'd rather have that amount available. The prototype books have all been printed. That includes the "Gnome-sized Booklet" (a small collection which will cost less to purchase), "the Big People Book" (a full size book, approximately 8x10 in size) and the e-Storybook. The packaging for all these products is in the works and we are trying to determine what the margin will allow for a retail price. I am trying to shoot for the "Gnome-sized" Edition to sell for $4.95 retail/book, while I expect the Big People Book to sell for $16.95/book and I expect the e-Storybook to sell for $39.95 for the set. The published editions will be sold individually and in boxed sets. There are three volumes in the set with a total of seven books. Each book is approximately 100 pages. I am currently focusing on setting up IMS Publishing as the manufacturing and distribution arm of the published goods owned by Image of the Mind Studios. I am setting up a production line for these products, even though we do have sub-contractors lined up. I want to make sure that IMS Publishing is one of the manufacturing organizations who will be supplying product, but in all instances, inventory will ship from IMS after inspection. The initial release of the product will be in Bucks & Mercer Counties with the radius centering out of New Hope. I will discuss those plans at another time. But for now I am focusing on preparing the Industry Package and I still am looking to negotiate certain rights in order to secure working capital. If I manage to get past the need for working capital to advance the product line, then I will not be open to licensing, because at that point the management will take place internally. Of course that only refers to the arenas that are within the immediate purview of IMS. other merchandising will still be licensed. There's a bit of an update. If you are a Literary Agent who may be interested in this, do write me, as it is now quite possible to do that. I expect any business discussions to take place at my studio, as I am too busy and obliged with other matters to do anything else. That's all for now. AG

The Audio Book

As part of the pre-production process, I have been recording a sample version of the audio book. This will be available through our agent to industry professionals. It sounds fabulous! Almost ready for retail. I have been doing the voices of the characters just as a way to give it diversity. I can imagine how much better it will sound when we use more individuals doing the voices (like an actual female instead of my rather... different sounding Ferny)

So, the audio book is being set-up as a companion to the Illustrated e-Storybook. I'm not sure how to present those two items together. Clearly, the best economic approach is to sell the two items separately. but that poses a problem of complicating the product, requiring downloads or integration by the customer. I do think it would be much better to design the layout so the customer does not have to do anything in that regard. But the reality is that the expense of setting the products up and then integrating them, ought to be recouped. If the e-Storybook and the Audio Book are integrated, then the cost of the product should be higher. The issue there is that the market will only bear so much. I may offer the integrated version at a discounted price of what it would cost to buy the two separately, but by that time what's the point? Nobody is going to want the e-Storybook without the Audio book attached. In all likelihood, the conjoined product will be a better product for parents to use to keep their kids busy, because the reading will already be there, in the event that the folks don't have the time to sit down and read it, or if the kids want to hear it read later on after their folks read it to them.

We will be doing coloring books so I may publish a version of the coloring book that matches the e-Storybook, although I have to admit that the wide scenes might be more fun to color. I do think that the coloring book layout should also match the audio book, because then the kids can listen as they color.

So these are some thoughts about what we are doing. I still have the goal of setting up the production lines for manufacturing, the only thing that will stop that from happening is if someone ends up buying the whole magillia.

Well, since I happened to be online today I though I'd offer some thoughts. The Audio Book is great, but that's not any easier than the rest of it. AG

Update

Some thoughts on this project were posted on The Image of the Mind Studios Virtual Studio. Check there for the update. I am still using image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com as my primary email, but I only check that occasionally. Use snail mail if it is important and involves any kind of real industry activity or funding. AG