Lincoln Shand

A Pinch-Me Moment and ISBN Delay

Less than two days … It’s hard to describe the bittersweet feeling of being so close to my book launch date of May 19th. This is a pinch-me moment.

Sweet, because—hey, I wrote another book! After almost four years of writing (I started this series in 2022), going back and forth with my editor, querying, revisions, and finally an “ah screw it” moment where I decided to go the self-publishing route, book one will finally be released on Tuesday, May 19th … as an ebook only?

That is the bitter part. It won’t be released in paperback until I get an ISBN. An International Standard Book Number is a unique 13-digit identifier that acts as a book’s universal fingerprint. Not realizing that there is now a backlog causing an up to 2-month delay, I waited too long to apply for that unique barcode.

At one point, the normal wait was 3-5 business days, and I applied 2 weeks ago. Then I discovered that Library and Archives Canada has a backlog—most likely due to the number of books now flooding the market… I wonder how many of those are AI-generated?

So now I wait…

How I Write and Release Dates:

At least I’ll have what I need to launch book two on time, in all formats, on July 19, 2026. Fun fact: I wrote books one and two together, just as I’m now 300 pages into writing books three and four together. Originally, books one and two were just one massive book, but thanks to a great suggestion from my editor, I split them. That split was an eye-opener.

When I wrote The Mage’s Cradle, I tackled one book at a time. What I love about my current approach is that by holding the release until I’m deep into the next manuscript, I gain vital insights into what needs to change in the previous novel.

Having a good portion of book three completed allowed me, continuity-wise, to know what to update in book two. The same approach in book two allowed me to determine whether I needed to rewrite sections in book one. This method gives me the ultimate flexibility to get the characters and their actions just right before they are locked in print.

While I have to wait a bit longer for the paperbacks, the entire The Root of Infinity series will be released relatively quickly:

• Book One – Conjunction Born (Release date May 19, 2026 – ebook, paperback soon!)
• Book Two – The Boundless (Release date July 19, 2026 – all formats)
• Book Three – Pillars of Time (Release date March 23, 2027 – all formats)
• Book Four – World Jumpers (Release date July 19, 2027 – all formats)

Yes, it will be a four-book arc… maybe five, but most likely four. Years of writing and dreaming about these characters are finally paying off. This is indeed a pinch-me moment.

Speak to you again on the other side of the Book One launch.