Automation, Trivia, and the Balancing Act
This week has been all about automation — and maybe a little too much about it.
I’ve been deep into formatting loops, link testing, and refining the structure for my trivia books. You know how it goes: once you spot a way to make something faster or smarter, you can’t leave it alone.
Somewhere between VBA macros and bookmark maps, I realized I might’ve neglected a few other things on the to-do list. The puzzle books are still waiting, ad campaigns are coasting, and reviews could use more attention. But that’s the trade-off — when you dive into building systems, everything else pauses for a while.
Here’s something I probably haven’t said before: those first three trivia books I released? They were really just prototypes. I went back and cleaned them up before publishing, of course. Still, they were more about figuring out the process — the balance between functionality, aesthetics, and the first steps toward automation. Each one taught me something new about what works (and what really doesn’t).
Now, all of that experimentation is paying off. What I’m building isn’t just another trivia book — it’s a repeatable system that’ll make future builds faster, cleaner, and far more efficient.
💡 Reflection
It’s funny how projects evolve — what starts as a quick “let’s see if this works” idea becomes the framework for everything that follows. I used to think every book needed to be perfect before release. Now I realize that publishing the prototype is often the only way to find out what perfection even looks like.
Featured This Week
- [Tome of Tables Vol. 3 – Cities & Conspiracies] — The newest paperback is live and starting to collect reviews.
- [GM’s Tome of Adventure Hooks Series] — Seven themed volumes of creative sparks for Game Masters, with a complete edition in progress.
- [The Ultimate 80s Trivia Challenge (Kindle)] — Part of the growing Grid & Ink Trivia series, all available through Kindle Unlimited for anyone looking to test their memory and have some fun.
Useful Tools & Resources
If you’re working on your own publishing setup — or just curious what I use behind the scenes — here are a few tools that make life easier:
Publisher Champ — Analytics, keyword tools, and listing optimization for KDP creators.
Book Bolt — Interior and cover design tools for puzzle and notebook creators.
Hostinger — Reliable hosting for Grid & Ink’s site and blog.
Advigator — Automated Amazon Ads management to track performance and scale efficiently.
DriveThruRPG — Home for all Grid & Ink RPG titles, both print and digital.
gridandink.com — Central hub for all projects, freebies, and blog posts.
Thanks for reading!