diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4bbc04bf0ee70447e20dd725752634a001dd748c..f16c5bb3a119acba4bff0e34b4ebad80c1e57bbe 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ Then copy your resulting wheel and install it via pip on the target system.
 
 # Changelog
 
+## v0.5.3
+
+* _TBA_
+
 ## v0.5.2
 
 * added multiple properties and attributes to `VarlenSeries`
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 46309630a9acf6b6d44a4ece3bb14164f513040f..6382a8a8863613c4c8c357b68068eacf3b4e6972 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ ext_modules = build([Multibuild('tempsdb', find_pyx('tempsdb'), **ext_kwargs), ]
                      **cythonize_kwargs)
 
 setup(name='tempsdb',
-      version='0.5.2',
+      version='0.5.3a1',
       packages=find_packages(include=['tempsdb', 'tempsdb.*']),
       install_requires=['satella>=2.14.24', 'ujson'],
       ext_modules=ext_modules,