Hey everyone!
It’s been a while since I last checked in. Sorry about that! Frankly, I have been quite busy with my daughter’s cheer competitions, a multitude of author signing events, and general start-of-the-year shenanigans. A grand time albeit a busy one for sure.
Regardless, I feel like I owe you all an explanation for this delay, because there’s more to it than just being busy.
“Oh boy,” I hear you say. The alarm bells of social experience telling you that something heavy lies ahead. Don’t fret! It’s nothing alarming. It’s just a matter of—for lack of a better term—hard truths.
You see, my high fantasy adventure series, Gods Adrift, has been an utter joy to create and a matter of immense pride for me. The goals I set out to accomplish were simple: to inspire my daughters and to write a novel that others would enjoy. And, in all honesty, I feel like I achieved that, but at the end of the day, Gods Adrift, is still a very niche title with little discoverability.
And there in lies the truth to my ‘hard truth’: it’s not fiscally sound. Financially, these books have been far from successful. Before you get concerned, know that the author expenses were far separated from my personal expenses, so no hardship has occurred from this ‘hard truth.’ Still, it isn’t profitable and that’s a hard pill no matter how separated the finances are.
These struggles come from a promise I made myself: to put out a quality product. I wanted that because not only am I putting my name on it but also because it represented everything that I was. So, I made sure to hire editors and illustrators. Real ones—NOT AI! I do, after all, believe in the truth of art, not some capitalistic hogwash that an algorithm can produce. I also made sure to pay for marketing and websites (like this one) and all the other various programs/things that would give Gods Adrift its best chance at success. At the end of the day, that makes the cost per book rather hefty. Suffice to say, the returns didn’t match that hefty price tag.
Now, before you panic and think that I’m not going to finish Gods Adrift (Bloodstone Bound is still firmly in my mind and virtually half complete), please don’t. I have every intention of finishing this series. It’s my ode to my children after all, but perhaps it won’t be at the pace I originally prescribed.
So, what does this mean?
Well, it will mean a slower publishing timeframe for book three of Gods Adrift. I don’t want to set a hard—or soft—date because I don’t know what that will be. I loosely envision a publication date of next year, but that’s just based on a hunch and nothing else.
This will give me time to shore up the financial side of things as well as jump on some other opportunities that might present themselves. For example, indie authors have lots of annual competitions they can submit their book to, but a good chunk of them require the book to not have been published yet. I plan to take full advantage of that. I will also be able to drum up more hype and thus support for the release of the next novel via beta readers and a vastly expanded advanced reader timeline. So, be on the lookout for opportunities to sign up for beta reading and advanced reading (ARCs) from me.
The most radical idea I have is one that I wouldn’t mind hearing your opinion on: write another book entirely!
I know, I know that sounds insane but hear me out. If I can manage to get a title out there that can hit the traditional publishing route, it could help me fund whatever writing venture I so desire. If I were to do this, I would exclusively pursue an agent and thus a funded publication. So, there is a very real possibility this novel will only ever see the lucky beta readers that get it before the agents do. This will also help me pursue some other writing ideas I have had whilst broadening my audience.
What is this novel you ask? Well, it’s still very much in the outline phase but for those of you who know me VERY well, you might remember a little piece I started about a young man on Mars. About a lad who is unsure of their place in the world and tries to find it on an Earth that lost its own way long ago.
Well, this novel isn’t QUITE that, but it definitely borrows its themes from there. I am not a fan of comparison titles because I think every book is unique, but, for the sake of you literary nerds out there, think The Expanse’s “Cibola Burn” with a flavoring of “All Quiet on the Western Front.” A journey of self-discovery and purpose in a world enthralled to fire and ash. And—amidst the fire of all we believe—we find ruin as well as renewal. I’m going to leave the description there for now. Maybe a little reaction might make me reveal more 😊…
All of these ideas can help me continue to meet my writing goals even if the finances aren’t quite there. Whatever the case, I couldn’t be here bragging about my successes if it weren’t for you, dear readers.
Thank you!
See you next time around!
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