I picked the above screenshot for this Progress Report because right now, things are exciting but also a little bleak. (These are the Ashlands, a high-level biome in Valheim.)
You see, traditional sales channels are getting less useful, with all the AI slop, search engine degradation and a new preference for print. Which means I’m searching for new sales avenues. Much more about that below (keep scrolling). And yes, that makes writing a little less fun…
Kickstarter Progress Report
You may remember from the last newsletter that Kickstarter is the new sales avenue I’m about to try out. In fact, my project is currently in Prelaunch, and you can look at it here:
A Wolf’s Love – New Book in the Wolves of the South Series
Even if you already know you won’t back it (although really, the ebook is only €6), I’d love a follow or a project follow. Kickstarter monitors those, and if they like what they see, they’ll promote my project. Can you do this to help me out?
Fair warning, this Kickstarter project is a small one. It’s digital only, so I can get my feet wet with little risk. The next one I’m planning will be about creating print for Wolves 1-3, and that is going to be really big. Scary big. (That’s the part about walking through fire, right here.)
Anyway, I will launch this Kickstarter project this coming Sunday (November 15th), and there are two rewards that are extremely limited and special:
Name a New Side Character (3 slots, €30 each)
Name the Next Female Main Character (1 slot, €100)
Granted, they are not exactly cheap, but they will give you lasting fame. Worth a dime, right?
If you are interested in one of them, you’ll have to be fast. Which is why I’m suggesting to follow the project in order to get a notification when it launches. I will also send an extra email at the half-way point (but by then, it might be too late for the naming tiers).
Wolves Progress Report
Okay, I’m writing Wolves 10 like mad because I actually wanted it to be finished a week ago. Instead, it’s growing larger and larger – but I am in the final chapter(s). Hopefully. Fingers crossed, wish me luck.
In addition, my new main characters are piling up, and I already know whose tale I will spin next. Book 11 will be called A Wolf’s Wings (because it involves pilots). I have two pairings up for Books 12 and 13, and I can’t quite decide who I want to do first. Maybe I’ll roll some dice. At any rate, I’m not going to run out of stories to tell anytime soon. And there are more characters waving at me from the back.
Fortunately for your, my Wolf books are basically standalones that are connected through shared characters. Each book has it’s own set of Main Characters and will end with their HEA.
Feel like giving the series a try, after all?
Get A Wolf’s Quest, Book 1, from this link (it’s only 2.99): Grab the Book!
Kudos if you grab it from PayHip, that’s my own little store.
Writing Progress Report
For once, this part is not exactly about my writing (since I told you about that above, writing like mad). No, this is the bleak part, and it’s about Marketing, or the stuff that comes after writing a book.
You see, my sales are down. My royalties are down. And they are going down even though I’m publishing more books. In essence, it’s become really difficult to reach new readers.
In addition, the age-old practice of having a loss-leader, of giving away the first book in a series for free, has lost its power. People were downloading my freebies in large numbers, but they rarely went and bought book 2 in the series. My guess is that most of those freebie hunters just pile them into their libraries and then get distracted by the next shiny. And never get around to reading my book. That’s life, I suppose, but it’s not fun.
Want some stats?
Since publishing A Wolf’s Quest, Book 1, in 2021, I have given away 23,361 ebook copies.
I have sold 557 ebook copies of Book 2, A Wolf’s Fear. In five years. In other words, for every 42 downloaded books, I got one sale. It’s very frustrating.
That’s why I am changing tactics. I’m now charging 2.99 for the first book in my series, the lowest price that will get me 70% royalties on Amazon. (The only freebie left at this point is Dorelle’s Journey, and that will go away soon.)
I believe that a reader who buys Book 1 in a series is already more invested in the book. After all, they spent money on it. That makes it much more likely they’ll actually start reading it. And I hope that my writing is exciting enough for them to keep reading and possibly get hooked on the series.
Still, it’s a gamble. But I’m aiming for high-quality readers, people who actually appreciate books written by hand (or keyboard) and not created by a prompt. That they want books that are written with passion. And I hope those books might turn readers into fans.
I sincerely hope you may be one of them.
Winds & Pillars Progress Report
Now that Moon Rises is out, the next book to write is the final one, Spirit Sings. I already know what will happen (four major plot lines), and who will have to deal with whom. It’s going to be great fun.
I will start writing it as soon as I’m done with Wolves 10, and I really hope I can finish and publish it early in 2027. No promises and guarantees, though. It will all depend on how much energy I have and how well the story flows.
Still, it’s the next book on my writing list, and I honestly, seriously, want to get to it. One final ride with all my characters, and then… then I hope I’m ready to leave that world in your hands.
(That’s a bit of a lie, there will be bonus stories and maybe, in a few years, a luxury edition on Kickstarter. But that depends on the amount of fans flocking to my books.)
For some reason, this is a short blog post. I just don’t have the spoons to ramble on, after covering what is close to my heart. So, on to the final part:
Ember Alert!
As every month, I’m mentioning my newsletter at this point.
It goes out once a month, it has writing news, links to book deals and specials, I always offer a select coupon for a deal in my store, and of course, my little dragon familiar, Ember, will show up with a cute little story just for you. That story is exclusive to my newsletter and not available anywhere else.
Very rarely, I send out an extra email if something massive happens (like the Kickstarter this month).
Sounds good? Great. Sign up below.
