June was a frustrating month.
The Revenant and the Cult, Book One
Well, I can say that sales of the latest book have not been spectacular. I was concerned that this might happen given that this was a series and there is hesitancy by some readers to buy a series - even a two-book series - until the last book is published. I also suspect a down economy is also part of that equation. I didn't go all out with advertising like I did with The Wizard's Stone given the costs. What advertising I did run did not net many sales despite having some pretty healthy numbers of people responding to the ads. The ads were enticing enough. People just weren't opening their wallets. And if they were, they weren't spending money at Amazon. It'll be a month or two before all of the sales stats come in. The reviews, overall, have been pretty good with one exception. Right now I have 3 reviews on Amazon, and am sitting at 4.6 stars. On Goodreads I have 6 reviews and 4.17 stars. One reviewer called me the "The premiere indie Fantasy writer." And yes, I'm plastering that all over my ads.
Outside of that, there's not much to say.
The Revenant and the Cult, Book Two
So, not a lot got done initially as I was tied up with a bunch of business-related stuff. I've done a couple of review passes and the story is really beginning to shape up. I'll do one more review pass before I send it off to the editor. Hopefully, I can get the ball rolling with editing sometime later this month. I have a couple of issues I need to iron out with the manuscript, but by and large the book is ready for production.
I also have an artist creating a new bookmark for the book. On June 27th, a YouTube show called Drawn & Quartered Ultimate Edition. On that show, I saw a piece of art that I wanted to use for a bookmark. So, I contacted the artist and she is currently doing her thing.
I've decided that I'm going to release the book in early 2025. I'm not going to say when and jinx myself. What I want to do is try funding the production through a Kickstarter campaign first. I can continue to produce the book, but if I want to reach a new audience on a new platform, it means delaying the release of the book until next year. I wanted to get it out this year but given the costs involved, I really can't do that. If I manage to run a successful Kickstarter campaign, I could literally be in the black with my business in its first year.
It isn't the cost of the book that's the issue. A book, including audiobook, costs roughly $3,000 to produce. The problem, really, is all of the ancillary costs: a video editor, a subscription to Adobe for stock photos and graphics (specifically for videos and ads). The yearly cost of Microsoft Word, having a verified account on X, and so on, and so on. Then there are ad buys that also run me in the red along with the expenses of selling at live events (hotel, mileage, meals, etc.). The income from my books don't even cover a quarter of this. All of these expenses are coming out of my pocket, more or less. So, I need to look for ways to increase my income. Even a $7,000 Kickstarter would go a LONG way to help me become self-sufficient, and I think that's possible. But, that means I have to delay my normal release schedule. Honestly, selling books through Amazon is not getting me anywhere. I need to expand my readership, wherever it may be. And if I can find readers on Kickstarter, AND sell some books, then all the better.
So, sorry if you were hoping for Book Two to come out this year. It's just not financially feasible.
Book 5 and Future Projects
I'm shelving the book I was working on. I'm reevaluating my next move, and I'm thinking I may pull out one of my "cold storage" projects and revise it. This will be the origin story of King Merrith from The Wizard's Stone. That's all I'm going to say at present.
At the very end of the month, I started on a new Halsedric adventure. The first chapter is almost done. I was actually kind of amazed how the words just sort of flowed out. This story will be an earlier adventure - pre-Herodiani - and featuring a character named Wurn. This takes place in the western region of my Fantasy world, referenced as "The Throat" by several people in my (yet to be published) Frankie series. I'm thinking this will address some sort of holdover from the Great War. I'm literally winging this book, writing it as I go. We'll see how it turns out. I have about a year to complete it, and I'm hoping to make it heftier than some of my previous offerings. Again, we'll see how things go.
I also have the Halsedric origin story I may revise, which also features Wurn. I may dig that out and fix it up as well. Though, I don't want to release a string of Halsedric books all in a row. I'd like to stagger them a bit so as to introduce new characters and stories along the way. And, there is another Halsedric-like character that I'd like to introduce as well. I've debated about writing a story about him as it is sort of redundant - I already have a holy warrior in my stable. But, it IS a fun story. And, I think, if you liked the punchy, pulpy goodness of THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, you'll probably like this one. I have the thing all worked out in my head. I may just end of writing it for kicks. Who knows?
Upcoming Events
I'll Be at Thunder-Con in Alpena, Michigan on July 6th and 7th. In August, I have another live appearance, though I don remember the specifics at this exact moment. Early September I'll be appearing at BasedCon. Oh, and in October, I may be attending another in-person event in Fenton, Michigan. I applied, but have not heard back.
And that's all for now.
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