Indie-author self-promotion is utterly necessary.
As I’m writing this, I have multiple things happening in my indie-author world. This is the result of a lot of work on a lot of different levels over the past couple of months.
Let’s start with the immediate, most time-sensitive element:
My standalone fantasy/Steampunk, rise of the villain novel, Infamy Ascending, is FREE for Kindle this week, until 11/17.
Why make it free? Because I think it’s an excellent read, and I’m using it as a funnel to gather more readers. Do you like this book? I have multiple others available for you to peruse.
The other reason it’s free for Kindle this week is because, as of Tuesday, 11/28, Infamy Ascending will be available to the world for wide distribution. That means lots of new avenues for eBooks and paperback.
Going wide-distribution has been an interesting challenge. Partially because I’ve had to create a “new” version of the book for the new channels. But opening myself and my works to this broader audience is an important step in growing my authorpreneur business.
This is all very exciting. Equally, and in some respects more exciting on this front is this:
Publishing my first book since 2021
In 2020, I published 3 books. Among these were the first two books of my Void Incursion sci-fi/sci-fantasy series.
Then, in 2021, I published a whopping 6 books. This included the four novels of my sci-fi clone, mystery, and conspiracy series Forgotten Fodder, and the next 2 novels of Void Incursion. It was very ambitious of me to put out that many books in a single year. To be perfectly honest it was also rather expensive.
The writing and publishing aren’t costly. But cover art and editing is. Unfortunately, the return on investment (ROI) didn’t recoup those costs. So, publishing in 2022 didn’t occur because funds for editing and cover art were tight.
Also, my process changed. Before 2020, I wrote pretty much exclusively as a pantser. For those who don’t understand that term, it means that I would sit at my keyboard and write by the seat of my pants. That, in turn, led to completed books.
When the idea for Forgotten Fodder came to me, I found myself world-building extensively. That led to me plotting out the ideas for the books, and then creating a chapter-by-chapter outline for each. The result was the clearest plot I’ve ever written, and rather than less creativity due to rigid planning, the outlined chapters gave me better focus and room to work.
With this new approach to writing as a planner, I created and wrote the final book for the Void Incursion series. With some good fortune and hard work, I was able to get it to an editor and have had a cover made for it. Thus, some awesome book happenings are occuring.
On Tuesday, November 21, the fifth and final novel of Void Incursion – Check and Mate – will be released for Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Book happenings – the conclusion of a series
Check and Mate brings the Void Incursion series to an end.
I finished writing the book in 2021, but due to the previously mentioned funding issues, I couldn’t get it to an editor or have a cover made for it. This was a major bummer, and very frustrating.
Additionally, this left me with a second unfinished series. I published Seeker, the first novel in my Source Chronicles fantasy series, over 9 years ago. Book two, Finder, was also published. Book 3, Harbinger, is done and awaiting a trip to an editor. However – book 4, Guardians, is incomplete and hasn’t been touched in 10 years, and book 5, Healers, is naught but an idea.
There’s a very real issue that I can’t ignore, and it’s this – I started Source Chronicles in the mid to late 1990s. My approach and my style have changed quite a bit over the years. Realistically, I’m not sure if I can finish the series in its current incarnation. What’s more, it remains on the backburner among my writing projects.
I didn’t desire to see Void Incursion remain another unfinished series. Completing it has been my priority. Finally, with the publication of Check and Mate, it will be a whole, complete series.
Early in 2024, I intend to put the whole Void Incursion 5-book series out for wider distribution for eBooks and paperback.
Ongoing process and next steps
I’m hoping that having a second whole and complete series will increase my sales and brand recognition. Listening to a podcast on multiple elements of the writing business recently, they made a point of talking about how reliability in an author getting a whole series to the reader is huge. I’m sure you can think of an author or two with an incomplete series with no end in sight or who died before reaching the end of a series.
Next in line for publishing will be my new Savagespace sci-fi series. Book 1 is currently with beta readers, and the other two books in the trilogy are done. Depending on various factors, I’m hoping to prep it for publishing in late 2024 (but I can make no promises or guarantees).
As of this writing, I’m working on a new semi-absurdist sci-fi comedy novel. It might be standalone – but it definitely has room for sequels. I hope that it will be as funny to you as it is to me.
Of course, I also am blogging 4 days a week still, and exploring some other projects. Additionally, I’m doing a ton of editorial and publishing work on a unique non-fiction the entrepreneur I work for is creating. More details on this experience will be forthcoming.
On a personal indie-author level, I’m starting to explore direct sales of my work, and what that entails. Stay tuned. More book happenings to come.
There’s always writing to be done. I love this process and being my own business – an authorpreneur – is constantly evolving and changing.
Book happenings are proof of life
As a creative entrepreneur – specifically an authorpreneur – book happenings are proof of life. It’s not just some notion for the who, what, where, and why of my professional life, but ongoing and evolving. Sharing that things are in motion shows me, readers, and the Universe that I’m putting in the time and effort.
You might or might not care about any of this. But sharing it with others, I believe, helps creatives to see that we’re not alone. Our processes are almost certainly different. But sharing mine, and both my wins and losses, hopefully offers helpful insight.
Please keep doing your art. The world needs all the creatives it can get.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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