Herman P. Hunter's Blog: Herman P. Hunter's THE LORE FORGE, page 5

Status Update - November, 2022

Well, the good news is, the manuscript of the next book is 100% complete.

THE WIZARD'S STONE

Well, at this point, the edits and done are verified. I've submitted the manuscript for a copyright and it's in the hands of the person doing the interior formatting. Hopefully, that'll get done before 12/5/2022. After that, I have to go through the book PDF and eBook to make sure nothing is missing. Then it's off to the distributors.

The eBook isn't as difficult to get published. The artwork is 100% complete. Once I've verified the formatted book, I just upload it - that takes less than a day. After that, I open up my BookSirens account for people who want to read and review an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy).

Audiobook production starts early January.

But...the book is done.

During the last round of edits, I had my wife reread the book to find the last remaining vestiges of mistakes that were missed after multiple rounds of revisions and edits. At dinner a couple of days back, she remarked that she had forgotten how much she loved the book and that this story is as strong as THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. I might add, she was the one who basically called the reaction I would receive with the last book. So...

THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB

No news here. I ran a sales campaign starting Cyber Monday, but sales have not been as good as I hoped. Oh well. On the other hand, I found several reviews posted on Twitter.

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So, that's something cool.

I'm also working to appear on a podcast. Details to follow...maybe...

What Else?

I sent Chapter 3 of THE WIZARD'S STONE to a friend to have him do an audio narration. This I will use to create a sample chapter video. I'm also working on a video trailer for the new book as well. I'm also contemplating creating a video on my three favorite Christmastime movies. So, keep an eye out for these.

Until next month...

Status Update - October, 2022

Editing is a soul-sucking endeavor.

The Wizard's Stone

As of this writing, I have two more chapters to review before I send the manuscript off to the editor. At this point, I'm changing minor things, plugging tiny holes, and tweaking prose. I'm pretty satisfied with the results thus far, and I'm not seeing a lot of cringe-worthy writing anymore.

After the proofread gets back, it takes me a couple of days to apply the edits. Then another re-read, and it's off to the formatter AND the copyright office. Hopefully, I'll have a copy of the book in my hands sometime in December.

The editor cited a bunch of stuff that I eventually needed to fix. A couple of chapters went through some significant changes. I've rewritten the last half of the last chapter three times now. I even paid to have a second round of editing done on the last chapter alone. By all indicators, the last rewrite was the best. I sort of felt that as I rewrote that one last time. There were a number of "bullet points" I wanted to hit: stuff that I've been building up to, the entire length of the book. I hit each one have done sone convincingly (hopefully).

I feel like I'm being very particular about my writing. If a book goes out, I want to make sure that the reader gets the best story I can write. It's been bothering me that I seem to take an exceptionally long time to finish one book, when other writers bash out 2 or 3 books per year. They are either much better writers than me, or they do not obsess as much as I do over story and language. This is not meant to knock other authors. I just wonder if my writing can stand up to theirs.

Also, I have posted a teaser trailer on my YouTube channel. You can find that here.

The teaser trailer has been a modest success. I made a YouTube short and a standard video. The short racked up 145 views in a relatively short time. The regular video got 47 (as of the writing of this post), and continues to get more views.

Yeah, those numbers are pretty pathetic when contrasted with other YouTube celebrities. But, for me right now, it's not bad.

I think I'm going to do something special with the release of this book. I'm contemplating a couple of ideas, but I've got nothing solid planned for right now.

Audiobook production starts the first week in January, 2023. It'll be great to work with the Incomparable Steve Fortune again.

Needless to say, I've been busy, busy, busy.

The Revenant and the Tomb

October wasn't a great month for sales, but it wasn't terrible either. Right now I'm sitting at 10 eBooks sold and five paperbacks. I have no idea if I sold any audiobooks or not.

I actually have a few ads being placed in comics, and I am working on ad placements elsewhere.

All in all, not much activity on this front.

Bookmarks & Stuff

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I've decided that with each release, I am going to have a promotional bookmark made as a giveaway at conventions and such. Right now, for THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, I use one made by Gary Shipman of Pakkins Land fame:

For THE WIZARD'S STONE, I enlisted the skills of Eric Hawkins, who created the Zombieful World of Oz world of comics:

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to distribute these things outside of conventions and special giveaways. I intend to set up a store on my website at some point, so perhaps through there.

I think I may have mentioned this in a previous update, but I've also secured some author signature plates. These are essentially peel-and-stick labels (about 2" x 4") that I can sign, and you can apply to your book. My thought is that, when I do set up a store, I may sell signed "plates" for - say - $5.00 (USD). This way, you don't have to meet me at a convention to sign your book, or send it to me in the mail.

I gave one to Gary Shipman when he visited me not too long ago (his wife bought my book but forgot to bring it with her). It worked out pretty good. So I'm going to move forward with this concept.

I'm looking for ideas for swag and promo stuff. I intend on hitting the convention scene soon, so I need to have more for sale than just books and signatures.

Did Someone Say Promotion?

Why...why yes I did (kinda).

I'm working on a promotion for the next book that will hopefully drive subscriptions to my website. Keep a sharp eye out for details.

And that's it for now.

Status Update - September, 2022

Well, the month got busier near the end.

The Next Book

The first round of professional edits are done, returned, and the manuscript has been revised. This is becoming old hat to me now.

I had a bunch of stuff to revise, and I came to the sober realization that the rewrite of the ending wasn't good enough. I am currently in the middle of rewriting the ending...again.

I also used some text-to-speech software to read back my manuscript. This took, roughly a week to do at the end of the month. Halfway though the process, I remarked to myself that what I was hearing sounded like a book. A real book with a real story. Yeah, that sounds kind of stupid, but when you compare the story earlier in the process to what I was hearing in the earphones, the differences become clear. Like the differences between a rosebud and the flower at the peak of it's bloom.

All I need to do is fix the ending. It's ready to go. I'll probably pay to have the editor look over revisions, then I'll send the entire manuscript off again for a proofread.

Which brings me to...

The Cover / Title Reveal Video.

Remember when I said that the cover release video would be out in September? Well, I lied.

The video took longer to produce than I expected. But it's done now. It drops on October 13th, 2022, sometime after 9:00 AM (EST). It should be out on all of my social media platforms. So, look for it.

Or, as R. H. Snow says, "Be there, be there, be there!"

The Revenant and the Tomb

Not many sales this month without advertising. I sold some copies of my book at BasedCon. I'm going to try and change up my advertising and target Fantasy eZines, websites, and periodicals. It's a little depressing because my goal was 500 books by March 2023. Whatever.

The Next Halsedric Book

Progress continues. I started, and partially filled, two chapters this month. I had lots of disruptions in my normal routine as I'm really quite focused on the current book right now. But, I am making some headway. Once I get rolling on a chapter, the ideas come fairly quickly.

Other Things

I've had an idea bubbling in my mind since late August. My thought was to release a different bookmark with each and every book. To that end, I would contract a different artist to create the bookmark image. Then, I would add the QR code (a barcode that you can scan with your phone) for my Amazon link, and the link to the artist's website. These bookmarks I would distribute free as a promotional item. My intention is to provide these at conventions, book signings, and so on.

The first bookmark I had Gary Shipman (the creator of Pakkins Land and Titan, Mouse of Might) create his vision of Halsedric's sword. This time around, I contracted Eric Hawkins (The Zombieful World of Oz) to draw an item from the book - something I initially wanted featured on the book's cover. Well, now it's a bookmark.The art came in, and the bookmark is essentially designed. All I need do is to finally get an Amazon link for the QR code.I also intend to provide signature plates (basically, mailing labels) with my signature on it for those who've purchased my book through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, but want their book signed. I still have to figure out a way to handle shipping and distribution. But I expect to try and get something where you can order this through my website sometime next year.

And that's it for now.

Status Update - August, 2022

Things are chugging along.

The Next Book

Well, the beta reading phase took longer than planned, and there were complications. One beta reader had to drop out for personal reasons. Another finally finished a week later than expected.

The end result, however, was two thumbs up. As I type this out, I've finished a couple of rounds of revisions and reworked the ending. I have one more revision pass, and its off to the editor.

I've commissioned cover art with the title you, the readers, selected. I'll reveal both cover and title later in September. Normally, I'd be tempted to stay with the same style as THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. However, since I am writing more books on Halsedric, future books for this character will have the same cover art style and concept as THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. Thus, I wanted Odo's book to be a departure from that. I hope you like it.

Keep a sharp eye out for that cover and title reveal.

Release Date for the Next Book

After some serious consideration, I am pushing off the release of my Odo book until early March 2023. There are several factors that went into this decision.

The release of THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB was a scattershot affair. Everything was new, and I didn't know what I was doing. The decision to release an audiobook was an afterthought. Now that I've had a little bit of experience with these things, I'm formulating a "release plan," putting everything in order before the book hits the bookshelves. That means having all of my formats - eBook, paperback, and audiobook - ready to go. Plus - and this is important - it saves money on advertising. I don't have to do separate campaigns on the print and audio versions like I did with THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB.

The second reason I have to delay the release has to do with the audiobook narrator. In order to fit in with Steve Fortune's schedule (he's an actor and has to make a living, after all), I needed to have everything buttoned down by mid-September. While I'm on track to get the book to the editor by the beginning of September, there is no way for me to get in two edit passes and another full read-through by that time. Secondly, given my experience with THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, the schedule for recording and editing would be exceptionally tight, in my opinion. I'd rather push this off until after Steve's tour, which would easily give us a couple of months to bash out the audiobook.

By the way - unless something dramatic happens between now and then - Steve Fortune, the voice of THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, will be narrating this book as well.

Part of the reason why time is tight later in 2022 is partly because of the beta reader schedule, and revisions / rewrites that I've done. When I gave the book to the beta readers, I knew WELL in advance that I needed to rewrite the ending. That rewrite took weeks to finish, mainly because none of my initial ideas fit. I could have pushed out a book that I knew had some serious flaws just to roll it into production, but then I'd be pushing out a product I new - in some ways - sucked. I'd rather delay the release then just throw out any old thing. In fact, revisions and rewrites have been the biggest stumbling block thus far. Part of this was because I stopped writing the book midway through, then restarted it months later. While I came back with some solid ideas, it required a bit of massaging to make everything line up. And, there are things in it that I'm still "on the fence" over.

Another minor issue was that the beta read process went a week beyond it's scheduled time. Overall, it was more of an annoyance than a serious issue. People have lives they need to live, and my book is a secondary concern. I get that. No harm, no foul.

I'm setting a drop-dead-ish date of March 3rd, 2023 for an actual release. The run-up for this release will start not long after the first of the year, 2023.

The Next Halsedric Book

This is going slower than anticipated. I have, roughly, 12 chapters that are either half-written, or fully written. I suspect that the final book will be 25+ chapters long, so I'm probably a third of the way in.

Getting the Odo book prepped is consuming a lot of my writing time. When I'm done with the editing phase - I suspect by the end of this month - I should have more time to dedicate to the next Halsedric Story.

Right now I'm laying out a bunch of scattered ideas that I intend to consolidate into a final story. I suspect that this book will start slow, especially given that the readers are already familiar with Halsedric. I will also expose a little more about some of the aspects of his new life, and his communion with the Divine. There is also a glimpse into the relationship between Halsedric and Herodaini and some hints of the motivations of the Elanni huntress.

And, as I mentioned previously, pay attention to the prologue of this book. It has deeper roots in some of the stuff I have planned for later release.

Both this book and the Odo book tie into a character named Merrith. Odo meets Merrith at the end his story. Merrith has ties to my Frankie Falawell saga. Everything I'm writing, in one form or another, is connected.

Non-Book Stuff

As previously mentioned, I will be at BasedCon, September 9th - 11th. I will be on a panel that discusses religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as one about creating audiobooks.

I'll be working on a couple of videos soon. I stopped doing videos to concentrate on the next book. Now that I'm past some of the major hurdles, I have a little more time on my hand.

So that's it for now.

VLOG: My Next Upcoming Book

This is a video on my YouTube channel where I discuss some details on my upcoming book whose working title is THE WIZARD ODO.

https://youtu.be/bTSXsqBzDTI

Status Update - July, 2022

Well, it's been an interesting month.

I've Been Invited To a Con

BasedCon, to be exact. I'm on two writer panels - one about audiobooks and another about Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy.

It'll be held out in Norton Shores, Michigan. Tickets are still available, I think. If you're interested in meeting me, stop by. Another author I know - R. H. Snow, the author of THE WATCHER OF THE DAMNED - will be in attendance as well.

THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB

Sales continue. I'm running ads.

I think June saw me crack 100 books sold. July saw me break the 150 barrier. The reviews coming in on Amazon are still good, usually 4 or 5 stars. My Goodreads activity, however, has come to a standstill. Whatever. So long as sales continue.

What I'm trying to do with this first book is build a reputation and a fanbase. I don't expect to make money on the thing overnight, especially seeing that I'm sinking more money into advertisements than I get back in sales. So long as people are reading and liking the book, I'm satisfied. And it appears they are...reading and liking the book.

The Next Book.

At the beginning of July, I handed the rough (very rough) manuscript to 3 beta readers. Two of the three (one being my wife) were the same people who reviewed THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. Given the reception of the novella, I am really looking forward to their comments. The third is a new individual whose identity is a "secret."

I have a deadline of August 1st for their feedback. My wife finished first. She has given the manuscript the green light to move ahead and her comments after each chapter were pretty encouraging.

My biggest worry has been that this next book is slightly different than THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB had a steady build from beginning to end. This new book starts with action, has a few chapters in the middle that have no action, and then back into the action. In writer terms, this is called "the mushy middle," and it is a condition that is to be avoided. Still, as I reflect on the story, I don't see it that way. Tension and action in a book are good things, but they can be overdone. A Second Act with some calm, I feel, gives the reader a moment or two to breathe before plunging forward again into the excitement.

Anyhow, edits and revisions are underway. Still waiting for the feedback from the other beta readers.

I may also change the title of this book. My working title was THE WIZARD ODO, and I still love it. However, based on some preliminary feedback from one of the other beta readers, I might need to change the name. The reader found it confusing. It's difficult to mention the reason why without giving away spoilers.

I'm still trying to target late 2022 for a release date, but I think that is very aggressive at this point. I still have lots of passes to go before I can start setting a book up for release. Likewise, I want to release all of the formats at the same time - audiobook, paperback, and eBook - so I can save a little on advertising.

And speaking of the audiobook, Steve Fortune and I have had some discussions and have lined up some scheduling for him to do the narration. After the outstanding job he did on THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, I'm more than happy to have him on board for this next project.

I'll keep you updated. Keep your eyes peeled for some cover artwork.

The Next Halsedric Book

Yes, work is continuing. I've written roughly 4 chapters since last month, though progress has been slow. July has been filled with family events, further complicated by my youngest son coming down with COVID. We had to isolate, meaning that my writing method has been disrupted.

All in all, I was running dry on ideas for the book. The chapter I was working on before my break was was leading up to the book's climax. I thought it would be 2 chapters, tops, but the chapter count has doubled. I do recall feeling pretty enthused about how well the words have been flowing. I'm kinda anxious now to get back on that saddle and ride.

This book is more of a mystery in the beginning, with lots of build towards the end. As I've said elsewhere, this book has ties into a bunch of other stories I've written. I'm looking forward to finishing it and continuing Halsedric's saga.

Miscellany

As many of you know, I'm spread across a number of social media sites. I'm trying to tie all of them together to prevent the fragmentation of the information I'm providing. Because of limited time, if I make a video and put it on my YouTube channel, I miss writing a blog entry. If I concentrate on the blog, I get behind on my videos. And both take away from editing and writing new books.

If I had the money to spend, I'd hire a person dedicated to do social media. But I don't. So, it is what it is until I start making enough money to have things like...staff.

So, if each of you just buys 1,216 books...

(Yes. That was a joke.)

Oh, and I have someone working on a logo for my imprint. A reveal may soon be forthcoming.

Anyways, that's it for now. I got edits to apply.

VLOG - Pre-Release Anxieties

A discussion on my YouTube channel as to the concerns and fears you have as you go about developing your book prior to its release.

https://youtu.be/wh5Y4Wj6U4E

VLOG - Update: Halsedric, Book #2

Here is a video on my YouTube channel where I discuss the second book in the Halsedric series (which isn't technically a series but...whatever...).

https://youtu.be/nVtbAtciACE

VLOG - Indie Creators

A video on my YouTube channel concerning indie creators and content.

https://youtu.be/iA0ZLDBVPvo

VBLOG - Indie Creators

A video on my YouTube channel concerning indie creators and content.

https://youtu.be/iA0ZLDBVPvo