R.W. Krpoun's Blog, page 4

And onto the next Project

As the post-publishing fatigue wore off, my thoughts turned to my many stalled projects, and a sudden burst of inspiration caused me to re-visit Memory Road, a zombie novel which had run out of plot at 58k words like a bug hitting a semi going 70mph.

Memory Road should be finished and enter first edit this week, with a publishing window of late September/early October. Afterwards I intend to start Grog 6.

Meanwhile, the 100 degree days in this part of Texas have broken, and life is a lot better.

Grog 5 doing well

Well is an understatement, at least by my standards. Grog 5 sold 1150 copies in the first 17 days available, a slow afternoon for Stephen King, but an amazing response for me.

By way of comparison, book 5 of the Phantom Badgers, Dark Tides, has sold less than a thousand books in 9 years. That still makes the Phantom Badgers a solid series by indie standards, but the Ebon Blades are inching their way into a new catagory.

So, I am writing at least a thousand words a day on a stalled modern project, I am trying to reach out to audio companies to investigate the possibility of releasing Grog 2 as an audio book, and I’m gathering support materials for Grog 6.

Thanks to all my readers, and especially to those who took the time to be me a positive review. I’ll keep hammering the keyboard!

One Week In

So Grog V is a week in, and the response has been fantastic. Sales are at record levels, and while I price my books to move because I’m more interested in being read, the simple fact is no sales = nobody reading. As you plug deeper into a series, each book gets fewer readers than its predecessor. But as a series Grog has been, much like the character, a sold, dependable performer, bringing in new readers at a far better rate than anything else I’ve written.

Most impressive is the over 100 reviews I’ve received so far, all but one complementary. One reviewer was not happy with the plot development in V, but I believe that while yes, it is not as clear-cut and dynamic as earlier books, it is also the first book in which Province Sael did not choose her own path, but instead submitted to being part of the war effort. As a small cog in a big machine, the tone of the plot must change.

There was also criticism for a lack of development of Grog’s romantic relationship, and all I can say in my defense is that they are currently apart, I’m not a romance writer, and Grog spent more time thinking about her than bacon, which I think is a clear indicator of love. Ladies, take note.

Anyway, a huge thanks to all my readers. I really hope you enjoyed Grog V, and all my work.

Grog V is out, and I made an error

Edit: The updated version is live!

I forgot to include the map; its not a great map, but it will appear between the Preface and Chapter One. The updated version with the map should be live by 9am CST, about 90 minutes from now, so those who have already purchased the book will only need to download it again.

Sorry about that. There’s always something…

Grog V has been uploaded to Amazon

All editing and admin has been finished, and Grog V has been uploaded to Amazon as both a paperback and e-book.

It will be available for purchase as some point in the next 72 hours. It is the longest Grog book to date, as such will cost a bit more.

Grog V 2nd edit completed

Title says it all. Third edit starting today, and will be followed by final cover choice, creation of the blurb, and a few other administrative details needed before I upload everything to Amazon. I will keep the process posted.

The first edit of Grog V is done

There are still two more reviews, but progress is continuing. The second edit review is the longest.

The rough draft of Grog V is done.

It ran to 92,000 words, the longest of the Grog series; I did not intend to run it that far, but the story just wouldn’t shut up, even when I compressed fairly length travel sections into a single reflective examination.

The extra punctuation alone will drive up the price of the book by at least fifty cents, on top the traditional practice of charging readers more for each successive book in a series, so fans should look to their finances while the editing gets underway.

Speaking of which, the editing will begin on Wednesday July 26th; I had hoped, earlier this month, to get it into print by the end of July, but the added 10,000 words means I’m looking at mid-August. But don’t hold me to that; editing often takes longer than hoped-for, and I have yet to find a cover image. (I know you’re lurking out there, Big Dee, ready to dock my a star for my choice).

At least the blurbs get easier to write the further I go into a series.

More later. Keep well.

Author Con 2023

I’m just back from my first Author Convention, the Texas Author Con in Richardson Texas.

It was an interesting experience; I got to meet a fan in person, which was a first for me and a major thrill, as well as being highly informative.

The Con was in a very nice hotel. Organization was a little ad-hoc; the room wasn’t quite large enough, and the noise level was intense. I met a lot of authors, and everyone was incredibly friendly.

There was a big push to ‘network’, which I did not really understand, as technically a lot of us are in competition with each other, and the majority of those authors attending are still trying to get a foot in the door, exposure-wise.

Foot traffic was low; I had to really hustle to make contact, and there was a lot of time spent sitting around looking at the authors across the aisle. Still, by shameless plugging, I was able to sell most of the books I had brought (Grog and Benson literally flew off the table; the others required work) and I gave the remaining few away. I sold the books at cost, figuring exposure was more important than trying to cover my expenses (good thing, too, because there simply wasn’t enough foot traffic).

I’m not sure I’ll bother going to another con, but I did enjoy this one.

Anyway, I’m home and getting back to work on Grog V.

FYI

I will be at the Texas Author Con (free admission) in Richardson, Texas, on the 14-15th of this month. I’ll be signing books, and selling copies of my books for $5 a pop.

I don’t know if I have any readers in Richardson, but I’ve never been to a con, so I thought I would give it a try, and maybe get some PR out of it. There’s also a podcast interview with me on YouTube*, but I don’t recommend it because it’s truly boring.

In other news, Grog V is at 83k words rough draft, and nearing completion.

* = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7wpq2HXsIk&t=17s