When is the next book coming out?!?
Well, to quote the supercomputer Deep Thought, who was tasked with finding the answer to life, the universe, and everything in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…. I’ve got the answer, but you’re not going to like it.
It’s 42No, I’m kidding. That’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Before I get to the other answer about when then next book comes out, let me explain a few things. Here, have a seat by the fire, because this might take a while.
So, I’ve never done much for my book releases. I write the book, hire someone to do the cover, put it up for preorder if I’m especially organized, and then email the lovely people on my newsletter list when it comes out. I used to run ads, but they stressed me out so much that I stopped.
That’s what some authors call a soft release. It’s what I’ve been doing since I published my first book in 2016. And it’s worked fine.
But here’s the thing.
I’ve been making money off these books.
Crazy, huh? All my life people, told me there’s no money in writing, and yet here I am, paying the mortgage every single month with cold, hard cash people pay me to read about imaginary adventures I made up while sitting on my couch in my pajamas.
Making money has me thinking about the business aspect of this whole writing thing. As in, perhaps I should put some of that money back into my business.
But where should it go? I can only buy so many covers, and I don’t want to go back to checking spreadsheets five times a day to track my ad spending.
Maybe you see where this is going.
After a lot of freaking out and a bit of thinking, I’ve decided to reinvest in my business by making my next release hard, not soft. So, buckle up, buttercup, because I’m going off the deep end.
New cover designer. Character art. Book boxes. Promotion company.
This is so far out of my comfort zone I might need a new zip code and a Xanax prescription.
Of course, money alone isn’t enough to pull all this off. A hard release also takes time. Which is where the answer comes in.
My next books comes out…
THIS WINTERIt’s winter, my friends. Maybe December, maybe January, but not any earlier.
I know. Winter is a long way off. I’ve never gone this long between book releases, so if this feels like a long time to wait for you – trust me, it feels even longer for me.
Like a lot of things in publishing, this release strategy is a gamble. I’ll have a lot of time to make my next book, Monster of the Dagger Mountains, as good as it can possibly be. I’ll do everything I can to make the release as epic as possible.
And then I’ll send it out into the universe and hope for the best. In that way, at least, it will be a normal book release. 
