For those who have followed my blog posts and newsletters, you may have guessed that I’ve been having a tough year. At the beginning of the year, I excitedly announced a relaunch of my Warpmancer Series, and that I would be completing the sci-fi series.
I spent the majority of the year painstakingly re-writing, editing and ensuring the old series was as amazing as it could be. I sent it to just under 500 review readers, prepared a multitude of marketing campaigns, and got ready for the release of book 1.
The reasons for relaunching and continuing the series were:
- I didn’t like the idea of leaving the series unfinished.
- I wanted to make it marketable to justify finishing it.
- There were a handful of readers excited for me to continue the series.
On the 7th of June, Fall of Zona Nox was released. On the day of release, a friend of mine passed away. Release festivities were put aside as I mourned my friend.
The release did not go as planned. The marketing campaigns didn’t pay off. Only 30 of the review readers came through and wrote a review. And I didn’t break-even.
By comparison, the release of Part-Time Monster Hunter in October 2019 earned over triple the amount that Fall of Zona Nox did in its first 30 days. This was when I had a smaller audience, less of a following, and fewer resources to advertise.
It didn’t go well. And this put a huge dampener on any excitement I may previously have had for the series.
But it gets worse.
I have written books as passion projects before. I understand that books aren’t always going to sell. I write because I enjoy this career. Otherwise, I’d probably just go into research and political analysis – which I already do on the side to pay some bills. I write fiction because I love it. The fact that it is my primary income is just a bonus.
But I have not enjoyed writing Warpmancer.
Warpmancer was my first series. It will always have a place in my heart as the series that got me into writing and publishing. But I simply don’t enjoy writing it anymore. Perhaps, it’s the genre. Perhaps, it’s because I just don’t feel that connection with the characters that I feel with Kat and her crusaders.
The truth is that while I connect with my urban fantasy, I no longer connect with my sci-fi.
I have been attempting to continue writing the Warpmancer Series for months. Forcing myself to write. The fact that it is making me barely any money while I am not enjoying writing it should be the double whammy that tells me that I need to let go.
I forced out the last few chapters of Conquest of the Defiant last night. I didn’t enjoy writing them, and I feel like I’m letting you all down. But I know that I cannot keep going like this.
Maybe, I might change my mind and complete Fall of Terra and The Promised End. But not for the foreseeable future.
For now, I must focus on what really gives me joy and what really contributes towards my brand and business as an author. My fantasy.
I will be re-reading The Last Light this week, and then proceeding to outline Shadow Realm (Book 15 of the Kat Drummond Series). And I hope to see you all on Kat’s journey as she braves the necro-wastes of Africa, the treacherous monster ridden seas of the Mediterranean, and the war torn hellscapes of Europe.
Until then…
The Hunt Continues
And Terra Protects.
