More LibertyCon and Plans

LibertyCon was amazing. I enlisted into the Royal Manticoran Navy. Chatted with David Weber and other authors I admire. Learned a ton. Got an amazing signed Munchkin card that I’m not framing but totally using.

Like last year, I find myself reinvigorated afterwards. It’s not that the mountain I want to climb is any less tall, it’s that the path seems clearer. This comes at a good time as I’m really busy right now.

I have promised my editor that I will have a copy of the next book in the Shijuren series to her by 1 August with a release date of 1 December. This will be another Edward book, a direct sequel to A Lake Most Deep.

I had originally planned to start another series set in Shijuren before continuing with Edward. However, I want to release an Edward book every late November / early December and I might as well start that rhythm now.

This means that the first Ludmilla book will come out about 1 April. I’m deciding between which of the other characters I’ve been constructing in my head to release around 1 August. That will be my general plan each year, though the characters other than Edward will change each year.

One thing that came up at LibertyCon is the idea of Patreon. I am contemplating setting up a system. The plan would be that I would publish at least twice a month at least two chapters from the next book. They would be raw and unedited, but would be samples of what’s ahead. My patrons would hopefully be able to provide suggestions and ideas.

Given that I will have a four month cycle, that means at least eight times and at least sixteen chapters of the next book. Subscribers get charged whenever I add something, so at least twice a month I would be tapping them for either $1 or $5. At $1, the person would receive the ebook version when it is published. At $5, the person would receive the ebook and paperback when it is published. That would be a minimum of $40, which is a lot for a $15 item, but this way I can pay the shipping and $5 is an even amount.

This is my initial thought and over the next couple of months I’ll be playing with ideas. I’ve had a few people pushing me for the next book already, with is wonderful and gratifying. I’ll get their advice.

I am also already excited about LibertyCon next year. By that point, I’ll have three books in Shijuren, plus one really close. That seems to be the tipping point of what defines a readable author in this field, which I understand. We don’t want to invest in characters we’ll only see once.

I guess I should have just said I’m excited about everything, and LibertyCon was the lens that showed me the details.

See many of you in Chattanooga 8-10 July next year.

Busy Time

Greetings all

It’s been a very busy time here in Robland. I am the event steward for Lilies War, a big SCA event in Calontir. That is happening this week and I’m playing a little hooky to get some other things done.  Fortunately, my co-steward and event staff don’t really need me anymore.

The big news here, though, is the arrival of A Lake Most Deep in paperback form on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Lake-Most-Deep-World-Shijuren/dp/0996125914/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1434217490&sr=8-1&keywords=rob+howell

Enjoy. For me, I’m back to the war and being a big, bad boss.