First, massive thanks to those who read all 220,000 words!
You're amazing!
It's been surreal receiving responses and even hearing other people discuss my book while I just listen. This thing that's been in my head for decades now bounces around in the hearts of others!
How weird is that?
While waiting on reader feedback, I worked on the copy editing—making sure names and places are spelled consistently, finding 10,001 typos and other oopsies, homogenizing the Arabic, and hand drawing the maps.
I've added a small scene and some additional moments to the denouement. I'm trying to balance a satisfying experience with holding some things back, leaving threads to pull readers into the next book. With the second likely some years in the works, I've made these revisions so this story can be read as a sturdy stand-alone.
I've decided not to include the series title on the first book. When the second is complete, I will revise the first’s cover with "Book One of... Series Title".
My stories will never be written at a yearly pace, much less "rapid release". And I'm good with that. Hey, I'm pursuing the "artisan" model here! And that’s my excuse. So I want readers to long for the next book without fear I'm going to do a Game of Thrones thing.
In the meantime, I'm learning all I can about marketing and publishing. None of this is new information—I've been listening to the key self-publishing podcasts for a decade. But every aspect is in constant flux, so planning to implement in 2025/2026 is like trying to jump into a game of Double Dutch and not get slapped.
The biggest news for me is: I have a title!
I've always sensed that when it landed, it would land hard. And it has. After all these years of just a blank...
I also have the series title and a subtitle. I'm working on a tagline and back of book blurb. I have time to let these stew, so I will set them aside and revisit with fresh eyes over the next few weeks.
I'll let you know the book title in my next newsletter.
I’m full of appreciation for you all!
Peace,
Lausanne
And here I thought you were withholding the title from us on purpose. 🤣🤦♀️ And since I learned that many are reluctant to start a not finished series (maybe a certain dude with dragon books has a hand in that) I think it's a wise move not to include the series on the cover. Wishing you all the best on this exciting journey!
220,000 words is very impressive! I don't have the patience to use that many words in my books.