Games by JimD Newsletter – Safe Haven, My Journey of Writing

Games by JimD Newsletter – Safe Haven, Other Projects

Welcome to my 66th newsletter! I have been working hard this month on multiple projects and my regular job, which takes up much of my energy. Most days, I work at my typical 9-to-5 job, while nights and weekends are devoted to writing. I have several writer friends who have similar work schedules. Those that have quit their regular jobs to go full-time at writing have to grind out a lot of words per month to support themselves. It's hard to know when it's the right time to pull the trigger and quit your job. Since I live in America, I receive healthcare benefits from my employer and many other benefits that would be costly if I quit my job. It has been on my mind, and that's why I will talk a bit about my journey as a professional writer in the finances of it all. I will even tell you how much I made last year and break it down by different sources of income.

In this newsletter, I will also review my current games in development and discuss future projects.

Let's get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 is currently at 280,000 words, about 20,000 more this month. After seeing the positive reception from recent titles released by Hosted Games (such as Fallen Hero: Retribution and Lords of Infinity), I know that longer games do better. Of course, these games are also very well written but massive. Both FH and Lords are over one million words. (1.4 and 1.6 respectively). Those are huge games that took a long time to produce. I have tried to stick to a schedule of 3 years at maximum for each part of ZE: SH, but I'm producing parts between 600,000-700,000 words. No one complained about the length of Part 3, but these recent releases are double the size. How do you feel about the length of new releases? Would you rather have a release every three years at around 700,000 words or wait six years for double that?

Aside from writing Chapter 14, I plan to revise the Jillian pregnancy storyline. If you're not interested in spoilers, consider jumping to the next section.

I have received more messages about this storyline than most others, maybe even rivaling the death of major characters in the original game. The topic of the pregnancy of a character and player agency has been on the minds of many readers. I have been going back and forth in my head and speaking to many of you about this issue.

At the moment, I am considering the following:

• If you give birth control pills to Jillian, she does not become pregnant. Some players do not want this storyline at all. It respects their decision since I already set it up in the game that you can find these pills.
• If you do not give birth control to Jillian, she will become pregnant. If the MC is male, there will be debate over whether or not it is Lyle's or the MC's baby. If the MC is female or non-binary, it will be Lyle's baby.

I realize there is an issue with the timeline. It's difficult to determine the baby's age through an ultrasound, especially when no one in the group is used to using an ultrasound machine diagnostically (unless the MC is a doctor or nurse, which is rare). One rule guides my decision – giving the player the most agency.

The above is still not set in stone. I still have some logistics to figure out, but I'm leaning this way. I'm happy to hear anyone's thoughts on the matter. Feel free to send me an email or message.

My Income Journey as a Professional Writer

I have been a writer for over 12 years, and the journey to making money has been a roller coaster ride. When I first published Zombie Exodus, I barely made anything from the game. I don't think I even made the $100 minimum to receive a check, and most times, I received just over $100 each quarter. My first big check was after I published Part 4 of the original ZE. I think I made a few thousand dollars and was utterly shocked that such money could be made from a hobby. Back then, the number of readers was low, and CoG/HG was less well-known than they are now.

When I wrote A Wise Use of Time, I received an advance of $5,000, which felt like a lottery win. I had never made so much money from writing. When the game was released, I made a lot of money in the first few months (maybe another $7k). People were buying the game, and I received royalties for the original ZE and my new game. At this point, I realized a writer could make serious money doing this.

When I came out with Safe Haven, things picked up to a point where this was becoming serious income. By the time Part 1 of ZE: SH came out, I was investing more time in writing. I had gotten proficient with Choicescript and the editorial process. I had spent time getting feedback from many fans of my writing and had built a small following.

After releasing Part 1 of ZE: SH, my first royalty check was over $10,000. I received large checks for the next few months, but as with every other game, that amount trailed off as fewer and fewer people bought each month.

Along the way, I had some misses. I wrote for FableLabs, which not only took me away from my other projects but only paid me a few thousand dollars in advances. It was not worth all of my effort. I also co-wrote and coded one of the first games for Heart's Choice. While I am proud of that game and happy that I worked with a friend (David Monster), it felt more like a job than writing. I was not passionate about the subject matter, and in the end, the game was not a huge financial success.

I was utterly overwhelmed when I learned I would be writing Vampire The Masquerade: Out for Blood. Financially, it was a so-so project. Although many people enjoy the game, it was not well received by others for good reason. The most significant criticism is that the ending is rushed, and it was rushed. Writing two games (Out for Blood and Safe Haven) at once was incredibly challenging. I also lost a month when I was hospitalized and had major surgery. Because the game had multiple editors, making changes or additions was laborious. I made decent money from this title, but it was only a fraction of what I make from Safe Haven.

As ZE: SH parts 2 and 3 came out, more and more people were becoming readers of CoG and HG. Now, I have a library of games. On average, my games sell 3,500 units per month, where a unit is either a complete game (A Wise Use of Time, VTM: Out for Blood) or a Part (ZE and ZE: SH).

Here's my advice to anyone who is thinking of writing a game and publishing a game:

• Use Hosted Games - If you are looking to make money, gather a following, or have the best chance at getting your game read by dozens and dozens (or hundreds or thousands) of people, use Hosted Games. Some writers are resistant to it. They decide to use Twine or Itch.io or another platform. However, Hosted Games has a loyal following. Their Omnibus apps have tens of thousands of followers. They give royalties that are far higher than most publishing companies. Yes, there are cons. There's a long waitlist for writers to be published. Some writers report difficulty in working with their editors at times. However, I doubt you will make more money or yield greater readership using another publisher or going independent.
• Write games that you can be passionate about. Don't worry about writing in specific genres. Also, don't switch out of a genre, because you think it's saturated. If you enjoy what you write, you will stick to it. So many worthwhile games are abandoned because people lose interest in writing them.
• Write consistently and release public betas. You want to build your following from day one, and you want your followers to become loyal to you. To make that happen, you have to deliver. 
• Get used to social media. Whether it is Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or even just a Discord server, create a way for your fans to follow you. 

Now let's get down to numbers. Remember that all writers get a cut of the sales of their games. Apple, Google, and Steam take their cut first. It's around 30% (sometimes 15%, but that's too much to go into). After that, CoG/HG takes their cut. That means the game writer is left with somewhere between 17.5% and 27.2%. We also have to pay taxes. I'm paying around 33% of my earnings. Here is what I made last year:

• Choice of Games – $9,522
• Hosted Games – $37,695
• Heart's Choice – $982
• Patreon – $22,860
• Total - $71,059

Here are a few things to consider when looking at my earnings from 2022. 

First, I put a lot of effort into Patreon, which paid off last year. However, my number of subscribers on Patreon has decreased, so I won't make as much this year. There are many reasons for that. There are so many other Patreon's right now, and the competition is fierce for followers. Also, inflation is high worldwide, and it's hard for many to justify recurring charges/subscriptions.

Second, as you can see, ZE and ZE: SH make me the most money. I put most of my effort into them, and they have a loyal following. I also have the most releases with them. Considering all the parts, it makes up 7 games (ZE 1+2, 3, 4, 5 and ZE: SH 1, 2, 3). Currently, I am receiving royalties from 10 different parts/games.

It may look like I'm making a lot of money. Some may say that $71,000 per year (about 47k after taxes) is an excellent salary. But that's purely money. I still work a traditional job to earn benefits (health insurance, retirement savings, etc.). With all the time and effort I put into making my games, I'm not sure it's worth it as purely a moneymaking profession for most people. I enjoy writing games and engaging with people that want to talk about my games. That's why I keep doing this.

StoryLoom Projects

I have created two games on this new platform that I hope you will try. It's entirely free. When you sign up, you receive 100 tokens. Each chapter of my game takes 1 token.

Revenge Magic: Early in his mage training, Josiah's life takes a turn after a fateful day that sends him on a path of vengeance. Will he bring those who wronged him to justice, or will his need for revenge take over?

Your Trial: Alex awakens in a jail cell with no memory of his past. He soon learns he's on trial for murder and will need to defend himself or be imprisoned for the rest of his life. This sets him on a journey of twists and turns and self-discovery.

I hope you will try out these games. As more people read them, it proves to the company that they should invest in my writing. So please give them a try.

That's all for this month.