Tao Wong

Business Post: On Market Size and Worn Out Tropes

I've been thinking a lot about worn out tropes and market size.

One thing I recall from the short story anthollgy workshop I did, and then further seen in some 'don't send in' list for shorts is that they do not want, among other things, your game campaign / game books.

It's just not something editors want to see because they've seen that a dozen, a thousand times. There's nothing (to them) unique or interesting or fun about seeing the thousandth book about a party of a dwarf, elf...

A Capital's Perils - Chapter 7 preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5798 

Password: 03curious!RAK13

November Short Story Poll

I really need to start doing these polls before the month ends... otherwise it gives me less than 3 weeks to get done. Once again, short poll - done in a week. Get to voting!

A Thousand Li: Fish Ball Quest Short Story

I got it done! Just before the end of the month too. As always, we'll get an audiobook done and we'll reformat it nicely, but here you go!

Hopefully you enjoy this. it's a little different take and purely slice of life, with almost no tension in the story itself but... it was fun writing from multiple POVs

Download here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/kdqhlvpp4q 

Business Post: BOXSETS & DATA

EBOOKS

My strategy with my boxset for System Apocalypse (book 1-3) is simple - I spend about $10 a day targeting the US via lookalikes on FB. I don't get a huge conversion rate on it (yet - testing some new graphics for the ad & new blurb); but I get about 13 sales / 32 borrows last month. Which equals about $261.

So on the boxset itself, I lose money.

But the read-through is MUCH higher with the boxset (like, 10% higher or so); which makes it a ...

System Finale schedule

Hey Jenn here (the new kid on the block), 

Apologies on any confusion for the System Finale preview chapters. Between being new and transitioning the book schedules, things got a bit scrambled. We are now back on track with our chapters. Master Class and above have Chapters 1-3, and Advanced Prestige Class have Chapter 1, and Advanced Class with get Chapter 1 on Friday.

Thanks for understanding!! :)  

A Capital's Perils - Chapter 6 Preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5752 

Password: 5sumMONS!21

Schedule & next short story

Hello~

Kate here. Going by the poll from last week, we've just started posting System Finale, book 12 of the System Apocalypse series! And we will keep posting A Capital's Perils (Adventures on Brad book 8).

A few things to note:

• As new chapters are tiered, please be patient as we roll out the System Apocalypse chapters to everyone. 2 chapters/week, on Tuesdays & Fridays. Master cl...
  2021-10-21 08:56:57 +0000 UTC View Post

Business Post: Conventions

Not sure I've ever written one of these, but I figured I'd talk about conventions. In my mind there are two types of conventions.

• Fan Conventions
• Writer Conventions

Fan Conventions

I lump anything that is more focused on fans in here. This can be entirely focused on fans - like Dragoncon and any Comic Expo towards mixed conventions like the World Science Fiction Convention or the World Fantasy Convention. In all these cases, t...

A Capital’s Perils – Chapter 5 Preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5694 

Password: 3dungEONcast8

Business Post: On Awards (Specifically, the Kindle UK Storyteller Award)

So I figured I'd write this now, just 'cause it's been a few weeks since the announcement that I got on the shortlist for the Kindle UK Storyteller award. This might be vaguely interesting for people.

Added Publicity

So far, I've had a single radio interview booked for me (and completed). It was a fun interview, even if it was in a Radio Cornwall one. You can actually find the interview live for people to listen to on their website (check FB or ask and I'll find i...

Schedule: System Apocalypse & Adventures on Brad

So we're going to start posting the System Finale chapters next week! Woohoo! However, we've just started posting A Capital's Perils... So please help us figure out what to do.

Thanks in advance!

-Kate

A Capital’s Perils – Chapter 4 Preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5685

password: 13jLot!12

A Capital’s Perils – Chapter 3 Preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5646 

password: 17deSionS-and54

A Capital’s Perils – Chapter 2 Preview

URL: https://www.mylifemytao.com/?p=5632 

password: 2fansOFknives99

A Capital's Perils - Chapter 1 Preview

Let's get this started! This is book 8 of the Adventures on Brad series. These chapters haven't been edited yet.

For your convenience, here's the fully edited, super secret book 7 - The Guild's Demands if you haven't caught up yet: https://BookHip.com/HFNWJVL 

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A Capital's Perils, chapter 1:

URL: 2021-10-01 14:21:27 +0000 UTC View Post

October Short Story Poll

Okay, poll ends 10/07 to give me time to write. 

The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Bundle

My very own Marketing Strategy for Authors is part of this year's NaNoWriMo StoryBundle!

Each year, as countless determined writers, both aspiring and professional, look at November as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, StoryBundle puts together a pack of helpful books that cover all aspects of writing, from craft, to business, to indie publishing, to marketing.

This year's bundle contains sixte...

Business Post: the Power of Trad Publishing

So, I know a lot of you here reading are indie publishers like me. There's a LOT of great things to say about being an independent published author and I'm sure I've covered it in depth.

However, I wanted to highlight something that most of us independent authors will never really see, and that traditional published authors may. 

To do this, I'm going to focus on a huge new release by Xiran Jay Zhao - Iron Widow....

Business Post: Marketing Strategy - Short Stories

Been meaning to write about my strategy for shorts. Forgot I even had this as a draft thing, but here we go. I'll be short.

Product

Well, this is easy. They're shorts. :P 

Actually, because they are shorts, a number of things are dictated. No print or hardcover for obvious reasons (they end up being pamphlets if I do that). I do do audiobooks, but those are loss leaders.

In the long term, the idea is to collect all the shorts a...

New book and an apology

Hello,

Kate here.

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't get to post the new chapter for The Second Storm yesterday, and thank you for your patience. A new chapter is now available to all of you.

As we transfer to A Capital's Perils (Book 8 of Adventures on Brad), you can now download a fully edited version of The Guild's Demands (book 7), so if you haven't read it yet, or only read the unedited version, this is the time to catch up ;)

...

Quick Update by Tao

Hi everyone;

So quick update of the month and what's looking like for the next little bit.

I have been struggling with school starting for the kid, taking him to school, organising play dates, after school activities and all that jazz while also sorting out the last bits of our move including bureaucracy (yay, finding a new doctor!). 

Anyway, all that means things have been super hectic and my usual writing time has taken a nose dive. In the meantime, I've also had to f...

What's next?

Hello~

Kate here. I'm posting the chapters on Tao's behalf. We have the Epilogue left for The Second Storm for tomorrow (master class & above), but then what's next?

Unfortunately, we don't have SA12 chapters ready for posting yet, so I'll continue with Adventures on Brad book 8. I know you already had access to book 7, however it was before editing. I will link a finalized version of book 7 later this week. 2021-09-27 09:55:26 +0000 UTC View Post

A Thousand Li: Descent from the Mountain

Happy Sunday!

I bring you a new short story in the A Thousand Li Universe: Descent from the Mountain. There are no spoilers for later works and the short story does not include individuals from the main series.

This book is available to all patrons, please enjoy :)

Read it here: https://BookHip.com/ZWKCJTT (e-book)

Listen to it here: 2021-09-25 13:21:53 +0000 UTC View Post

Business Post: Longevity, Craft, the Pandemic, Readers, Indie Pub and FOMO

This is going to be a rambling post. You have been warned.

Furthermore, this post is being written after seeing commentary by readers, by other authors and a recent article about success... Or lack of it. It is not necessarily a well thought out post, just... honest.

And lastly, this post is about me. Not everyone else.

So. Here we go.

The Ever Growing Demand for More

Let's be truthful. Readers always want more books. I want more Miles...

Books & short stories

These chapters and short stories are available to patrons only. Please check your tier to see your benefits.

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Current updated books: Immortal Connections (Celestial Cataclysms Book 1) & Aeres Academy (Dungeon Brawler Book 1)

New Chapters are posted on Mondays for Immortal Connections and Tuesdays & Fridays for Aeres Academy.

Immortal Connections (Celestial Cataclysms Book 1) Chapters:

• <...
  2021-09-20 15:25:48 +0000 UTC View Post

My Grandmother's Tea Club (A System Apocalypse Short Story)

Here's a new short story for you, set in the System Apocalypse Universe:

https://BookHip.com/LFHRCRR 

A Tale About Grandmothers, Civilisation and the System Advent

Oy! You're looking long in the face. The System getting you down? Monsters not dying fast enough? Or you lost another friend?

Ah, the middle one. I get you. It's tough out there, but let me tell you, it ain't...

Business Post: Mythbusting - book 6 is going to sell less than book 1 of a new series

It's so weird that this is a myth. Like, most recommendations by indie authors who are successful is to write in a series.

Yet, we (okay, I) see the justification that book 1 will sell more than a book X (4 / 6 / 9) of an older series.

And... that's sort of true and yet, not.

The Truth

Here's the part that is true. The first book in any series will ALWAYS sell more than any other book in that series - if that series is written in a linear fa...

Audiobook Options

Hi guys;

So, wanted your feedback since I realised there's demand for $20+ tiers (basically audiobook and higher) tiers.

Right now, I had it limited to 30 patrons, but I just increased it to 50. There's a limit because I get only 50 codes total (per country, so 100 US & UK in total) from ACX.

HOWEVER, I can go unlimited by just giving people Bookfunnel audiobooks. Now, the negative is - you need to grab the audiobooks BEFORE those go live, so it's a limited time frame....

Quick Update

Not sure if I wrote about my recent bout of illness. If not - I lost about 5 days worth of writing while running a fever that was just shy of high enough to put me in the hospital. It wasn't Covid but it wasn't fun.

Anyway, that's put me behind on editing SA: Australia which I'm scrambling to get done. I'm also behind on editing ATL 6 which will be done after SA:Australia (Down Under) is finished. Then, well, I'll work on ATL 6 editing and finishing up the last AoB book.

Get that ...