Another year, another large number of words written. I'm going to try to structure this post to give readers an idea of what happened last year (from my point of view) as well as what might be coming. Lots of things that are happening, slowly; but let's start with the basics.
2017* (published and mostly written) | 334,589
2018* (published) | 445,260
2019* (published) | 403,611
2020* (published) | 429,371
2021 (actual written) | 667,555
2022 (actual written)...
2025-01-01 17:34:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
On December 26th & 27th, over 300 authors and nearly 600 books are participating in this free & $0.99 Holiday Fantasy MegaSale!
Stock up on amazing reads and support a great cause. All proceeds go to Mary Cariola Children's Center, helping children and young adults with disabilities through education and community programs.
Shop the Sale: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/
2024-12-26 14:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Magic Kingdom at War Volume 9 is now available for Patreons to download via BookFunnel. Audible codes will be sent out at the beginning of next month near the dual release of the e-book and audio on January 7th.
Lord of fools and the deluded, of the dead and the forgotten.
For Matt, the true cost of this never-ending war has come home to roost. Not just the loss of dista...
2024-12-24 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Happy Holidays! 🎉
To celebrate, I'm giving away a signed paperback copy of The Hidden Wishes Omnibus.
To enter, simply comment below with the title of a book you're most excited for in 2025 (it doesn’t have to be one of mine).
You have until December 30th to enter. Good luck and happy reading!
2024-12-23 15:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 24 - Wu Ying
The problem with opportunities were that they were fleeting things, a choice that had to be made before being lost once more. If you were lucky, it lasted longer than an instant, the blink of an eye. A few days, a few weeks perhaps if you were truly fortunate. Like making the choice to join the village working on the canals, growing and enmeshing oneself in a community such that you were aided when it came time to plant the rice stalks.
Sme...
2024-12-20 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
The adventure is just beginning!
In 2025, get ready for new worlds, thrilling journeys, and unforgettable stories with complex characters and grand destinies. 
Upcoming Releases: 
Starting next week there will be a winter break on the preview chapters for Immortal Connections. This will be for 2 weeks to give the team a much needed break for the holidays.
This break will apply to all chapter releases - new chapters for higher tiered backers and the chapter unlocks for lower tiered patrons. Preview chapters will resume on January 7, 2025.
Thank you for your continued support. I cannot wait to share more with you in 2025 of what new and fun projects are in ...
2024-12-18 17:54:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
Someone recently asked what we track after my lasts random look behind the scenes post. So here's what we have. It's not an exhaustive list; because I sometimes forget all the admin things that happen. But here we go:
Unit Sales & Revenue
This is the obvious one, of course. Track your revenue, how much you're making and the like. However, let's break it down:
- by series
- by format (audiobook, ebook, kindle unlimited, hardcover, print)
- by ...
2024-12-18 14:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
Thank you for an incredible 2024! Your support has made every story this year so much more meaningful.
Out of 8 journeys we took together, which one did you enjoy the most?
Here’s to an exciting 2025!
2024-12-17 21:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 23 - Wu Ying
The Jade Emperor, the ruler of all thirty six heavens, only subservient to the three Sanjing - the three Pure Ones who took little part in the day-to-day lives of mortals - and the originator of the bureaucracy and management of all. He who ruled in the Jade Palace and oversaw Qi Bao - the City of Seven Treasures - which all immortals who served the celestial government lived. Supreme Commander of the Armies of Heaven, the Undefeated General and heir to the...
2024-12-17 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 22 - Wu Ying
A hand brushed down green and blue robes, touching the edging and the creatures stitched into the robes. Drawing comfort in the feel of the silk, marveled at the quality level. Funny, how could think that one had grown accustomed to luxury, to find that there was always another level above. Wu Ying could not help but wonder how the Emperor felt. If it was something he even considered.
Silk worms, fed upon immortal mulberry bushes and allowed to feast on immo...
2024-12-13 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
So, lots of things happening behind the scenes this month; nothing that I can really speak about, or nothing with any proper certainty. Some of it is because I'm in negotiations, some of it because there are no public announcements made, some just because it's not that useful.
An example - we're working on special editions of A Thousand Li and the System Apocalypse. All of those things are really expensive, there's a lot of co-ordination on things like maps, art, design, etc. but all of...
2024-12-12 18:44:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Author Note: Preview chapters are rough/first drafts. These chapters have not been edited, expect that there may be errors - however, feel free to point out consistency issues!
Chapter 21 - Tou He
They tried to hide, Tou He had to give them that much credit. The escaped demons had poured their corrupt energy into the world, mixing it with the natural chi of this one and twisted the very fabric of reality to turn vision and smell and sound away from their en...
2024-12-10 14:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 20 - Tou He
Rolling hills and clay soil had changed to scrublands and desert plains, one kingdom shifting to another and then a third as the pair chased down the culprits. Borders of kingdoms this far out were more theoretical than practical, lines drawn on competing maps that neither party felt the need to contest as yet. Few enough mortals dared to live out here, for this was all the deep wilderness.
Unlike the deep wilds of the bamboo forest or southern wilderness, th...
2024-12-06 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
I swear, I answer these questions so regularly; I figured I should just throw it all into a single document. Some thoughts about contracts and negotiations too can be found in these other articles about Contract Review (https://www.mylifemytao.com/business-post-contract-review/), Cost & Publishing Timelines for Audiobooks (2024-12-04 15:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Magic Kingdom at War Volume 8 is now available for Patreons to download via BookFunnel. Audible codes will be sent out next week when the dual release of e-book and audio on December 7th.
In All Wars, Loss
Matt has beaten another enemy Lord, acquired even more towns. He’s establishing a foothold in this crazy afterlife of his, doing battle on multiple fronts and winnin...
2024-12-03 20:06:32 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 19 - Fa Yuan
It was her role as his elder sister to bring the news of Long Wu Ying’s success to his parents. She might not be bound to him by blood, but theirs was a closer bond, one forged through frantic moments of battle and ties of martial learning, of sweat and tears in training and the shared motivation to ascend, ever higher through the realms of mortality.
An ambition that the pair that she visited now did not share. Good - great parents perhaps - they mi...
2024-12-03 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 18 - Yang Mu
The return journey to the central kingdoms of the Middle Kingdom was less enjoyable. It was not, however, quiet for Yang Mu chose not to retrace her steps but forge new paths and new connections. Passing through new cities and towns, meeting new clans and sects and cultivator groups; she forged connections all across the jianghu(6). It was part of the reason she had been named the Silver Merchant, the other part being that her...
2024-11-29 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
One of the most common questions I see by new authors are 'how many books is a good number to sell' or 'how many can I expect to sell' or 'what's a good estimate for sales?'. It's a string question of course ('How long is a piece of string?') because there are no 'right' answers.
A lot of it has to do with genre, with covers (do you have a good product to sell), with timing and reach and yes, luck. Some genres have a large audience, others a tiny one. Sometimes, you manage to hit it big...
2024-11-27 16:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 17 - Wu Ying
Studying with Shu Ren was, somewhat unsurprisingly, one that involved reams and reams of paper and piles of books and scrolls. The library in the Lesser Harmony palace was massive. In just the space that Wu Ying had walked and traversed, he had crossed twice the distance of the Verdant Green Waters sect’s own library and he knew there were still additional wings he had yet to explore. It was, somewhat, unsurprising there was so much to learn – the Lesse...
2024-11-26 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
I need your help! As I continue to grow and improve my Patreon, I want to make sure I’m offering content and rewards that truly resonate with you. Whether you’re a long-time patron or just joined, your feedback is incredibly valuable to me.
I’ve put together a quick survey that will help me understand what you enjoy most about my content, what kind of rewards you’d love to see more of, and how I can improve your experience here. The survey will only take a few minutes, and your ...
2024-11-26 00:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 16 - Wu Ying
Martial cultivators – for the most part – were simple people. Show that you not only treated the discipline of martial arts study respect, but were also highly competent yourself and the degree of acceptance shown to one increased significantly. Certainly, there were egos to be navigated around, arrogance - well earned or not - to be managed and pride to be swallowed. But for someone like Wu Ying, that was not a hard request.
There were, in the en...
2024-11-22 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Because of how important subscribers are, I figured I'd write something quickly about how to get new subscribers. Many of these methods we've used ourselves, and there are - of course - companies that do all these things, but I figured we'd consolidate all the different suggestions and methods and level of effectiveness we've seen.
There are also, I think two major things that you need to think about when acquiring subscribers, which is the type of subscriber and, also the collection me...
2024-11-20 15:38:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
Author Note: Preview chapters are rough/first drafts. These chapters have not been edited, expect that there may be errors - however, feel free to point out consistency issues!
Chapter 15 – Wu Ying
“A moment, Ascendant Huang,” Wu Ying said, declining the man’s insistence. “I must check myself and my weapon over after that last clash.” He offered a tight smile as he continued. “Being so new to the higher realms, I find myself ...
2024-11-19 14:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 14 - Tou He
The Heavenly Purifying Flame of the Middle Kingdom stared at the remains of the remote village and felt a stir of anger deep within him. His aura flickered, air warming around him and rising in the air in a heat mirage as the purifying flame within him reacted to the sight below.
The residences were not built above ground like most other settlements but dug into the earth, reaching twelve, even twenty feet below the clay soil. Tou He knew that such so...
2024-11-15 14:00:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Alright, time to talk about the very last convention that I went. Can*Con is based in Ottawa, is a sci-fi and fantasy convention which sits around 500-700 people I believe and which draws both industry professionals (agents, editors and publishers in the Canadian sphere and writers, both aspiring and established) as well as fans to the event.
I'll admit, it does feel more industry focused than fan focused, what with the majority of the talks about crafts - though there's regular b...
2024-11-13 15:00:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 13 - Wu Ying
Shu Ren watched the clash between Wu Ying and Chao Dong with grave interest. For all his skill – and it was clear that Wu Ying was highly skilled, dodging attacks by mere millimeters and returning strikes and regaining equilibrium within moments – he was being pushed back by his opponent. No matter how often he turned the attack around, he would be eventually overwhelmed by the greater strength and dao focus of his opponent, his initial attacks robbed o...
2024-11-12 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Been a bit since I did a writing update, and while there's a lot going on in the background, not as much is happening up front for readers to pay attention to. There's a few things where I'm still waiting for an official update (contracts, etc.) that are happening on the backend that I can't speak of beyond very vague posts like this; but I think it's pretty exciting.
In general, though, I won't mention things until I get the contract signed (and hopefully money in pockets); mostly beca...
2024-11-09 17:09:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 12 – Wu Ying
Wu Ying adjusted his hairband and hair clip one last time, ensuring that everything was tied down and pinned. All but a single stray lock that stubbornly refused to stay caught, as the wind grabbed at it and threw it from his questing fingers. He wondered why he bothered, for in the heat of battle, his hair would likely grow in disarray once more. But it was a ritual, and rituals before battle could calm the nerves and settle the mind.
2024-11-08 14:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 11 - Wu Ying
Did it surprise him that the Palace of Lesser Harmonies had dueling rings? Not at all. If anything, he would have been surprised if they had none. On the other hand, the size of each dueling ring was somewhat staggering, an arena twice as large as the one that the Verdant Green Waters – his sect, the largest and most powerful in the Shen kingdom – had contained.
The fact that the Palace of Lesser Harmonies had three was rather intimidating. All of them w...
2024-11-05 14:31:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
