Looking ahead at where I’m going, I’ve realized about how afraid I’ve really been. It’s a fear in hindsight that has held me back for far too long. But in recent weeks, since I’ve had someone working to improve the website and been listening to advice from successful people I’ve grown to trust, I realize that fear is only causing me to make excuses.
I’ve been hesitant. Worrying if I will actually find the success I hope for. In the end though, everything comes down to a choice, do or don’t. There is no other conclusion, and it sums up every decision we make in our lives. We can agonize, debate or even speculate, but these are just excuses keeping us from moving toward the deciding factor: Do or don’t.
When I first started getting serious back in 2018, I had a fire that was unquenchable. It drove me to countless hours of writing and editing. I know I’ve spoken about this before, but out of all the revisions, the fear of failure still lay buried beneath the surface.
So after a great of reflection I’ve decided to self publish my work. It will mean more changes to the site moving forward. Some of the content I have shared in the past will disappear, made into snippets, or archived for later as I prep to publish them. In posts where I began a series, I will limit the number of available posts related to them as I prepare to turn them into anthologies for publication.
The site itself will contain a lot of subscriber only content, but I won’t charge anyone to view the work posted. I’ll be setting up an online store in the future in addition to using amazon and other outlets. I’ll also be looking at the cost of billboard advertising.
It’s all part of what I’m learning about for marketing. I have many ideas that I hope will lead me to writing full time. But that’s always been the dream.
It’s an enormous step for me. I’ve been so afraid of failure that I started believing I would. That the only road available was through someone else. But now I have to step forward and look to the horizon.
Ancient Blood is under editorial review by someone who came well recommended. Once finished, I’ll be going over the suggested changes and prepping the book. If money allows, I’ll send it back for a second review.
After that is a book cover which I have already consulted someone about. This is the exciting part. I can’t wait to show you what’s up. I have spoken about maps and I’ve struggled to finish the Black Marshes. My colorblindness is part of the problem. Blending the blues to separate the marshy parts from the river has been aggravating. From my perspective, the differences are either too bright, or too similar.
Book two will be next in the Ancient Blood series, though the title still alludes me. Book three’s title however is easy enough. Valkyrie still has much work to do and Fates Intertwined will also be a full novel. I have a better title in mind, plus more depth to add. The story has really taken on a life of its own.
There are so many stories I want to write, but all of that will come in time. I’ll be rewriting a few older posts from when I first put the site up. El’Anthar is ever evolving, and is definitely not the world I imagined in the beginning, but something grander and more spectacular that I could have ever hoped for.
Thank you for staying me. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts. I can’t wait to truly show you all that I envision. If you’d like a glimpse, you can follow on Pinterest: @matbrown012. I’m slowly building a page to reflect my view of this amazing world.
Regards,
Matt