Happy 2024! I’d like to thank everyone who picked up the books I published in 2023 and anything that came before. I’d also like to show my gratitude to everyone who supported me on Patreon even if you didn’t follow me to my new subscription site, Ream. Self-publishing is an odd kind of career, where I get to release books faster but often have less support from partners and more responsibility. That might sound like I’m complaining but the bright side of that outshines any negatives is that I can write whatever I like, in this style that I prefer, and the timing of release is entirely up to me. Another thing to consider, something i often forget, is that self-publishing allows me to keep the lion’s share of whatever my books earn. Otherwise, I seriously doubt that I would be able to do this full-time.
2023 may have been a turnaround year. For the first time in quite a while, I looked back and saw a book that I wasn’t as happy with as I could have been. It felt like it was cut short, and i was determined to write Samurai Squadron II as a standout novel with a more complete story even though it was the middle book of a trilogy. I’m proud of the work I did on that book and now that someone can read Samurai Squadron one and two together, I’m happy with the first one in that trilogy. One was always meant to lead directly into the second where the story would be expanded, characters that were introduced would be more significant, and there would be more fulfilment at the end.
All of that led to my “break book,” Rogue: assembly. After involving her indirectly in Samurai Squadron Part One, the itch to write a book specifically about her was becoming severe. I’m happy with what I created there, and I do think it was worth delaying Samurai Squadron III for a month so I could get it right. Samurai Squadron II and Rogue: Assembly are both being well received and I’m extremely grateful for all of the reviews and ratings that you’ve left after reading them.
The support of the community that’s grown on Facebook and on Ream, formerly Patreon, can’t be overlooked. I’ve been able to share more of my life this year and have enjoyed moments of levity as well as your assistance in 2023. There are many traditionally published authors that may have more readers and sell more books, but they don’t have the kind of active, tight community that I’m so proud to be a part of.
In the coming year, I’m going to share more of my personal journey, maintain my increased focus on writing, and start offering tips for writers who want to finish their books and begin self-publishing. With so many technical advancements becoming useful at the same time and a marketplace that is about to be flooded by low-grade content, I would like to help artists stand out and get their work seen. I’ve been proud to mentor excellent writers over the last decade, and doing so one-on-one is very rewarding. I think now is the time to offer some of my best advice to anyone who can put it to good use so I can help in a broader way and learn from the experience.
After fifteen years of self-publishing and writing full-time, I still enjoy creating and can still find excitement in discovering interesting stories, developing worlds, as well as living with characters new and old. I think I enjoy interacting with you more than ever too. My main focus will be on writing great books, and I believe that most of this year will be dedicated to Spinward Fringe because I’d like to finish Rogue’s first trilogy, Samurai Squadron III and Spinward Fringe: broadcast 21.
If all goes well I’ll be able to return to fantasy and even horror from time to time. Now that I’m involved with Ream I can also more comfortably offer short stories to my subscribers there. One or two from the old days will be popping up soon, they’re just waiting for cover treatments and a little editing love.
I believe that there’s real value and doing something yourself. That’s why I won’t be using artificial intelligence to assist with my writing other than checking spelling and simple grammar. That last bit is practically unavoidable because AI is working its way into all of the spellcheckers, but I can keep it out of the creative process. I realize that using artificial intelligence to assist me would allow me to put out more books, and I might be able to quadruple my income, but I would rather challenge myself to be creative and to tell quality stories about characters that I enjoy spending time with than cheat. There are people who don’t believe that using AI with respect to crafting novels is cheating, you are welcome to your opinion, but mine won’t be changing in the foreseeable future.
I have great optimism for 2024 with regards to my career and I’m looking forward to writing these stories for myself and for you. I hope everyone has a great year, and that you manage to ignore the people who expect 2024 to be a raging dumpster fire. I plan on concentrating on the people I love, the things that satisfy me most, and on treating people as well as I can whenever I can. Every new year brings potential, and I plan on doing my best to work and flourish with that in mind.
Tomorrow Samurai Squadron 3: Spinward Fringe broadcast 20 continues on Ream, the Patreon-like subscription site made specifically for authors and their readers. I love starting a new year with a new project, and I’ve been looking forward to this one for quite a while. There’s nothing like the ending of a trilogy, especially when it stars Remmy Sands and Minh-Chu.
