Ashbound Oaths Art

The Ashbound Oaths cover art has been revealed and it's beautiful. It turned out better than I hoped. Originally, I planned to use the same artist from Relentless Blades, but he took longer than I wanted in responding to me, so I went with a new artist: Jesh Art Studios https://www.fiverr.com/s/o8kNGRA

He did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. Here you can see the progression of his work from the concept to the finished product. 

    This was the concept sketch I had my daughter develop. I sent this to Jesh, along with a lengthy           description, so he could see my vision for the cover.

    This was Jesh's first concept sketch. I could tell right away he got my vision.

This was his first colored version. I loved it right away, but I wanted a dragon peeking through the clouds and felt the background needed to be more visible.

This was the next version and came very close to what I envisioned but still needed a few tweaks. I felt the characters were too close together and I wasn't a fan of the dragon's arms.

And here we have the final image with no text. I love it!

The final cover with the title and my name. It perfectly captures what I was going for. Not only is it a scene directly from the book but also lets a perspective reader know exactly the kind of story they are in for if they read it.

Ashbound Oaths Cover reveal 10/7/25

 SFFinsiders.com will be doing my cover reveal for Ashbound Oaths on 10/7/25. Save the date! I can't wait for you all to see this cover. It is on fire!!!

Ashbound Oaths Release Date November 18, 2025!

I've been very busy and very active, but admit that I've neglected my blog. I can only keep up with so many different social media accounts and I've become much more active on X, TikTok and YouTube as of late. 

However, I have exciting news to announce. As the title suggests, Ashbound Oaths, the exciting sequel to Relentless Blades will be available for purchase through Amazon and Barnes and Noble on 11/18,2025. That's roughly a year and a month since Relentless Blades was published.

I'm very proud of this book and can't wait for you to read it. In some ways I'm more proud of this than Relentless Blades. I was felt much more pressure writing this book. I'm grateful that Relentless Blades has resonated with people. As I type this it's sitting at a 4.7/5.0 rating on Amazon and 4.6/5.0 on Goodreads with over 50 reviews each. That's fantastic, but it also means that I have to live up to the expectations I've now set for readers. 

I went in knowing I'd have to expand the scope of the story and the cast of characters. I wanted to explore writing from a female character's point of View and thus we have many chapters in Ashbound Oaths dedicated to both Everleigh and Alyndra. 

It was challenging lining up the timelines and following three distinct adventures that all relate to each other without getting confused. I believe it all worked out and that you will have a blast reading it.

Get excited because Ashbound Oaths is coming soon!

First Draft of Book 2 Complete

 I'm very late in making this post, but I finished the first draft of the Prophecies of Zarune, Volume 2. I actually finished it on February 28, 2025. I was in a funk and had only written 32,000 words as of December 17, 2024. That was over the course of several months. 

I finally sat my butt down and figured out the full plot for volume's 2 and 3. Once I knew what I wanted to say, the words came to me. Over the next 2.5 months, I wrote 82,000 (rounded) words and finished the first draft at 114,000 (rounded) words. 

After a week of editing it, I sent it to my sister and close friend, as well as my wife, for them to read and give me feedback. Once they read it, I'll edit it again, then find beta readers to send it to. 

The one issue I'm facing is the ending of Volume 2. This book has several storylines happening simultaneously and I know I've wrapped two of the three of very well for this book, while still teasing more to come in the final to the trilogy. 

My issue is with the third storyline. I'm not sure it's the most satisfying for a reader, but to change it means adding probably four to five chapters and another 6,000 - 10,000 words and I'm not sure I want to do that either. 

I've been mulling over what I'd write if I add to it and may do it because it's bothering me, then see what my readers say when deciding whether to leave it as is or add in the new material. 

I also need to come up with a title for the sequel. I have a working title, but I don't love it. I also need to think of cover art. That's a struggle because I want something eye-catching, but that doesn't spoil this book or Relentless Blades. So much to do, but it's fun! Stay tuned...

Sales and Profit of an Indie Author

 So, you dream of becoming an independent (Indie) author, writing books and getting rich? I hope it happens for you, but don't count on it. I wanted to write this blog as a companion to my post about marketing. As with that blog, this is only my perspective. I don't speak for the Indie writing community. There will be many Indie authors who are far more successful than me and there will be those who are not as successful. We can't compare ourselves to each other because it's never an apples-to-apples comparison. 

Some Indie authors have multiple books for sale. Some write in different genres. Some have more money up front to start with and more resources for marketing. What I will present is my current situation, so you may get a glimpse into this world.

I published Relentless Blades on October 21, 2024. As I type this, I have sold 131 copies and have 3,110 KDP Page reads. 

Here is the breakdown:

Ebook: 84

Paperback: 30

Hardcover: 17

Here are the prices and Royalties I make for each:

Ebook: $.99/$2.99/4.99 (I've had the ebook at three price points so far) Royalties: $105 (includes KDP page reads)

Paperback: $16.99 and $19.99 (2 price points)  Royalties: $59.13

Hardback: $20.99 and $24.99 (2 price points) Royalties: $47.40 

Net Royalties: $212

Now, let's look at costs:

I did a BookBongo, Awesome Gang and Robin Reads promotion (1 each) and spent $100 total.

I have tried Amazon ads and spent $194

So, just on advertising and marketing I spent $294.

Between Royalties and what I spent I'm in the hole by -$82

But we must now factor in my upfront costs, the three biggest things being: Hiring a Developmental Editor, Hiring a Copy Editor/Proofreader and my cover design, among a few other things: $2,000.

Of course, this does not factor in my time spent actually researching/writing/editing the book. At this stage, almost four months in, I'm at a deficit of -$2,082 with 131 books sold. 

One last thing to consider, social media marketing. I'm talking about posting to the various social media sites like X, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, etc. I have not included any cost for those, but there is absolutely a cost in your own time to conduct your promoting and marketing. Trust me, my sales would be about half if I didn't do social media outreach. 

What does all this mean? Well, it means you're in it for the LONG haul. There is no making a lot of money in the short term, particularly when you only have one published book. You've got to get several books published and continue to build your brand until you can start getting some organic sales (the kind that comes without you plugging it on social media constantly or paying for ads). Once you get several books out there and have a following, sales will increase (hopefully). I say that because I'm not there yet.

What do I want to tell other indie authors? I've seen some post that they have been harassed online by people saying they charge too much for their books. Hogwash! Send them to this blog.

You know how much I make on a $24.99 hardcover?  About $4.00

You know how much I make on the $4.99 ebook? About $3.50.

When my ebook was on sale for $.99 (when I made a good chunk of sales) I made $.35 per book.  :(

How many activities can you pay $4.99 for and get hours of entertainment outside of buying a book?  Not many.

So, anyway, don't feel bad about how much you charge. Between all the blood, sweat, tears and hours spent writing/editing/marketing/advertising, it's fair for you to make $4-$6 a book. 

Oh, and one last thing. When those dirty marketers come spamming your door, send them to this when you tell them you don't have any money to pay them.  LOL!

Sales and Marketing

 As I type this, I'm sitting at 119 total sales for Relentless Blades. The book was released on October 21, 2024, so 11 weeks ago. As a debut, independent (indie) author, I'm thrilled with this number of sales! When I posted to social media my sales figures, I got several requests to provide my marketing tips. Well, the advice I have is far too lengthy to fit into a series of X/Bluesky posts so I'm putting them here in my blog. 

The most important thing is that you must have a quality product for any promotion to work. We all want to believe our books are outstanding, and most of them probably are. Do your best to have an attractive cover, and make sure you've spent the time and effort ensuring it's edited and presented professionally. 

I also think it's important to point out up front that we should never try to compare our sales to that of other authors. There are too many factors at play to ever make an accurate comparison. What genre of books does each author write? Is the author traditionally or indie published? Do they only have one book or multiple books? Have they built up a following already? 

My 119 sales in 11 weeks may be considered outstanding by one author, but dreadful for another. There is an author I follow on X right now who just announced she received 260 PRE-ORDERS for her latest book!!! She has a much larger following then I have and has a large catalog of published books to her credit. It would be ridiculous for me to compare my sales to her. 

I do only have one published book at the moment so take my advice with that perspective in mind. One thing I tried to do was start building my social media following well in advance of my book's release. I started this blog two years before the book was published and opened up my X account. I don't think I made much headway, but the point remains that it's never too early to start promoting and marketing your book. 

With that in mind, one thing you need to figure out your short and long-term goals. Are you wanting to get your book to as many readers as fast as you can? Do you want to make as much money, as fast as you can? As I only have the one book so far, I cannot attest to this with personal experience, but most of the authors I follow all seem unified in stating that your sales grow the more books you publish. It seems to be that by the time you publish your third book, things really start to take off. So, the best thing you can do is to write your next book!

My strategy so far has leaned more towards wanting to get my book out to as many people as possible. I have a full-time job so don't rely on these sales for my living, so I can afford not to generate much revenue. Keep that in mind as you read my tips.

1) As mentioned above, start your marketing and outreach early. Get your website/blog going. Start generating buzz in social media.

2) Well before the book release, reach out to book review bloggers and websites. Try to get your book in front of as many of these people as you can. See if you can get some blogs to partner with you to do a book cover reveal. I think I did okay at this but could have been better. I got about three or four bloggers to review my book, and I got SFFInsiders to do a cover reveal. Ideally, you'll get even more.

3) Get your book out to as many "Advanced Reader Copy" (ARC) reviewers as you can before release so you can hopefully get some reviews ready to go as soon as your book is published. Send the book to as many ARC readers as you can get because many of them will never finish the book or leave a review. 

4) Set your book release date and really start hyping it up. Post on X, Bluesky, Facebook, Goodreads, instagram, TikTok, etc. 

5) Do not be afraid to approach friends/family/co-workers to help you promote and to buy your book. Out of the 119 sales I've made so far, at least 50 have been from this group. Of course, be mindful of any rules you have in your workplace, but if you're able, don't be shy about letting your co-workers know you published a book. I checked with my supervisor first and got the okay, so I blasted my book out to our TEAMS message group. The reception was overwhelmingly positive. In fact people were so interested that I scheduled a 30-minute presentation where I went over my book and my publishing journey. 

6) I launched my book at my base prices and maintained those levels for the first month. As I headed into the holiday season (from Thanksgiving through now) I dropped the prices on all three formats to basically as low as Amazon would allow me to go. So, for me that was $.99 Kindle, $11.99 Paperback and $16.99 hardback. As I said, my goal was sales, not making money and trust me, I did not make much. In full transparency, a $.99 kindle sale netted me a whopping $.35, and that was the majority of my sales. 

7) Look for promotional opportunities. A fellow author let me know about the annual Holiday MegaSale. The requirement for this 2-day sale was to price your book at $.99 or free. I made about 9 sales from this event. Again, if making money is your goal, this may not be a great benefit to you. Part of the participation requirement was to donate a minimum of $10 to the Mary Cariola Center. If you do the math, you'll see I "lost" money in the deal, although the money I donated was to a worthy cause, so I did not mind it one bit. 

8) Network and support your fellow authors. It's great karma. I had a sweet lady named Sherry Frazier buy five copies of my book simply because she noticed me through a re-post I made supporting a fellow author. She had bought five copies of his book. I saw his post and I re-posted it and said something like "this is so great," not expecting anything more than to celebrate his success, and she responded to me saying she bought my book.   :)

9) Interact with others besides just promoting yourself. Respond to other posters. Pose interesting questions for people. Share your likes and hobbies. You are more than just your book, so let people see that.

10) Look for those who are specifically requesting books in your genre. I spend a few minutes every day scanning Bluesky/X to see if I find posts from people looking for a fantasy book. When I find one, I'm sure to respond with my book. 

11) On the subject of advertising. I've only tried a couple advertising approaches. The first is Amazon ads, and for me, they were not very helpful. The cost for click (at least in the fantasy genre) is usually fairly high and when you're only making $.35 from a $.99 kindle sale, and an ad click is usually more and it usually takes 10-20 clicks for a sale, you can see it's not a great money-maker. Some have phenomenal success with it, so feel free to try, but do not be surprised if it's not too helpful. I suspect those that are successful are those with a fairly large following already and at least several published books. 

I tried RobinReads and BookBongo promotions. While they both helped generate some sales, again the cost was much more than the sales generated. I will likely start branching out to try other options in the future like Facebook ads.

12) TikTok - My understanding is that TikTok can be great for marketing. I dabble in it a bit, but not enough to give any advice. If you've found a lot of success, I'd love to hear about it.

13) Promote yourself relentlessly. You are your biggest cheerleader. If you don't believe in yourself and promote yourself, nobody else will. Try to vary your postings and vary the media but do it.

Be prepared for some potential backlash. Envy is a poisonous emotion. There will be those who are jealous of any success you achieve. Some people may gripe that you post too much promoting your book. Some may see your posting about your achievements, as boasting. Some may disparage your success as not that great. It's the nature of social media unfortunately. On the positive side, I've not experienced much of this...yet. So far, the community has been very positive, and I've been most thankful. 

I'm taking my book off-sale today, so I suspect my sales figures will drop significantly. I'll have to adapt and evolve to keep making sales. I still have a lot to learn and there are many who do a far better job at promoting then I do. By no means should anything I've written be interpreted as the way you should promote and market your book. I'm only providing an account of what I've done so far. I hope you find some of it helpful. 

Now, I need to get back to writing my sequel. I just hit the 50,000-word mark, so about halfway done. :)

Outline Breakthrough!

 As detailed in my last post, I've really been struggling with the sequel for Relentless Blades. I'm very much a "plotter" so for me to feel comfortable writing the sequel I need to know where the story is going. I know this isn't the approach all authors take, but it's my approach. 

Not only do I need to know where the sequel is going, since this is a planned trilogy, I need to know how the full story ends. One of my major pet peeves is trilogies/series that don't fit logically together. Where you can tell the author or filmmaker had no clue where the story was going, so you have books/movies that don't fit well together. A prime example of this would be the Star Wars Sequel trilogy. I can't stand that. It's important to me that the whole story flows properly. This has caused me six months of frustration. I've felt like I'm staring at a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle with an abundance of cool plot points, but without being able to put it all together in a satisfying way. 

I want to thank my sister for spending several sessions talking through my various plot points with me. She had some good insight, but beyond that, it was just good for me to talk through things to make myself understand what I was trying to do and where the story needed to go. 

I'm happy to say that I now have an outline for books two and three. Now that I do, I'm running the outline by my wife and a trusted friend to see if they point anything out that doesn't make sense. 

I already have roughly 30,000 words written on the sequel and I like most of it. I'm very optimistic that with an outline I like, I can really start hammering out the book. I finished the first full draft of Relentless Blades in about four months. I'm not sure if I can duplicate that, but am hopeful I'll have the first draft of Book 2 done by June 2025.

I have a title for Book 2 that I think I like, but am not ready to reveal that just yet. Stay tuned...