I had no idea it's been about 3-4 months since my last update. I'm really bad at keeping up on socials, both in real life and online, forgive me. 

Anyhoodle, I've been plugging away at preparing Obligation's Unity to hand off to my editor by the end of this month! I know people have been diligently waiting for a storefront to open up here on the website so that folks can purchase signed copies of Key of Arcandus. I promised a late-spring / early-summer timeframe for that, and it's looking like it will be more toward the latter. The month of April will finally be some "downtime" in the writing sense of things, and I'll be focused more on art and merch that month so that I can take a break from my computer (a little). 

Call-outs for alpha readers for the Sebastian x Niamh standalone fantasy romance novel, An Oath to the Winter Winds, will happen around summertime. I'm going to put off Book 3 alpha reading until after launch of Obligation's Unity since...that makes the most sense. But the SebNia standalone runs parallel to the main series just after Key of Arcandus, and ends after the events of Book 3. So, as long as you've read KoA, nothing will be spoiled (only teased) for you at the end of AOttWW for the main Carving Legacies series.

On a different topic entirely, I had to shut off access to making comments on this blog because I was receiving nothing but spam remarks. If you want to reach out to me, you can check out the Contact section of my website, or you can hit me up on my socials like TikTok and Instagram. Please remember that I don't respond to solicitations of products or services, but I always love hearing from readers!

Toodles!
Lauren

Hello Fellow Scribes!

No, I haven't run off into the void. Although it sometimes feels that way. 

Between June and now, I've been diligently working on writing two books. The first being Book 3 of the Carving Legacies series, and the other being the Sebastian x Niamh standalone romance novel that will dual-release with Book 3. While I didn't get most of the other projects I wanted to accomplish done this year, I did write three books which will be put in different stages of editing going into 2023 so that there is a tighter release schedule for the series as a whole. 

​Which brings me to this next important topic...

After much deliberation, I have decided that the physical copies of future published works will be sold directly through me. 

There are several reasons for this, but namely because physical books sold by 3rd party distributors are the most financially detrimental to me as a self-pub indie author. Right now, I just don't sell enough physical copies to make the ROI worthwhile. I receive roughly $1 profit per sale after print costs, mandatory distributor discounts, and distribution fees are taken out, but I'm charged for the full cost of the book if it is ever returned. Which means it only takes ONE return for any meager profit margin on physical copies to be completely wiped out for the year.

This just makes no business sense in the grand scheme of things. I take on ALL of the risk for both the printing press and the distributors. At the end of the day, they always get paid, and I foot their bills. Even if the reason for the return is their fault. 

So, going forward I will purchase the physical copies from the printer myself which allows me to filter out the misprints, provide a personalized experience for the customer, and keep the full remaining profit margin post-print costs. 

Does that mean physical copies of Key of Arcandus will disappear from 3rd party distributors?
No. I will keep all formats of KoA on wide distribution, for now, so that new readers who might not know of my series can shop the first book in a physical format with ease from any major distributor. Could I change my mind about this later? Yes. This is not a permanent decision, but it is the decision I am making at this time, yet subject to change.

What about eBooks?
All eBook formats for my series will be available for purchase through 3rd party distributors. This allows my series to stay out into the global ethos so that new readers can easily purchase my books in some capacity that isn't directly through me. The ROI on digital sales is better in this format through 3rd party distributors, and they already have the digital encryption infrastructure in place. It makes financial business sense for me to keep Carving Legacies available via eBook through 3rd party distributors as it currently stands.

Won't this limit the reach of your sales? 
Yes and no.

It will limit global sales because S&H outside of the United States is very expensive, and I don't see many readers outside of the USA agreeing to pay $20+ in shipping for a book that costs the same amount. Also, if there are readers who only prefer physical copies of books and don't follow me on any of my social media accounts, they might choose not to investigate further to find out where they can purchase the other installments in physical formats. They might also not want to pay any shipping at all to acquire a physical copy. This also removes me from having my series carried in bookshops and libraries for obvious reasons. I'm also not certain how Barnes & Noble would handle author signing events in this circumstance even if I were to go the consignment route with them at said events. HOWEVER...

After two years of sales analytics, it would appear that many of my casual sales are via eBook, while my physical sales are from me selling myself directly to others via social media, events, etc. Currently, there are only two bookstores that carried my book, and no libraries. Basically, the accessibility is not paying for itself because my series has just not generated enough interest...yet.

I am confident that if I play my market campaign cards correctly, I can convert 3rd party sales to direct sales on the physical formats to help mitigate certain pain points in my financial risks going forward. If and when I get to a point where my physical sales are exceeding my ability to keep up with handling the distribution myself, I will reconsider putting the physical books back on the wide market again. But for now, the wide market is too expensive and not viable for the amount of books I have sold thus far. However, I will continue to piggyback off of KoA's accessibility in hopes of selling the rest of the series myself. We'll have to see how the numbers adjust once enough new data comes in to evaluate.

When will this new sales process begin in 2023?
This new sales method will begin for Book 2's release, which means sometime during the last quarter of the year. Please note that you will also be able to purchase Key of Arcandus directly through me (hopefully earlier in the year), and you will be able to get it signed, and even potentially receive bundle discounts once I get those up and running. The goal is to provide the customer a better purchasing experience by buying directly through me, which in turn helps to support me and my work along the way. I want it to be a win-win for everyone. 

And that's the plan!

I hope you all have a lovely holiday season as we head into All Hallow's Eve. Be well, and be safe!

I wanted to share an interview from November of 2020 where Key of Arcandus became an ebook feature that year in Rainbow Crate Book Box. The creators of the subscription box were kind enough to put this softly sapphic story of mine into their distribution and then do a live stream interview on YouTube. Rainbow Crate was my first author interview ever, so I was a little nervous. But in the end it turned out to be a great conversation, and I've gotten a little more comfortable speaking through a camera now. 

Happy New Year, Fellow Scribes! Welcome to 2022 and the Year of the Tiger all in one post!
I know January was a silent month for me, but that's because it was my Month of Preparation where I outline my goals and objectives this year to help grow the world of Clayne into a recognizable brand. This post is to give a sneak peek at what I have in the works for 2022!

BOOKS
Nothing is planned for release this year, however, Obligation's Unity is currently undergoing its editing phases, and a call for BETA readers will commence in May. While the manuscript is with readers, I will be working on the initial drafts for Book 3 and a standalone supplement novella featuring Sebastian and Niamh. The goal is to complete the Carving Legacies series no later than 2030 so that I can move onto the "next phase" of Clayne's timeline. 

MERCH
I will be expanding my merchandise line-up this year with a new storefront provider. People who liked the Vanis Aer Guild will be able to show off their rank with pins, while those who love the Skivat homeland of The Hive will get to show their pride with varsity tees for their favorite gangs and Shot-Pipe teams.

GAMES
After years of putting it on the sidelines, I will be working on publishing a tabletop game concept of mine for digital download only. For people who enjoy one-shot tabletop campaigns where the focus is on laughter and shenanigans...this game is made for you!

SOCIALS
I am biting the bullet this year and expanding to more platforms. This is the year of experimentation for me, so I'm putting my feelers out to see where the stronger following resides. I've mapped out a social media schedule for all of the platforms listed below. Subscribe, follow, like, comment, and do all of those social engagement things pretty please! 

That is 2022's game plan! There are plans to release a few extra tidbits or expansions, but those greatly depend upon the overall responses I receive from the general public. Hopefully I am able to grow my channels so that it warrants further expansion, but for now, keeping all of these constantly updated will keep me plenty occupied.

Have a wonderful February, my dear scribes!