Barcode Snafu

 So,

Another problem. There are always going to be problems. This is the fourth time I have gone to publish a book, and every single time, I have run into some type of issue I couldn't solve on my own. It's frustrating, even if it is somewhat expected. 

Anyway, the problem is that the barcode and ISBN (basically, the tracking number for my book) are not registered to my name. You might wonder how that is possible. I don't know! I have used the same service and account as the past to buy my ISBN and barcode, so I've got no idea why it went wrong this time.

My printer assures me that they have their support team working on it. However, it's been several days without an update. I hope to begin the cover reveal soon. 

Sorry this is taking so long!

Peace,

-Troy

Cover is in Revisions

Welcome everyone!

I have just a short update for you today. I’ve seen the first versions of the cover for my new book! They need some revisions, as always. Getting a cover done is a process. The cover artists are good, but they can never fully capture what I want on the first try. I’m sure that’s true for every self-published author.

The cover is the last piece to the puzzle before going to print. Once I have the final version, I can submit my book to the printer. Usually it takes a week or two to get the proofs back, but then, once the proofs are approved, I should be ready to fully publish. Expect to see the book in in stores in just a few weeks! Perhaps by mid-April!

Peace,

-Troy

 

Layout Done, Cover Next

Welcome everyone!

We are making great progress toward publishing my next book! I have received the layout files for it from the creator. They look great! I can’t wait for you to see them. To be clear, these are the interior pages of the book. As you know, I like to use some type of aesthetic to open my chapters. You can see an example below:

Just to be clear, the above image was from my second book, The Huntsman and the Vampire. That is NOT an image from my upcoming novel.

So now that the interior is done, I can make my cover request! You can’t really get a cover artist to do a good job until you now the page count for the book. And obviously, you won’t know the page count until the internal layout is done. I expect the cover will take another week or two. It’s hard to say. If you’re interested, I am having my cover done by a company called “GetCovers”. Below is an example of their work from another author:

Anyway, I don’t have too much to update you with today. This part of the production process is just slow. I have to wait on others to get their work done.

Be back soon!

Peace,

-Troy

 

A Happy Surprise - My Books in a Store!

Welcome everyone!

As an author, it’s never really been my goal to get my books into physical stores. Most book sales happen online anymore and my in-person events at libraries, schools, a local festivals have been incredibly successful. All that said, however, it would be hard to say just how it felt the other day when I walked into a bookstore, and I saw my series sitting on the shelf along side so many other books series out there. To have my name next to the names of other esteemed fantasy authors was both exciting and gratifying at the same time!

My next book should be out in just a few weeks, but regardless of what happens with it, I already feel like a success. And that’s not because I’ve had good sales, which I have, or because I’ve made a good profit, which I also have. The reason I feel successful is because real people have told me face-to-face that my books have meant something to them. Some have even told me my books have helped them through hard times. If I can write something that brings people happiness and comfort, I don’t think I need anything else. For me that is more than enough.

Peace,

-Troy

New Layout Has Been Commissioned

 Welcome everyone!

Today, I have a quick update on my upcoming book for you. I have officially hired a layout artist to begin putting together the interior of my book! Negotiating with the artist took longer than expected. I spent all of last week exchanging emails and sorting out the details. I didn’t think this would be very complicated (I have produced three other books, afterfall), but I guess it was! He need all sorts of details I hadn’t thought about. Ah well, my manuscript is submitted now, and I should have it back in about a week or so.

Submitting a manuscript to a layout artist still makes me nervous. I’m sure you would think that on the fourth book, I would be used to it by now. I’m not. When you submit a book like that, you are making the decision to forego any further changes to the text. It’s like crossing a threshold from which, there is no return.

Nevertheless, I will press on! After the layout is finished, I will be ablet to commission a cover. It is important to have the layout finished first since the cover artist needs to know how thick to make the spine. When it came to the Huntsman and the Heretic, I did the cover first and just estimated the pages. That decision caused a few problems with the dust jacket of the hardback on the first print run. I had to work closely with the printer to correct the problem. So this time, I learned my lesson.

I’ll be back soon with more updates and a surprise reveal concerning my new book. I’m not sure how everyone will react to it, but I am immensely excited to talk about it!

Peace,

-Troy

New Book is on the Way!

Welcome everyone!

I think I’ve kept you guys waiting long enough. I am pleased to announce that I have a new book coming out! A lot has changed for me since The Huntsman and the Heretic was released, and now that my next story is finished, I can finally talk to you about it.

Mid way through 2023 I decided that I needed to go back to college to pick up another degree. I have ambitions in my full time career (education) that could not be met with my current certifications. Going back to school so late in life is tough. People my age have a family, a home, and a career to manage. Fitting in full-time schooling is a challenge which basically requires you to sacrifice everything that isn’t truly necessary.

The problem is, though, I love writing books. I have never encountered anything more entertaining than creating my own fiction. Despite having to write research papers and complete case studies, I still wanted to create stories.

Somehow, someway, I was able to cobble together enough spare time to put words to page. Those around me who like to spend time with me basically had to say goodbye for most of 2024. I finished up my certification process last fall and finished my next book just this past January. 

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing it to you. I’m sure it will come as a surprise when I reveal all the details, and I can confidently say that this is the best thing I’ve written to date. If you’ve enjoyed anything in the Hunter’s Rose series so far, I think you’re going to love what I have in store for you!

Peace,

-Troy

2023 Year in Review - Hunter’s Rose

Welcome everyone!

I finally had a chance to look back over the previous year and assess how it went. It was a year filled with several major events. For instance, I’ve gone back to college to get another degree. My last remaining grandparent passed away, and my daughter entered high school. The biggest event with regards to this website was the release of my third book: The Huntsman and the Heretic! I’m so proud of how that book turned out. It’s the most personal one for me. Although, it amazes me how many people think it’s a rhino on the front cover and not a bull. To me, it’s obvious, but I’ll just have to be more mindful of stuff like that in the future.

2023 also represented my best year of sales since my first book launched back in 2019. Altogether, I sold 252 copies of my books across all formats (ebook, audio, paperback, hardback) including 112 of my newest book. That’s amazing! Consider that a quote “successful” self-published author is someone that sells 250 copies in two years. So this year, I did fantastic.

So let’s look ahead to 2024. Project X is still on the horizon; however, my time as an author is incredibly limited right now. Getting a degree is consuming all my time even though I’m only taking six credit hours at the moment. I started classes last summer, so I will finish my new degree this year. I’m very excited about that. It will open a lot of doors for me. Sadly, though, it means I won’t be able to work on The Hunter’s Rose series until I’m finished.

I have appreciated everyone’s wonderful support this year. I’ll resume writing the fourth book in my series late fall, 2024. It takes about 12 to 20 months to finish a Hunter’s Rose book, and then about 6-12 to go through all the editing, cover art, and publishing processes. So Book 4 is probably two years away at least, maybe three. 

In the meantime, I’ll keep you up to date on my activities. I hope 2024 is a prosperous and joyful year for you. I love and value each and every one of you. Be well and take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

2024 Public Domain Update & Celebration

Welcome Everyone!

Every year I try to celebrate the major new entries into the public domain. If you don’t know what he public domain is, I’ll attempt an explanation. Ages ago, it was decided the the creators of art (that is, any type of media) should only get exclusive rights to that art for so long. Then, after a time, that art is given over to the culture. It belongs to everyone. Our predecessors realized that a culture cannot grow if it cannot use its art and experiences freely. So now, every January 1st, new works of literature, film, music, painting, and so on lose their copyrights. They belong to the people.

Normally, works become public domain 70 years after the author’s death. If it’s a work-for-hire type thing, the copyright lasts 95 years after it is published. There are weird exceptions and caveats, but they aren’t worth going into in this blog post. You can read more HERE.

Anyhow, today is a BIG day for the public domain. It wouldn’t surprise me if you hadn’t already seen some news stories about how Mickey and Minnie Mouse are no longer the exclusive property of the Walt Disney Corporation. They below to everyone. Now, that is limited to the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse, but it also means that people are free to develop their own derivative works. So you can create your own, original version of Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse so long as it does not infringe on later incarnations of those characters. It’s complicated, but Mickey Mouse now belongs to you!

In addition, Peter Pan, Tigger, and Tarzan enter the public domain this year. That’s five major characters that belong to the people, not the corporations. It’s been a long time since this many important literary figures entered the public domain at the same time. So you are now free to create your own stories about Neverland and Tarzan of the jungle. 

Keep in mind, though, that the Disney animations for Peter Pan, Tigger, and Tarzan are still under copyright protection. It’s just the characters themselves we now have access to since the original works of literature that produced them have aged out of copyright.

Additionally, we aren’t too far from some other major works entering the public domain. This year marks the 10 year countdown until The Chronicles of Narnia become public domain. The same goes for Superman. Batman hits public domain in 11 years. It’s only 20 years before the works of J.R.R. Tolkien become public domain. And in the short term, the works of Laura Ingles Wilder, Dorothy Sayers, and Thomas Mann all go public domain before the end of this decade. 

So rejoice everyone! You now own some of the biggest cultural icons in history. You can add Mickey Mouse and Peter Pan to Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, Chtullu, and Pinocchio to your list of potential famous characters to write about. If that is a goal of yours, then I wish you all the best in your creative endeavors!

Peace,

-Troy

Price Changes Coming to HR Series

 Welcome everyone!

I hope this post finds you well today. A couple weeks ago I was sent a message from my printer/distributor that online retailers are changing the terms of agreement for selling books on their sites. These would be companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and more. This change was out of the blue, and goes into effect the day after Halloween this year.

Typically, my distributor takes anywhere from 40% to 45% of the price of my book to print and ship it. The total just depends on costs of paper and packaging which varies. Up until now, Amazon et al. took a 30% commission. Now, they are taking 40%. That means on a $15 books, I might get around two to maybe three dollars if I'm lucky. Naturally, Uncle Sam wants his cut of that also, which I pay when I file my taxes.

As the price of paper and binding is constantly increasing, there's a good chance I start losing money on my sales soon. Consequently, I'm going to have to raise my prices. I hate to do that since I really want my books to be affordable, and to be honest, I thought I calculated enough breathing room when I first decided my price scheme back in 2018. Back then, my printing/shipping costs were only about 30% of the book's price. So on a $15 book, I would make about $6. That's plenty, IMO. Sadly, $2 is not. 

So, prices will be rising to $19.99 per paperback and $34.99 per hardback. Those increases really aren't enough to get me back to where I was when I first released The Huntsman and the She-Wolf, but it's enough for me to feel good about what I earn publishing my books. 

This change isn't free or simple for me. I have to have my covers redone since the prices are on the back. It's not a massive change, just an edit, but I still have to pay a professional to get that done. So that's six covers I have to change (paperback and hardback for each book). 

I just wanted to post here and let everyone know what's going on. If you hurry, you'll still be able to get them at the current prices. I don't know for sure when they'll officially change. It just depends on when the cover artist can squeeze me in.

Anyway, we're heading into the holiday season. Halloween to St. Valentine's Day is my favorite time of year. So I wish you all happy holidays! Take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

The Roses of Book 3

 Welcome everyone!

I wanted to share with you some of the artwork that appears in The Huntsman and the Heretic. Specifically, I want to show off the roses. Again, the artist did a wonderful job on them. She is truly talented.

After each image, I'll talk about the character just a bit.

The first rose is for Devereaux. He's a newcomer to Celandine Valley. For the last two decades or so he's been traveling the wilderlands of the world seeking those who are lost and need a place to live. He comes alone to Celandine and eventually to Vitalba village where he begins teaching a different perspective on The Cause.

Halbert is a long-time member of the Huntsmen's Lodge, though he's terribly insecure about his position. With Thaul locked up in Tatterdemalion's Tower, the hunter's organize themselves in an ad hoc committee to provide leadership for the regulars. Halbert is charged with being treasurer: a fateful decision, indeed.

Eldo is the Gate Captain of Vitalba. He's been mentioned in the first two books, more prominently in The Huntsman and the Vampire, but he gets a larger role in Book 3. He also joins the aforementioned leadership committee. He has a son, who also works the gate.

Garrov is a colorful character. He's the town's tinker and engineer. He runs the steamworks that keeps the town warm in winder and is always coming up with new contraptions to help the Huntsmen. He's mainly just been mentioned before as the creator of the steam cannon and fluttermites. In this book, he plays a critical part in the last third of the book.

I only had four roses in The Huntsman and the Heretic. That's all there was really room for this time around. However, I did have five pieces of art commissioned, so next time I'll talk about whose rose didn't make it in.

Until then, take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

Massive Blow-out Launch Month!

 Welcome everyone!

It's been about a month since The Huntsman and the Heretic launched. It's been a whirlwind for me. I've attended one launch party, two book fairs, and thee speaking engagements! My books are for sale in digital, audio, paperback, and hardback. All that together means I've had my most successful book launch yet, and by most common measures, a fantastically successful launch for 90% of self-published authors! Let me explain.

So let me first give you some context. If you search for "what is the number of sales a successful self-published author" you'll find people from Jenna Moreci to John Adamus tell you: 200 books in the first year or two. That might vary a bit by genre and whether a book is fiction or non-fiction, but for the most part if you can get 200 sales in two years, you're doing good.

For me, I set a goal of selling 100 copies across all formats of all books for the month of March. I looked back at my old data, figured I picked up a few more fans along the way, and 100 copies was my best guess. So that's 100 ebooks, paperbacks, audiobooks, and hardbacks total for the entire Hunter's Rose series.

I also set a way-out-there-crazy goal of 200. If I could get two year's worth of sales in one month, I thought that would be insane. It wasn't a realistic goal, more of a marker, really.

Back in February, I announced that I sold my 500th Copy. So 500 copies since March 2019 puts me at about 125 copies per year or so. That's great! I'm not wildly successful, but I'm doing better than most. 

But what about that "better than 90%" I mentioned earlier? Well, from March 2nd to March 31st, I sold a total of 215 copies! That's 20 months worth of sales in less than 30 days. WOW! 

I can't thank all of you enough. I didn't get to that goal because I'm a great writer or because I have a bulletproof marketing plan. I got there because I have loyal fans, friends, and family who have stuck with me. THANK YOU! No really, thank you. All of your support has helped me through some tough times this year. My success as an author has counterbalanced some very difficult challenges I've faced in the young year of 2023. You've made those hardships easier to bear. I love all of you.

I'll break down the numbers book-by-book in the near future.

For the next month or so, I'm taking a break. I'm exhausted. Launching a book is an enormous amount of work. Time for a rest. But that doesn't mean I've paused my writing. Nope. I'm already well along in my next book. It will be a surprise, I'm sure. I can't wait to share more when it's ready.

Thank you once again for your help and support. I needed it. Take good care of each other out there. Be back soon.

Peace,

-Troy

A True Pleasure

Welcome everyone!

One of the great things I've been able to do with my last two book launches was to participate in a local reading celebration. In years where there's no pandemic threat (crazy times, eh?), a generous donor finances the purchase of my books to give out as prizes at a high school/middle school during an annual event that promotes literacy. It's a small thing, but I'm honored to be part of it. 

This year, with the help of my wonderful wife, we went all out preparing full sets for the winners:

I sincerely hope they enjoy them. I don't know if there is anything that brings an author more pleasure than knowing young people are reading their books. I'm so glad I have the chance to participate!

Peace,

-Troy

Thank You and a Couple Requests

 Welcome everyone,

First, I want to say thank you SO MUCH for making the launch of this book completely amazing! It's been since 2019 since I released a book, and I had forgotten just how much work goes into it. The process has been stressful, but all of your love and support have made it easy to bear. 

I've heard it said by authors that, as one gets further and further into a book series, interest tends to die off. Well, you guys have completely disproven that. I have already surpassed my 2019 book launch and hope to succeed even more before the end of the month. Back in January, I set a minimum goal of 50 books sold in the first month and a "way-out-there-crazy" goal. I'm not going to share what they way-out goal was just yet because I'm actually very close to reaching it, less than two dozen books away in fact! I hope I'll be able to share a good report with you at the end of the month.

There is one request I would like to make, though. Well, two actually. The first is that if you purchased any of my books on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, please please please leave a review. There is nothing that helps an author more than accumulating reviews. If I can get myself up to 20 reviews on each book, my visibility increases tremendously. So if you have the time and ability, please let provide feedback on those sites.

My second request is that you share pictures of yourself holding my books on your social media. I'd like to build a collage, eventually. So make sure you tag me if you can! I want to see you holding them because honestly, there is nothing that brings me more joy than receiving pictures like this from someone:

Seeing that just builds such a huge sense of satisfaction and comradery. I write these books for people to read because I believe reading makes us better people. Seeing in someone's hand gives me hope that my small contribution to the literary world matters and maybe does some good in the world.

Love you all. Take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

Launch Party was a HUGE Success!

 Welcome everyone!

I just want to thank everyone who came to my launch party on March 2nd. It was a success beyond my imagination! In total, I counter 63 guests who visited, and I sold 52 copies of my books. For contrast, in 2019 when I hosted a launch party for The Huntsman and the Vampire, I had 42 guests and sold 38 copies of my books. That's some incredible growth!

If you missed my launch party, never fear! I'll be back in a few weeks for the Reading Celebration at MC Knight Academy. You'll have a chance to take pictures, get signatures, and purchase copies then as well, I believe.

Anyhow, once again, THANK YOU to all who came and to all those who helped me put it toether. I couldn't have done it on my own. Love to all.

Peace,

-Troy

IT'S LAUNCH DAY!!!!!!

 Welcome everyone!

Finally. It's launch day. YES!!!!

Since the pandemic messed with all of our perceptions of time, many of you might not realize that my last book (The Huntsman and the Vampire) came out in 2019. Four. Years. Ago! It doesn't seem like it was that long ago to me, but yeah, it was. 

Producing The Huntsman and the Heretic was hard. There were times I lose motivation, times I couldn't figure out how to solve plot holes, and times I worked on it at a fevered pace. It's been very up and down for me, but I am SO GLAD TO SHARE IT WITH YOU TODAY!!!

As I've said before, this books is the most personal for me. I've been saving the stories that are within these covers since Book 1. These are the ones I really, really wanted to tell. I couldn't put them in the first book, since that one is all about establishing the characters and setting. I couldn't put them into Book 2 because I really wanted to focus on nailing story structure (which I feel I did). 

So finally, I get to tell the story the way I wanted. A few weeks after the book is out, I'll do more blog posts about where these stories came from and why they are so personal for me. Until then, I hope you enjoy reading my latest addition to the Hunter's Rose series.

And don't forget, if you're new to my series, Book 1 (The Huntsman and the She-Wolf) and Boo 2 (The Huntsman and the Vampire) are on sale for 99 cents right now. There's never been a better time to pick them up!

Also, if you can attend, don't forget to come by my launch party today. I'd love to see you there!

Peace,

-Troy