Let streamers fly and party poppers snap! It has been a year since Sleep, Requiem Series: Part One was released! The days have flown by and with all that has happened in my life as a whole, it is easy to see where the time has gone. I have learned so much in this first year, and I feel so much better moving forward into the next!
I have learned that the way things have been done and may very well be done by many others is not the way for everyone. My poor wallet has suffered from trying to do the work of a major publishing company all on my own. There are many “necessities” when talking about being an author. Yet, truthfully, most are useless unless there is already a company backing oneself. I didn’t need a press release and I certainly didn’t need it sent to every newspaper and broadcast station in the Rocky Mountains. I did not need numerous parts of the promotional package I acquired at the start and in the middle of the publishing process. Word of mouth and what leg work I did on my own was what got sales and what helped spread word. It was my own efforts that got me into a few local bookstores, one of which invited me to a local author happy hour. It was my own efforts in selling my book in person that actually got me sales. It was my own efforts that resulted in several copies being added to local libraries. The money I had spent was wasted on unnecessary standards and pieces that simply do not apply to small, independent authors. I am not in this field to make money. What money I ought to spend and will spend will be on promoting Requiem Series in a way that is fun and that actually fits my audience, rather than on a voiceless/attention lacking national or regional level.
That being said, I am so very excited about what this year holds for Requiem Series! Stand, Requiem Series: Part Two has been pushed back a year due to the financial strain of indie publishing. It is over 200 pages longer than Sleep and I want to properly pay my editor, hence the delay. This coming year will be spent further promoting Sleep instead! We’ve already confirmed that we’ll be at Starfest (May 1-3 in Colorado) and FanX (September 17-19 in Utah) and at DakuCon in conjunction with Rabbit Tales (November 6-8 in Colorado). Lastly, we’re waiting on news from MileHiCon (October 23-25 in Colorado) to apply to their author row as well.
In addition to copies of Sleep, our tables will have some new material! A face character of Bitarsol will be available for pictures and promotion during certain times. There are brand new, gorgeous mugs on order. Custom bookmarks and pins are in the works. And, an audiobook version of Sleep is also in production! There are also character studies in the works to help promote and discuss the characters such as tea blends and playlists. Both of the latter will be available outside of conventions through the proper purchasing channels and social media posts, but the plan is to also have their information on printed cards for picking up at cons.
This is the year to strengthen Requiem Series and help get the story out to a larger audience. And we are so excited to share it with all of you!
