state of the union

July 4, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron 4 Comments

“When’s That Book Coming?” Summer Update (AKA On Oblivion)

What’s New

First, Soulless is over, all but the first five chapters are down from the site, but the full book is available in the store. It’s still PWYC (sorta–there are a bunch of price options in lieu of the old donation button) with the lowest option being $3 because this is a full-length novel–not a novella or short story, but just a little shorter than my usual work–and that seemed fair.

What’s Upcoming

Second…River has funded.

River is set to release toward the end of next month, because you guys are AWESOME.

Melissa is organizing the blog tour and you can sign up here if you’re a blogger.

Campaign contributors: I’ve been picking up perk items and updates are incoming, I’ve just had a really rough June. Thank you so much for your patience.

What About the Sequel?

For the sequel, Wolfe…because the funding reached it’s stretch goal, Wolfe will be republished. Because, again, you guys are AWESOME.

It won’t be on my plate until next year but it will re-release in at least ebook sometime in 2015, after rewrites and such. The cover is done and will be revealed in the back of River.

What I’m Working On (or Not)…

The biggest news I have is that, other than River releasing…I will likely have no news for the next several months.

A few inquiries came in around the same time in May about Demons of Oblivion–questioning when I’m going to get going on the next book and the ones after it, etc. I sat down and did the math, looking at precisely how many copies Exhumed sold in two years to see if I could justify the time spent on Oblivion this year.

The result is that I had to make the difficult decision to take Oblivion off my plate this year and cancel all planned books after it.

[this is not a decision I made lightly, so below are details for those who care; otherwise, just skip to the next heading]

I have to split my writing time (which I siphon from my freelancing time, since I’m in my 30s now and physically can’t bear 16hr days at the computer) between passion projects and pay projects. Passion projects are what I write for my own sanity; pay projects are what I write for money.

Unfortunately, Oblivion is currently at the bottom of both project lists.

Even writing quickly as I do with a solid zero draft, I can only pull off 3-4 books a year if I want them to have any emotional depth and care to them. They’re each 90K-100K words long, and that can be anywhere from 200 to 300 hours per book. And as I write very deep first person, the books are emotionally draining and require a recovery period.

In nearly two years, the amount of money I’ve made on Exhumed is under $2 per hour spent on it.

And that’s a book written quickly, five months spent on three drafts, plus edits, and taking in consideration that I’ve sold twice as many books after striking out on my own. The reality is that Oblivion will sell even fewer copies because it’s “not a Zara book” regardless of the fact that every book is a “Zara book” and what the rest have all been leading to. I will also have to pay out of pocket* to have it edited. At this rate, a decade could go by before Oblivion is worth the time sunk into it.

I get that the series is unfinished and a full-length novel hasn’t come out since mid-2012, and that sucks for readers. And I am really sorry about that.

But, to be blunt, what sucks MORE is that I lost twelve pounds in May because I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ration the food already on hand for the next four to six weeks. I am up to my eyes in vet bills with more on the horizon and it will actively cause my dog harm if I’m unable to pay for treatment. I don’t say this for pity, but as an example of the reality I live with. We write for the love, yes, but we publish for the money.

I’m not just intentionally dicking around with Oblivion or procrastinating: it’s financially irresponsible for me to make this series a priority.

Further, I’ve been saying for two years now, “future books will depend on sales” which was my nice way of saying, “I am extremely doubtful but I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.” Bloodlines has been out in one form or another since 2008. Exhumed has been out since 2012. These books have had long enough. It’s not fair for me to keep telling readers “maybe” when all evidence has pointed to a definitive “no” for years.

You guys deserve better than that.

So What Does that Mean for Oblivion?

Oblivion will still go exactly as I’d planned it. It caps off one arc and lays the threads for the next. Those threads just won’t be picked up again** but it will have, I hope, a satisfying conclusion.***

It just won’t happen until next year at the earliest because I have to be in a more financially secure place before I can make it priority.

I have many wonderful supportive readers and I am so incredibly grateful that you found the books and have followed them, and that they (hopefully) brought you some entertainment and escape. And I wish I could do better by you, and I wish I could’ve done better by the story. I love the characters, I love the world, and while I’m tremendously proud of it, I don’t think the, “What ifs” will ever stop playing in my head.

Realistically, I think there was a lot stacked against the series–some on my end, as I don’t make the, er, “traditional” marketing choices in what I write (alternating narrators for starters)–while other factors were out of my control in terms of the (lack of) promotional push the books had in small press way back when they debuted, and my lack of financial means to give them continual pushes now. And there’s also the “click” factor–some books click with enough readers to sustain them and take off, others don’t, and we’ll never know why.****

Regardless, it’s done. And it’s a bit of a relief to let it go because my stress level doesn’t need the guilt I’ve been feeling.

So that is where things stand. River will likely be out at the end next month. Usually my next quarterly state of the union is in October but I might skip it in favor of a January one; I’m hibernating for a few months to work on things so I don’t get kicked out of my apartment. I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, including for-pay writing projects that need 100% of my focus.

Thank you again for the time you’ve spent with my world and characters, and for your continued interest in more works by me. You are few, but you are mighty, and your love for these fictional people means the world to me. I wouldn’t trade you for anything.

(Except Doritos. I’d probably trade you for Doritos right now. But only Sweet Chili Heat. Maybe Jalapeno Cheddar.)

——–

* A reader offered to lend me money to publish Oblivion (and I know others might as well), but a. it’s not just the cost of editing/publishing: the real issue is the time invested, and art patrons are unfortunately no longer A Thing (I know about Patreon, but I’d need a couple thousand regular readers to sustain that given 2-4% might donate), and b. I don’t accept loans from anyone ever.

And I’m not terribly comfortable doing another crowdfunding thing. Oblivion would end up tapping the same people, and I absolutely refuse to dip into the pool of my friends to give me money every time I want to publish a book.

** Unless, of course, future books leap onto the pleasure project list, in which case I’ll one day consider releasing them.

*** If you’re only reading for Zara/Nate, I’ll stop you right here. Nate is barely in the book. There is no conclusion to their relationship (unless I decide to kill one of them). It is *not* paranormal romance series; it is urban fantasy and, as such, the main plot arc is not about two people hooking up so it is not my focus.

**** It was actually suggested that people won’t buy/review/recommend my books because of my name. o.O

I am an obscure UF writer from small press which is not known for its marketing. Exposure is pretty hit or miss, and for me it’s been miss. Further…look, if you’re not reading my books because you don’t like my name? That’s your loss. IT’S MY NAME, not a “brand”. My identity. It’s who I am, and after being made fun of for it during most of my school years, I have embraced it and it’s important to me. If that’s enough to turn anyone off of my work, I wish them well elsewhere.

ETA Nov 1014: Also? Turns out I am really fucking sick. So I’m on a hiatus from publishing for a least a little while.

April 21, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron

“When’s That Book Coming?” Spring 2014 Update

I don’t want to alarm anyone but there is, in fact, actual news-ish stuff to report. Not firm dates yet, however, there is forward momentum in something.

First, did I write anything this past quarter?

Yes. Yes I did.

What I Wrote

I’d had a very, very rough draft of a book sitting here for a few months, and I finally went in and wrote the last 23K, bumping Frankenovel to 96K words. It’s been to the Beta of Awesome and I’m working on a coherent second draft now that hopefully disguises the fact that I am incompetent and terrible.

Angel Embarrassing Dance — I’m still not in THAT good of a mood, but if I was, I’d be doing this dance.

I dove, then, into the third book in that series, and that zero draft came in at 97K. Toward the end I realized I was actually going to need a book in between #2 and #3, so perhaps it’s more fair to say I finished the fourth in the series and still have to write the third. (I know, I know, my head hurts too.)

Of course, that concerns no one but me and my betas, as y’all aren’t familiar with those books. Overall, though, this progress is an excellent thing. I’m writing, I’m happy, and after getting roughly 150K on three projects so far this year, I am finally getting back in the game and this bodes well for the other irons I have in the fire (including, eventually, Oblivion).

What I’m Working On

Forward momentum has come, however, with my first published book River, which I am in the process of revising at last.

Snow White Flee — This is exactly how it feels rereading old work.

It was first written in 2003 and released in 2006. For those playing along at home, yes, I was barely twenty-one when I first wrote it. And this is why (in part) I asked for the contract to be terminated last year, I just was not comfortable with book out as-is.

There is something particularly horrific about rereading such an old work. Like I want to print it out and stab it repeatedly and then burn it and pretend it never existed. It’s much different from most of my work now–one hundred percent character driven (I mean, literally, there is no plot) and no explosions–but it does have voice, and the heroine’s utter hatred and contempt of humanity, yes, that is all me.

I’ve been through the first two chapters, and I struggle to balance the core of what the book used to be with something a little more updated. There are times, too, when I rewrite a few paragraphs, and then have to simplify the writing some to remain true to River’s abrupt, uncomplicated voice.

It’s a huge, huge undertaking. But the book still has its fans, so that is why I’ve committed to putting it out there again.

What To Expect

I am looking at re-releasing River in the summer. I won’t be able to do this on my own, not if I want a quality cover (I design them myself but stock isn’t cheap), a thorough copyedit by someone who isn’t the boss’s daughter, and a print edition through LSI (which has set-up fees but would guarantee better distribution), therefore I’ll be setting up an Indiegogo campaign to raise the extra funds to help get it released. I want to have the actual rewrite close to done before I launch it so, if the funding comes, I actually *can* release it in a timely manner, but look for details about that in another month or two.

The cost will be broken up into editing/proofing fees, stock costs, printer fees, campaign/PayPal fees, and the cost of rewards (advanced print copies for example), with stretch goals–one will cover the cost of an online book tour to promote it, and I’m toying with others (like a collector hardcover edition?).

The question for anyone who was a fan of the book is likely going to be, What about the sequel, Wolfe?

At this time, I’m not sure. *snips out whining about not liking the book* If River sells well and can justify the time spent on Wolfe, I will give rehauling the whole thing a shot next year. In the EXTREMELY unlikely chance that the Indiegogo campaign not only reaches the stretch goals but doubles, yes, I will absolutely commit to rewriting and re-releasing Wolfe.

It is also a bit of a test–if the campaign goes okay, I’ll feel a bit more secure about trying something similar for Oblivion.

If it doesn’t–and I am not sure I have a wide enough fanbase for it–it will definitely change how likely I am to release books myself in the future and delay some projects. I refuse to put out a subpar product and then charge money for it, but I absolutely cannot afford to self-publish regularly myself. Of course, I also strongly dislike the current trend of expecting readers to fund book production up front (and don’t get me started on promotion), but it’s this or nothing right now.

Yay, experiments!

Also On My Plate

I really, really have to focus on some for-pay writing projects right now because my god is my bank account hurting, but peripherally ahead of me is both Oblivion and Nairobi Spy Book (not the real title) after I’ve rewritten River. Hopefully there’ll be news about other projects next update in July.

Other Stuff

Soulless should conclude around the end of May. I’ll leave it up as-is for a couple of weeks, and then it’ll come down and be a pet-donation-exclusive book again for the foreseeable future. If you’ve read and enjoyed, and haven’t previously tossed pennies in the jar or purchased my other work, please consider doing so.

I am tossing around maybe serializing something in the summer–I still have Zara’s serial to finish, though if that’s not done, I have something else here I’m toying with–but there are a few factors behind the decision, and they all boil down to whether I think it’ll cost more time/money than will be worth it. I’ve always liked doing serials but even a completely finished story requires a lot of work to proof and post, along with added stress.

And I am not the least bit ashamed of my decisions being mercenary-based these days–a bitch has got to get paid.

January 26, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron

“When’s That Book Coming?” Winter 2014 Update

So I can’t link to the old state-of-the-union posts because, as you can see, I have a new site/blog now and the old posts are gone. Last one was October and I was on a bit of a writing hiatus and had just lost/left/mostly-lost-but-semi-left my day job.

tumblr_mf1iyk7YaD1qi5njr For the job thing? I am sublimely happy.

I mean, I spend a fair amount of time wondering how I’m going to pay my rent. It’s not just the unsteady income but the difficultly when relying on royalties that come from several different sellers who are all on their own payment schedule–it would drive me to drink if, y’know, I had the money to spend on alcohol.

And yet there is so much less stress. I can actually make a living wage now on things like editing and I dictate my own terms (no more being required to do content and copyediting AND proofreading for what amounts to pennies an hour), I get down payments up front and full payments immediately after work is complete, and thus far have worked with utterly fantastic clients. Plus no one screams at me constantly for other people’s fuck-ups. WIN.

But that’s not why you’re here; you come for book stuff! Since the last post…

Relaunch

Bloodlines-ARe There was the week-long blog tour and relaunch of the Demons of Oblivion series late October, as I had my rights back and wanted to give the books a push. Thank you so, so much first and foremost to Melissa of My World…in words and pages for organizing the tour and taking care of everything for me. And thank you to everyone who allowed a guest post, interview, or reviewed the books.

The result was around a bunch of new people getting Bloodlines while it was free, and a handful sticking around and picking up the other books over November and December. If you’re a new reader who came from that–hello! Nice to meet you. Thank you for reading, and if you also posted a review and told your friends, I really appreciate it. You are sexy and awesome.

This has also increased illegal downloader traffic by tenfold. Folks, the series will not continue without reader support. The books are extremely affordable and made available everywhere. I am not a popular enough author to justify publishing books that are stolen more than they are bought, especially not now that this is how I make my living. Rent comes first. If you stumble across this blog post while looking for torrents, please stop. /rant

New Releases

All the Demons of Oblivion novels and stories have been re-released in ebook. I’m not sure about print yet–the print rights for Bloodlines still lie elsewhere, and if I’m going to do print, I’d like to release all of the books together. Incidentally, Bloodlines is also now in audiobook if that’s your thing.

HungryLiketheWendigo-ARE I also released a short story, Hungry Like the Wendigo, under the Tales from Alchemy Red banner. It’s a Ryann David short (well, a LONG short story at 9K words), includes Ellie and Nic, and takes place between Hunter and Lineage.

While it wasn’t exactly a “release”, I wrote a novella set way in the Demons of Oblivion ‘verse future called Dial V for Vampire and offered it as a Christmas gift to members of the Facebook fangroup. It’s Zara narrated, set after Solace (the theoretical sixth book).

I’m also serializing Soulless, which you’ll recall was a PWYC/fundraiser thank you gift for Sophie in 2012 when she was sick. Two chapters a week, and there’s a tip jar there–when donations reach $50, I post an additional chapter that Friday. Eight chapters are already live.

What I’m Working On

Uh…

ku-medium (20)

I tried to take January to just write something for me and failed at that because I hate everything I write right now. So I’m back to working on for-pay writing projects, which you (probably) don’t read, because I am officially a full time writer/freelance designer now and I need to be able to pay for heat during this -30C winter. Like a grownup. Which is my least favourite thing to be.

There are several projects on my radar, however.

Odin’s Spear (Livi #2) – the zero draft is such a damn mess that I decided to call it done despite the five or so missing chapters, and I’m now working on a decent first draft.
Amends – this is the old Zara serial. I’m not relaunching it until I have a draft done but it’s my intention to do that this year, hopefully after Soulless concludes.
Retrograde (Baptiste’s War #1) – formerly known as Nairobi Spy Book. Nothing I can say right now except that, though it’s been fighting me, I expect the zero draft to hit me like a freight train when it’s done simmering in my brain soon.
River (River Wolfe #1) – planning to work on the rewrites for this in the spring and eyeing a summer release if all goes well. This’ll require a Kickstarter/Indiegogo sort of thing, probably.
Oblivion – I’ll endeavor to get a zero draft done by the summer, with an eye on a possible fall release.

All of this is subject to change.

I hate being vague and not having firm dates for the books you’re waiting for, but to take the time to write projects with no guarantee of return on investment, I have to get a chunk of money saved up for rent and stuff first which requires focusing on paying work right now. I’d rather tell you that upfront than have to pick random release dates and then excuse away when they’re missed. With the lack of art patrons and sugar daddies nowadays, we do what we can.

I’ve also noticed a renewed interest in people hitting the old Children of the Apocalypse serial site. Book Three is still on hiatus; I pulled it out, I think, last year(?) with the idea to finish it at last and maybe start the fourth book, but there is so, so much I wanted to change with the whole thing, I realized that for me to revisit this series, I’m going to have to give it a total rehaul. Each book and short story, rewritten from scratch. And…you guessed it, that is just not in the cards right now for a freebie. I have hesitated even leaving the books up as-is because I dislike something out there that I don’t feel is my best work, but people still read it now and then and if they get some enjoyment out of it, I’d rather not take that from them, especially since I don’t know when I’ll have a chance to re-release it.

Other New Stuff

There is a new…sort of addition to the home.

This is Vincent.

Vincent

He was outside my apartment building in December, crying every time he saw me (he is NOT an outdoor/stray cat), and I live on a busy intersection in town where he was at risk of being hit by a car, if he didn’t starve or freeze to death first (as the temperature was dropping really fast).

Extremely generous friends kicked in $ around Christmas to help feed him (and boy, does he eat) and send him to the vet (he’s about five years old and healthy), so things are well right now. He was already neutered, not mircrochipped, and despite looking for his possible owners I’ve had no luck finding anyone. He’s now BFFs with Rodney Ballsnomore and he worships me, so we’re figuring things out as we go since there are no open foster homes here for him. At this point if his humans show up, I am probably going to bitchslap them for doing such a piss-poor job of looking for him.

Also, he’s ginger. We all know how I feel about ginger cats, considering 1/3 of my felines are of the redheaded persuasion.

So. Y’know. Tell your friends to buy my books so I can feed my cats? (Failed Marketing Slogan #147)

loki

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Next update coming in April!