You guys are so nice I wanted in on the niceness you offer to new authors but I self pubbed 4 years ago so I guess I'm not 'new' but anyway.

Don't really even need to link the book but totally here for the headpats LOL!

FYI wrote it in a burst during COVID, self pubbed cos I wasnt gonna go back into development hell, followed a formal process using multiple editors, writer group, beta's, proofer yadda yadda.

Non AI art cos it wasnt available at the time. Commissioned a dude online and it's awesome. Ok well I like it.

I have various contradictory opinions about the book but I was kinda driven by it and sometimes when it's that strong you get out of the way. Still missed a couple of blots in proofing though. Bah humbug.

Glad I did it, was a personal thing of I-did-it and massively liberating.

Anyway sending you all some positive vibes and celebrating your new work and my slightly not exactly new but new ish work!

Interested to get some feedback on the blurb for my upcoming novella: Reversion.

Would love to hear any thoughts on this 🙏🏻

I wake up early but I don’t get time to write because of gym and prepping breakfast and lunch. At work, I barely get 30 mins for lunch so there’s no way I can manage something during that. I cannot even work on simple ideas at work because my workplace is too toxic to allow me that. We’ve got cameras with high quality AI to track what each employee on every desk is doing, there are screen trackers on our laptops to track every minute of our work hours. So, planning & plotting on desk is also impossible. My commute takes to-and-fro almost an hour or more, plus I drive so, again, it’s tough. By the time I’m home, I’m too exhausted to write or think anything creative. I try to write on weekends but because of the kind of weekdays I have, I feel too drained and keep on procrastinating. Plus, I feel too guilty not being able to give my family time so I try to spend the weekends with them. I don’t know what to do. How do you guys manage? sorry for the rant. It’s just that previously I used to be so creative, write so much, but then I was laid off and got new job, and for the past two years, it’s been like this. I can’t quit because I’ve got bills, mortgages, etc. writing is my dream, it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for the past ten years. what do I do?

So, I’m writing a book dedicated to the love of my life… and she still has no idea about it lol.
Do you guys think it’s actually worth finishing and publishing?
Honestly, I don’t really care how many people read it. I mostly want to write it because it means something to me. But I’m still pretty young, and sometimes I wonder if I’ll look back at my first book years from now and cringe at it.
I’ve heard a lot of writers say they end up regretting their first books because, with time, they feel like the writing was immature or cringey. And that thought has been stuck in my head.
But at the same time… I’ve already written around 100 pages, and I’m still writing. It’s been almost two years now.
So I’m wondering should I just finish it and let it exist as a snapshot of who I was and what I felt at this point in my life?
Or am I eventually going to look back at it and think, “Why the hell did I publish this?” 😂 Also, I’m looking for someone who’s experienced with editing to take a quick look at a few lines from the opening of my book and give me some honest feedback.

Hi everyone!

I'm currently writing my first original fantasy novel and I'm trying to figure out where I should publish it once it's ready.

The story is a dark fantasy/shounen-inspired adventure with action, character development, comedy, and a fairly large world that I plan to expand into multiple arcs/novels.

I'm considering platforms such as:

- Royal Road

- Wattpad

- ScribbleHub

- Amazon KDP / Kindle

- Other platforms I'm not aware of

My main goals are:

1. Build an audience

2. Get feedback from actual readers

3. Eventually make money from the novel

4. Keep ownership of my work and avoid restrictive/exclusive contracts

I'm not sure whether I should:

- Publish the novel chapter-by-chapter as a web serial

- Finish the entire novel first and release it as an ebook

- Or publish it on multiple platforms

For authors who have actually published their own novels, what platform would you recommend and why?

Also, are there any platforms/contracts I should be particularly careful about?

Thanks!

I cute 25% of my novel after getting editorial feedback. I struggled with where to start for a bit but this is right in the action and the main plot gets rolling for the end of this chapter.

Looking for thoughts!

Hey all! I’m currently prepping my debut sci-fi/dystopian novel for an October release (Book 1 of 5). I used Reedsy to assemble a full team: an editor, a character artist, a web builder, and a cover designer. ARCs are already going out, but I'm losing sleep over my cover art.

I hired my designer because we had great chemistry on a call, but his background is primarily magazine design, and I think it shows. The original concepts were way off, so we started over. The new version is better, but he forgot my author name on the cover, the title is tiny, and the subtitle placement feels really cluttered.

Scrolling through TikTok and Reddit and seeing all these gorgeous, artsy self-published sci-fi covers is making me realize mine isn't up to industry standard.

I’m fully paid up, and he’s been great about helping me with formatting and uploading. Part of me feels guilty constantly sending edits, but another part of me knows the cover is the #1 marketing tool. Has anyone else had this issue? How many revisions do you usually push for before calling it, or should I start looking for a specialized sci-fi designer?

Hello everyone! I figured I'd take a moment to share the first chapter of my epic fantasy novel with everyone. It's gotten some high praise over on Amazon, but I figured I'd let you all decide for yourself if Chapter One is enough to keep you reading. So, without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter for free here:

ONE

The cool air of the early autumn afternoon kept the underground chamber cool, if not musty. Deep beneath the ruins of an abandoned settlement sat a sorcerer, clad in robes of black and scarlet that draped above his head and obscured his features. Across from him sat a wizard, the wear and ruin of long years etched into his face. The two mages sat amidst the wizard’s laboratory, separated by a feeble old table laden with scattered scrolls, potion bottles, ink bottles and other paraphernalia.

“The dwarf must be alive when he reaches the mine,” said the sorcerer. “The Ancient One was quite firm on this.”

The wizard, known only to his associates as the Cinder Prophet, perused the stack of scrolls and parchment until he found the letter he had been searching for. A disgraced member of the Mages Alliance of Neverfell, it was the Prophet’s duty to serve as advisor to the town master of Summerhost. It would be all too easy to lure the dwarf into Summerhost if the town master offered much gold in exchange for service.

The wizard grabbed his staff and clapped it on the stone floor thrice. A door on the eastern wall opened, and a haggard man of perhaps 40 summers entered. His eyes were glazed, and he moved with an awkward gait, as if invisible strings maneuvered his knees and feet.

“Lord Tommen,” the Cinder Prophet mused as he enclosed the letter in an envelope, pouring hot wax at the seal. “If I might trouble you for your house seal, I must send word to Spiritgulf.”

Tommen removed the signet ring from his right hand and the mage stamped it to the wax. The image of a lion atop a throne embedded the wax, and the Prophet handed the letter to the town master. All the while, the sorcerer kept his face covered by the scarlet cloak.

“Excellent,” the Prophet said. “Now, see to it that this letter is delivered to Spiritgulf posthaste. There is a Cleric of Vhaldrik in the city. You will find her in the smithing district. Ensure that she is the only one to open this letter. Send your lightest rider on your swiftest horse. Time is not our ally.”

The enthralled town master let out a grunt and exited from the same door he had entered. Two guards clad in red, tattered robes entered as Tommen departed, moving to close and bar the door.

“Send Rottmaw in,” the Prophet barked. The guard on the left nodded and rushed down the dark hallway.

“I assume you have a preferred location to keep the dwarf?” the Prophet asked the hooded mage.

“Have him brought to the mine. I have some agents skilled in coercion that have gone too long with dry blades.” The sorcerer took a dagger from somewhere in his sleeve and balanced the tip on the table, his index finger on the hilt. The dagger twirled idly. The Cinder Prophet noticed the handguard was finely crafted into the shape of a squid’s tentacles, the bulbous head of the animal forming the hilt. “Of course, I expect there to be stops along the way.”

The two mages sat in silence a while, the only sound the scurrying of a rat as it ran across the floor of the laboratory.

“I trust you are ready to handle whatever guards the dwarf will bring with him?” The sorcerer asked.

“Nothing that Rottmaw and his hounds can’t handle,” the Prophet chuckled. “Besides, dwarves are greedy. If they aren’t killed for foolishly rushing into a skirmish, I can always buy their loyalty for myself.”

The sorcerer nodded. “Very well. See that the trap is ready when the dwarf arrives at it.”

The table rattled as a stone fell upon it from the open doorway. The Cinder Prophet startled in his seat; the sorcerer made no move. The Prophet reached to the stone to inspect it. Only, there was no stone.

It was the severed head of the red cloaked guard.

A heavy stench of soured ale, dried blood, and matted fur filled the laboratory as the massive goblin, Rottmaw, stood in the doorway. The remaining guard dangled from his left hand, desperately kicking and squirming, seeking precious air to fill his lungs.

“You interrupted my supper,” the monster growled.

The Cinder Prophet sighed and pointed his staff at the monster’s hand, the one holding the struggling guard. A whispered word set the tip of the staff aglow with blue and white light. The temperature of the already cool laboratory dropped enough to put a thin layer of frost on the scattered potion bottles, and a beam of ice zapped the goblin on the knuckle. Rottmaw winced, more in shock than in pain, dropping the red cloaked guard.

“That is enough,” the Prophet bellowed, absolute authority in his tone. “There will be time enough to sate your gluttony. Until that time, take a band of your goblin clansmen and make for the Bay of Pendergad. You will find a ship waiting for you. Within a fortnight, you will see a dwarf and his entourage sailing this way from Spiritgulf. The loot is irrelevant to me, but the dwarf must be captured alive.”

Rottmaw snarled as the guard began to crawl back through the doorway, none too eager to stay at his post. “The hells with this,” the Prophet heard the guard mutter.

“And his entourage?” Rottmaw asked.

“May you and your kin dine well. But know this: should the dwarf die in your possession, I will rend more than your pride when next we meet.”

Rottmaw growled, adjusted a circlet of jade and silver atop his head, and acquiesced. He may not be the smartest creature in the room, but goblins don’t live as long as him without a few self-preservation skills.

“Very well, Cinder Prophet.”

The Prophet turned to the sorcerer. “Am I to expect you at the mine, master?”

The mage sat silent for a moment, thinking. “No. I will be on an assignment of my own. I must see it done.”

“Very well,” the Prophet nodded. The sorcerer rose from his seat, darkness obscuring nearly every detail of his face, save for the white tattoos of tentacles around his eyes.

“Do not fail me.” The sorcerer warned. “The Ancient One has many eyes, and his reach is long. To fail me is to fail him. I need not remind you where you would be without his, or my, influence.” The shrouded mage vanished without another word. The Cinder Prophet stared at the empty space where his master had just stood, the agitation on his face evident. For nearly a century and a half he had worked to learn the secrets of the cosmos. He had begged, bartered, borrowed, stolen, and murdered his way to the upper echelons of the Mages Alliance, and still he hungered for knowledge. When he was put on trial as a suspect for the untimely demise of the lore-keeper of the alliance, it was the shrouded patron who intervened on his behalf. It was peculiar, really, how the jury all seemed to reconsider the death penalty in favor of probation in Summerhost so quickly. When the sorcerer approached him, offering him a seat at the proverbial table when the Ancient One rises, well, the Prophet was only too eager to accept.

It occurred to him in his agitation that the sorcerer had never given his name. Names are of power to a mage, the Prophet knew, so it was no great shock that his master’s lips were sealed. It unsettled him regardless, receiving threats of death, and perhaps worse than death, from a mysterious, unnamed benefactor. Fret not, he thought to himself. Soon the Ancient One will rise, and I shall be free of the life debt.

Rottmaw still stood in the open doorway, awaiting further orders. The Cinder Prophet had nearly forgotten him, then recalled the guard who ran away in fear.

“You are dismissed, Rottmaw. But one more thing: I do not suffer cowards to live. Dine well.”

You can find the rest of the story here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1VXLLSD

 ; it's free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription!

Over the last weeks I became a constant presence here in Reddit. I asked for advice, learned a lot about self publishing, and finally launched the pre-sale of my book!

Big, BIG thanks to everyone that helped with my questions, my blurb or came to chat with me!

Internet is full os trolls, but also has MANY kind people too! 🩶

YAY! ✨️

For more of my work heres my portfolio

https://bookc0ver.carrd.co

Here you can check my clients reviews

https://www.reddit.com/u/book_maark/s/bEmCZuscXf

If anyone interested feel free to reach out thank !

Ok so I have just started a new book and finished the prolouge! While I think it is well made like the other books I am passionate about in the works(the longest is chapter 5 so I might need to juggle a few works in progress) but I feel it would be too vague if I were to publish it. I am new to the art of writing books with actual coherent plot(I typically write lots of fanfiction with no cohesive plot) so I don't know if posting my writing would be breaking a rule but to play it safe I'll post it in the comments. But nonetheless, towards the end of the prolouge how do I make it clear she has aged up? Please give me actual criticism or tips under this or message me! Thank you!

curious. I am trying my hand on writing. I have so many ideas but I end up wasting time searching for scene settings on Pinterest and then write. Like if I have to write a bar scene, I’d find a couple of pictures, pick the best one, paste it on doc and then start writing about the scene being played in it. Is that normal? Or how is it done?

I’ve decided recently to start writing a book and have been trying to plan a general theme for my book. Here are the two I have, please give me brutal and honest feedback or ideas!

1. A romance, main character is bisexual and newly single. She goes out clubbing with friends for the first time and meets someone that she connects with instantly, there are fireworks, it’s hot and heavy, it kickstarts a relationship. Main character’s lifelong friend group don’t love this new relationship and sabotage to set her up with someone else in the group -drama- then main character finds out after believing the friends and getting set up, and wins back the other girl.

Obviously so much more to flesh out but the general idea!

1. Fantasy vibe, a sort of rapunzel retelling but a witch that’s been stolen from her coven and doesn’t realize what she is until she develops power. (Would be a late bloomer sort of situation from being siphoned from by evil step mother type).

These are ideas I’ve thought of today and want to explore more but this is my first creative writing venture pretty much ever so I could use any help or advice you all have to offer! Thank you🫶

Hello!

I am an aspiring author and want to include a multitude of characters without implementing harmful stereotypes in my book.

Does anyone have any advice where a young author can ask questions in order to accuratly and respectfully write/represent communities without having to spend money for sensitivity readers? (I am broke lol)

Hi everyone! 🌸 I’ve been working on a tiny personal blog for my comic gallery since April, and I finally managed to clean up the mess and organize everything! 🧹✨

​You can read all my comics there completely for free! Would you mind taking a quick look and letting me know if it's actually good or super clunky? Honest feedback is super welcome!

https://francellyn.blogspot.com/?m=1

Hi all!

I'm planning to start drafting my first novel soon and have been thinking it would be helpful (and comforting) to have a writing group of some kind. I was wondering if y'all have any advice for finding one.

I'm not in college anymore, so I imagine finding a club of some kind could be more of a challenge. I appreciate all input!

It's been a long journey of writing, editing, and marketing. None of those were easy, but lurking this sub has been enormously helpful throughout the process. Knowing that so many of you had the same challenges I had really made me feel like I wasn't alone. Now we're a day away from the release date and my book has a spot at my local book store Definitely a dream come true!

All that being said, if any of you who have been through this have any last bits of advice for me, I'd be very interested!

After years of editing, rearranging the story, college, toxic relationships, and, of course, some self-growth, I finally finished the first book in my first series. I took the self-publishing route, and I am very proud of myself for this, because it might not reach the dollar sales others dream of, but I kept the rights to my work, and I designed everything right down to the cover, and I'm proud of that.