Changes on the Horizon

Greetings, all

I've got some news that some of you may find disappointing. However, I do hope you'll bear with me and try to understand my reasoning behind making this decision.

I'm temporarily placing development of the DarkRPG project on hold, while I focus on getting a new novel ready for publication ASAP.

The Reason for This

The reason for this is primarily financial. As I discussed in an earlier post, I'm having financial difficulties right now, and the measures I've taken so far attempting to address this have not paid off as well as I'd hoped.

Despite my best efforts at promotion, Traveler's Rede just isn't performing as well as I need it to. (I assume, due its very niche market appeal.) And It's also taking a lot longer than anticipated to get a playable early-access build of DarkRPG ready for market (largely due to the time-consuming production & integration of the art assets).

So, it's my belief that my best chance at getting more income flowing in is by putting out a new book--with a broader, more mass-market appeal--as quickly as possible.

What This Means

What this means is that for the past month I've been focused like a work-obsessed maniac on this new book; a sexy, ultra-violent tale of revenge set in a dark fantasy world. I'm looking to produce a fast-paced adventure novel that comes in at around 150-200 pages and provides an exhilarating, page-turning experience. (Kind of like the old Conan pulp novels, which I always loved.)

I've got the entire outline for the book drafted, and I've written rough outlines for every chapter from start to finish. I've also been producing drafts for some sexy, eye-catching cover art (which I think will be an essential ingredient in selling copies), and for the first time ever, I'm doing the cover art entirely myself. (This is both a cost-saving measure, as cover art can be costly to produce, but also a fun creative experiment for me, as I've always enjoyed doing art of various kinds.) You can even see a WIP example of the latest cover draft above.

Current State

The current state of the book is a rough draft (though written out from start to finish) and I'm now proceeding to fill in the details to create a proper first draft. I've also been researching and exploring new options for both publication and promotion, with an eye toward trying to make this book as successful as possible when it does come out. Because as much as I love just creating cool things, as a full-time creative now, it's also imperative for those cool things to result in sales (else it's back to the workplace grind with hardly any time left to create).

An Apology

I understand that most of you who follow me and subscribe here on Patreon do so because of my game development work. So, I also understand that this news may be disappointing to you. And for that, I do sincerely apologize. But just like everyone else, I've got to find ways to keep my head above water, and right now, this seems like the best way for me to keep swimming. So, I hope you'll understand that, stick around, and continue to show your amazing support.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for (hopefully) understanding. And I wish you all the best in your own efforts to keep afloat.

Max (Novus Operandi)