Happy Holidays - Status of the Chronicles (Updated)

I sincerely hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season, regardless of which holiday you celebrate.  Christmas 2016 is almost in the rearview mirror and I thought it might be a good time to reflect on just where I'm at in this series.  I posted a blog over a year ago and have been periodically editing it (with a link in the discussion forum).  I thought it was time to reproduce it in a blog and preface it with some commentary.

For those who aren't familiar with the origins or this tale, let's just say that the Verdan Chronicles has been bouncing around in my head for over thirty years.  About eight or nine years ago I decided that before my life ends I really wanted to see the story on paper and see how it all plays it.  And so I spent seven years writing nine books and through my son I toyed with self-publishing them so that I (and a few friends) could experience them first hand.

That part of the journey ended almost two years ago and since them I've been focused on doing the best job I can self-publishing and then seeing if there is any interest from others in reading them.  So, here's where I'm at.

• All nine books have gone through another 2-3 rounds of editing.  I'm sort of at the point where some edits are actually making the books worse rather than better.  I've at least temporarily plateaued as an author.
• The first six books are completely published and available through all major online book retailers (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc).
• The seventh book should be available within the next few weeks.
• The eighth and ninth books will be published in 2017.  I already have a cover for the eighth book and Amy will like start on the ninth after the first of the year.
• Outside of an email blitz after the first book was published, I've made no marketing efforts.  So how many books are 'out there'.  Through almost exclusive interest by friends I've sold 37 books and have given away another 28 to potential readers (so I guess that's 65).
• My first real marketing effort will be a Giveaway of the first book through Goodreads.  I expect that to occur in January and we'll see how that goes.
• My interest in writing has not waned with the completion of the nine book saga, nor did I feel I had exhausted all that Verdan has to offer.  As a result, I did start writing again this past summer (after 1 1/2 year hiatus) and have the first two chapters for a volume 10 complete.  Whether they are ever published will depend upon my financial situation at the end of 2017.

So there's the commentary.  Below are the details.

The Fourth Age

• Publish start 11/20/2014
• Publish complete 1/15/2015
• Days to Publish 56
• Duration of Author Effort - 16 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 40 days
• Goodreads Offer
  • Ordered on 10/7
  • Returned questionnaire on 10/10
  • Marketing draft received on 10/20 for wrong book (Volume 3).  Lulu Error
  • Process restarted on 12/15.
  • Rereturned questionnaire on 12/15
  • Marketing draft received on 1/2 and approved.  
  • Campaign launched on 1/20
  • 2/18 update - 853 entered giveaway, 289 added book to "to read" list
  • Campaign scheduled to end on 2/18 at 11:59pm
• Amazon Kindle Offer
  • Started on 2/16
  • 2/18 update - 336 entries
  • Campaign scheduled to end on 2/26 at 11:59pm

Dark Passages

• Publish start 2/10/2015
• Publish complete 4/23/2015
• Days to Publish 72
• Duration of Author Effort - 30 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 42 days

Heroes of Bardoom

• Publish start 9/1/2015
• Publish complete 1/6/2016
• Days to Publish 117
• Duration of Author Effort - 12 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 115 days

Broken Circle

• Publish start 12/28/2015
• Publish complete 1/28/2016
• Days to Publish 31
• Duration of Author Effort - 10 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 21 days

Against All Gods

• Publish start 2/5/2016
• Publish complete 3/9/2016
• Days to Publish 33
• Duration of Author Effort - 15 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 18 days

Council's End

• Publish start 9/9/2016
• Publish complete 11/11/2016
• Days to Publish 68
• Duration of Author Effort - 16 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 52 days

Out of Time

• Publish start 11/14/2016
• Publish complete 1/13/2017
• Days to Publish 60
• Duration of Author Effort - 9 days
• Duration of Lulu Effort - 51 days
• eBook available at Retail sites - In progress

Blood and Magic

• Final Draft - Complete
• Format and Review - Complete
• Final Edit and Review - Complete
• Cover Subject Agreed Upon - Complete
• Cover Illustration - Complete
• Submission to Lulu - Complete
• Content Evaluation - Complete
• Lulu Cover Design - In Progress
• Lulu Interior Design - In Progress
• Final Proofread and Corrections - Not Started
• Softcover published on Lulu - Not Started
• eBook formatted and published on Lulu - Not Started
• Softcover available at Retail sites - Not Started
• eBook available at Retail sites - Not Started

The Fifth Age

• Final Draft - Complete
• Format and Review - Complete
• Final Edit and Review - Complete
• Cover Subject Agreed Upon - Complete
• Cover Illustration - In progress (initial sketch done and approved, Amy working on color version)
• Submission to Lulu - Not Started  (target April 2017)
• Content Evaluation - Not Started
• Lulu Cover Design - Not Started
• Lulu Interior Design - Not Started
• Final Proofread and Corrections - Not Started
• Softcover published on Lulu - Not Started
• eBook formatted and published on Lulu - Not Started
• Softcover available at Retail sites - Not Started
• eBook available at Retail sites - Not Started

Whisper in the Universe (working title for volume 10)

• High level outline (identify main protagonists/antogonists and themes) - complete
• Complete initial draft - In Progress (8%)
• Complete second draft - Not Started
• Complete final draft - Not Started
• Complete format and final edits - Not Started
• Initial Publishing Effort - Not Started (estimated late 2017 to early 2018)

Last Updated on February 18, 2017