A few burrs to sand down (edit out) still, but first beta reader is 15% in and liking the pacing. Still working on book two additions while monitoring reactions to book one sixth draft... Fun times.
I'll be adding a Glossary in the back this time as I'm also going for non-LitRPG gamers and lovers of fantasy... Here's what I have so far. I need to finish it... ()xxxx[:::: Glossary ::::> 1dx - Random number between 1 and x. For example, 1d4 would be one to four damage, and 1d20 would be a number between one and twenty. AC - Armor Class - This is a way to show how well armored a player or creature/monster/mob is in the game. 0 = Naked. 100+ = Very Well Armored. Currency - The currency system on this level of the Tower of Gates series is as follows. 1 Platinum Piece (pp) = 20 Gold Pieces (gp) 1 Gold Piece (gp) = 20 Silver Pieces (sp) 1 Silver Piece (sp) = 20 Bronze Pieces (bp) 1 Bronze Piece (bp) = 50 Copper Pieces (cp) DPS - Damage Per Second Experience Points - Numerical representation of progression through various levels. Health Points - Stats / Statistics - Strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, charisma and constitution are the basic statistics of a character. A score of 1 in any stat is considered very low while a score of 100 (or more) is god-like. Levels - Numerical representation of progression. For example, a level one character is very new and inexperienced. As they gain xp (experience points), they gain in level and become more powerful. Mana / Magic Points - Mindspeak / Mindspeech - Telepathic communication between characters. Signified in this novel with… /::/ Can you hear me, /::/ I asked. NPC - Non-Player characters in Tower of Gates might be controlled by the AI or players that were killed in the game. PK - Player Killer - A character who kills other players for one reason or another. PvP - Player vs Player - a mode of gameplay where players can attack each other. XP - (See Experience Points.)
A few MORE inconsistencies and stat goof-ups to sand down. Came up with a great idea for the series recently too. It's coming along well, I'd say. ARCs soon-ish. Those will be offered to everyone on my personal newsletter --> http://paulbellow.com/newsletter Tanks, everyone.
I'm seriously considering splitting book one (140k words currently) into 2 books. It cuts kinda wonderfully right in the middle anyway. I'd end up with two 70k novels. This would keep the books at 70k to 90k each and not be such a commitment for those new to the series. The new first half of book one has a pretty huge reveal that should've been there all along. Shouldn't be too much work to split it. Went over the whole 12 book arc again last night to make sure it would fit that way. With such a long series, I'm consciously thinking about keeping it fresh while also familiar. With release dates something like... Some possible cover art for the others?
What do you think of splitting it into two books at the chapter 24 mark, @Conor Kostick and @Ian Mitchell ? Thanks.
Halfway through the new book one again. Added a short scene to show instead of tell. Mostly working on characters on this pass, building the team ...
Thanks for the beta reader feedback, @Conor Kostick. And the great feedback from @CheshirePhoenix . The ideas will make the book/series stronger.
I'll have final ARC copies ready in a fortnight +/- a day or four. Deadlines, eh? I have a publishing schedule mapped out for next 10 months. I need to follow it closely. Culminates with the last trilogy of the first series out for Kindlemas 2018/2019 - ie December 15th - February 15th or so... If I were baking a cake, I'd be at the bit on this first book where you fix the frosting and make it look super-special. Heh. I'm losing my mind. I'll have an official book bible for the entire series soon too. This will help me avoid continuity errors and non-canon shit. Hopefully. Overall, I'm optimistic. I'm five books ahead of myself, so I should be able to keep up a solid pace without too much burnout. Having most of the series planned out already helps. At least I know the last book - ESCAPE. If I'm honest, I'm also nervous. I put a ton of work into this re-launch, but it could still flop. The series must be told. I've had the basic premise for this since my tween years. Funny story there. Anyway, I'm taking a quick break and thought I'd update everyone. I plan to transform into a PULP BEAST for the next six months. Are you ready? More importantly, am I?
I'm looking to publish books one and two of the main series on May 1, 2018. It's happening. No more dragging my heels. I'm entering the market again with a bang.
This will be sent the final (second) editor next week for final cleaning and formatting. I'll also be sending book 2 as they're launching on the same day. Feeling a lot better about this particular book (the start of the series), and the whole saga in general. We shall see. The time is almost here...
Oh, I decided to finally start reading everyone's work and started with Goblin! I guess I'll have much more to read later on haha
Yeah, hopefully you'll see a vast improvement from Goblin to Hack. I need to go ahead and take the former down. Soon. Time is moving so quickly.
