Haley Plans (and Book 3 link)
Here's the link for Book 3, if you want to preorder the ebook or pick up the hardcover/softcover editions that I set up this weekend: https://books2read.com/haleylitrpg3
I'm planning three more Haley books with a possible short side adventure as a top-off. At that point, I'll consider the story arc done (and it'll be 90,000+ words at that point... a respectable length!). I'm not sure if I'll keep writing LitRPG, but having a completed series will (hopefully!) give me enough data to see if it's worth doing another Haley arc, or even a full-length novel in the subgenre. I have some ideas for a milfantasy limited episodic series that I'm playing with now, and I might move on to that.
This is the first time I've tried the 'publish every month' Amazon KU hamster wheel. I have about two weeks to write the story, a week to edit and do art, and then another week to format the ebook and both print editions, and by then I'm back to writing again. It keeps you busy, certainly, but 3/4 of your time is spent on the production process, so if you're not a practiced writer you're toast. There's no time for 'oops, I set that scene up wrong,' or 'oh, I should have explored that idea instead': you have to produce a clean draft the first time out, or be resigned to being late. Unless, of course, you have a backlog: but unless you write quickly or have a definite end to the series planned, you'll outrun your backlog and then you're back to the hamster wheel.
So far, it's not a great way to make money, but the beginning of a series is never good money, and it's not worth it to advertise until you've got at least three books to talk about. I'll probably start marketing efforts in November/December.
On the bright side, feedback is quick. Every month, you've got something new for people to talk about, and because Amazon is counting pages instead of individual unit sales, the numbers go up fast and that can be a lot of fun to watch.
Basic takeaway: I wouldn't want to do it with full-length novels this way, and I wouldn't want to be committed to it indefinitely, but it works for me right now and I'm having fun with the experiment. I hope you're having fun too: these stories are meant to amuse, and not overstay their welcome.
But yes, pick up Episode 3 if you're enjoying them, and look for Haley and Nana's Best House in November. We've got Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's to celebrate!
