Here we are, two days away from submitting The Last Kinmark to Amazon and less than a week from it being available for purchase. I should be spending every moment I have promoting like there's no tomorrow, pushing as many eyeballs to my sample chapters as I can. And I am. I'm doing my best to be all over the Internet searching for readers of the fantasy genre and anyone else that might be interested. I want every person in the world to read my first book. I really do. But more than that, I want every person who reads my first book to want to read my second book.
That's the biggest reason I've made the first twelve chapters of the book available on here for free. Sure, it's gotten me lots of clicks and a bit of exposure, and that's all very helpful. But it's also given you the chance to test out my writing. I hope you've taken advantage of that opportunity. The first six chapters will always be on here, but chapters seven through twelve have to come down Saturday when the book gets submitted. I really do think the entire sample of twelve gives you a broad view of my writing. You should be able to decide from those chapters whether this journey is for you.
However, I have a fear to share with you. I'm afraid of people buying my book and feeling "duped" once they do so. Why do I have this fear? I'd still be getting paid for the person buying my book, right? Yeah, I would. But I wouldn't feel good about it. I also wouldn't enjoy the subsequent poor reviews I'd receive from those people on Amazon. By the way, if you do end up reading my book and enjoying it, please leave a review saying so on Amazon. It truly will be the single most important factor for other people thinking about giving it a shot.
But back to my fear itself, it has nothing to do with the quality going forward. In fact, when I reread the book it doesn't even really grab me until chapter twenty or so. I strongly believe my writing progressed as I went along and only improves from what you've read so far. My fear also has nothing to do with quantity. There's a ton of material remaining beyond these first twelve chapters. The Last Kinmark is sixty-six chapters long. The Guilt of the Innocent is ninety-two chapters long. There are two more books in The Kinmark Saga that haven't even been written yet. The samples on this site are only a small part of the book they're in and an even smaller part of the continuing story.
No, my fear has to do with the content. If you read through chapter twelve, this shouldn't be a problem. You already know that things get more mature than they first appear. Not every character in this saga is a sheltered prince. Some of them are mercenaries, and some of them are criminals. And they speak as such. As odd a thing as this may seem for a fantasy author to say, I demand realism from my writing. I refuse to write a low-life thug who talks like a preacher. So, I just want you all to know before you buy my book that there is a fair amount of swearing. It's not egregious. It's far less than what you'll find in many popular books, on HBO, or in the majority of R-rated movies. But it is there, and I wanted you to be aware.
Generally, there are two other areas people discuss when it comes to mature content, sex and violence. As to sex scenes, to the extent that they exist in my books, they're solely of the "fade to black" variety. You'll know it's about to happen; you'll see what leads up to it; but you won't get the details of the act itself. I'm not trying to write erotica after all.
Violence, however, is another matter altogether. Not every battle scene will be as distant as the one in chapter eleven. My characters do get their hands dirty, and their lives are in danger. I want you to be able to feel the raw emotion of those moments. I want to make it as real as possible, and I've tried to do just that. Heads will roll. Blood will be spilled. Need I say more?
I really do hope you'll all buy, read, and love my book. I tried to write it in a way to ensure broad appeal. But there's only so much I can do without sacrificing the story itself and the characters who bring it to life. And that's a sacrifice I refuse to make. I trust you'll understand.
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