Progress Report 2025 Week 43

When I decided to focus on one major task at a time, I expected the benefit of making better progress on that task. But that approach seems to have another benefit as well. As I continue my work on producing the audiobook version of The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning, I’m giving thought to what’s next. So: what’s does come next? Before we get into those, let’s look at the key performance indicators.

Last Week’s Progress By the Numbers

I’ve gotten into an audio editing groove. Focus is helping!

I’m sure I’m still not using Adobe Audition in the most efficient way, but I’ve gotten into a groove. I can usually crank through two chapters in about two and a half hours. My goal this week was to get through ten chapters; I got through twelve. That leaves six chapters. Barring a string of Real Life Family Events (RLFEs) — and there’s early indication there may be a few this week — I ought to be able to wrap up the first pass.

I’m going to work with the narrator, Summer Foovay, to re-record a few passages. It’s just a few minutes of audio. Then, I’ll splice those changes into the originals, run all the chapters through Adobe Podcast, then figure out how to submit it to ACX.

I’ll finalize plans after I confirm it’s uploaded and available, but I intend to kick off a new marketing campaign for The Sword of Sirius. I want to get as much feedback on the audiobook as I can, and that includes getting reviews.

It’s funny. I’ve seen some people say an audiobook isn’t needed; I’ve had others say without it, a series is doomed. I’ve seen some writers say an audiobook revived interest in an older series. Others said it made no difference, or that the audiobook should be available as soon as the ebook is published. I want to gather data so I can see the effects for myself, on my books, in the context of my readers. I think that’s the only way for me to decide and have any confidence in my decision.

Data’s good.

An Unexpected Bonus of Focusing on a Single Major Task

I don’t have a lot of time to think as I’m editing audio. I’ve got my Anker Soundcore Space Q45 headphones on (affiliate link — they’re really great noise-cancelling headphones!), I’m using my keyboard and trackpad to delete background noises or changes in cadence. A twenty-five hundred word chapter takes around an hour, and for that hour, I have to completely focus.

I’ll be honest: by the end of two chapters, I’m tired. But it’s not just tired. My mind’s pretty clear, too. Since I’ve decided not to try to work on something else, I’ve had time to think. I’ve used that time over the last week to consider my marketing.

I published Evolution’s Hand Book 1: Executive Action on June 1, 2022. That’s more than three years ago. I’ve sold more books than I feared, and fewer books than I’d hoped. I’ve gotten some good review and some not so good reviews, which is pretty much par for the course no matter who the writer is. But what sticks with me isn’t the one star ratings. I mean, Vernor Vinge’s novel A Fire Upon The Deep (affiliate link) won the Hugo in 1993. And he still got 1 star ratings and vicious reviews.

It’s a great book, too. I’m listening to the audiobook now. I can absolutely see why it won the Hugo.

Where am I going with this? I need to get my books in front of readers who will like them. My Amazon ads are working to an extent. Same thing with my Facebook ads. But either I’m not spending enough, or I’m missing some opportunity. Or concept. Because I’m just not building momentum.

What I’ve thought about this week is how to draw attention to my work. I’ve been thinking about the fan-building ideas Johnny B. Truant talked about in The Artisan Author (affiliate link). I like how Mr. Truant focuses on building relationships instead of selling. I’m not a salesman. But I might be a fellow fan of a given author or genre.

What’s going to come of that? I’ve started participating in some Facebook sci-fi reader groups, not as a writer, but as a reader. I’m not going to try to sell anything. I’m just going to talk about cool sci-fi with other readers and fans. It’s fun and a rejuvenating. It’ll help me stay on top of trends, or at least be aware of them. It won’t result in any direct sales. But it’s at least a contribution to the community.

I have some other ideas I’m kicking around. I doubt I’ll try a Kickstarter, at least right now. But having time to think is important. Yeah, I know that’s obvious. But I have a tendency to get hyper-focused, and the last few months have tried hard to teach me to avoid that.

Progress Against Last Week’s Goals

Here’s how I did against last week’s goals:

1. Produce ten audiobook chapters for The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning (should take me up to chapter thirty-six): Done! I actually finished to chapter thirty-eight.
2. Take delivery of the first revision to the new cover for Evolution’s Hand Book 1: Executive Action. Done! Miblart produced another cover I love. I used some of Chris Fox’s ideas to request how the cover looks when reduced to the size of an Amazon listing, and I’m hoping it will help rejuvenate sales of Evolution’s Hand. It’ll be at least March 2026 before I finish re-skinning all six books.
3. Monitor the Facebook ad for Dreams of Deucalion. Ongoing! I continue to see sales and Kindle Unlimited reads.
4. Investigate Discover Sci-Fi as a potential promotion source for Dreams of Deucalion. Done-ish! I sent an e-mail on Monday, and they said they respond within three business days. But I haven’t heard anything.

Goals for the Week in Progress Report 2025 Week 43

Here’s what I hope to accomplish this week:

1. Finish the first pass of The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning’s audiobook version.
2. Work with Summer Foovay to finalize recordings.
3. Investigate how I asked Discover Sci-Fi about their program. Make sure I don’t have a spam filter or something.
4. Monitor the Facebook ad for Dreams of Deucalion.
5. Research the technical requirements for uploading audiobooks to ACX.

What Do You Think?

Where do you interact with readers? Facebook? Reddit? Somewhere else? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!