I made a marketing decision that forced me to do some extra work, but I think it’ll be worth it. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway! I’ve also reconsidered my next titles and some of the themes, but again, I think it’s going to be worth it. We’ll see what you think! Finally, I’ve been ruminating on something Chris Fox said about his marketing plans for this year. I’m not sure, but I might understand something a little more. And, as I seem to have been asking for a log while, have I started writing again? Let’s take a look at the key performance indicators first.
Last Week’s Progress By the Numbers
Still no new words written. But I’m closer than ever! Probably.
Last week, I set finishing half of the plotting for the first book as one of my goals. I felt like I was getting close to understanding at least one of the arcs, so it felt like it was a good stretch goal. I didn’t hit it.
Instead, I decided to challenge myself. I wanted to apply what I think I’ve learned about plotting and point of view (POV) characters. I didn’t want to go with the first or second idea that came to me. Forcing myself to think more carefully, I wanted to pick characters that would not only correctly present my themes and be interesting in and of themselves. I wanted them to be appealing. I want readers to root for them.
For the first book, I plan to feature Leah Flores, Trent Conrad (Leah’s older brother), and Lincoln Taylor. We first met Taylor in Dreams of Deucalion Book 1: Special Recon. He was a Grenadier, Private 2nd Class (E-2), who was called a Delta Force special operator but was really regular Army. That’s going to play a role as he works through the implications to his pride.
Thinking that through delayed my plotting. But it’s going to improve the final product, so I’m cool with investing a little time right now!
Reconsidering the Titles
Not only did I spend more time on character selection, I reconsidered the titles. I wanted a series title that was stunningly easy. I wanted individual titles that were a little more evocative. In other words, I wanted to bring all my experience to bear, just like I did with the POV character selection.
So, as of right now and pending further consideration, here’s what I have:
- Series title: The Fissure Kings
- Book 1: Semele’s Lament: TransStell has to prop up the California Republic despite the desire of some to make TransStell pay while Flores has to survive the the collapse
- Book 2: Thyone’s Ascension: TransStell helps the California Republic rebuild and prepares for the Fissure Wars while Flores builds a new recruitment network on Earth
- Book 3: Rise of Persephone: TransStell has to redirect Janczak while the first recruitment efforts near collapse
I like the progression here. In Greek mythology, Semele was the human who became the goddess Thyone, so those titles tie into Leah’s struggle as a thematic stand-in for the goddess. I’m happy that Jadwiga Janczak is making a comeback, because I really liked her as a villain, and this gives me a chance to either make her even more villainous or redeem her. Or both, as the series goes on.
I enjoy building out the details behind the books. Most of it won’t be in the story, at least directly. But it influences how the characters think. It informs their assumptions.
I feel better about this version of the titles. They seem to align with my genre, and they are currently untaken.
Now, maybe, I can start plotting!
New Ad for Dreams of Deucalion
I decided that I likely have marketed The Sword of Sirius enough for now, so I turned my attention to Dreams of Deucalion. If you remember, I botched the launch. So of course, I don’t have as many reviews for that series. Even after trying to recover, I hadn’t really gotten my brain around how to market it.
I decided I neededto better set and manage reader expectations. So, I did for this series what I did for Evolution’s Hand: I changed the chapter titles so each includes the POV character name. I modified the blurb to include pitches for each of the three characters, which includes their names. Since I recently became aware that some military sci-fi readers are not comfortable with female POVs, I wanted to help them decide not to read my stuff up front, before they leave a negative review.
I also tried hard to word-smith the headline for my Facebook ad, and I spent a lot more time thinking through setting up the audience. The ad has only been live a few days, but it’s been producing well. It’s too early to analyze read-through, but there is one positive indication. Early readers bought all three books at once. Fingers crossed that’s a trend.
However, the more I work with Facebook and Amazon ads, the more I think I’ve missed something. Let’s talk about what that might be.
Chris Fox and Pod Casts
In a recent video, Chris Fox mentioned he planned to be on several hundred podcasts in 2026. To be honest, I didn’t know there were that many relevant podcasts, but my wife (who is knowledgable about such things) assured me that yes, there were.
Intellectually, I know that awareness campaigns like that don’t directly sell product. They help potential readers recognize the writer’s name, which is their brand. Okay. Put that idea aside for a moment.
As I watched my new ad perform, I contemplated read-through. Pricing the first book at $0.99 moves more copies, but with a fewer book-one-to-two conversions. I considered how I can’t emulate trad press writers for presentation or marketing because they’re partly banking on their reputation and the marketing might (if they’re lucky!) of their publisher. And then it hit me.
Chris Fox is going on podcasts to raise awareness of his brand as a writer. Yes, I know I just said that a couple paragraphs ago. But it’s in the context of preparing readers to see one of his ads, click on it, and experience less resistance to clicking “Buy now.”
All the dots connected. I didn’t just have a conclusion. I had a conclusion supported by a chain of facts. In other words, it’s like intellectually understanding something versus intellectually understanding something in context.
I need to raise awareness of my brand. There’s too much resistance to buying because of that lack. I know my product isn’t terrible, because there are people who liked reading my book. I need to find more of them, and then get my books in front of them.
Yes, that’s obvious. But every time I learn a little more, I can reinforce and/or deepen my understanding. I have known I need to up my marketing game. This understanding underscores that and adds urgency. I’ve been at this for years, now. I’m not seeing the results I need. I want to provide for my family after I die. Not saying that’s anytime soon. But I am saying I have no idea how much time I have, and every moment I’m not succeeding, I’m not building a base of readers who will buy my next books.
Honestly, it’s getting hard to write around the frustration of not understanding this. I’m just making excuses, I fear, but having a primary job, a family situation that takes as much time as a primary job, an anime site, and my novel writing efforts are spreading my energies too thin.
I’m going to reduce the number of posts for my anime site this season. I’ll invest any time I save into getting ahead of this marketing stuff. Plus, I don’t want to lose sight of my main goal, which is to write more books. I can’t sell what I don’t write. And all the while, I’ll keep trying to figure out how to get more done.
Progress Against Last Week’s Goals
Here’s how I did against last week’s goals:
- Write drafts of the Amazon blurb and Facebook ad for Semele’s Lament: Started! I wrote the elevator pitches for all three books.
- Complete at least half the plot for Semele’s Lament: Not done! I spent time building out sets and deepening my insights into the characters.
- Take delivery of the beta reader’s feedback for Wayland’s Hammer Book 2: Resistance Movement: Done! The beta reader didn’t identify any major changes that need to be made.
- Incorporate the beta reader’s feedback for Resistance Movement: Not done!
- If it’s really ready, release my next newsletter with a link to the Early Colonial Worlds: Done! At last, I polished the final draft and got it into the hands of my newsletter readers.
- Create the April Facebook ad (either for The Sword of Sirius Book 1: Red Flag Warning or Dreams of Deucalion Book 1: Special Recon): Done!
Goals for the Week in Progress Report 2026 Week 14
Here’s what I hope to accomplish:
- Finish deepening my understanding of the POV characters’ starting points
- Write drafts of the Amazon blurb and Facebook ad for Semele’s Lament
- Complete at least half the plot for Semele’s Lament
- Incorporate the beta reader’s feedback for Resistance Movement
- Solicit alpha readers for Wayland’s Hammer Book 3: Lines of Operation
- Monitor the performance of the Dreams of Deucalion ad
What Do You Think?
What kinds of indirect marketing/selling or brand awareness activities do you invest in? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!
