The New Year Update - 01/01/2025
Well met and a happy new year to you all!
In this post, I’d like to update you on where The Cryomancer series stands, and what I’ll be working on over 2025.
Since its release on October 25, Echoes Beyond the Forest has sold a combined total of 38 books! A huge thanks to those who purchased it, and while it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the sales I need to be a full-time author, I am overjoyed that far more than my immediate friends and family have been able to read my work.
What I’m looking for now with Echoes is more reviews. To that, I will be making a greater effort with ARC review sites once the book’s Kindle Unlimited exclusivity deal ends, in the hope that I can get a wider array of feedback on Goodreads and Amazon before I release the second book in the series (more on that later).
My efforts on social media over the past few months have been a mixed bag. I gave up on Instagram and Facebook because they provide absolutely no reach without spending money, and I’m awful at ‘networking’ because it’s not, and never has been me. TikTok has been more successful, although for the time and effort I put in, the gain doesn’t seem to have been worth it, but I don’t regret it as I feel like I learned a lot making over 30 posts.
Going forwards, I will pause on TikTok and trial a YouTube series where I read passages from my novel and then talk about it, going into ‘behind the scenes’ details such as author intent, scrapped ideas, criticism, etc. I hope that talking passionately about my work will be entertaining in its own right, and will have the secondary effect of promoting my book to a wider audience. I plan to record the first few episodes in February, work out the kinks, then release the videos towards the end of that month if I’m happy with them.
Now to talk about the second book in The Cryomancer series! (Title to be revealed eventually) I am halfway through a comprehensive editing pass on the completed manuscript, which I aim to have done by the end of January. It’s a slow process due to it having many of the writing weaknesses that plagued the first book until it received a copy edit (this manuscript was completed right before the first book copy edit). Now I’m able to apply the lessons I learned from said copy edit, the book will be in a fantastic state come February, and I am very confident this novel is better than the first book in every way; the emotional highs are higher, the lows are lower, there is even more action and excitement, the presence of a villain is stronger, and the twists are sure to surprise readers. I could go on raving about this book, but I’ll leave it there, except to say that I aim to release the book in October/November, 2025.
So besides social media/ marketing efforts and editing a book, what else am I doing? Writing the third book in the series! I can’t give any details yet, except that I have written two chapters, the third is outlined, and I am incredibly hyped for the novel’s story as a whole. Turning the outline into a detailed plot, problem-solving ideas, and carving arcs is up there with my favourite elements of being an author.
On top of all the authory things I have going on, I will have a very busy personal life, involving 3 weddings, 2 trips to England, and 1 case of moving house. So, all in all, it’s going to be a crazy 2025.
Thanks for reading,
Jack R. Waite.
