Things are progressing with my novel. My cover has been approved and the interior design is in its second round of revisions. Soon, I’ll be revealing the cover and title for all you interested folks and hope you’ll find it intriguing. Beyond the title and interior, one of the next steps in this process will be pricing, metadata and categories. Does it sound fascinating to you? Maybe not at first but it can be. These are factors that can influence how well your book may sell as they affect how easily readers can find your novel in the sea of available stories. They’re also things most of us, as readers, never think of when we go looking online for a book to read. Are you interested in books only within a certain price range? Or maybe you’ll pay a bit more if the genre is one you like. What words do you most often plug into a search engine to find those novels you like best? Did you realize how your past searches are affecting what books the algorithm presents for your viewing. Are you open to new writers but only if they’re not too expensive? Do you prefer a standalone novel over a series or vice versa? All of these factors pass through a budding novelist’s mind as they try to juggle how to find their place.

Some people may recognize my doodle of a “Mash-Up” character to demonstrate how writers sometimes combine tropes from different genres – like Science Fiction and Fantasy – to create an new and entertaining character and world for surprising storytelling. It’s a cool trend but it does make it a little more difficult when an author is trying to decide which category to have their book listed under. Maybe in your Sci-Fi/Fantasy you’ve included a mystery and a romance. Which of those genres guides how you choose to categorize your book? In my book, there’s mystery, there’s magic and paranormal activity as well as some coming-of-age and a romance between two supporting characters. All of this is also in a late 19th century setting. (Intrigued? I hope so.)

Oh, as for Lady Renalda Crosswise, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Pirate, Princess, Mage Detective – she does not make an appearance in my book. I can’t even imagine how I would categorize that story. Feel free to let me know how you would do so.

Some rules of interest for your book and mine: If you’ve packed some steamy romance into your story but the lovers do not end up together in the end – it’s not considered a Romance so don’t list that as your primary category. Apparently, a true Romance must have a HEA – Happily Ever After. Regarding my story’s historical setting, I observed similar books listed under “historical – fiction” primarily despite having a foundation of Fantasy. It may be that they found their book stands out and sells better in that category as opposed to straight-up fantasy. All things you want to consider when you reach the marketing stage for your book.

Taking another look at Mash-up characters, here’s Sir Travis Quantumstone Post-Apocalyptic Bounty Hunter Scientist Cyborg Mechanic. Maybe our sci-fi/fantasy mash-up centres around a heavy-duty romance between him and the amazing Lady Renalda – a sworn enemies-to-lovers theme. Do you categorize the story as primarily a romance or a science fiction or as a fantasy? Luckily, you can choose more than one category (there are limits depending on the platform) but your primary one is usually the one you feel it will fit in most organically and lead to more sales because readers into a novel like this would find you more easily. However, nothing leads to more poor reviews than sticking your novel under the wrong category and readers leaving one to two star reviews along the lines of “I thought I was buying a cool, science fiction adventure and I got a stupid romance!” Avoid that if at all possible.

I categorize my book as a paranormal historical fantasy. I mentioned there’s a bit of romance but it’s only with some supporting characters so that’s not the focus. There is plenty of adventure and action all with a supernatural twist …. But more on that later. Look here and in the newsletter for SillWill Studios for the cover reveal and more good news.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t take the time to mention young author Cynthia Brubaker whose novel, “Masquerade” is now out. If you like “Pretty Little Liars” or character-driven stories, give Cynthia’s book a read. Cynthia is the one that told me about Tellwell Talent, a company whose services help self-publishing authors achieve their goals. As always, be sure to leave a review on Amazon or your favourite platform. I’ll talk about the importance of reviews to authors in another blog.

Let me not forget to point out that our latest dragon in our Year of Dragons is the Celebration Dragon! Considering the amount of fireworks being set off this time of year, I was inspired to render an Asian dragon to coincide with the place of origin for said fireworks. Colourful, bright and filling the sky, this dragon will add vibrancy and energy to your festivities on any of the many, high quality products found in our Redbubble store. Check it out. And if you’re looking for some reading material thet’s ready to go and you know you love some fantasy adventure, pick-up our graphic novel trilogy The Sorcerer’s Children. If retro-science fiction is your thing, look no further than The Adventures of Astrodog. I hope you take the time to have fun this summer and I’ll be bringing you more news about my book. For even more up-to-date news look for SillWill Studios on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. We’d love to hear from you.