Introducing SULLIVAN'S REALM

Hello, all. If you check out my eBooks on Amazon, you'll see that a couple of them have a new subtitle referring to Sullivan's Realm. What is this?

The Sullivan Saga, comprising Sullivan's War, Sullivan's Wrath and the upcoming Sullivan's Watch, is not a series that exists in a vacuum. Early on I had established that "Sergeant Riley's Account" and "Sleep" also existed in this universe. In fact, "Sergeant Riley's Account" is something of a prologue to the Sullivan books, taking place on Rick Sullivan's home planet of Edaline.

I had long ago named this the Myriad Spheres Universe (hence the title of this blog) and had planned a series of novels and short stories that explored this universe. I would still like to do this, but I have decided to rename it Sullivan's Realm in recognition of the fact that The Sullivan Saga will likely be the entry point for many into this universe and will, for the foreseeable future, be the most involved story taking place in this universe.

Not all of the stories in Sullivan's Realm will be directly tied in with The Sullivan Saga beyond taking place in the same universe, but I am planning a few spin-off stories about secondary characters in the Sullivan books. Those that are unrelated will flesh out completely unexplored parts of this universe or else develop ideas, planets or events only briefly touched on in The Sullivan Saga.

I'd like to thank all of you who have read and enjoyed my stories set in Sullivan's Realm so far. If you haven't read any or have only read a few, below is a chronological reading order to get you started. New stories can take place before, during or after The Sullivan Saga, and whenever I release a new Sullivan's Realm story, I'll let you know where in the chronology it should be placed.

Wishing you all the best!

Michael K. Rose

A Sullivan's Realm Chronology

"Sergeant Riley's Account" - Available as a stand-alone eBook or in the collection Short Stories

"Sleep" - Available as a stand-alone eBook or in the collection Short Stories

Sullivan's War: Book One - All Good Men Serve the Devil

Sullivan's War: Book Two - A City Without Walls

Sullivan's War: Book Three - Edaline's Dawn

Sullivan's War: Omnibus Edition - Collects Books One, Two and Three 

Sullivan's Wrath

Sullivan's Watch - Coming Soon!
"My Kingdom for a Horse" - Coming Soon!

101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing -- 008: Aspiring Writers: Stop Aspiring!

I am writing this post for all you "aspiring" or "wannabe" writers out there. I see the phrase "aspiring writer" used by a lot of people who follow me on Twitter, and I know where you're coming from. I've been writing on and off for well over a decade now, but it wasn't until I stopped saying things like, "I'd like to be a writer someday" or, "I'd like to write a book someday" that I finally did it. It took an active change in perspective to go from, "Oh, I have this idea" to, "I wrote this book." I embraced the fact that I was a writer. No matter what else I did to earn a living, I was, and I will always be, a writer. I had to claim the title before anything could happen. Now, less than two years later, I have three novels and a short story collection published and at least two more projects in the works for release later this year.

So if you call yourself an "aspiring writer," what do you mean by that? Do you mean you're an aspiring writer because you have a day job? Most non-bestsellers do. Do you mean you're aspiring because you haven't been published yet? So what! That doesn't mean all the work you've put into your writing doesn't count. So if you have the words "aspiring writer" or "wannabe writer" anywhere on your Twitter or Facebook profiles or on your blog, remove the offending adjective.

Being a writer does not mean you are successful. It does not mean you are published. It doesn't even mean you've ever finished a novel. Being a writer means that you have stories to tell, and you are telling them. It means that you can't help but tell those stories. It means that you will finish that novel. It means you will hold a copy of it in your hands and know that it exists because of you. Don't let the word "aspiring" trick you into thinking that being a writer is something you will do in the future, that it is something that has not yet come to pass. Do it now. Be it now. You are a writer, and until you decide otherwise, nothing and no one can take that away from you.

***

If you're enjoying the series so far and would like a single page to bookmark, I'll be adding each of my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing here. Also be sure to subscribe by email (see the box in the sidebar) to be automatically notified about my new posts.

You might also be interested in my eBook, Building a Promotional Package: How to Prepare for Your Successful Book Launch. Details about it can be found here.

Best,

Michael K. Rose

Note: This article was previously posted here. I have updated and re-posted it so I could make it a part of my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing series.

Did you like this post? Tweet it! Just copy and paste the following to your Twitter account:

Check out the 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing series by @MichaelKRose! Pt. 8 - Aspiring Writers: Stop Aspiring! http://myriadspheres.blogspot.com/2013/06/101-thoughts-on-self-publishing-008.html

101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing -- 007: You Are Already a Success

This is for all the writers out there who've finished a book, maybe more than one, but feel like failures because of poor sales, reviews, what-have-you. Remember that no matter what happens after your book is released into the world, you will have succeeded in doing something so many aspiring writers never do. How many people say they want to write a book then spend years mulling over ideas, writing outlines, getting the first fifty pages of a story down then losing interest or moving on to something else? Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions?

But you're not one of them.

And since these are 101 thoughts on self-publishing, not tips, tricks or advice, my thought is that if you've had the passion and the drive to finish your book, revise it, and--if you've been so inclined--have it published, then you are already a success.

Now as much as we might insist that we write for the love of writing, that it is about having a story to tell, we must acknowledge that having a little jingle in our pockets in return for all our effort is definitely desirable. But as I said in my last post, you cannot control sales. You cannot control how your work will be received.

Unfortunately, the world is filled with people who will want to bring you down, criticize you, tell you that you're no good, tell you that you're a failure. But don't let others define your success. You will only be a failure if you see yourself as one.

This is a tough business, and I know that sometimes it seems like all your hard work is producing few results. But play for the endgame. Keep reminding yourself that you've already achieved your primary goal: you are a writer.

And when you do find yourself feeling down about sales, about reviews, remember that the work itself is the reward. Claim that reward and congratulate yourself for that accomplishment. As long as you know you've put your all into your work, no thing and no one will ever be able to take that away from you.

***

If you're enjoying the series so far and would like a single page to bookmark, I'll be adding each of my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing here. Also be sure to subscribe by email (see the box in the sidebar) to be automatically notified about my new posts.

You might also be interested in my eBook, Building a Promotional Package: How to Prepare for Your Successful Book Launch. Details about it can be found here.

Best,

Michael K. Rose

101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing -- 006: Don't Let Failure Define You

In December of 2012, a project I had been working on for over two years finally came to completion. I published my science fiction novel Chrysopteron. Spanning hundreds of years and several generations, it was a story that touched on space colonization, the future of our planet, religion, human nature, self determination. It was epic, and I was damn proud of it.

I published it shortly before Christmas, hoping to draw the attention of those who had been newly gifted with eReaders.

The response? Crickets.

Sure, copies sold to those few who were die-hard fans. But after the initial rush, sales tricked in, if they tricked at all. Even when I reduced the price to 99 cents, it still didn't move. I finally caved and put it in Amazon's Kindle Select program so I could offer it for free. Even free, there just wasn't much interest.

Now, I'm still proud of Chrysopteron, and reviews have indicated that those who have read it do like it, but either the title or the cover or the description just doesn't draw people. I must admit that I became a bit depressed after Chrysopteron's lousy showing, especially since Sullivan's War, my previous novel, had been so well received and continued to sell steadily.

When the sequel to Sullivan's War, Sullivan's Wrath, came out, I had another disappointment. Where were all the people who had bought Sullivan's War? Where was the enthusiasm that had been shown my earlier work?

I felt like a failure. My first year as a self-published author had gone extremely well, but beginning with the release of Chrysopteron, things had come to a near standstill. I was depressed. I abandoned my 12 Novels in 12 Months project. I stopped writing almost entirely.

I had let failure define me.

I wasted several months feeling sorry for myself, months that could have been very productive, that could have produced another novel by now. I don't tell you this to make you feel sorry for me but to warn you against doing the same thing.

There are exactly two things we can control as writers: the writing and the marketing. We can't control how the writing will be received, nor can we control the results of marketing.

If sales are poor, if you get a bad review, if, no matter what you do, no one seems to care about your book, let it go. You can try different marketing strategies, but don't stop writing. The best thing you can do to promote yourself as a writer is to release a new book. Keep writing. Keep producing. If your last book doesn't sell, let it go, and focus on the next.

As I said, I'm still proud of Chrysopteron. I'll continue to market it because I want people to read it. But I know it will probably never be a hit. If I ever become "known," it's not what I'll be known for. But that's okay. I'll keep writing. As long as I do that, I have not failed.

***

If you're enjoying the series so far and would like a single page to bookmark, I'll be adding each of my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing here. Also be sure to subscribe by email (see the box in the sidebar) to be automatically notified about my new posts.

You might also be interested in my eBook, Building a Promotional Package: How to Prepare for Your Successful Book Launch. Details about it can be found here.

Best,

Michael K. Rose

Three FREE Sci-Fi & Horror eBooks This Weekend!

Hello, all!

I have three free Kindle eBooks available this weekend. The first is my most popular title and the first book of the Sullivan Series, Sullivan's War. It will be free Saturday only, so be sure to grab it then.

The second is my novel Chrysopteron. It doesn't move as well as Sullivan's War, but I personally feel this is the best thing I've written to date, and I hope you decide to give it a try. It will be free from Friday through Sunday.

Finally, my psychological horror short story The Human Body will also be free from Friday through Sunday.

Enjoy!

Sullivan's War, free Saturday (June 8) only!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon.de

Chrysopteron, free Friday-Sunday (June 7-9)!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon.de

The Human Body, free Friday-Sunday (June 7-9)!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon.de

SHORT STORIES Just 99 Cents for a Limited Time!

Hello, all! The eBook editions of my collection Short Stories are currently on sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for just 99 cents. I'll post links below, but first I'd like to tell you about a new site called Free Wonder. I was invited by David Bain to join him and C. Dennis Moore in a promotion there. In addition to the six eBooks the three of us currently have on sale for 99 cents, you will also find links to other discounted or free eBooks. The site will be updated as needed, so there will always be a reason to go check it out to see the latest promos. And authors, you can submit a listing request for your free or discounted books! Please visit the site here.

To get your Kindle or Nook copy of Short Stories for just 99 cents, click on the appropriate link below.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

All the Best!

Michael K. Rose