So, though Fall has yet to truly arrive, I must preemptively confess: I won’t be releasing Plummet this September as I’d originally wished. Though the rough draft was finished in November and the final edits completed in April, I’ve decided to postpone the book launch to fall 2027.
There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, my artist, my twin, my bestest friend in the entire world… is getting married in September!
She has, as I predicted back in November, NOT had time to work on the book cover due to a combination of being engaged and working her first job as a Physician’s Assistant. This is… honestly exactly what I’d expected. So, congrats to my dear sister but… I did tell you so 🙂
And while I considered hiring a different artist for this project, Plummet means a lot to the both of us. I’m hesitant to replace her, especially as I believe that she can produce a good quality cover given the time and motivation. Furthermore, I’ve yet to find a cover artist I prefer over her for a reasonable price. Perhaps I don’t know where best to look or perhaps I’m just too picky, but when I purchase a service from someone, I expect the job to be done well and to actually own the rights to what I’ve purchased. I’m… honestly shocked that artists expect to retain licensing or charge extra simply because I’m using the art on a commercial product.
It’s the same work, why should I pay more because I want to use it on my book? Furthermore, beyond stating which artist made it, why wouldn’t I treat it like any other service rendered? Should I announce to the world which handyman made my fence or pay him royalties whenever I dogsit and use my own backyard?
It’d be like the ghost writer expecting the book they’ve sold to have their name on it, or to be paid when the book is made into a movie. It’s a service rendered, sold willingly. Once I purchase an image, specifically an image I paid to have custom made, I expect to hold the licensing. It’d be one thing if I just bought a poster and used that image. That’d be copyright infringement. But if I’m specifically commissioning art for my own use with my own characters and IP… I really don’t see how it’s any different from paying someone to do some ghost writing.
So, suffice to say, I’ve decided, at least for now, not to find a new artist to work on Plummet. I am on the lookout for an artist to help create marketing materials, but as far as the cover page goes, I’ll be relying on my twin. And she’s not available until after September.
So, that is about 50% of my reasoning behind the delay. The other big factor is that this January I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before.
I’m going to the 2027 Novel Marketing Conference!
The Novel Marketing Conference is a three-day even held in Austin, TX that focuses on marketing and selling books. It’s sold out each year and is an incredible chance to learn more as well as make connections. I’m taking myself, my artist, and her soon-to-be husband to the conference.
I am… honestly over the moon to go.
It’s something I’ve wanted to go to for years. And, with a new first book of a new series coming out, I stand to gain more by going before I launch Plummet than if I waited. Both Plummet and RADD are longer series that are going to take more than a few books to finish, so it’s better if I have a stronger launch on the first Plummet book than if I wait till I have ten books just to learn I did the first book launch of the series wrong down the road.
So, that is to say, I’m partially postponing Plummet in the hopes that I will finally learn the secret to a successful book launch. I want people to love Plummet, but they’ll only do so if they hear about it.
So, it is with both sadness and excitement that I announce a postponing of Plummet. The book is finished, edited, and definitely the best thing that I’ve ever written… but it’s naked, lacking the beautiful cover it deserves or the exciting marketing that will help readers discover it.
Next year, I’ll hopefully be able to deliver both.
That said, I’ll hardly be idle this year. I’ve started working on the third RADD book and I’ve also taken to trying my hand at a few short stories. In the words of Thomas Umstaddt: “Short stories are like vegetables to authors”. Writing them isn’t fun, but it’s the fastest way to improve the quality of an author’s writing. And I do so wish to grow in skill. I want people to genuinely love my stories as much as I do, and the best way to do that is to improve at the craft.
So, while I know that this is not what everyone would like to hear, it is what I have to say.
I’ll see you all next year with Plummet, fully adorned and decked in the finest art that can be crafted alongside the truest silver-tongued marketing I can learn.
Farewell!
Isekai Dragon 