Prices, Book 2, and the unavoidable world of distractions
I know it has been some time since my last Ramblings post, though I’m positive I’m the only one who actually reads them. It’s sort of like speaking to oneself but for the world to have access to the conversation. Almost Orwellian, but not quite :). There has been a lot happening, creating a slow down on not only Ramblings, but on editing Book 2, Serenity of Light (SOL).
It has become incredibly stressful to live in the US right now. I’m always hesitant to dive into politics - anyone can read my books and figure out which side I actually fall into - but honestly it’s too dangerous to be 100% honest online these days. And nor should you be, should retain some sort of iota of privacy, and everyone fights for their beliefs in different ways. Besides, have you read my book? Have you followed what Lasira and Eriu and Wil and Petir and Geshin fight for in their own ways? Exactly. My position is obvious, lol.
But anyway, with 2026 off to a…harrowing start with society, politics, and - not be undone - even my 9-5, editing SOL has slowed done. Even my job, which I need to pay my bills, decided to be stressful as well, demonstrating it too desires a toxic environment rather than a positive, fostering one. It feels all too personal, lol. The human-made world in the US is on a mission to regress as opposed to progress. And sadly, when coupled with the political/social world, it has dragged editing SOL down. I know I should be focused, and above it all. I should understand there are deadlines - which I’m still determined to make - and my single fan - me, by the way, lol - wants the book on their shelf. But we’re all human, affected by the many different facets surrounding us at all times. ‘Tis the reality of being alive. Even when we’re not actively considering our surroundings, these concepts affect us - I still remember your great works, Kant, lol.
Also, I want the editing to be 100% this time around. SOL is a beast of a book, a few thousand words short of 400K, and there were many opportunities in Book 1, The Heart of the North, I wish had been tighter, explained and edited better. I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. The cover for SOL is coming along nicely and will hopefully have a sneak peek released later this winter. My deadline for SOL is to have it released this summer, early fall, just a slight push from late spring. It happens. Fingers crossed, I’ll still have beta-readers for it…
Now, prices. Unfortunately, I’ll have to raise the price of The Heart of the North. If there is one singular concept we can rely upon in the US, it’s that prices will increase. I do not do this with joy. I was perfectly happy keeping The Heart of the North prints at their current costs, but when the printer increases their fees, I either raise my costs or go into the negative every time someone buys a copy, especially when there are wholesale costs. When a company - using Amazon as an example here - buys 10 copies wholesale to store at their warehouse, it’s wise to provide a wholesale discount; otherwise, they’re hesitant to order them, if they do at all. I can’t speak for other writers and their success stories, but I’m only one book into my series, having never published before, and sharing the self-published fantasy space with hundreds of other talented writers, thus it’s important I work with wholesale buyers as much as possible. Back to my original point, with the inflation of printing costs, the price is going to increase. I still need to do the math, but I don’t see it being dramatic. For example, in US currency, it’ll probably go from $19.99 to $20.99; how that converts to other currency I leave to the systems to work out. So, if you ever wanted to buy a paperback or hardbound copy, now is the time before the price goes up on February 1st, 2026.
This is all I have at the moment. I’ll keep editing SOL for those who may be excited for it.
Hope you’re all safe and well
Patrick