October has been a very busy month for me. If you can believe it, I, technically, released two books just twenty days apart from one another but there’s more to it than that! Let’s just jump right in, shall we?
From Ashe Vol. 8
I want to thank everyone who ended up picking up a copy of From Ashe Vol. 8. Along with My Girlfriend Was Delivered by 2-Day Shipping, this ended up being one of the most successful launches I’ve had!
It’s been great hearing the positive feedback from long-time readers as well as seeing photos of people receiving my books! I saw one photo on Instagram where my book was placed along side officially published works and the cover holds its own and, in some cases, exceeds those around it! Alex really did a phenomenal job with it and it truly is one my favorite covers out of all of the books I’ve published!
So, again, thank you to those who helped make this a successful launch! Of course, you can still grab a copy if you haven’t already!
From Ashe Vol. 9
Might as well jump right into this one. As of the time of this post, I had only spent two days writing this book and I’m already done with the first two chapters! Well, when I say done, I’m referring to first draft… not completed. I promised that there wouldn’t be a seven-month gap between volume eight and nine and I am trying my hardest to keep my word on that.
I know it’s a small update but that’s all I have on this volume right now. I’m not even joking. I finished chapter two just a mere five minutes before jumping over here and writing up this progress report. The digital ink hasn’t even dried on the paper yet and I’m continuing to give my fingers a workout!
It’s all about that passion, people!
My Regularly Scheduled Life
Ah, yes. The reason why there was a seven-month gap between From Ashe 8 and 9. I’m happy to say that this book is fully edited and submitted to the J-Novel Club Contest! The final word count ended up being 67,071 words spread across twenty bite-sized chapters.
The good news is that there is no rule that states that I cannot share my story with the public. I just need to make sure that it’s not monetized. Therefore, I submitted the story as a PDF and have uploaded that very same PDF to Google Drive. A page has also been set up on my website where you can download and read the book for the low low price of free!
So, if you want some extra content to hold you over until From Ashe Vol. 9 releases, then head on over and check it out. You’ll find it under the Book Series section in the main menu.
As for the contest itself, it’s going to be a long time before you guys get any sort of update on it. I’m told that I won’t know if whether or not I pass the selection round until the end of March 2024. Counting November, that means I’ve got a maximum of five months to know if I’m good enough to have my book move on.
I am my worst critic so I’ll refrain from offering my personal thoughts on it although if you know me, you know what I would say if I decided to speak on it. Moving on.
Website Revamp & Future Plans
You probably noticed a new look around here. I have rebranded the website from Joshua J Piedra: Light Novel Author to Meteora Press.
Since I have decided to brand all of my works under the Meteora Press banner, I felt that it was very fitting to do the same with the website. Simply put, I upgraded my WordPress plan to accommodate plug-ins… mainly for the next phase of the site and that is adding an online store.
Right now, I am designing some products that I would like to sell. While nothing is finalized yet, I already have some shirts prototyped. While I will have shirts for nearly all of my series, I started with A.R. Dragonfly and have, what I call, the Blaze Auras collection done. I just need to move on and do the character shirts. I also plan on having a logo shirt for all of the book series with Meteora Press, A.R. Dragonfly, and From Ashe already completed.
Once I get everything prototyped and looking the way I’d like, the next step would be to find a print-on-demand store that supports WooCommerce. That way, I can set up shop and not have to worry about inventory, shipping orders, dealing with Uncle Sam, etc. Well, I’ll still have to deal with Uncle Sam but at least I don’t have to do the paperwork… just enter my earnings whenever I get the form.
This is going to be a long and ongoing project. I do look to launch the store in early 2024 BUT I will say that not every book will have a shirt or a product at launch. My goal is to get From Ashe Vol. 9 into a first draft state, take a break and work on product design, then start editing the book in December.
Yes, that means that I do NOT plan to release From Ashe Vol. 9 this year but I DO plan to launch it very early next year… most likely before the store goes live.
So, my method of thinking is write a book, take a break and work on products. Edit a book, submit art to Alex, work on products while he works on art. Launch a book, start writing the next one, and repeat. This means products will come in waves but, eventually, I’ll have a pretty wide selection and, of course, I am always open to requests!
The Web Light Novel and Manga Review Podcast
I’m happy to announce that I have sat down with Zeke Changuris and recorded my third episode of the WLNM Podcast! While I won’t go into detail about what was discussed, I will say that it is primed and ready to launch on YouTube on November 17!
Make sure you head over and set a reminder so that you can check it out when it goes live!
Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp7YKxL-QaQ
Until Next Time
Phew, what a month. An official book launch, a free content offering just 20 days later, and somehow in the middle of all that I managed to redesign the website, start working on merchandise, and record a podcast. Needless to say, October was a pretty busy month.
November looks to be all about writing and product design. Of course, my official Discord got some sneak previews at some of the designs so if you haven’t joined yet, you should come check it out!
I’ll catch you all in December for the final progress update of 2023!
Until next time,
Ja ne!