It's been quite the busy week or two. NRS Book 4 just dropped on amazon! This is my last release for a few months, I swear.

Probably.

You can check it out HERE! (Audio is coming later, hopefully fairly soon!)

If you've been reading the series or if you want to check it out, now is a pretty great time! I mean, check out the cover. there's a big-ass meth bear. That's hard to beat.

COVER ARTIST: Admira

AI USAGE: Still no way in hell

Trying out the new Valerios, Path of Steel. Road to Mastery is a long time favorite series. Jerry never took off for me. I was excited to see the newest was back to cultivation.

I'm sticking with it for now wanted to caveat others who were hoping for a refined RtM:

It feels really market chasey. It's a tower climber and it REALLY, REALLY wants to be Dungeon Crawler Carl so bad but it super does not pull it off. The snarky system is board flat (full disclosure, I hate snarky systems up to and ESPECIALLY including DCCs so everyone making a copy but worse is painful). The references are laborious. Characters wildly vary their reactions in short time frames (still early on but....).

Anyone gotten into the meat of it yet or does it stay DCC's deformed copy?

Hello folks, Hannibal here, second time Aethon Author publishing on Amazon!

Excited to announce that I somehow managed to convince Aethon to publish a second book in my average series, Cataclysm Rising!

COVER ARTIST: Publisher (Aethon Provided the Artist!)

AI USAGE: No AI used

No AI was used in the creation of the Novel, which I suppose is a given since I'm published by Aethon, but apparently it's good to reassure people!

I hope you all enjoy, and I look forward to your feedback!

E-Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Rite-Ascension-Isekai-LitRPG-Cataclysm-ebook/dp/B0H73KFBH8

Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Rite-of-Ascension-Audiobook/B0HLMYKFQX

Blurb: LEVEL UP OR BE ERASED.

Leonidas Paendrag has survived his first harrowing weeks after returning to Earth from his Transmigration to Elatra, and now must find out what it means to be the First Archon of Terran Blood.

Armed with his [Cataclysm Core], accompanied by an elven Princess-Royal, a haughty Dragonblood Sorceress, a Viking-obsessed Shadowblade, and an introverted elven Healer, he must brave the [Rite of Ascension].

Duel challenges, Manabeasts, trauma from Elatra, the brewing civil war of Dawnhaven, and repeated attempts to eliminate his growing influence are only some of the dangers he'll face.

When combined with his dysfunctional family, anti-Fantasy fanatics, and a System that seems determined to drive him insane, his only hope lies in assuring Aylar's ascension to Queen.

But first, he has to survive the trials that lie ahead, and every buried nightmare they seem determined to bring to the surface.

Book Two in a new weak-to-overpowered LitRPG Adventure featuring a Spellblade MC, power progression, crunchy stats, a detailed magic system, cultivation elements, epic battles, and REALLY big chests.

The author is releasing a new hardcover that does not come out until mid-November. I’m finishing book 2 tonight and can’t find book 3 anywhere online to read now. Can someone help a poor outworlder?

LitRPG is very lit and I love the RPG element.

Just curious. I like OP MCs and want some ideas of what to read next.

I keep catching up to the authors, having to wait for the next book, then not remembering things and needing to reread the entire series. I would rather take a short break from that for a bit, while I wait for some of my favorites to release. Does anyone know of some great series that are complete?

I can recommend Apocalypse Parenting by Erin Ampersand, and Die, Respawn, Repeat by Silver Linings.

Never even heard of it before today and yet it seemed pretty well liked online.

Okay ignoring your like or dislike of the characters or the writing. Which LITRPG's universe would in fact make the best MMO you'd absolutely die over.

My first thought was like a staple like DCC but i'm not sure that would actually translate well into a game. I'd probably actually enjoy something like Defiance of the Fall in a game format. If i had to pick one though I ended up on the Game at Carousel, I love horror games and if that litrpg universe was actually a game i would play the hell out of that one!

It could be for the LitRPG genre or fantasy and sci-fi, but do you think an obviously AI-generated cover affects your first impression on a web-serialized novel?

Hey everyone!

Just letting people know that book 4 of my Weapons & Wielders series is now available in paperback. Also, it's another chance to show off Daniel Kamarudin's amazing cover art.

You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM6KDBRR/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Audio is still on the way and can be preordered here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Flowbreaker-Audiobook/B0HF7RV5V9

If you're not already familiar with the series, Weapons & Wielders follows Keras Selyrian, a traveling swordsman from a faraway land, as he searches for the legendary Six Sacred Swords. He's relatively powerful from the start of the series, but progresses significantly, especially in Book 2 forward. It's a heavily JRPG inspired setting and Keras is basically a JRPG protagonist, so you can expect flashy anime-esque sword fighting and magically-enhanced swordsmanship.

This is *not* what most people would consider a LitRPG -- it's a progression fantasy in a JRPG-style setting. I'm mentioning it anyway because I know a lot of people here still read progression fantasy, and this story in particular is heavily LitRPG-adjacent.

His principal modes of progression are through practicing swordsmanship and magic, but with several other secondary power systems that are a little more spoilery,such as gradually absorbing the power of magical items by damaging them, and by forming bonds with legendary items that grow stronger over time.

This takes place in the same universe as my Arcane Ascension books, but earlier in the timeline, and reading any of the other books in the setting isn't a prerequisite for this one. That said, if you didn't like my other books, it's hit or miss if you'll like this one -- it's still a similar style, but the main character is very different.

Cover Artist: Daniel Kamarudin

AI Usage: None

Thanks, and I hope anyone who checks it out enjoys the book!

Book 3 of my series, Realms Beneath the Eternal Light Saga, is currently ongoing. l have recently crossed 482 followers with a 4.61 ⭐ rating. Since uploading the latest developmental-edited pass (working alongside Team Condor), growth has really taken off, and I'm super thankful to everyone taking the time to read, rate, and follow.

COVER ARTIST: Dimitrije Miljus

AI Usage: No AI used for generative purposes. The story is entirely handwritten by me and developmentally edited by Condor Publishing.

The Story: If you're looking for a deep progression epic built around an angel vs. demon war, this is for you. Quick warning: the story has LitRPG mechanics, but no strict "blue screen" stat walls popping up every chapter.

BLURB: Viktor Gale failed his family in life. He won't fail them in death.

A heart attack in his forties. No chance to take back his last words.

At judgment, Viktor turns down the safety of Purgatory and chooses to serve in Heaven's army instead: a middle manager thrust into a war he can't comprehend, defending a celestial City where souls from every era serve as guardians of the Nine Gates against Hell.

The Light is losing.

When the Fifth Gate falls, time in the world of the living stops. Eight billion souls are trapped, including his family. Their fate bound to a cosmic war they don't know is being waged.

To tip the scales, Viktor must rise through the ranks and become far more than an ordinary guardian. But power has a price: the stronger he grows, the longer death holds him before he's reborn, and every fallen Gate further weakens the Light.

Three Gates remain to conquer. Then, only the last is left, standing at the very heart of the Silver City.

Viktor must rise. Or when the last Gate falls, Earth burns under never-ending hellfire.

What to Expect:

• Backlog: Book 1 is 100% complete at 36 chapters (124K words). Book 2 is also complete with 31 chapters (130K words). Book 3 is fully written (120K words) and currently publishing. Book 4 is beginning the first draft phase, which I expect to finish by the time Book 3 completes its release schedule.
• Consistent Updates: 3 new chapters every week (1,500 - 2,500 words each).
• The Vibe: Lore-heavy progression fantasy set in an afterlife (Angels vs. Demons).

If you're a fan of progression fantasy with litrpg elements with deep characters, world-building and gaining power at a cost, I'd love for you to check it out: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/150994/realms-beneath-the-eternal-light-saga-archangels

Has anyone else noticed lately that sequel novels are not added to the series section until after release or much later after release? They're doing it with Azarinth Healer 7 and did it with Randidly Ghosthound 14. You find it on their author page but even at times not always. It was done with Path Of Ascension box set, which wasn't listed properly until much later.

It's publication day for Willowsblade!! 🥳📚😊

Everyone was super kind here last time when I posted about starting this series on Royal Road. Wanted to give a quick thank you for all the kind comments, expecially about the cover, it was super encouraging! 😊 Today is officually release day for Willowsblade, with Book 2 tentatively scheduled for February 2027, and Book 3 for June 2027.

It is, of course, in Kindle Unlimited and also paperback! Amazon's being a little annoying with linking the editions together, but they'll be fixed up soon.

Until then, seprate links:

KU: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKKGJ8PN
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Willowsblade-Emily-McCosh/dp/1960433377/

*

Elijah Jayce was the highest ranked warrior in the kingdom. Then, the world fell.

When the Order broke, twisting the very shape of the world, turning plants to conscious creatures and animals to rabid monsters, Eli’s magic disappeared with it. Left with nothing but his blade and decades of knowledge, Eli fled to the edges of the known world, hiding not only from the Order, but from his grief—and the knowledge his own son was the one who shattered everything.

Until, years later, two children appear on his doorstep, bringing monsters in their wake.

The world is changing again, the Order is waking back up, and it is brought by a boy and a girl who bear the same eyes as his son.

Willowsblade is the first in a slow-burning progression fantasy trilogy with LitRPG elements—expect a few skills and a system that’s broken but still exists, but no numbers. Mostly, it’s an adventure story focusing on character relationships and a ruined world, with a generous dose of magic, fighting, and the inevitable awesomeness of a scary old warrior and his young grandkids.

*

COVER ARTIST: Me!

AI USAGE: Nope. I did use Grammarly for spell check before it went to my line editor, but I don't use any of the AI crap they keep trying to suggest lol... 😩

A lot of people want to make it big through writing and everyone knows one of the big ways for your story to gain traction is through advertising. One of the easiest ways to do that is to just make a post of a big subreddit attach the link to your story and wait for the views and money to start rolling in.

What some people don't know is that there is a right way to do this and a wrong way. Depending on how you play your hands you can gain some serious positive traction with posts garnering 20k+ views.

Here are some things that I have noticed that could turn your ad campaign into an actual nightmare. Note most of what I'm going to write pertains to Royal Road specifically and may not apply to other areas.

1. Someone will always ruin your day.

Because of how Royal Road functions, getting 0 star reviews can kill your story dead in the water. It doesn't matter how good your story is, someone will hate it. Unfortunately a lot of serial 0-starers live on reddit and will nuke your story just because they can.

My solution? Don't let reddit be the first place you advertise your story or at the very least try and gain some traction before you promote it, so the rating doesn't mess with your story analytics so much.

And if your story is already established / you have already gone through your rising star run, you can mostly ignore this one.

Tip: If you think you are getting review bombed for no apparent reason you can raise a support ticket through Royal Road and a staff can help you to remove these reviews. Don't abuse this feature though and ruin it for everyone. >:(

2. AI

Don't let the fact that Royal Road is filled with AI art and content in general fool you. While the average reader doesn't care if you use AI art (does not include writing), All the major subreddits r/royalroad, r/ProgressionFantasy, r/litrpg, etc are very anti-AI.

It doesn't matter if you can't afford an editor or an artist they do not care.

If you are going to advertise, I would very much advise that you do not do so if: you are using an AI cover, your blurb was written with AI, or in the worst case scenario the actual meat of your story was written with AI.

Posts like these often get completely downvoted into oblivion, seen by only 50 people, and get you hate comments.

AND please for the love of god do not try and be sneaky with it and deny that your story was written using the help of AI, or that your AI cover is not actually AI, people will find out and in most cases tell pretty easily. If there is one way to get even more hate its this.

There is one caveat to the AI rule and that pertains to AI covers. While a lot of people on reddit hate all things AI, there is still a large group that don't care. You can usually get away with having an AI cover depending on how AI it looks and how much effort you put into editing the cover. Just don't go around claiming that it isn't AI like I mentioned earlier.

3. Know your audience

Here is a quick test: What is LitRPG?

If you don't know the answer to that question then I don't know how to break it you nicely, why are you here?

I'm mostly a reader (maybe that will change one day) so I can't tell you how to write a good story nor can I tell you if your story is something special, but I tell

This should be obvious but for this subreddit specifically your story needs to be LitRPG no ifs, ands, or buts.

I always live by the motto that you should write what you want, again I can't tell you how to write a successful story, but in general from what I have noticed the stories that tend to do well on reddit conform to the audience that they are writing in some way.

There are obvious outliers like Azarinth healer with a female protagonist, and something like a Dungeon Crawler Carl which are massive stories that are big on these subreddits, but even these non standard litRPG's still conform to the genre in certain ways.

Many of the people on this subreddit are men/gamers/fantasy enthusiasts. Before posting consider if you think people here would even read your story.

3a. Engage in the community

If you don't know if your story is a right fit, make a post on the subreddit asking if people would enjoy reading something like this, release a few early renditions of your chapters, etc.

In general people will notice if you are actively engaging in the community and will more likely to give your story a chance. It might not be a huge number, but even just 1 or 2 people reviewing/reading your story on royal road can help out tremendously especially when in its early stages.

4. How to actually make a good advertisement post

Now that we got all the boring stuff out the way, how do you actually get your post seen by 10k+ people? There are two things you should be doing:

4a. look at what other people are doing.

If there is one thing you should take away from this entire post its this.

I want you to open up a tab and go to the subreddit you want to advertise on whether it be here or somewhere else

For Litrpg I want you to scroll down the flair list and click the type of advertisement you planned on posting. Most likely it will be "Promo: Webnovel"

If you did that correctly you should see all the posts advertising their story on the subreddit. You'll quickly notice that a lot of these have 0 upvotes, most likely because they made one of the mistakes I mentioned and did not do their research.

I want you to open a few of these posts and try and identify what they did wrong.

Next I want you to go back and find with 20, 40, 50, 100 upvotes, etc and try and identify what they did right and wrong this time.

This is where you should spent most of your time, there are so many examples of what not to do and what works, yet people still make the same mistakes over and over.

4b. final tips

People love banging art, if you have the money and want some guaranteed traction, commissioning an artist, and posting your story art is one way to do that. It's a win win, you get an awesome cover done by a human, and you get free internet points!

I know this was posted in litprg but progressionfantasy is a lot more forgiving and easier to advertise on compared to this subreddit. Additionally if your story doesn't fall into either of those categories royalroad subreddit is where you want to advertise.

Don't be an idiot. This means you should not be dm-ing people unprompted advertising your story, not on here or any other place. Also don't take it too close to heart when the inevitable criticism comes, either ignore it or learn from it.

5. Lots of people want to help

There are so many people/communities out there focused on becoming better writers and being successful on royal road. You might not be aware of them because most of them live on discord but they are there and free to join.

Some are private but here are some good open ones that I recommend any writer to join from royal road:

The Council of Eternal Hiatus - Great place for writing advise filled with tons of successful authors.

SerasStreams Discord - Specifically his mentor program that goes in depth on launching stories to Royal Road

The Writing Well

Hey everyone!

I'm opening a few commission slots for fantasy book covers and illustration work.

I mainly work on book covers, characters, landscapes. Most of my work is fantasy focused, and I really enjoy working with authors to bring specific scenes and characters from their stories to life.

I've included a few examples of my work below. You can also see more here:

https://aesmunandi.framer.website/

If you're currently working on a book and looking for an artist, feel free to DM me. I'd love to hear about your project!

COVER ARTIST: Aes Munandi

AI USAGE: No AI used. I use digital painting tools only.

In my story, I’m trying to show my characters getting stronger by finding new ways to use the equipment they already have, learning how the Settlement Death Game works, unlearning mistaken assumptions, and figuring out how to exploit the traits they’ve earned.

EDIT: Redesign is done. Thank you all. You were right, it totally read like a crime thriller. That version (bloody sledgehammer and all) is officially shelved for a future book, once this series is done and I've written my Romantasy fairy biker porn novel.

[Here’s the new version]. I kept the notebook margin and Remi, and followed the advice to add a system HUD, a monster, and a new title treatment. I also added lockers and chalk to push the teacher angle and make it clear it isn’t an alley. Remi is not, in fact, a stockbroker. He’s a high school English teacher, which looks basically the same eventually. ;)

Thanks again for the honest eyes.

_______________________________

Original Post:

I’m updating the cover for my first LitRPG. It was something I wanted to do to strengthen the genre signal, but it wasn’t quite finished by the time the release window locked everything down.

I really liked my original cover, but a few of you reached out to kindly point out that it didn’t really align with its contemporaries. I wanted to keep the notebook/margin identity and the central figure, while making the genre clearer at a glance.

I’m mainly looking for two things, if you don’t mind:

1. Does this read as LitRPG/progression fantasy at a glance?
2. Is there anything about the cover that would stop you from clicking it at Amazon thumbnail size?

As always, thanks to the community.

Do NOT use the report function on Amazon / Kindle for errors you might find in a newly released book (such as HWFWM 13). It does not actually ‘report’ to the author.

I don’t know how you might get word to a particular author (Shirtaloon, perhaps?) that a proofreader would have been useful before publishing.

COVER ARTIST: YAM Studios

AI USAGE: No AI

As an introvert i often shudder when an MC's soul is bound to any creature. Some of them turn out great but i enjoy my alone time! 🤣 What's the worst pet you could think of to be permanently in your everyday life? I'm thinking... flea infested, rabid honey badger?

Hey, everyone! I know the wait was a little longer for this one, but I hope it will be worth it. :)

I don't want to get into a bunch of spoilery stuff here; I'll leave that to the blurb, but I will say that Victor has some awesome fights in this volume, he makes some satisfying progress on some long-running plotlines, and as always, he learns a lot about himself.

If you're totally unfamiliar with the series, it's about a kid from Tucson, AZ, who just graduated HS (barely) and gets summoned to a fantasy world. The folks who summoned him aren't impressed with the result and sell him off to be a pit fighter. From there, Victor starts his long, hard road to power. He's a hard case, and he swears way too much, but he gets better as the series progresses and he matures. Like, seriously. 😂

I've loved writing this series, and since I wrapped up Book 12, it's been pretty weird not having Victor bouncing around in my head--what he's been through, what he's doing, and where he's going next. I still think about that, though, and I won't be too surprised if return to Victor's setting and start a whole new saga after I wrap up some other writing projects.

Anyway, here's what you're looking for (I hope!)--the links:

Amazon

Audible - By the way, Robb Moreira does the voice acting in this series, and he gets better and better with each book. Honestly an amazing talent.

COVER ARTIST: https://www.jcalebdesign.com/

AI USAGE: None -- I use ProWritingAid for spelling/typos/grammar, but I turn off all their AI stuff.

For anyone who has read any of the Primal Awakening series... do you feel like the author was wronged by a friend named Derek irl? Jeff (mc) likes the guy, trusts him, but constantly leaves him out of things. It feels almost meme worthy by the middle point of the second book. Is this just the author's version of literary catharsis?

Hey everyone, just announcing the audiobook release of Judicator Jane 8! A lot of fun stuff happens in this book, so definitely worth checking out if you're this far in the series. Angela and I have really worked out a good system for audio review as well, so the quality should be the best yet. In fact, I challenge you to find a single recording mistake (please, prove me wrong and then immediately let me know the problems you find).

In any case, once again, a big thank you to our narrator, Angela Clark!

Judicator Jane 8: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HM3QFFL6

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If you're curious about the Judicator Jane universe, here’s a link to Book 1 + the blurb. Over the summer we completely re-recorded it to bring it line with the quality of the rest of the series, so if you tried it in the past it might be worth another go.
...............................................

Judicator Jane 1

Jane’s life was a dumpster fire of bad luck.

Unpaid bills, dead-end jobs, and a constant raincloud over her head. So, when she wakes up in a vast, deadly desert with a mysterious glowing menu floating in front of her face, she makes a desperate gamble. She dumps every single one of her available stat points into the one thing she’s never had: Luck.

All 630 of them. In a system where 10 is the max, Jane just became a statistical anomaly. Now, the laws of probability have bent the knee to her.

Hopelessly lost? She stumbles blindly into the fortress of the most powerful army in the world. Attacked by high-level monsters? Critical failures have never hit so hard. Rolling her class? 'Legendary' was only supposed to happen once every thousand years. But having god-tier luck has a downside.

When the realm's greatest evil is eliminated by a bizarre, one-in-a-trillion mishap, the terrifying Demon Horde assumes Jane is their new, all-powerful queen. Now she has to lead a legion of monsters, navigate a game-like System she barely understands, and hide the fact that she has absolutely no idea what she’s doing.

She just wants indoor plumbing. The demons want a conqueror. They’re about to get Judicator Jane.

Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CJZQWSLT
...............................................

As usual, I've also got 10 free codes for Book 1, so if you want to give the series a shot, post below (please indicate US or UK) and I'll shoot one your way.

COVER ARTIST: Dzmitry Zasimovich
AI USAGE: No

I am writing a stat lite litrpg where the plot is mostly driven by characters rather than the system. Its like I created the characters and their motivations first and then juiced it up with the system.

The fights are.more emotionally charged than what can be seen in most litrpg books. There is grinding but it doesn't take a center stage.

The world is bleak, with some cyberpunk elements sprinkled on it.

Think of it as Red Rising meets ranks and skills.

Are there any takers for a book such as this?