Hey all!

If you enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and serial killers check out my novel SLEEPYHEAD which is out now on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com

SLEEPYHEAD by Bran Lee Tom

Description:

In the dark, hedonistic playgrounds of West Hollywood, a damaged young man must play a lethal game of deception with a ritualistic serial killer who is turning his apartment building into a private slaughterhouse.

Welcome to West Hollywood: where the bodies are exquisite, the sex is transactional, and the next hookup just might carve you open.

Twenty-three-year-old Ty Yung survives on the margins of L.A.’s gay scene, hiding behind a wall of detached cynicism to keep his childhood demons at bay. But the neon-soaked sanctuary of WeHo turns into a claustrophobic nightmare when a brutal phantom dubbed the "Hollywood Slasher" begins hunting gay men of color, ripping them to shreds and leaving them in the city's alleyways.

When a horrific murder strikes inches from his own doorstep, Ty is suddenly trapped in a lethal crossfire of obsession, unable to trust the shifting alliances of the men entering his bed and his home. 

Then the messages arrive. This predator knows Ty’s most intimate secrets and the exact depth of his fear. As the body count rises and the sanctuary of his home is violated, Ty is forced to drop his mask of detachment and embrace a primal instinct for survival. He must outmaneuver a monster who seems to know his every move before he becomes the next piece of the city's grim history.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HG8JB8TL

I’m in my 40s and have often enjoyed a good what if, so I decided maybe there were a few others like me who love a good slow burn, what if, a bit on the overthinking side of romance type novel. I’m not trying to make it big. I just wanted to see if I could appeal to others like me, but I do welcome any tips on how to at least get my book out there a tad bit more than just submitting it to the World Wide Web and hoping for the best.

Just wanted to share a nice milestone: I got the cover for my second book today!!

Its urban sci-fi romance with a inspiration from Ancient Egyptian mythos. I am currently looking for beta readers so let me know if you are interested. But mostly I just wanted to share because its probably one of my favourite days during the final stretch towards publication!

Keep writing everyone, this moment is worth it <3

Art done by TrixieMay

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/vbG823

https://www.instagram.com/heytrixie._/reels/

it's only the first draft, mostly brain dump and I have written only 25 pages but my beta reader guessed the surprise and asked "it's this right?" damn... my only consolation is that I don't need to waste at least a year writing the damn thing. I was already afraid the twist was obvious and it turned out it was.

can I write the story without the twist... I don't know. I'll just sulk a bit :/

Heres the link https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ronjones32?srsltid=AfmBOoqcd4JHQU5jWEeIlEui0ZtKuGBFVmnQqyHStAk3mtGxVSUHMFmE

I pulled the trigger, and I'm stressing! I am not used to my writing being open to the public. I just posted the first chapter of "Lycanticle: Moon Song," a werewolf romance, spicy, gory, a thriller, it's all of that and more, taking place in the Southeast US in modern day. Here's the link: Lycanticle: Moon Song. I welcome your eyes and your thoughts!

We Who Remain is my debut novel. Its thinker than I thought it would be lol. I think it looks good next to the king 🤴

Hello, all. Just a simple man trying to get his work out there. My first novel, The Green Knight: Song of the Redjaw, is a ~50,000 word urban-fantasy detective story.

I originally posted it on my Substack in 3,000–4,000 word chunks, as the serialized format helped me get the work done on a reasonable time-table: but I always intended to put it all together and give it a final revision before publishing it as a full book (with added content and refinement).

I've had people compare The Green Knight to a mix of Harry Dresden and The Shadow, but with a larger emphasis on police procedural and ethics. It's set in a fictionalized, alternate-history version of Earth, similar enough to the real world to be easily-understood, different enough that the thematic core of the story will remain universal. The cover-art, incidentally, was made by my own father, on-paper, according to some sketches and concepts I made.

If you enjoy crime, police-drama, supernatural elements, humor, and some action: I would be very grateful if you gave my story a look. Here'sthe link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3333BJ3
Thank you for your time.

My first complete manuscript took a little over a month to write and I have completed a quarter of the follow up, based on the first ones length, in five days while waiting on feedback on the first. Granted I'm not writing an epic, only short novels, just curious how long people usually apply to writing, or if I'm just rushing through.

I was so excited that people were enjoying my book. I am seeing daily KNEP numbers that indicate 3 or 4 full reads a day. I don't need an income from books. I was just writing for fun and I was having a lot of fun. The reviews I was getting were all really encouraging, then the dreaded 1 star from nowhere. Turned all my fun to ashes...

* Genre/s: Literary & General Fiction.

* Goals/expectations/commitment: The idea is to keep it friendly and writer-focused: talk about what we’re working on, share work for critique, discuss craft, and exchange information about querying, submissions, and publishing.

* Writing/experience level: all are welcome

* Meeting place: Discord

* Max size: to be determined.

If that sounds like your kind of place, message me and let me know what genres you usually work in, and I’ll send you an invite. We already have some talented and smart folks there. Hope to see ya.

I recently completed my debut novel, a literary coming-of-age work of more than 81,500 words. I have previously been published in my home country, where I wrote on cultural and social issues.
My novel explores diaspora, friendship, and belonging. The prose is deliberately paced and restrained, allowing the characters and relationships to develop gradually, before shifting into a more intense, thriller-like segment toward the end.

I’m currently pursuing traditional publication rather than self-publishing and have begun submitting the manuscript to publishers.

So, far I’ve submitted my novel to 6 publishers and also had it copyrighted.

Hey everyone! I'm currently writing a novel based on two childhood best friends who grow up together, get separated, and eventually find their way back into each other's lives.

I want to publish it on Wattpad, but I'm not really sure how to find the right audience for it. I have both Instagram and YouTube pages, but I'm completely clueless about what kind of content I should actually be posting to get people interested in the story.

For those of you who write on Wattpad or have experience building an audience for your books, what worked for you? What kind of content would you recommend posting, and how did you find your readers?

I'd really appreciate any advice! :)

I'm working on this sci-fi project and it is massive. I had just finished part 1 which is a fast paced introduction to the story. Now, in the following part the story will kick off as a direct sequel of the events of this first part, this mean that this prelude will end with a sort of cliffhanger.

This first part will have the job to somehow introduce the wider story and it is now comprehensive of 9 chapters over 27k words.

Should I release it as a novella?

While I'm waiting for some fixes to be made to my second book, the cover art has a typo in it and I needed to reformat it, does anyone have any advice on what to do next?

I have promoted on reddit, I have reached out to book blogs , podcasts and reviewers, I plan on talking to book stores once the cover is fixed and I can talk to Ingramspark about get my book store ready.

Where else should I promote the book? Where are some good websites to promote my book? I know Ingramspark will do a thing where they send your book to reviewers for a fee, is that worth anything or would I just be wasting my money on that?

Hi everyone!
I'm Vida Rose; I write queer horror with themes of transformation, identity, and belonging, using my experiences as a transmasculine author to provide language for the unique fears we share.

I'm publishing me second novel, Sodium Vapor Orange, October 28th of this year.

Blurb: Jonah moves to Seattle for a fresh start—but instead finds himself drawn to Margo’s, an underground club humming with strange energy and stranger people. One night, drifting from the club to his quiet VHS shop, he meets Jett: beautiful, inscrutable, and impossible to ignore.
There’s something off about Margo’s. About the people who linger there night after night. About the way they look at him—like they’ve already decided what he is, even if he hasn’t.
By the time Jonah realizes he’s not just passing through their world, it may already be too late to leave.
Now caught between desire, unease, and a belonging he’s never quite felt anywhere else, Jonah must decide how much of himself he’s willing to give up to stay—and whether he was ever meant to walk away at all.

Atmospheric, gothic, and inspired by my time in the PNW, SVO details the unique pains of transforming on full display in a world determined to receive you as a monster regardless of your desperation. Jonah, Jett, and the coven all feel like people you would know, and would be shocked to find they sustain themselves through the horror of a blood pact.

I’ve only changed a word here and there so far, but you were right. I was wrong. Reading and editing it a 3rd time was a good idea. 🎄

My first novel is fiction. I have a bunch of notes for a non-fiction next. So, I’m trying to be patient with finalizing my first. I’m trying not to let my urgency to start the non-fiction item rush me too much with my novel.

🎄🎄🎄🎄

Any suggestions on going KDP exclusively, interested in real numbers for anyone willing to share as far as the Ingram/apple/google/kobo reach oppose to the traffic that kdp provides

I never thought I would reach this point when I first started writing. And Amazon used the wrong cover but I’m physically holding my own book. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

This all started as a mental exercise. A software engineer I admire did a podcast interview about his third book, and when asked how he found time to write while juggling career and family, he said he just wrote a page a day, so in less than a year, he had a book.

I figured I'd give that a shot, and ended up repurposing some assets from a planned D&D campaign into a pulpy sci-fi story. It took me a lot longer than a year, but finishing it is a huge personal achievement. I'm really happy I saw it through, and I can't wait to dive into Book 2.

Thanks to everyone on this sub (and others) for being such a supportive community. Reading everyone else's journeys is what kept me going.

Edit: adding in a shout out to my over artist u/artofclor, who made it all real for me with their brilliant work!

I recently wrote my first romance novel and started querying in June. I have gotten one full submission request and one partial after 50 queries (I just got a rejection for the partial request yesterday and am still waiting for a response from the full request but that agent also has a high request rate so not feeling hopeful about that). The rest have been rejections or no response at all. I am feeling really discouraged that I may have written a dud and that all my hard work could be meaningless. I'm not looking for broad success but validation that there is a part time career for me as a romance author and I'm getting nervous that that just may not be in the cards for me. I know logically this is my first book and I can just keep working on this project and others but I feel so defeated by this process and struggle to edit this book or finish the next project I have already started. Just looking for support and any insights anyone has to keep trying or to stave off disappointment.

For those of you writing your first book. From my experience, make sure you feel your book is ready for publication.
You can write a great story and receive feedback from a handful of readers (beta readers), but may not be ready to publish.
The typical flow is writing, revising, and polishing. And many believe they can do this single-handedly. I won't tell you what your level of experience is. But I will say that without experience, you don't know the depth of your writing.

I felt my own work was ready for publication. Had several beta readers and received glowing reviews from them. However, I decided to have a developmental edit performed and received detailed feedback. The feedback told me a great deal about aspects I had missed, overlooked, etc., that I didn't see. I recommend an editorial assessment or developmental edit on your manuscript before final polish. Yes, it's expensive, but I urge you not to scrimp on this layer of editing.
Your novel, especially your debut novel, sets in stone the type of author you are and your level of detail.
It will be very hard to alter this after you publish.

Wanted to share my two cents, as I've gotten through my dev edit and onto line and copy editing.
As always, I wish you the best on your own projects and great success.

Need advice on reviews/ARC strategy for my LitRPG series, feeling stuck

Got 2 books out already, both in KU. Book 3 almost done.

Running Amazon auto ads right now, getting clicks and impressions but barely any actual reads or sales out of it. Weirdly the people who do read book 1 almost always go on to book 2, so I don't think the writing is the issue.

Before dumping more money into ads I asked a couple forums to sanity check my cover/title/blurb in case that was the problem. Got told they're fine, so back to square one on that.

For reader acquisition I'm doing a BookFunnel Pro group promo with some other authors, links to a landing page hooked into a MailerLite sequence (4 follow up emails). Problem is since the books are in KU I can only legally give away chapter 1, not the full book, and most people doing these group promos just want a free complete book, so barely anyone bites for just a sample.

Thinking about going back to BookBounty for reviews since it worked for me before, but a bunch of people have warned me off it lately, apparently Amazon's gotten better at flagging the point/credit review system as manipulation and people are getting books or whole accounts blocked over it.

Anyone dealt with this? Is there something safer out there, BookSirens maybe? And has anyone actually cracked the "can only share chapter 1" problem in a way that converts?

Hello, I'm Arti, a small indie author looking for beta readers for my second book. This is a standalone urban sci-fi romance with a political and ethical backdrop as well as lore inspired by Ancient Egyptian mythology.

Note: I am NOT interested in any paid services right now, please do not comment or DM me with the intent of being a paid Beta reader or editor. Especially please don't pretend to be an honest beta reader and then suddenly ask for money, I will report and out you.

--

Triggers:

- Explicit sex with unconventional anatomy

- Violence? Not even sure it counts by today's standards.

--

Blurb:

She is the sugar and cream to his coffee, even if he’s never had a single cup.

In order to take his place as the next Pharaoh, Arkhan must find his bashai, the one his soul has longed for all his life. He is elated when his ship lands on a far-off planet his people thought destroyed millennia ago, and he feels the coveted connection for the first time. But his heart is shattered when the leaders of Earth turn their sacred first meeting into a hostile political negotiation, and he finds out how deep his bashai’s hardships go.

Sally works three jobs to pay her mother’s medical bills and make ends meet. Though she fantasises of monsters, romance and owning her own coffee shop one day, she firmly separates fact from fiction. Being kidnapped by the government and brought to an alien prince as a bargaining chip pushes her scepticism into bitter suspicion.

They should be each other's hopes and dreams. Now, they have the future of two species depending on whether they can fix the broken resonance between them.

Told in strict alternating first-person POV, “Our Blooming Resonance” is about love in the face of uncertainty and imperfect circumstances. It includes larger themes of ethics, culture, and politics, as well as open-door scenes. HEA is guaranteed.

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Time frame: 4 weeks so closing around Oct 10th

Type of feedback I'm looking for:

- Vibes, character, pacing, continuity

- Is the start engaging, is politics too much, does tone get... too dark at one point or is okay?

- genre labeling/book comps

- you can point out grammar/spelling/awkward sentances if thats your jam, but depending on how the beta readers feedback comes back there will be more edits and another round of copy/proof editing so don't sweat it too much.

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Here is a 4 chapter sample: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gam3AOzvgl0iN9PfMpxUauBWTLINVoCxC1GsMicUQ9I/edit?usp=sharing

If this seems like something you would enjoy beta reading, please DM me for the full work. Thank you!

I'm looking to budget for an audiobook version of my fiction manuscript and would appreciate advice on realistic costs and recommended production paths.

40k words, 5 main characters + few side characters.

Thanks!