What’s Next for Vindor?
Now that Mists of Paracosmia is out in the world, I’m able to free my attention at last. I’ve been working on both of these books for so long that it’s a bit weird to not be able to tweak them any further, even if I wanted to.
So where am I going from here?
Here are a few of the questions my friends and fans have been asking, with my responses.
Q: What’s next in store for Vindor lovers?
A: A story collection revisiting favorite characters and locations.
Currently I’m working on a series of short stories about centaurs Nikterra and Photogen—starting with the question I’ve wondered myself over the years: how on earth did these two meet, much less fall in love?
I hope to release the stories starting in 2020, either on worldofvindor.com or on Kindle (or both—we’re still figuring out details).
After this, I’d like to write stories expanding the lore about Vindor’s merfolk, the Huntsmen, and other nations. (If you have a specific group or character you’d like to read more about, let me know!)
Short stories are a new genre for me, so it’s been a fun challenge so far.
Q: Why don’t you blog more often? Your blog isn’t very up to date. Nothing is more unprofessional than a blog that’s not updated regularly! Blogging is soooo important. Just write blog posts, what’s so hard about that? People love blogs and you’re letting them down by not blogging every week or more. Blah blah blah blah blog.
A: Okay, who let my annoying inner voice on here?
I used to write blogs for other people’s companies as my job. So I have some pretty strong feelings about how often blogs should be updated.
But the fact is, I have a limited amount of writing time each week. For one thing, I have an almost one-year-old, and he needs a large amount of my attention. (As I write this, he is trying to wrestle my laptop away from me.)
I started feeling bad about the blog, so I wrote up a schedule in which I would stop writing the short stories and attend to this blog that everyone’s surely dying to read and I realized … how backwards is that?
I have a strong feeling that given the choice, my readers would prefer more Vindor content rather than blog posts about this and that.
Since my time is limited, I plan to work on the stories and update the blog only occasionally.
Q: Will there be a Vindor Book 3?
A: I hope so, one day.
I’ve developed a basic plot for a third book (Kidnapping! Revenge! Orlando in Vindor!) and I’ve been taking notes and writing scenes.
However, the way things stand right now, I won’t have a chance to publish a third book unless Vindor and Paracosmia do really, really well in the marketplace.
Q: How can the first two books “do really, really well”?
A: It’s complicated, but it’s mostly wizard magic.
Accio book success!
Well, okay. For a book to really take off, it’s a mixture of factors. Part of it is hard work, and part of it is out of the author’s control.
Things that can make or break a book’s success include:
word of mouth from fans to their friends
a large number of online reviews
endorsements by influential organizations or publications
good marketing
being in the right place at the right time
providence
Also, getting a shout-out from a famous person never hurts.
Q: What can I do to help?
A: So glad you asked!
If you haven’t left reviews on Amazon, please, please do this. It doesn’t have to be a long review or even particularly glowing. It only need take you five minutes and it makes an enormous difference.
If you’re active on GoodReads, leave a review for my books there as well (here’s my GoodReads author page). If you really liked them, recommend the books to your friends.
If you have fantasy-loving friends (or know a neighbor’s kid who really likes to read), pass the word along.
Ask for the book at your local Barnes and Noble. Sometimes if they get enough requests, they’ll stock it. (It’s worth a shot!)
If you’re famous, say something about my book on social media. Please and thank you.
Well, that’s what’s coming up in the world of Vindor. If you have other questions for me, you can comment below, or connect with me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time, all my love,
Emily Golus
