Dragon Novel Updates

I asked for Beta Readers and the response was stupendous. After 8 weeks I received an amazing amount of feedback to help me improve my novel. The comments were pretty consistent with additional various points of view from each person's personal taste or experience.

I began my rewrite in April of 2024 with the hope to have it completed by the end of the Summer 2025.

Life happened and more than a year passed.

During the Christmas break, while my business closes for two weeks annually, and the approach of my 60th birthday the following month (Jan. 2026), I made a serious decision.

I told no one.

Instead, I had to draw a line in the sand and made a decision to finish the rewrite by the end of February. I used AI to strategize my time, work, amount of content tht needed to be done. 

But that wasn't my descision... 

That in 2026, I would be a published author.

I announced it on my birthday with my family, sister, brother, and two close friends. I told them how far along I was on the edits and my goal of finishing editing by the end of February. Each day, I spent 1-2 hours working in all the Beta Reader edits along with adding elements I knew I wanted. But my goal was to make it through all 130,000 words and 44 chapters and make sure everything was tight. 

Where there were problems, I made a note in the manuscript and put it on a list in my notebook.

I missed my 'end of February' deadline by only a few hours, completely forgetting February was two days shorter than all the other months.

ONE INTERESTING DISCOVERY, and one none of my beta readers mentioned. One of my characters has a wolf companion. And mid-way through the novel, he just...disappeared! No references. No death. No "and the wolf wandered off into the woods never to be seen again." Nothing. 

I definitely added it to my short list of 10 things, though this aspect would need some serious contemplation and additional writing.

I spent time on the ten items for the novel and have outlined all the things to write to complete the wolf's journey (character arc) and how it affects the other characters.

But my main focus was which route to go: Seek traditional publishing house route or self-publish.

I have experience with clients, spouse, and family in self-publishing, but thought, "Man, it would be great to get paid ahead of time and not spend my own money."

I spent these two months focusing and making a next-step decision.

With the goal I set of being a published author in 2026, the only route was to Self-Publish. 

The traditional route, it seems, can take anywhere from 2-3 years. My clock is ticking. I need to get these stories out of my head and out to the world.

May was spent in how can I accomplish this goal knowing I needed developmental editing, followed by rewrites, and then copy editing.

All of this, while running a business and raising grandkids.

As you may have seen, one of the only ways to accomplish this in a short time with the funds needed is to start a Kickstarer Project. To do this, I need to figure all the costs including editing, illustrations, and any other costs associated to publishing.

Luckily, as a graphic designer, I can handle the entire book design (print and digital), know the platforms to publish on (for the most profit and least price for readers), and how to ensure bookstores will be able to stock my novel.

So far this month, I've:

• Started setting up my Kickstarter (but not launched yet until I gather all costs)
• Submitted a Brief for Editing to the Reedsy website (after researching 20+ editors)
• Requested a proposal for a book cover design (although I can do it myself, would like a little 'extra' that I am out of practice doing.