Hey, everyone. It’s me, Gene—or E. R. Ellis III.
You may have vague memories of me or otherwise be wondering, who is this guy? That’s my fault. I’ve been fairly quiet for over a year. My overall activity has been limited. Looking back, I did my original NaNoWriMo blog series, a review of Season 1 of Wheel of Time, was on a podcast about writing the novel, made a series of posts for about a month on social media, and then I had a formal author announcement. Those activities span November 2020 to the present.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: That’s not a whole lot for four years... and Where is this book?
Well, I’m here to give some much needed updates.
The Process
I’ll start by informing you all, in case you are unfamiliar that the process of writing and publishing a novel is a long one. I lack the customized infrastructure and the top-tier work ethic of my idol Brandon Sanderson, but my goal is to be closer to the end of the spectrum than, say, a Rothfuss or Martin. Not to disparage the greats, but I have stories to tell, and a decade long release schedule is not going to get them all out of my head in a reasonable amount of time.
So, let’s talk about the specifics of why there is no book.
First, some accountability. My work ethic has been wanting in recent years. I go through streaks of excellent discipline and productivity, but that is balanced with periods of lethargy and zero productivity. On average, I’m somewhat productive, but 100,000 words at a somewhat productive pace takes a long time. Now, I have had plenty of life events occur as well, which have been legitimate drains on my mental-emotional state and free time. We're talking COVID layoffs, new careers, and moving twice—all while raising kids—yet there were still ample gaps when writing could have occurred. It's something I’m working to address in the future.
The second factor to mention when talking about the delay in publishing is my ignorance of the process. When I went on that podcast years ago, I thought my book would be out that fall. Then I was informed it would be more like the following fall. Now, after my delays in the revision process, it’s more like the fall after that, possibly. I really enjoy working with Emergent Realms, and I love the attention they give to each release with various editors, beta readers, marketing roll out, and their guidance on mailing lists and social media. All that being said, it’s a lot to do, but a bunch of it is now done. Which brings us to the next part…
Updates
This is the exciting part! I have not been twiddling my thumbs and making excuses for the last three years. Quite the contrary. A lot has been done.
For starters, the final revision of the full novel is done. The novel has been copyedited and I’m now touching up those edits. There will be a final revision version 2 as I’m choosing to rewrite a whole chapter and a few scenes need some reworking, but 95% of the work is done.
There is a map! Last year I worked with a wonderful cartographer on a map for my fantasy world. The process was a pleasure, and I love what we ended up with. I can’t wait to feature it at the front of the novel. It adds more to the air of legitimacy I crave as an indie author battling impostor syndrome. I decided to feature the area of the world map where the story takes place and I’m excited to see the map expand over the series as more of the world comes into play.
Last but not least, there’s another story! I wrote the prequel to the main story as a novella; just a cute 27K words. It’s going to be free for digital download when it’s fully edited, but it is long enough that for a small price, we can make a physical copy if you don’t love e-readers or just prefer that classic paperback feel. We (Emergent Realms and I) are planning on putting it out first as a little taster before the novel comes out.
Overall, it has been a very busy few years. A lot has happened personally, professionally, and literarily. However, I’m very excited to share some finished products with you this year and start getting a bit more active on social media. Hopefully, this little update will tide you over until we start getting into the fun prerelease teasers. If you don’t want to miss any updates, follow Emergent Realms and myself on social media.
Warm Regards,
Gene
Follow Gene on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.r.ellisiii/