New Author with a completed 12 Book Saga - Indie or Prof. Publish Suggestions?

[MattT]

Greetings fellow writers,

My name is Matt, and I'm both relieved and grateful to be here. I'm a new author who just finished my 4th trilogy (The Watchman: Saga) all part of the same narrative, and I've been walking a pretty wild road toward publication. Recently, I had a close encounter with a predatory publisher who nearly got their hooks in me. They dangled polished words, fake discounts, and urgency tactics, even tried to push an NDA in front of me so I couldn't ever speak about their practices. If I had signed, I wouldnt be here writing this.

By Gods grace, I didnt. I had a dream that sharpened my guard, and when the serpent appeared the next day, I was ready. My background in think-tank style analysis kicked in ? I dug into their domain records, BBB profile, and email infrastructure, and what looked like a league of consultants unraveled into a boiler-room operation in Gurugram, India, masquerading as Los Angeles. It was a close call, but it also confirmed something: discernment matters, and counsel matters even more.

I joined WriterSanctum because Id rather sharpen iron with other writers than fend off serpents in isolation. I dont claim to know everything about this industry, far from it. But I do know how to spot patterns, dissect tactics, and test what looks too good to be true. And if I can use that to help other writers avoid the trap I almost fell into, then my lesson was well worth it.

Im here to learn, to share, and to walk with other authors who are navigating the publishing labyrinth. Looking forward to hearing your stories, and offering what I can from mine. What is the best option for publishing a Christian Fantasy Saga with 12 books, amassing 1.2 million words, all one story. I also have a small following on Quora, where I do the bulk of my writing. If you have any suggestions, I'd sure like to hear them. Thank you for your time.

Matt (The Watchman)

[TimothyEllis]

Matt first interacted with me on Quora, and came straight here when I suggested it.

As far as I know, he's the first person to do that. 

[MattT]

Matt first interacted with me on Quora, and came straight here when I suggested it.

As far as I know, he's the first person to do that. 

Well, I should have heeded your advice to begin with. But I let the validation go to my head and Im glad it didn't pan out. I notice your books at the bottom, I assume that's all you and are they all one story or different narratives? And as a huge Star Trek fan, I see space ships. Are your stories about space exploration?

[TimothyEllis]

Well, I should have heeded your advice to begin with. But I let the validation go to my head and Im glad it didn't pan out. I notice your books at the bottom, I assume that's all you and are they all one story or different narratives? And as a huge Star Trek fan, I see space ships. Are your stories about space exploration?

Those are all BOOK ONE in each series.

Which reminds me, I need to post a new poster in my thread in the promotion area. It's out of date there again.

The current poster is on my Quora profile, if you look there.

I write Life in Space. But I cross genres all the time. So some series are more sci-fi than fantasy, and other times the opposite, but all set somewhere in space.

[MattT]

Well, I should have heeded your advice to begin with. But I let the validation go to my head and Im glad it didn't pan out. I notice your books at the bottom, I assume that's all you and are they all one story or different narratives? And as a huge Star Trek fan, I see space ships. Are your stories about space exploration?

Those are all BOOK ONE in each series.

Which reminds me, I need to post a new poster in my thread in the promotion area. It's out of date there again.

The current poster is on my Quora profile, if you look there.

I write Life in Space. But I cross genres all the time. So some series are more sci-fi than fantasy, and other times the opposite, but all set somewhere in space.

Wait....is your lead character named Thorn?

[Jeff Tanyard]

Welcome to the site, Matt.   

You've already got twelve books ready to go, and that's a wonderful start.  You should absolutely self-publish on Amazon.

Do you have covers for those books?  If not, then that's your next step.  The book cover is the book's single most important asset.  Fairly or unfairly, people really do judge a book by its cover.

Assuming you self-publish, do you plan to enroll the books in Kindle Unlimited?  Your marketing strategy will vary for a KU book versus a non-KU one.  Timothy Ellis's books are in KU, but mine are not, so we can answer questions from both sides of this choice.

Covers, KU or not, blurbs, marketing plan.  Those are the major ducks you want to have in a row before you launch.

Feel free to ask whatever questions you want.  We're here to help. 

[TimothyEllis]

Wait....is your lead character named Thorn?

Thorn was my 3rd main character, but appears first on the poster now as that trilogy was a prequel series.

For various reasons, he's now named Endby. The book called Thorn is about why the name change happens.

[MattT]

Welcome to the site, Matt.   

You've already got twelve books ready to go, and that's a wonderful start.  You should absolutely self-publish on Amazon.

Do you have covers for those books?  If not, then that's your next step.  The book cover is the book's single most important asset.  Fairly or unfairly, people really do judge a book by its cover.

Assuming you self-publish, do you plan to enroll the books in Kindle Unlimited?  Your marketing strategy will vary for a KU book versus a non-KU one.  Timothy Ellis's books are in KU, but mine are not, so we can answer questions from both sides of this choice.

Covers, KU or not, blurbs, marketing plan.  Those are the major ducks you want to have in a row before you launch.

Feel free to ask whatever questions you want.  We're here to help. 

I have 3 of 12 covers, that's not my forte' photoshopping or graphic design. So I have to figure out where to buy them or contract people to make them for me. But, yeah I finished the saga, its polished. I don't think its formatted though. Most of the editing is done and I'm still looking for beta readers for the latter half. But thank you! I need some advice on how to setup KDP and how to get that ball rolling. I really dont' have a marketing strategy, I am a new author, so I'm pretty green, a florescent almost radioactive green, in fact. Consider me a sponge, I'll take whatever advice you want to give me.

[MattT]

This is my Book 1-3 covers. Sorry, they're out of order. I had to update book 1 with a more recent image. I'll move them to cover dissection lab!

[TimothyEllis]

I have 3 of 12 covers, that's not my forte' photoshopping or graphic design. So I have to figure out where to buy them or contract people to make them for me. But, yeah I finished the saga, its polished. I don't think its formatted though. Most of the editing is done and I'm still looking for beta readers for the latter half. But thank you! I need some advice on how to setup KDP and how to get that ball rolling. I really dont' have a marketing strategy, I am a new author, so I'm pretty green, a florescent almost radioactive green, in fact. Consider me a sponge, I'll take whatever advice you want to give me.

Post the 3 existing covers in the Cover Dissection Lab.

Knowing what might be wrong with them stops you repeating that pattern.

Try posting your first blurbs in that area as well, just for comments on how to improve them.

As far as KDP goes, there's dozens of how to do KDP books on Kindle, many free. Just check out the samples until you find one you understand, and then follow the directions.

If you have questions, just ask them.

As far as sponge mode works here, if you park your ego outside, things go smoother. 

You will get conflicting advice, because everyone does it differently. But figuring out why it conflicts is part of working out how to do your own thing.

But no matter which path you take, someone is already walking it.

My advise at this point is, don't hurry the process. Way too many authors are too fast to publish, and they ignore good advice they regret later. Find out everything you can first, and spend the time perfecting things before you hit publish.

[MattT]

I have 3 of 12 covers, that's not my forte' photoshopping or graphic design. So I have to figure out where to buy them or contract people to make them for me. But, yeah I finished the saga, its polished. I don't think its formatted though. Most of the editing is done and I'm still looking for beta readers for the latter half. But thank you! I need some advice on how to setup KDP and how to get that ball rolling. I really dont' have a marketing strategy, I am a new author, so I'm pretty green, a florescent almost radioactive green, in fact. Consider me a sponge, I'll take whatever advice you want to give me.

Post the 3 existing covers in the Cover Dissection Lab.

Knowing what might be wrong with them stops you repeating that pattern.

Try posting your first blurbs in that area as well, just for comments on how to improve them.

As far as KDP goes, there's dozens of how to do KDP books on Kindle, many free. Just check out the samples until you find one you understand, and then follow the directions.

If you have questions, just ask them.

As far as sponge mode works here, if you park your ego outside, things go smoother. 

You will get conflicting advice, because everyone does it differently. But figuring out why it conflicts is part of working out how to do your own thing.

But no matter which path you take, someone is already walking it.

My advise at this point is, don't hurry the process. Way too many authors are too fast to publish, and they ignore good advice they regret later. Find out everything you can first, and spend the time perfecting things before you hit publish.

Forgive my impudence, but what is a blurb? And how do I blurb a blurb?

[TimothyEllis]

Forgive my impudence, but what is a blurb? And how do I blurb a blurb?

The description on the product page.

What you don't do is a synopsis or give the twist or end away.

Blurb writing is a separate skill. So it has it's own section of the forum for those needing help crafting them.

[Bill Hiatt]

Welcome, Matt!

We are all self-published here, though I think some of us have tried trad in the past.

You've already learned about predatory publishers. If you ever want to go exploring, always vet publishers you've never heard of. Some small ones may be legit but just not have very much pull (like publicity budget, ability to get your book in bookstores, etc.) When I first started, I was thinking I might transition to trad. One of the reasons I didn't was that I looked at the books for some of the publishers I was considering. Since I'm just about to go for my morning walk, I won't elaborate too much, except to say that I was studying small publishers, figuring it would be easier to get published by one of those than by one of the biggies. But what I found, time after time, was that their books weren't doing any better than my self-published one. So why give someone a royalty share if they can't do any better than you can yourself? (Actually, if your time goal was to be traditionally published--and it is for some people--a small publisher would fill that need. I've known some people who were happy in that environment because they were working with an editor with a common vision. So it depends on what your goals are. But always vet a publisher to see before jumping in.

I have to go now. I'll say a few other things later on other subjects.

[Bill Hiatt]

On covers, it pays to comparison shop. You can find them in a wide variety of price ranges, though it looks as if you're using the same basic image each time, so it may be a while before you need to worry about that.

Most designers display their previous work, so you can get an idea of whose style might be most consistent with your desire. Some also have a certain number of premades (cheaper), but a crafted-to-order one gives you a lot more flexibility.

Professional editing is also very important. You want your book to be in its best possible shape before publishing it. You may need to shop around for an editor with the right background and price range. As with cover designers, some advertise here.

Timothy, what's the current thinking on release pattern? I'm thinking some kind of rapid release with that many books already in the pipeline, but I know conditions have changed.

Anyway, once the book is out, exposure is critical. Experiment with social media to see what kind of results you get. (But be aware that most social media has moved more and more toward pay-to-play. You used to be able to get organic engagement. Now, it's hard to make any progress without an advertising budget.)

Book Funnel does have a monthly fee (check plans for details). But for that fee, you can enter as many sales and mailing list promotions as you want. Sales promotions on Book Funnel will typically net you some sales. They are most successful with reduced price books. Last time I checked, I got a 2-5% conversion (clicks to sales) on full-price books and 5% to 25% on sale-priced books. Choosing an appropriately themed giveaway is critical. At the very least, you want a genre match. But the tighter the theme, the higher the conversion rate. I once entered all three books in a dragon-related trilogy into a dragon-themed and got over a 50% conversion rate. Also, promotions with more authors involved tend to get more eyeballs than promotions with fewer. There are also more competing books in the bigger ones, but on balance, I think they still tend to be better.

Mailing list promotions involve giving away a freebie in hopes that people who like the looks of it will subscribe to your mailing list. (And yes, ideally, you should have a mailing list.) Something like a short story related in some way to your book series would be good, as people who like it may go on to read the books. Some promos will allow for novel excerpts; others will not. Always read the promo description to be sure.

For a new writer, Substack is a good deal. Why, you ask? Because it gives you what amounts to a free website, a free mailing list (most providers will charge over a certain size), and a large potential audience, much more so than you might get on your own blog. (Book Funnel doesn't allow Substack integration--yet--but it does let you collect emails on a spreadsheet and import them.

It also creates another potential revenue stream, though this is a slow process. Substack runs on a subscription model. You can make content free, you can make it available only to free subscribers and up, you can make it available only to paid subscribers. You can decide separately for every single post. You control whether you charge and how much you charge. You can give discounts for yearly (as opposed to monthly) subscriptions. You can run periodic sales. You can create an even higher founding tier or not.

What do you do for content? Some people post about their writing journey (but frankly, that works better if you already have fans.) Some people post teasers (surprisingly popular). Some people post short stories related to their novels. In either case, it's considered appropriate to link to the novels you are trying to draw people to in each post. (I do get sales that way.)

A lot of people also do serial fiction on Substack. Those can be anywhere from just a few episodes to their whole novels. I try to create serials related to my novels, and I've also started publishing my WIP that way (which gets taken off Substack, except for a teaser, once the novel is published). How much you do depends on how much time you have. There is a thread in which forum members link to their substacks. https://writersanctum.com/index.php?topic=6021.0 Look around, browse, see what other people are doing and whether or not you want to join.

Oh, and you can also publish related material like book and film reviews in your genre. Many people do that.

Substack also has Notes, a social media platform where you can advertise your posts to nonsubscribers. There are other discussions as well. Introducing yourself gets a lot of attention. Stay well clear of political discussions, but generally, the atmosphere is supportive.

For further infomation, see https://writersanctum.com/index.php?board=69.0   

[TimothyEllis]

Timothy, what's the current thinking on release pattern? I'm thinking some kind of rapid release with that many books already in the pipeline, but I know conditions have changed.

With 12 already completed books, that just need tidying up, I'd put all 12 out as pre-orders at the same time, spaced a month apart, or the same day 4 weeks apart.

This does a number of things.

It tells the reader the length of the series, and the fact that delivery is pretty well certain. It's rare that a pre-order is not delivered on time.

It tells them that the next installment is close, so they won't need to wait too long for it, and once they check the other dates, they'll work out the actual schedule.

It tells them that even though this is a new author, that author is serious about releasing the whole series, which is always a concern because so many book 2s never happen.

It also gives people the ability to pre-order the entire series in one go, once they decide they like book 1.

I've never done this, mainly because I never know how many books a series will go for.

But having all the covers visible is a good thing for advertising the series.

The downside is the blurbs need to be very carefully done to not give anything away, otherwise one of them might foreshadow something that puts people off reading. But at the same time, they need to keep the reader engaged for the next book.

However, it is possible to put a generic blurb on all the books but the first one, and then update the blurb for the next to be released before it locks in. I'd do that for book 2 the day before book 1 releases, and so on. So most people won't see book 2's blurb until book 1 is out.

Not foreshadowing in the next blurb on pre-order is always an issue for me. I've even done temporary covers a few times to hide a ship change until just before release.

As far as each release is concerned, you have to make sure the final version is uploaded well before the book goes into lock down 3 days before release date, so on that time scale, proper calendar alerts to double check you did that several days earlier would be essential. Missing one would be a disaster.

[MattT]

Timothy, what's the current thinking on release pattern? I'm thinking some kind of rapid release with that many books already in the pipeline, but I know conditions have changed.

With 12 already completed books, that just need tidying up, I'd put all 12 out as pre-orders at the same time, spaced a month apart, or the same day 4 weeks apart.

This does a number of things.

It tells the reader the length of the series, and the fact that delivery is pretty well certain. It's rare that a pre-order is not delivered on time.

It tells them that the next installment is close, so they won't need to wait too long for it, and once they check the other dates, they'll work out the actual schedule.

It tells them that even though this is a new author, that author is serious about releasing the whole series, which is always a concern because so many book 2s never happen.

It also gives people the ability to pre-order the entire series in one go, once they decide they like book 1.

I've never done this, mainly because I never know how many books a series will go for.

But having all the covers visible is a good thing for advertising the series.

The downside is the blurbs need to be very carefully done to not give anything away, otherwise one of them might foreshadow something that puts people off reading. But at the same time, they need to keep the reader engaged for the next book.

However, it is possible to put a generic blurb on all the books but the first one, and then update the blurb for the next to be released before it locks in. I'd do that for book 2 the day before book 1 releases, and so on. So most people won't see book 2's blurb until book 1 is out.

Not foreshadowing in the next blurb on pre-order is always an issue for me. I've even done temporary covers a few times to hide a ship change until just before release.

As far as each release is concerned, you have to make sure the final version is uploaded well before the book goes into lock down 3 days before release date, so on that time scale, proper calendar alerts to double check you did that several days earlier would be essential. Missing one would be a disaster.

What do you think would be more lucrative? I've been thinking of combining my 12 books into 3 epic books, converting each individual book into Acts, instead of stand alone books. Right now, my books sit at just about 100k words each. But, I was thinking of consolidating into 1 single trilogy, and have each book with 4 acts, one for each previous book. I feel kind of overwhelmed, having so many books and not even published. And 100k per book, seems kind of low in terms of word count. What do you think would pan out better overall?

[TimothyEllis]

What do you think would be more lucrative? I've been thinking of combining my 12 books into 3 epic books, converting each individual book into Acts, instead of stand alone books. Right now, my books sit at just about 100k words each. But, I was thinking of consolidating into 1 single trilogy, and have each book with 4 acts, one for each previous book. I feel kind of overwhelmed, having so many books and not even published. And 100k per book, seems kind of low in terms of word count. What do you think would pan out better overall?

Holy sh*t no.

I average around 64k per book. So your 100k is a good length for fantasy.

The key is pricing. As a new author, you command $2.99 per novel. 12 x $2.99 works better than 3 x $2.99, because for the first time author, length is irrelevant to price.

At some time in the future, when the series stops selling, then and only then do you do a bundle trilogy. I don't have any.

In Kindle Unlimited, the length is irrelevant, since a full read is the same either way. Unless you cross 3000 KENPC, in which case the excess isn't paid.

So no. 12 volumes around 100k each is going to make fantasy readers who like book 1 very happy.

[Bill Hiatt]

I've never had twelve books all ready to go, but I totally concur with Timothy's advice.

Epic fantasy can sometimes run longer, but as long as each story in a series has a complete arc (at least one storyline resolved, but others remain open, since this is a series), there is no advantage in lumping them together. And more titles is much more lucrative.

[Lorri Moulton]

Hi, Matt.  Welcome to the site!

It's never too early to start engaging potential readers.  I'm a big fan of Facebook (probably one of the few LOL) but I'd suggest finding a site you like and posting about why you write, what your interests are, why you enjoy fantasy and what made you decide on Christian fantasy, other authors/books you enjoy, maybe a few reviews, how you got ideas for your characters, etc.

Social media is more than billboard advertising.  It's great to let people know you have books to sell, but I try to make it more about sharing interests with people that they'll find in my books.  Everyone has a different approach, so try a few things and see what works for you.

As for a newsletter, I've never figured that one out.  I like my blog.  I'm sure there are many here who can give you good advice. 

[TimothyEllis]

It's never too early to start engaging potential readers.  I'm a big fan of Facebook

I use it for communicating with fans.

I recommend a group and page for a series, and you push them from your main profile. So I post there, then share into page and group, as people often prefer one over the other.

I also use group and page to post goof posts into, so people can report a goof in a book easily after release. Those I fix very rapidly.

Both group and page addresses get including in the back matter of each book, along with a mailing list sign up link.

[alhawke]

Welcome MattT!  Thanks to Timothy, this forum is a diamond in the rough for getting good advice with fellow writers. These days in 2025, AI and nonsense abounds on the internet. I developed all my marketing and publishing methods by scouring the web and treading carefully. I'm self published and, like Jeff, wide.

If you go indie, my initial thought with your books, if I were to do it, would be to release four trilogies spread out into a nice extended marketing plan. Then boxed set all four and create a boxed set series of four trilogy books. That's how I would tread. But, as an example, some writers don't like creating compilations. Every piece of advice you get will be someone's opinion. And like Timothy said, everyone does it differently.

If you try to go trad, you have to send query letters. Nearly all posters on the forum are self published with only a hand full of hybrid writers. So most will steer you towards self publishing. Whatever you do, be very wary of Vanity publishers, like you already were. Most want to scam you and take your money.

If you need to PM me personally, feel free. There's a lot to publishing, so ask away. And good luck!

[PJ Post]

Welcome. 

[MattT]

What do you think would be more lucrative? I've been thinking of combining my 12 books into 3 epic books, converting each individual book into Acts, instead of stand alone books. Right now, my books sit at just about 100k words each. But, I was thinking of consolidating into 1 single trilogy, and have each book with 4 acts, one for each previous book. I feel kind of overwhelmed, having so many books and not even published. And 100k per book, seems kind of low in terms of word count. What do you think would pan out better overall?

Holy sh*t no.

I average around 64k per book. So your 100k is a good length for fantasy.

The key is pricing. As a new author, you command $2.99 per novel. 12 x $2.99 works better than 3 x $2.99, because for the first time author, length is irrelevant to price.

At some time in the future, when the series stops selling, then and only then do you do a bundle trilogy. I don't have any.

In Kindle Unlimited, the length is irrelevant, since a full read is the same either way. Unless you cross 3000 KENPC, in which case the excess isn't paid.

So no. 12 volumes around 100k each is going to make fantasy readers who like book 1 very happy.

I had that idea, because of the way I intentionally structured the series. This may be TMI for some people, but currently each of my books stand at 14 chapters each. 14x3 = 42. In the Bible, there are 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus Christ. 14 Generations between Abraham and David, 14 between David and the last Exile of Babylon and 14 between the Last exile and Jesus Christ, thats why my current structure is 14x3 for each trilogy, because it mirrors the structure of the Bible. I realize that not everyone believes that and I'm not mentioning it to preach or bash you with a Bible, I'm just explaining my structuring of the series - I agree, I think more books is better overall and it lets me keep my structuring strategy.