Misty’s Writing Update: Fall colors and How much have I earned with the new book?

Hi friends,

I love fall, but winter . . . not so much.

I recently decided that the amazing colors of fall are like a last party before the cold and grey skies of winter settle in.

Check out these trees – one near my church parking lot and the second in a nearby neighborhood. Just gorgeous!

I hope you find time to enjoy nature regardless of the season in your neck of the woods!

Also, with the holidays coming soon and my writing time getting more and more scarce, I’ve decided to scale my newsletter back to the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month instead of every Friday.

Please let me know your favorite types of articles and tips, and I’ll make sure to do more of those.

Today’s excerpt is from Deadly Lockdown, the first book in the completed Escaping the Virus trilogy:

Kate’s gaze moved to the bank of screens that had the crowd’s attention. She wasn’t close enough to see or hear details, but the grim-faced news anchors and numbers scrolling past on the bottom of the screen didn’t bode well. She felt her pulse quicken.

Deadly Lockdown by Misty and Steph

Check out how Kate and Alyssa survive the fast-paced disease sweeping the US and find their way back to each other.

And finally, if you’re curious about how much I’ve made in the first 6 weeks that Awakening Horde has been on Royal Road, read on!

Show me the Money:

Unlike someone like Brandon Sanderson or JK Rowling, most authors don’t make a ton of money.

Plus, the new breed of independent authors wears a lot of hats. Their first goal (after finishing a book) is usually to earn enough to cover costs like editing, paying an illustrator for a cover, newsletter service fees, etc. The obvious final goal would be for writing to bring in a living wage and do it full time.

I’m somewhere in the middle of that. 🙂

My latest venture on Royal Road is still doing well, but the initial burst of interest has slowed by quite a lot. Now, I need to put on my marketing hat and work to get the word out more.

But is it worth it?

I’m happy to say that the 142 generous supporters over on Patreon have donated just over $1,800 so far, which has covered the expenses and made a big dent in the future $3k – $5k needed to produce an audiobook.

It’s a pretty decent start, especially considering the book will still go up on for Amazon readers to purchase in the future.

If you’re one of my fans who went over and commented, left a 5-star review or plunked down $10 on Patreon to help out – you’re amazing! Every little bit helps!

I hope you enjoy seeing a bit of the inside life of an author. Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy a good book this week!

— Misty 🙂