As you can see, I’ve decided to re-launch my blog on a new platform.
Writer’s blogs don’t seem to be very effective as marketing tools, and for several months I’d been considering just letting mine go dormant. But the continued stream of queries has convinced me that it serves a useful purpose despite the relatively low traffic level, so I’m going to give it another try here.
Here’s what you can expect to see:
- Monthly updates about the status of my writing. Generally these will be posted on the first Sunday of the month.
- A monthly writing snippet from my upcoming works. These will be shorter than the chapters I post for my Patreon supporters, but still generally 1,000 – 1,500 words.
- Commentary on the publishing industry, my own writing and related topics, including occasional answers to questions posed by fans. I don’t plan to be one of those guys who writes daily blog posts, but I’m going to try being a bit more active than I have been in the past.
My current plan is to try this out for the rest of the year, and evaluate the amount of effort involved compared to the readership the blog attracts.
William's Corner 
Thank you so much for making this! I’ve been curious about the release of your future books and appreciate you making a blog for some occasional info!
Also, I hope you made it through the hurricanes safely in case you were affected by them
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Bravo! Looking forward to the next Daniel Black book (_Thrall_ IIRC).
In the meantime, I found a picture of Hecate!
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I am happy you are continuing the blog if somewhere new. I just hope for updates on how the writing is going on your current projects. But I won’t turn down free snippets.
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EW, you ignored your fans on blogspot.
You ignore the fans on Patreon, even though they pay you.
When people post “Is he Dead?” thats a heads up that you need to engage.
All I expect here is another platform on which you can ignore people.
Yes, your blogs are not a successful marketing tool.
Marketing efforts are like sewers. What you get out of them depends on what you put in to them.
–dad
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You want Mr. Brown to interact with you but you don’t come across like a very pleasant person. Maybe he has a life outside of your expectations? This is such a strange thing to be vitriolic about. To think an author owes his readers some kind of attention is very needy and self-centered.
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Simple truths, Jason
EW owes his his readers some of attention because:
a) He created a blog, posted a bit on it then subsequently ignored it.
b) He created a account on Patreon and remains un engaged with the readers.
c) He created /this/ blog so unengaged that his did not tell either a or b readers about it
In what way does pointing this out make me unpleasant?
Writing a blog needs consistent enthusiasm and motivation.
Based on a,b,c I think EW –and his readership — would be happier with an occasionally updated status page, not a blog.
EW need not feel pressured into writing something. He gets his life, as you say.
Readers need not feel ignored, because they can’t post. No expectations. Happy Readers.
An example of this is the Stephen Donaldson site. http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com
Updated annually, it serves him well.
–dad
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Well said John I totally agree, here’s hoping something comes of this blog but I’m not going to hold my breath.
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Thank you. Will be good to know what you’re working on.
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Nice to have some idea of how the writing is going again. Not that I’ll say no to a couple of excerpts!
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I usually check to see if there is any update on release date. I try not to read snippets from the book because I will finish it and get sad because there is no more. Even if you only post a few hundred words a month saying if you’re on schedule or a little delayed, that’s great.
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I check your author page on Amazon quite often in the hopes of seeing a blog update. It’s really good to know what’s going with your progress! But I would rather know you are working on the next book than hearing the trivial details of your life with daily blogging. Monthly updates sound good. I love love love both series and I’ve read them both multiple times as well as listening to the audio versions multiple times. Keep up the great work!
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I’m happy with time line updates and possibly discussions on the how and why of your technology or magic systems. I rarely pay attention to snippets, I prefer to wait until the book is out.
So far I’m a big fan of both of your series.
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Good to get some news again..
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If you do the research, blogs are very effective PARTS of marketing and keeping in touch with readers. But you have to be far more committed to your readers and those that are here than you have been. Absolute minimum should be once a week updates out check ins. Minimum. Please take done time next writers block and research effective blogging.
I enjoy your books, but you need to remember to send time on details and business. Contact me if you’d like some support or just to talk. The world needs better writers.
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As the next book is apparently called “Thrall”, I suspect the main story arc may possibly be about rescuing Aphrodite who is supposed to be a Thrall in Asgard.
Anyone agree or not ?.
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Di
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Thank you for the email, though it brings a question that front of the line. Thrall / what is the release date?
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Disagree. The pattern, so far, has been that the plot picks up pretty much directly from where the previous volume left off.and develops from there organically based plot hooks seeded earlier.
Now it has admittedly been awhile since i last read the books, but iirc our protagonist’s priorities at the end of Extermination – besides general stuff like ‘Don’t die’, ‘Protect the island’ ‘Support Hecate’ etc. – ran roughly something like this:
1.) Find a means to Permadeath Gaea.
1.a) Rescue Mara’s (yet unborn) baby sister.
1.b) Help Mara get her mojo/immortality back.
1.c) Recruit Mara for his battle harem…errh… i mean ‘coven’.
2.) Recruit any lingering spirits of (un)dead witches left behind by Hel’s assault on Kozalin (probably involving cloning new bodies for them out of cells/dna from their corpses via flesh sorcery).
3.) Build up a (human) armored quick reaction force to give Black Islands an actual force projection capability beyond his inner circles commando antics.
3.) Rescue Idun, her tree(s), and her main dryad.
4.) Raising Bast reborn.
4.a) Help bast get even with her former pantheon.
5.) Reunite Elin with her mom.
5.a) Help Elin get even with her uncles.
6.) Moar Dakka!
7.) Other stuff (the Alanna situation, the Sefwin situation, Chekhov’s gun/Dark Portal,… )
While Aphrodite may have been mentioned in some throwaway line she currently isn’t anywhere on Daniel’s “To Do” list, nor is there any easy way to get her on it much less make her the story’s main focus with so many other unresolved prior plot hooks already dangling left, right and center.
Just my $0.02 of course.
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Well, that’s me told. Actually on reflection your probably a darn sight closer to the probable story arc than I am.
Not sure it would be difficult to drop Aphrodite’s rescue into the story but your probably correct in that there are more than enough plots hovering around without adding another one.
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I see where anyone seeing the title offered to us making people think it may be about Aphrodite even thou I thought it may have been a throw away comment just made in passing. With what Grimmelhausen just layed out I can’t even see Aphrodite coming into the picture unless DB meets her while recuing Idun tree’s, and her main dryad.
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Permadeathing Gaea will have to wait. At least if he wants to save Mara’s baby sister. I think we are looking at book 6 or 7.
Bast will soon be born. That may mean attraction from other parts, should his wards be less good than he thinks or word of catgirls leak out and find Egyptian ears.
And I notice that you left out yule and certained activities involving the harem.
Furthermore, a new group to integrate is likely to arrive and dwarven fecal matter may violently encounter a ventilation device. Nor are we sure that he can deal with Elin’s uncles in a manner and time of his choice. The Fairies have an embassy in town, which may include updates on Elin in its regular reports.
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Uh what info are we debating & from where?
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The clues left in the first three books. Specifically how the first book foreshadows events of the second and third book and so on.
– So we heared mentioned that Aphrodite is a thrall in Asgard and that the younger godesses and demigodesses were handed out as spoils of war
– We heared that Gaea is pregnant with a daughter she presumes to have the qualities she desires
– The artefacts of the Archmage are mentioned
and so on. Your question has been extremely broad.
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Don’t forget the odd psychic “twin” or whatever she is that seems to be sharing Mara’s brain. Something deep going on there.
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I am a reader, not a writer. I first met your writing through Perilous Waif and have now acquired and read everything you have in print. I’m friends with a number of writers on Facebook and I visit several writer’s blogs periodically. I do that so that I can find out when books I am interested in will come out. What I want is a heads up. Most of the recommended blogging tricks simply will not work with me. I have little to no interest in signings, in panels or in accounts of authors’ personal lives. There are authors I am actually friends with, more that I am acquainted with, but most of the authors I follow I am not interested in having any sort of relationship with. I hope no one will read this as a slam. It’s just that I have friends, I have acquaintances and am fully socially engaged already. What I want out of social media is information about what’s next and some idea of when it will come out or if it has already come out. If there isn’t any news, then silence is fine.
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Too true Matthew that’s all most of us want, but we live in the really world and have to put up with somethings so we can get what we want, but I’m alway looking and hoping things will go our way.
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Mr brown I’m a simple man who doesn’t have many vices, but being a voracious reader is either a vice or talent in my case. I escape into the worlds you create because of my enjoyment of sci fi n fantasy topic. Yours is work I gladly await to read more of, and admit to many tree ideas springing forth every time I read the black series. I hope to hear soon about the 4rth in series of kicking gaes Ass, and maybe introducing the bumble bee spirit of the east, to help the sweet gingerbread Wonder Woman.
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Side note of working the weak yet known slightly wild spirits of Europe into the form of spirit un & leaves doors open for side stories. Ie what’s the real reason the sorcerers of the enclave is with this group and what secrets does she hide?
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Maybe a twitter account would have been better? just a few quick words occasionally letting fans know progress is happening. Certainly easier to engage the readers if thats something he wanted to do
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My wish is to read more of Daniel black while recovering from chemo therapy- life is so difficult and it’s stories like this that keep my strength up and allow some escape from pain via escape reading.
I hope to hear good news from you soon William – god bless your creative mind and soul.
It makes a person wish that real stuff happens like that which is in your books.
I hope to hear from u soon – sincere a admirer
>
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I need more of Daniel black,
Pls release book 4 soon.
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I love your books please keep your Daniel Black series going I bet you Thrall will out do Perilous Waif even though im gonna buy both thanks for the hours of excellent entertainment
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