Here are the frequently asked questions I receive through fan mail or in person. I’ve provided answers to each of them, but if you have any follow-up questions, feel free to email me at btnarro@gmail.com
What’s the order of your books?
My newest story is Across the Fray. It’s the fifth and final book in the Jon Oklar Series.
My most recently finished series is the Jon Oklar Series:
Book 1: The King’s Sorcerer
Book 2: Hunted Sorcery
Book 3: The Path of Giants
Book 4: The Roots of Wrath
Book 5: Across the Fray
The series finished before that one is the Stalwart Link Series:
Book 1: Echoes of a Fallen Kingdom
Book 2: A Bridge of Realms
Book 3: The Bones of Titans
Book 4: The End of Surrender
My other 17 fantasy novels directly follow each other in the same world, but the first book of each series introduces a new story. Because each series takes place after the previous series, some of the previous characters make small appearances while others find themselves heavily involved with new plots and protagonists.
You can start with any “Book 1” without missing anything important, but if you wish to start at the very beginning of it all and follow the progress of everything in order, I am putting a timeline of all my books at the bottom. Some other good starting places are with Kin of Kings or Awaken if you wish to try the most popular of my books first. You can always return to the beginning after finishing any of the more recent series.
THE RHYTHM OF RIVALRY SERIES
Book 1: Bastial Energy
Book 1.5: The Sartious Mage
Book 2: Bastial Steel
Book 3: Bastial Explosion
Book 4: Bastial Frenzy
Book 5: Bastial Sentinels
THE PYFORIAL MAGE SERIES
Book 1: Fire Games
Book 2: Wrath Games
Book 3: Pyforial Games
THE KIN OF KINGS SERIES
Book 1: Kin of Kings
Book 2: Rise of Legends
Book 3: Shadows of Kings
Book 4: A Crumble of Walls
Book 5: The Edge of Shadow
THE MORTAL MAGE SERIES
Book 1: Awaken
Book 2: The Akorell Break
Book 3: The Mortal Mage
How does Kindle Unlimited work for an author?
Reading my books through Kindle Unlimited still supports me, in case you came here worried it didn’t. There are two ways to explain how it works. The short version is that I am paid per page read. The long version is that I am not paid anything until you read past 10% of the book. After that point, I am paid for every page you have read and then every page you read from then on. What also happens after passing 10% is the ranking of my book increases as if it was purchased normally. This helps give it more exposure on Amazon, just as a purchase would for any book. The amount that Amazon pays per page read fluctuates each month, but as an author I am happy with the system. Not every author is as supportive, though, because to have your book in the Kindle Unlimited system means you have to sell exclusively on Amazon.
How did you come up with the idea for your first book?
It was during my second year in college that I had the idea for a novel following young adults living together at an academy, training for a war that they figured would never come. Then it does. Being a lover of fantasy, and living with three very different yet interesting roommates, I had a lot of inspiration and nothing to do with it.
I started with writing a novel that was similar to Bastial Energy, finishing it that same year. It was called Chthonic Power and didn’t turn out very well. For years, I tweaked the characters, the plot, the creatures, the world, and the conflicts, until everything was different from the original. Bastial Energy is the result of that.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to be a full-time author?
Yes, it was overwhelming when I first considered publishing, so I would like to help others as best I can. The publishing industry has changed a lot in the last ten years, more so in the last five. It has become nearly impossible to land an agent if you don’t have awards or experience with writing or publishing that will make your query letter jump out of the slush pile. Fortunately, though, self-publishing is now a good option for those willing to take complete control of their book. Besides writing a book people want to read, successful self-publishing means hiring an editor ($400-1,000 per project) and hiring a cover artist ($ varies too much to list, and it depends on genre and quality). It also means learning how to write compelling blurbs and figuring out how to use keywords. Some people may have trouble converting their word document to the proper format so that it can be uploaded to Amazon or other ebook distributors, but that’s the easiest of everything I listed. All of this stuff takes practice, no matter how savvy you are, especially writing a good blurb! I spent over 20 hours on my first blurb—Bastial Energy. It’s gotten easier since, but I am no master.
It certainly helps your chances for success if you can write quickly or if you have enough patience to come close to completing your second book by the time your first is published—because series sell better than stand-alone books, and releasing your second book will help promote your first. Don’t get discouraged. Most people write for many years while they’re working full-time because their first book doesn’t net them enough money to live on. In fact, more often than not, five books won’t earn enough income for you to quit your job. There’s luck involved, and the more books you write and publish, the better your chances of finding some luck. I feel extremely fortunate that Bastial Energy sold enough copies for me to focus on writing full time. I’m so thankful of my readers.