Blog Resurrection Day: A Rebranding Exercise

 

When I first created this blog back in 2013 I was not yet a published author, nor had I even committed myself to actually writing the story that would eventually become my debut novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, four years later. At the time, my purpose in starting and maintaining a blog as an aspiring author was threefold: first, I wanted to accustom myself to writing on a regular basis; second, I wanted to make connections with other aspiring authors; third, I wanted to chronicle my journey to becoming a published author.

The Second Coming Has Arrived

 

This is just a quick update to let everyone (who cares) know that the second edition of The Exercise Of Vital Powers is now available to purchase. You can currently buy the ebook from Amazon and Kobo, though it should also become available at Barnes & Noble and iBooks at some point today. For readers who prefer paperbacks, it’s only available from Amazon at present and I have no idea when that will change.

Giving My Debut Novel A Second Lease Of Life

 

With the imminent re-release of my debut fantasy novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, some people might wonder why I would go to the trouble and expense of publishing a new edition so soon after the original release last year. There were a number of factors that made the publication of a revised second edition a desirable proposition, eventually, but my decision to pursue it sooner rather than later was prompted by necessity.

You Can Pre-Order My Book Now

 

For those of you who have not been paying attention, pre-orders for the second edition of The Exercise Of Vital Powers became available at the start of the week. Anyone wanting to do so can order their copy from Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords.

Escaping The Wasteland That Is Twitter

 

This morning I made the (long overdue) decision to wave goodbye to Twitter. Last night it finally dawned on me that I derived no benefit from my presence on the micro-blogging platform, and that the time and effort wasted on it would be better utilised elsewhere. Yes, it’s essentially an admission of defeat, but it’s one less thing for my to worry about, and an opportunity to focus my energies in areas that will actually advance my writing career.

The Cover Reveal Of The Year???

 

So, it’s two days after the cover reveal for the second edition of my first novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, and I have to say it went better than I hoped. The response to the new artwork was overwhelmingly positive, and I received lots of good feedback. Now, whether that will ultimately translate to interest in actually buying and reading the book in July remains to be seen, though I’m taking it for granted that the second edition will easily outsell the first.

Volunteers Wanted For Imminent Cover Reveal Day

Your Future Favourite Fantasy & Science Fiction Author Needs YOU!!!

 

Greetings, folks! For those of you who don’t know, the “long awaited” cover reveal for the second edition of my debut novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, will take place next Monday, and I’ll finally be able to share the awesome new artwork with you all. In the meantime, I am currently looking for other bloggers willing to host the cover reveal on their blogs. At present, three people have generously agreed to participate on the day, and I’m waiting to hear back from a few more. Ideally, I’d like as many blogs as possible to be involved, so I’m posting this call for volunteers to help me forever banish all memories of the original artwork for the book. 😉

It’s The Final Countdown

 

It’s the start of a brand new month (well it was yesterday when I was supposed to submit this post), and the countdown for the re-release of my debut fantasy novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, has begun. I’ve been really busy over the last month, not only with ensuring that the book goes back on sale in the best possible state this summer, but also with preparations for the marketing campaign necessary to give TEOVP the opportunity for sales success that the first edition never had a hope of achieving. Part of me feels as though the effort, time and money I’ve been putting in to making the second edition successful should have been done last year for the original release. But in truth, I wouldn’t change anything about the way I went about things in 2017, even though I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I learned so much from my experience last year, and those lessons have now put me in a much better position to find and win over an audience for TEOVP and all my future writing endeavours.

To Be Read In April (Hopefully)

 

We are now a quarter of the way into 2018 and I’ve had a surprisingly good reading year so far, which I chalk up to the fact I haven’t watched any television since last summer, giving me more free time for books. At present, I have read a total of 17 books this year (almost double the goal I set myself) and I’m currently half way through the science fiction classic, Dune. I hope to be done with Frank Herbert’s novel before the end of the week, allowing me to move on to the five books I’ve chosen to read this month―those five titles being:

The Second Coming Is Near At Hand

 

If you cast your mind back to the beginning of the year, you may recall that personal problems caused me to postpone all my 2018 publishing plans until further notice; the main casualty being the second edition of my debut novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, which I had intended to release in time for the first anniversary of the original publication. I also promised to keep you updated on the status of the book if and when the situation changed. Well, that day has arrived, and today is that day.