What to Write Next, Free Stories For Halloween, and TikTok
Hi everyone,
Thanks for reading. Before I get into this post, remember that When Royal Heads Are Hunted is available at Amazon and other book sellers worldwide. I’ll run my promotion again for another week. If you are a subscriber and send me a DM, I’ll give you a coupon code for a free ebook. If you send me me a message after the first 10, I’ll give you a coupon for 50% off at Smashwords.
What to Write Next
So I’ve been thinking about what to write next. I imagine most authors have a lot of ideas for future projects, and right now I am considering three, or maybe four options.
One idea is to continue with my theme of Native Americans versus Conquistadors and to research a write a book about the Conquistadors Pánfilo de Narváez or Hernando de Soto. Both came to Florida and had negative impacts on the Native Americans. I don’t have a clear idea yet for a plot for either one, but I will start reading about them.
Another idea is to write the third novel in my coming-of-age series that began with Anabar’s Run and was followed by Anabar Rises. I have a clear idea in my head for the third book, and even a title, “Anabar’s Night”.
However, I am also considering making some major changes to the series. I might combine the first two books and even give it a new title and publish it as a new book. This could work, as Anabar’s Run and Anabar Rises are only about 40,000 words each. These books are well suited for middle grade readers. I can definitely see writing another book, and possibly even two more for the series.
My next idea is to write several short stories for a horror anthology. I already published six stories and sell them separately on Amazon. I would like to write three or four more and combine them into a single volume.
As a kid, I looked forward to watching horror movies on Saturday nights on “Creature Feature” and “Chiller.” These were dark, creepy, and fun, and I watched them all on our black and white television. They definitely influenced the kind of stories I like to write. My current stories are about Vampires, Zombies, and other dark themes. Chiller had the best opening!
I don’t have a title for the anthology yet, but I am working on two stories, one about a giant, Godzilla-sized scorpion and another about a sinister thicket that tries to pull you in.
My Short Horror Stories Will Be Posted Here This Week
To celebrate Halloween, I will post the full text, for free, of four of my stories here starting this afternoon. Please let me know what you think about them.
So these choices are a new Conquistador historical fiction novel, a middle grade series, and a horror anthology. I am not sure which one to write next.
Beyond them, I also have an idea for a book that I’m not ready to talk about yet, but which I feel drawn to. I even have a title, “Didi the Destroyer.” I don’t want to provide any details about Didi yet, but I think, for me, that it willl be very important to write. The only thing I’ll say is that it will deal with a serious issue and that changes in our society and forcing me to rethink my plot a bit.
I’m a Booktoker now!
In seeking ways to market When Royal Heads Are Hunted, I read how many authors were finding success in using TikTok. Actually, they mostly promote their books via the hashtag #BookTok. If you go on TikTok and do a search for #booktok, you will find thousands of people posting short videos of them talking about books. I did some digging and signed up for a TikTok account and found it to a be a great source of suggestions of books to read.
Unsure about recording my own videos of me talking about my books, I read that many authors are posting slideshows without them talking on screen. This sounded like a good idea, and I have been experimenting with making #BookTok slideshows with Canva and Capcut. Both have free versions with many features. So far I have created and posted 9 slideshows on TikTok. Most have gotten about 100 views. Not a lot, maybe, but more than nothing. I am willing to be patient about marketing my book. Here is my latest video:
And here is a link to all the slideshows, trailers, and podcast recordings I have posted on TikTok: Will Granger TikTok.
One thing I like about TikTok is that is has detailed analytics about how people are viewing videos. You can see how long people are watching on average and exactly when they stop viewing. These videos don’t take long to create, and I will continue to experiment to find which ones are most effective. Then I can use that information to make new videos.
Thanks for reading my newsletter. Please do me a favor and share and restack this and tell people about When Royal Heads Are Hunted. I also hope you will take advantage of my promotions.
Have a great week,
Will