Time Limited
Sales have been slow and interest has been mild
Hey! What is your greatest virtue?
Between the abstract definitions and religious connotations the word carries, I expect your answers to vary.
This is all before getting into the dirty details of moral relativism.
I’m more referring to virtue itself—an atomized entity that represents idealized good.
For those who have yet to read Rhean, the chapter names mostly come from Christian theology. Themes running along the lines of pious notions and human sins.
As an immortal, Rhean Eyadu struggles with empathy toward our lives and our limited lifespans.
Grab your copy of Rhean today!
But before we dive into the light at the end of the tunnel, here’s a quick update on how the launch went.
Dishonest Dozen
Sales never really picked up and I have yet to see any conversations around my book(s) on social media.
Even including the unexpected person purchasing a copy of Maneus, I have yet to reach an honest dozen.
Some of the blame surely falls on me. It would seem I am unfit to play the role of ruthless salesman needed for more copies to fly off shelves.
Although a silly excuse like that should never stop me from trying.
Creative Advertising
In a bit of a desperate attempt to seek out more eyeballs and ears, I explored the world of our soon-to-be robot overlords.
Yes, with the help of AI, I learned to “code” and built a few websites to promote Rhean.
What started as more or less a proof-of-concept soon evolved into a greater desire to explore what was possible.
To be perfectly transparent, I was doing nothing more than copying and pasting the bits of code ChatGPT gave me. I would argue with the machine when things didn’t work as expected and somehow that ended up turning into a functioning web app.
Six Broken Fragments
I originally held high hopes of creating a complex game. I thought the AI could handle the code and leave the writing to me.
I was wrong.
While I was wielding a powerful tool, it was more like a hammer than a replacement for my brain. When I told it where to smash, it could smash harder than anything I could hope for.
When I was at a loss as to where to start or where to go, it would randomly poke holes and create an incomprehensible mess.
After a lot of fighting with the robot and a lot of swearing into the air, I had a gamified advertisement that I think represents Rhean well.
I am not a fan of promotions that lie or otherwise trick people.
I wanted to create something that was honest.
Limited by my simple skillset, I came up with a concept that asks potential readers to find the fragments of Rhean’s sword, Nox Aeterna.
Once all six have been clicked or tapped, players are then brought to a new page and can read the first chapter of the book.
Along the way, I make sure there are plenty of prompts asking them to buy a copy, but I suppose only time will tell if my gentle nudging is a touch too soft.
Nostalgic Internet
What I ended up making feels a lot like a web 1.0 website. The kind of project big companies were commissioning before anyone really knew how to surf the net.
I like that authenticity and I hope you do too.
Either way, let me know what you think!
Otherwise, all I can ask is that you support my dreams by grabbing a copy of Rhean or subscribing to this newsletter.
Until next time,
JMB