Attention: GentlmanJ Begins His Next Project · 8:17pm Jan 2nd, 2023
Greetings one and all,
I've dragged this out enough already, so without further ado, here is my announcement.
I will be publishing my first of a trilogy of original novels in the summer of this calendar year!
Published? What does that mean?
Good question. Unfortunately, 'published' has become somewhat of a loaded word these days. On one hand, everyone's first thinks, "six-figure book deal with a Big Five Publishers like HarperCollins or Penguin House." While those do happen, they make news because they're rare, and that's certainly not what happened to me.
On the other hand, 'published' now also covers self-publishing as well, since anyone can put something out now if they're willing to pay for it. I know, I know, quality doesn't guarantee success (believe me, I know), but there's still something about an independent party saying, "I will invest resources into your work because I believe readers will want it" that gives the work credibility. There's a reason self-publishing routes can be more derogatorily referred to as 'vanity projects', and I want to clarify that that's not me either.
Okay, so when you say you're getting published, what do you mean?
I that after a whole heap ton of rejections (just... just so many) a small publishing house that primarily focuses on e-books, but works in print as well, liked my story and wanted to represent it. Of course, you know me: I can never write just one, so after an initial conversation about how they operated, I produced a couple of summaries for sequels, and they liked those as well. Thus, when it came time to actually sign, my contract is now for my publisher to represent a trilogy of novels that I will be releasing from here on out.
What? Only a trilogy?
Of course not! I mean, have you read my stuff? I can and will go on for ages! Just try and stop me! 
Just like The Journey of Graves, I have a lot, and I do mean a lot planned. I mean, I built a whole freaking multi-dimensional universe with original rules of magic and technology after all, so you better believe I'm getting my creative worth out of it. The contract just doesn't cover later books because of real-world limitations.
First off, money's involved now, and no sane publisher would lock themselves into a long-running series before it's proven to be viable. Second, I would've had to outline each of those sequels, which would've taken me forever and delayed the crucial contract signing I really wanted to get locked in. Third, even if I did produce them, they would inevitably change since my editor (yes, I have an editor now 
) definitely needs to be brought into the planning process.
Thus, it's best to say that I have a trilogy for now. I'll keep working at it, of course. I'll keep writing, and Lord willing, things will just keep picking up steam from here.
Wow, that's so cool! [Insert congratulatory statement here]! So... what's your story actually about?
Oh, right! I haven't told you yet! Silly me 
The series is called Heroes Inc. (subject to change), and it's a world with professional superheroes. Around forty years ago, multiple magical dimensions got linked to ours, spurring a growth of people with paranormal powers who eventually became institutionalized as superheroes. Whether working for international (and interdimensional) regulatory bodies, governments, or private corporations, superheroes are bigger business than Hollywood, pro-sports, and defense contracting combined.
My first book, The Intern (subject to change) brings in Maris Greensley, a punk kid fresh out of high school who dreams of breaking into the superhero industry. She doesn't have powers, nor does she have any connections, and when even receptionist jobs and mail clerking positions are competitive to the max, her odds of success are basically zero. So, when she runs into the criminal mercenary Deadline who's office manager just 'happens' to be hiring, what does she do? Run away like a sane person? Or does she agree to work for them, because if she survives one year with them, they guarantee her a job in a legitimate heroics firm?
As you can probably imagine, at its heart, the story is a romance (What? A romance from GentlemanJ? I never would've guessed! 
) with plenty of action and adventure on the side. We've got werewolves buying guns from street gangs. We've got vampires kidnapping psychic children. We've got battles against interdimensional hell beasts using grenade launchers and enchanted scimitars. Whatever works, right? But at it's heart, Heroes Inc. is Maris and Deadline and how they both grow and grow closer.
That sounds so interesting! [Insert obligatory accolades here]! And you said it will be out this summer?
That's the plan. If all goes well, it should be arriving around June, but that can very likely change.
Despite signing in August, my publisher was busy last year wrapping up existing projects, so we didn't really get started till around December. That's when I got assigned my editor, to whom I submitted my manuscript for first edits. This begins the editing stage, where we'll go back and forth for as few as three or four passes, or as many as a dozen. We don't know, so while there's a projected date, there's no guarantee.
When it does release, however, it will initially be available on e-book, with print copies available 6-9 months after that on Amazon and through the publisher's website. I'll be sure to keep anyone who's interested notified of all these dates and more.
By spamming us with more blog posts? Really? 
Surprisingly, no. And here, is where I will ask not for your patience, but for your help.
As you can probably imagine, marketing is absolutely crucial to a book's success, and social media is a crucial part of that. Even for famous writers with big companies backing them, it's a constant battle for attention that requires self-promotion, which goes exponentially moreso for upstarts like me. And so, I play the game. I just created a Twitter profile under my pen name a few weeks ago:
- Pen name: Jason Cheng
- Twitter handle: @jchengscribbles
For anyone on Twitter, as well as anything thinking of starting during Hurricane Musk like I did, please follow me there. You know how it goes: the more attention someone already has, more attention it gets. I'm on it actively, and as important information comes out like dates, cover art, and promotional events, I'll make news posts there.
I'm also starting up a website for my persona, so when it's ready, do check it out as well. A place for more in-depth coverage like this post, I'll also be generating regular blog posts because The Algorithm craves consistent content. These posts will be my rambling about various topics for public amusement, so, if you've ever wanted to see me rant about why Lion Turtles were the real villains in Avatar: The Last Airbender, that should be good fun for you.
And of course, the more interaction the better. Got something you want me to go on about? Got any questions? Hit me up on my new persona, and we'll see about making it happen.
Conclusion
Well, that about wraps things up. I know I milked this last week pretty hard, so I hope this announcement lived up to all the hype I tried to farm. But seriously, I'm super excited about this. After all, what author doesn't dream of publishing their own works? Literally years in the making, my sincerest hope is that I'll be able to provide those who loved and supported The Journey of Graves something new to enjoy as well.
If you have any questions I haven't yet answered, please post them below. Till then, thank you for your time and patience, and I really do hope to see you all a lot more often from now on
Sincerely,
Jason Cheng, the one and only GentlemanJ
Well, if Graves' story is any indication, this should be pretty good.
Also, getting some Wild Cards vibes off the premise. Which was a series I enjoyed, until it went completely off of the rails around the jumpers story arc.
When the novel actually comes out, will we get a blog post with a link to where we can buy it? (I’m not on twitter and have no interest in it)
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Definitely. Big stuff, I'll try to share here, but I want to keep it minimal since it feels a bit off advertising non-MLP related stuff.
But for links and releases? Absolutely.
What was your elevator pitch, "My Hero Academia meets the Dresden Files"?
I absolutely cannot wait to get some more content from you my man, I hope that everything goes well and that you don't hit any major obstacles. :)
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Aaannd, you jinxed it. You're lucky my kidnappers let me post this, or else, you'd never have known that I'm only worth a ransom of $43,000.
Is this the continuation of the story you posted the beginnings of on Wattpad? Because if so I can't wait to read the rest of it
Summer has come and gone. How do we buy your work?
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Sadly, not happening. Apologies for the delay in updates. Posted details in the newest blog entry.