Upcoming Book... And Now What? · 3:10am Jan 8th, 2018
I've completed a book called "Crafter's Passion" which is going up on the Kindle Scout system in a few days. This time I'm trying a human main character -- not an uploader, not a furry, who... okay, he gets a few raccoon parts late in the story, but only on his game avatar. (I can quit furry whenever I want to, man.) Anyway, sticking to a basically regular guy and hoping that that makes him more relateable than some of my other main characters.
I'm worried about the tone. One reader said they were depressed by it, and another kept using the word "dystopian" in their commentary. (While suggesting I should turn it into a stage play. =p ) The setting is meant to be upbeat, but the main character is poor in-game and out, and living in a moderately oppressive society. I contrast what I've written to "Ready Player One", where there is nothing at all happening in the setting other than people huddling in the dark and obsessing over one video game that is a pile of 1980s nostalgia and no new ideas.
I'm also jealous of some other authors. I know there's a market for this "LitRPG" stuff because I see multiple other authors say "Hi I just published my first book!" and I go on Amazon and it's rank #1000 with 50 reviews. I'm hoping this book will be the one that can see even half the success of books like those. The problem isn't the dark tone; in fact I just saw a popular book whose Amazon description is like "Bob's life is terrible and his mother is crippled and there was a nuclear war. Now the remnants of humanity live underground and play video games..."
I've read a few LitRPG books (the "reborn as a dungeon" ones) that I found recommended to me based on your books, and most of them were significantly lacking compared to your stuff.
What made them think it was a dystopia?
Although, I could see people thinking it's like Brave New World, where it appears to be a Utopia, but makes you feel a little uncomfortable.
*breaks out wallet*
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Thanks. Of that type, I thought "The Slime Dungeon" was fun, and there was a sci-fi one with a name like "The Laboratory: A Sci-Fi Dungeon Core". That one I put down quickly because the main character was a completely unlikeable GLaDOS look-alike.
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The game gets contrasted with a version of China's "Sesame Credit" system, constantly watching and judging and nagging people, and there's a universal national service program. The hero ends up hurling his government-issued computer into the dirt when he gets jerked around over a rule infraction that involves being auto-opted-in to a blood drive. His administrator/overseer isn't a bad person, but the hero's living in a moderately oppressive situation and he decides that being physically well cared-for isn't good enough for him.
Did the bullshit voting thing to get it on Kindle (wtf Amazon - don't turn into old Steam). Where can I buy this, now?
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Thanks! It will be up on Amazon; it's a question of exactly when and how. Most likely a month or two since the Amazons have something like 25 days from now to judge it and I need to do more editing anyhow.
yeah! yeah! yeah!
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What? I like your writing.