I have already talked about my plans for monetization here, but I wanted to give more details and make this somewhat interactive with those potential readers.
Most posts would not be monetized, such as the updates regarding upcoming projects. However, I wanted to start doing a weekly post that would feature a chapter from a short story. Those short stories would only be available to paid subscribers on this platform for quite some time. Eventually, they would be published in short story anthologies or in other future books. However, they would be exclusive to Substack for a lengthy period of time, possibly up to a year or more.
That being said, I wanted to ask fans of the Barbarians of the Storm series and potential subscribers, what they’d like to see first, as I have several ideas for stories lined up.
The ones I’d like to tackle in the near future are the various tales I considered to be tacked onto the end of the upcoming Swords Against Bastards book. They are:
The Palus origin story: some of his background is already given in the upcoming book, Swords Against Bastards.
Killer and the Seven Dwarfs, which will be a tale in the same vein as Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven featuring Killer, along with a group of dwarves that have to save a mining village from a group of human mercenaries and goblins led by a mysterious knight in blue armor (yes, that Blue Knight, as originally mentioned in Dan the Destructor).
Kornfel & Tibrüt hunting down the Nosferatu-like Wild Dog after the events of Eyes in All Shadows. This would feature them fighting their way through the ancient cosmic vampire’s lair and bizarre minions.
Fenrik & Erzulyn’s quest to acquire the Voidwrencher and the Orb of Abbar, set just before The Fall of the Black Cathedral.
The story of how Shakon-Kazoth was exposed as evil and ousted from Sha-Destino. It would also feature Fenrik & Queen Valkyana. Possible appearances by Brahm Tieryr & Erzulyn.
Beyond all that, I have a shit ton of other short story ideas, but I feel as if these are the ones I should work through first. So, for those who have read the books and want to see more backstory, context, and just fun (or terrifying) adventures, let me know your thoughts.
Additionally, if you were to consider a paid subscription, which would only be a few bucks per month, what other exclusive content would you like to see? More posts about my experience and lessons learned along the way, as not just a published author but also as a professional artist of 20+ years? More background on my stories’ influences? Or do you think the short stories alone are sufficient for 3ish bucks per month?
Let me know.
I'm excited for what's to come! The first story I would like to see is probably the one for Voidwrencher. Killer and the Seven Dwarfs are a close second though.
Do all. Voidwrencher first.