A DROWNED KINGDOM GOING AUDIOBOOK AND "THE LAST OF THE ATALANTEANS" UPDATE

Good day everyone and welcome to my blog for October 2021!
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In my August blog post I promised announcements coming soon regarding A Drowned Kingdom and The Drowned Kingdom Saga.

I am pleased to make those announcements now!

The first announcement: A Drowned Kingdom is going to become an audiobook!

A Drowned Kingdom should be released in audiobook format prior to the end of 2021!
Deb and I always wanted to produce an audiobook and offer my readers the widest variety of possible options to enjoy my work. So, A Drowned Kingdom already exists, lovingly in eBook, hardcover, and softcopy, and will soon be joined by an audiobook version.


I can think of no better way to convey the flawed, compelling voice of Lord Othrun, the protagonist from whose point of view perspective A Drowned Kingdom is written, than in audiobook form.   

Why else did the P.L. Stuart authorpreneur team elect to make an audiobook?

Audiobooks are one of the most popular forms of book sales now. The audiobook industry is trending towards becoming a billion-dollar industry. Additionally, audiobook sales appear to boost physical book sales. If someone loves listening to your book, they may elect to purchase a copy for their bookshelves too, to add to their library.      

One of the fantastic advantages of audiobooks is that non-readers who have challenges or preferences for listening as opposed to reading can enjoy their favourite authors. Many people either dislike reading, find themselves too busy to sit down and devote time to reading a book in physical form, or have challenges such as vision-impairment or dyslexia that precludes them from digesting a book in that manner.

From personal experience, Deb notes she would rather listen to a book than read one. She has an hour-long drive to and from work and consumes numerous audiobooks a year while in the vehicle on her hands-free device, and her time is otherwise unoccupied except for driving.    

Audiobooks are also a wonderful way to keep the author’s work instantly available and always in stock for readers. It may take a few weeks to receive a physical copy of a book. For some authors, their works become so popular that their soft or hardcover copies temporarily sell out in physical bookstores or even online. Yet, like eBooks, audiobooks guarantee the author’s book will always be ready for immediate purchase, just a few clicks away.

So, get ready for A Drowned Kingdom, coming to your headphones or hands-free device, soon! Please check this website, or my social media pages such as @plstuartwrites on Twitter for updates on release date!

The second announcement: Lord Othrun returns in The Last of the Atalanteans, Book Two of The Drowned Kingdom Saga, with an expected release date of Spring 2022!

I am so excited to report that The Last of the Atalanteans has begun the publication process, with the final draft of the novel recently being sent to FriesenPress, to commence editing rounds. For those of you who have been waiting eagerly to see what happens to Othrun next, you won’t have to wait long!  

I feel confident that you will love Book Two of The Drowned Kingdom Saga. When we left off in Book One, by his own words, Othrun had truly put himself in the lion’s jaws. We’ll see if he, and those following him, can escape those jaws, or if they will be devoured!

Book two was a joy to write, though I experienced some difficult moments during its completion with the loss of a dear relative and a beloved pet. Still, those I love who have passed would have wanted me to soldier on and complete the book, and that is exactly what I did.     

Frankly, there were other challenges in completing The Last of the Atalanteans. I have spoken to fellow authors, and most seem to agree that they have found book two in a series harder to write than book one. You take all the positives, any critiques, trying to demonstrate how one has improved as a writer since the initial book, and prove that the success of the first one was no fluke.

The pressures and expectations one feels can be tremendous, but I persevered, and overcame them. Ultimately, I have striven to write the book I believe you as the reader will be pleased with the results, while still writing the story I felt needed to be told!

I will keep everyone apprised as The Last of the Atalanteans nears publication date, with further intriguing updates, such as cover reveal, and launch of the book trailer!

Please feel free to comment on this and future blogs and I will be sure to get back to you. Chat soon! ​