5-MONTHS SINCE PUBLICATION UPDATE – HOW IT’S GOING FOR P.L. STUART, AND WHAT’S NEXT?

Hi everyone! Hope you are all doing well! I can hardly believe it’s already been five months since the release of my debut novel A Drowned Kingdom, Book One of The Drowned Kingdom Saga, on February 02, 2021! The time has flown by, and I have been extremely busy, however things have been fantastic!

For this month’s blog, I thought I would provide a quick update of my journey as an authorpreneur since publication and let everyone know some of the exciting things coming regarding me and my writing soon!

How’s It Going?
A Drowned Kingdom has been extremely well received since publication. Reviews have overall been quite favourable, sales have been strong, I am humbled by the generally positive response to my work, and extremely grateful to all the readers and reviewers who are responsible for all my early success.

Thank you so much! It means the world!

A “Get It” endorsement from the esteemed professional reviewing company Kirkus Reviews, and consequently being featured by Kirkus as one of ‘Four Great Examples of the Genre” for fantasy, in their April 15, 2021 Kirkus Reviews Special Indie Edition Magazine (page 9) was a huge honour. Receiving a Four out of Five-Star review from lauded professional review company Foreword Clarion Reviews was also great feeling. Currently, A Drowned Kingdom enjoys a four plus-star average rating on Goodreads and on Amazon. Several great fantasy bloggers have provided encouraging feedback, such as the wonderful reviewers Sue Bavey, Christine Bode, Jennifer of Queen’s Book Asylum, and Dawn Lewis, and Betanda Shaman. Special thanks to all the bloggers out there, and all the hard work they do.

Immediately following publication, A Drowned Kingdom shot right to the top of the bestselling charts of the bookstore for the publishing-assist company, FriesenPress, and held that #1 bestselling ranking for two weeks in a row! Subsequently, A Drowned Kingdom received the honour of being named a FriesenPress “Staff Pick” amongst all their wonderful authors’ books. A Drowned Kingdom by P.L. Stuart | The FriesenPress Bookstore .

Yet much more than any formal accolades, it is the feedback from readers who have appreciated my novel, that has meant the most to me, and warmed my heart immeasurably. It is an incredible feeling when someone genuinely enjoys reading something that has been such a personal labour of love.

In the meantime, I have been working hard to promote A Drowned Kingdom, and The Drowned Kingdom Saga, through social media, engaging in media events such as book fairs, interviews, and podcasts. I truly have fun participating in such events, and I believe they are critical to author success. The work of an authorpreneur is never done, as writing books is only half of the equation. The other half is letting people know that your book(s) is out there. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through such media endeavours. Please feel free to visit my website Media page to see the latest for P.L. Stuart in the media and for media requests, please visit my Contact page.

I also took a leap of faith and entered A Drowned Kingdom in Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, or #SPFBO7 as noted in my last blog post. Read here to learn more about that here Why P.L. Stuart entered "A Drowned Kingdom" in SPFBO7 - P.L. Stuart (plstuart.com) .

A large part of that is increasingly becoming strengthening my connections in the wonderful #WritingCommunity, brainstorming, learning from and sharing ideas regarding writing and the writing business with fellow creatives, supporting and uplifting each other. Zoom conference calls with fellow writers across the world, direct message chats, and emails are a great way to allow these relationships to flourish via virtual means.

Somehow, between all this exhilarating activity, and a full-time, terribly busy job, I have found time to work on writing The Last of the Atalanteans! More on that below! Suffice to say, the last five months have been some of the best months of my life, accomplishing the dream of becoming a published author, and relishing in all that comes with it!

What’s Next For P.L Stuart?
I will continue to focus on being part of a strong and innovative authorpreneur duo! First and foremost this means Deb – my lovely wife and business partner - and I strategizing together, on marketing, writing, and where to take our venture next! In this regard, working with the assistance of FriesenPress, we expect to be able to make some great announcements in the coming months about A Drowned Kingdom and The Drowned Kingdom Saga! Stay tuned!

I am pleased to be participating in several media events over the course of the summer, including the Chatham-Kent Public Library Virtual Author Festival, a podcast with the wonderful Jeff Rutherford of Reading and Writing Podcast fame, When Worlds Collide Festival for Readers and Writers, and as a guest speaker to The Caribbean Fiction Book Club.

August 2021 is also when I anticipate the final draft of The Last of the Atalanteans, Book Two in The Drowned Kingdom Saga, will be completed, and ready to go for professional editing. The goal is for The Last of the Atalanteans to be released approximately a year from the publication of A Drowned Kingdom, so readers won’t have to wait too much longer to see the next instalment in the epic adventure of #LordOthrun, Prince of the Atalanteans.

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