2021 Year In Review
Before we begin, let me say…THANK YOU ❤️
This has been a transformative year for my life as an author. What started in 2020 as a fun side project, with no marketing plan and no connections in the community, has become something I could never have imagined. I still have a day job that I love—so, don’t expect any announcements for full-time—but the warmth of this community continues to renew my spirit to write. Needless to say, I have been a bit overwhelmed by the love I’ve felt from all of you.
So, thank you! None of this would be possible without your support and kind words of encouragement.
2022 ANNOUNCEMENTS
While there will certainly be many more exciting things to happen in 2022, here are a few important dates:
- Bonds of Chaos—August 25th, 2022, $2.99 preorder available!
- TBRCon—1/23 live D&D and 1/26 moderating a panel! (link)
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
While last year may have been hard for us all, there will still a few good things to happen:
- Published Stones of Light (ebook, audiobook)
- Launched an online store to sell signed books in the US (link)
- Created a signed/numbered limited edition hardcover with The Broken Binding (link). Because the books sold out fast, there will be another run with the launch of book 3.
- Participated in a fantasy conference panel (link)
- Read 21 books (16 indie)—over 10,000 pages!
2021 AWARDS & LISTS
One of the most incredible parts of 2021 was seeing all of the love for the Threadlight series. Here are a few highlights:
- 1st place Indies Today Best Fantasy 2020
- 1st place in the Indie Sci-fi/Fantasy Author Battle
- 4th place (out of 300) in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-off
- Finalist in the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award
- Top 15 Books of 2021 (Wolfmantula)
- Top Books of the Year (Book Prescription)
- Top 10 Series of 2021 (Beneath a Thousand Skies)
- Top 10 Reads of 2021 (FanFiAddict)
- Top 10 Series I Read in 2021 (Andrew’s Wizardly Reads)
- Top 10 Books I read in 2021 (Ponderings of Pete)
- Best Sci-fi & Fantasy Books of 2021 (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)
- 2021 - Favourite Reads (Dominish)
- 7 Books that Didn't Fall Victim to Middle Book Syndrome (Book in Hand)
- Most Anticipated Titles of 2022 (FanFiAddict)
- Most Anticipated Books of 2022 (Fantasy Book Critic)
PROJECT UPDATES
Every author has a backlog of projects and plans and, my part-time schedule means I can't get to as much as I'd like, I still want to share some of the exciting things I have planned.
- Threadlight — I am hard at work trying to do this series justice in its final installment. There are scenes in this book that I’ve been planning since I started writing Voice of War, and I’m both scared and excited to finally share them with you all. I am about 30% done writing Bonds of Chaos, and plan to have the first done by end of March. ARCs will go out in July. There is also a growing likelihood that I’ll do a Kickstarter for an omnibus edition of the series.
- Achromic — This is a Threadlight novella that I will likely work on that follows Alabella’s rise to power. I am currently in the process of outlining this, and any release would likely be end of 2022 or early 2023. If there are any other prequel-stories you would be interested in reading, let me know!
- The Fall of Cloud Seven — This is a standalone book that I will be working on once I finish up with Threadlight, which would be released in 2023. I am SO excited for this. It’s a new world, with awesome characters, and a plot that I won’t spoil here. Needless to say, it’s taking all of my will power not to work on it. That said, I may have already commissioned a map and written a few chapters…There is a chance that I will query this one to agents. If I do choose to go down that path, any release would likely be delayed.
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
So, this section may be a bit odd, but I thought it would be nice for both readers and fellow authors to see a transparent look into how much I’ve made as an author. Spoiler! With expenses, it is not very much…yet. Once the trilogy is complete, I expect the total profit to increase. If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer as best I can.
- Total Revenue: ~$8000 USD
- Expenses: ~$7300* USD
- 1,500 eBooks sold
- 180 physical books sold
- 152 signed books sold
- 630 audiobooks sold
- 332,000 KU pages read *Expenses include audiobook narration, cover illustration for Bonds of Chaos, 20 sketches for the hardcovers, book orders for signed books, marketing, etc.
THANKS FOR READING!
Sincerely yours,
—Zack Argyle