A Second Actual FAQ

                Going to be honest with you all, this week has been a real shitshow. Not only did I have to finish up Fred rough draft edits, which already got delayed thanks to the giant storm/power outages, there was also the fun of a clogged plumbing line causing a backup, and as a mercy that’s all the details I’ll give on that situation. Point is, I didn’t really have time to plan out a usual blog, so I thought this would be a good time to tackle some frequently asked questions. Especially since the last time I did one of these was six years ago. Might be a touch overdue.

Will There be More Super Powereds?

                This one seems to come up in some form or function a few times a year, so even though I know for most frequent blog readers this is a long-answered one, it deserves a spot here. The short answer is technically no, but yes to the spirit of the question.

                Super Powereds as a series is done, in the sense that the story of those five characters going through that point in their life has concluded. In the same way that I might write another book about Titan, but I don’t imagine I could actually create another Corpies, because that chapter in his life is over.

                I currently plan to do more stories in that world, but not for several more years at the soonest. There are other series that need to be finished out first before I’d even have room in the writing schedule, plus the amount of planning tackling another SP will require.

Will Super Powereds: Year 4 Ever Be Available in Paperback?

                I hope so, but as things currently stands it isn’t possible, and I mean that literally. The two printing options for indie authors are KDP Print (Amazon) and Ingram-Spark. Due to the length of Year 4, neither option was able to offer a paperback version, it was way too big. Truth be told, it barely made it into a hardcover, 20 pages more and it wouldn’t have.

                If printing options change or I find a way to partner with a bigger publisher, I’d love to make Year 4 available in paperback. Unfortunately, for the moment, hardcover is the only physical option.

Can I Buy Signed Books?

                This one is a bit in flux, thanks in large part to the pandemic. While I have historically stocked up on books for conventions, due to the size limitations of my home vs the size of my books, it isn’t something sustainable all the time. With conventions all down for the past year, I haven’t been able to keep any on hand, ruling out online orders as well.

                With the light at the end of the tunnel in sight, I’m hopeful that soon I’ll have cause to stock up once more, though even then I don’t expect I’ll ever operate a true online store for signed books. Between the need to keep inventory and the time spent on prep/shipping, it isn’t viable for a one-man operation. I would like to do some release events, where folks have a pre-order window and it can all be done in one batch, but until the world stabilizes a bit that’s just a pipedream.

When Will The Next Book in X Series Come Out?

                In this case, the answer is pretty much just a link: http://www.drewhayesnovels.com/series-status.

                For those who haven’t seen that part of the site, Series Status is where I post the most up-to-date information on all active and concluded series. That’s where information goes when it is considered truly official. While I might have estimates for more of the timetable, I try to stick to what I promise, so it doesn’t become public until I feel sure it’s accurate.

                If you do want some slightly less concrete projections though, be sure to hit the Yearly Wrap Up post. It will tell you what I expect to write in the coming year ahead. The only items not listed on there would be ones purposely kept secret, like the first 5-Minute Sherlock, a factor that generally doesn’t come up for continuing series.

Why Doesn’t Audio Launch with Other Versions?

                This is one that can be confusing, because readers see some series with parallel releases of all versions, while others have gaps between ebook/print and audio. The reason is largely one of scheduling policies for small pubs/indies vs larger publishers.

                Audio production cannot begin until there is a print-ready manuscript to work from. That means the book has to be ready to publish before the audio version even gets to start up. For larger publishers, there’s usually a hunk of time between completing the product and publication anyway, they have a lot of books to schedule around. That allows time for the audio to finish, permitting a simultaneous release.

                For the indie folks, a lot fewer of us tend to build in the extra time padding. Generally speaking, most I know, self-included, publish once the product is done. While we could delay until the audio version is ready, that can be a dangerous game. Indies don’t always know where they’ll be able to get an audio-adaptation, or how long it will take. As a rule, we aren’t known for swimming in spare cash, so pushing a release back indefinitely can come with a lot of financial consequences and fans annoyed at the extra wait.

Why Does 5-Minute Sherlock’s Audio Version Come Out First?

                Here we hit the flipside, a series where the audiobook comes out six month before the print/ebook. The reason for this one is that 5-Minute Sherlock is a special case: it’s an Audible Original. That means Audible acts as the audiobook publisher, covering edits, cover design, and so forth. Since the book is created first as an audio production, there’s an exclusivity period where audio is the only option. Once that expires, I promptly put the ebook/print versions up for sale.

                Now as to why I participate in that particular forced delay, it only seemed fair. The audio folks have to wait for their preferred versions on every other series, so since Audible gave me a chance to let them go first for a change, I was happy to jump onboard.

Do You Know How Many Books Are Left in X Series?

                One lesson I learned very well from Super Powereds: don’t lock yourself into a set number of books if it can be avoided. Part of the reason Year 4 was too long for paperbacks is that I had a lot of story that needed to fit in, and by the way I’d constructed the series, pushing into a fifth book wasn’t an option. Thankfully, I felt like it worked in the end, but the situation easily could have led to disaster for the story overall.

                On most of the series, I don’t plan the number of books in total, I just know the bigger story. Sometimes a book will tackle more of that than I expected, sometimes less, and that’s okay so long as we’re moving forward. For any that might be nearing their finale, I typically do know the number remaining, however I keep that private in case anything changes in the actual writing.

                That said, I will let you know when it’s the last entry in a series. I had people ask about that after Fred #6, and as the first paragraph mentioned, Fred is definitely continuing. I too dislike ambiguity, so I work hard to make sure it’s clear when a series is completed.

                Alright folks, that’s enough for this round. Hope you all had less hectic weeks than me!