It’s been over a month. Let’s talk.
I’m still not feeling entirely into anything right now. I don’t know how much of that is grief and how much of that is laziness; I’m VERY content to be lazy even at the best of times. But I am facing two pretty huge tasks in terms of Floating Point, and the life situation sure ain’t helping me want to tackle them.
First: The Welcome to Floating Point print book. The eBook is actually finished thanks to the god-tier editing prowess of Lawrence Chu. But the print version is a formatting nightmare, thanks to all the sidebar boxes, file info tabs, and that freakin’ emoji kitty. I’m only a chapter into formatting it and I’m fuzzy on how I’ll tackle some of its deeper visual trickery.
I’m tempted to just say ‘screw it’ and release this as eBook only. I make barely any sales off these books, honestly. My ongoing Patreon is ten times more profitable for me and has allowed this book to pay for itself for art contracts and editing work and so on. Buuut, I know I like seeing a real book on my shelf to prove I’m not a failure and I have created something that actually exists, and I know that some of my fans like collecting the books.
What I’m saying is: if you want a print book of FP, post in the comments or email me or whatever, just make yourself heard. I want to gauge the interest in this. It takes a lot of effort to put together and generally yields little to no return given how few copies sell… but if there is support for it, if there is a call for it, I WILL do it. I don’t know how soon I can promise it arriving on shelves but I’ll know for sure it’s worth doing.
Second: The Revelation of Floating Point book is a bit wobbly, maybe? I have a complete story arc, end to end, and I know everything that’s gonna happen in this book. It’s not like I have writer’s block. I just don’t know if it’s a story worth telling anymore. The first book was, and let’s be frank and lay it on the table, my reaction to various online culture clashes like GamerGate and I felt I had a lot to say through my narrative about the binary nature of pointless conflict. The second book has… I don’t know, something to say about religion? but is generally more of a story of the characters involved and what they want out of life. Is that enough? It has no grand statement to make. It’s got no parable to modern day conflicts. It’s just what it is. is that enough? I don’t even know anymore.
I think the third book, Exodus From Floating Point, that’ll be back in the territory of examining online culture and disastrous conflict… but this middle book has a different flavor. Is it tasty? Is it plain? Is it gross? Is it even worth reading? I dunno. I could use some feedback here; I’ve gotten very little since the book started out beyond typo fixes, which are great, but at this point I’m doubting my path. And if it IS boring, well… I dunno. It is what it has to be, this middle chapter. I’d need to do some serious revamping to make it into something else entirely if it’s not working.
So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. It’s not a fun place. Still not sure when I’m going off “hiatus,” it’ll depend on if I can sort this out and either get back on track or realize my existing track is correct. And I’d welcome your input. Thank you.