Returning to the Artist’s Corner
Updates: HRP Audiobook, Birthright Feedback & Book #3 Begins
Hey everyone,
It’s been a while! First off, a big thank you to everyone who filled in the survey. Your feedback was super helpful—seems like most of you enjoy hearing about my writing journey in shorter updates, mixed with the occasional piece of fiction or insights into the writing industry. That’s exactly what I’ll aim for going forward, but no guarantees—you never know what my inner artist will come up with 😉
Now, onto the updates:
1. The Human Relief Project Audiobook is Live!
Some of you might have already seen it—I launched the audiobook for The Human Relief Project on Spotify and a few other platforms! It’s AI-narrated with different voices, and if you’re in one of the eligible Spotify countries (US, CA, UK, ANZ, Benelux, and France) and want to check it out, just email me, and I’ll send you a free voucher code.
This audiobook was the last big milestone for The HRP. From here onwards, we will see if and how the book finds its way into more hands. For me, it’s time to step away from the commercial side of writing and let the artist take over completely again ✍🏼
2. Birthright Alpha Reader Feedback Is Rolling In
I’ve had my first feedback conversations with Birthright’s alpha readers, and it’s been both fascinating and exhilarating. Since they’re a diverse crowd and have also read The Human Relief Project, they can compare the two: where they are similar, where they diverge, and which aspects resonate most with different types of readers—plot lovers, world-building enthusiasts, theme-driven readers, and everyone in between.
I still have three more alpha readers to check in with before I start reworking the book. Then, I’ll get feedback from a professional editor on the early sections and begin querying agents. Unlike The Human Relief Project, I’d prefer to go the traditional publishing route for Birthright. Trying out self-publishing was fun, but I realized that rather than becoming an expert at design, marketing, distribution and all the aspects of running a small business, I’d rather just focus on honing my craft and write amazing books that readers can’t get enough of. And even though traditional publishing can take 3+ years to get a book out, I believe working with an experienced team of editors, designers, and marketers will give Birthright the best chance at reaching a wide audience of anglophone readers across the globe.
3. Book #3 Is Taking Shape
Since work on Birthright is paused until all the feedback is in, I’ve officially started work on my third novel! After exploring a few different ideas, I’ve settled on one and am already a third of the way into outlining the plot. It’s sooo energizing—I wish for all of you to experience this sense of aliveness when creating art—and I can’t wait to fully shift my scarce writing time onto it once Birthright is in the hands of agents. Codename: The Struggling AI Priest 😌 (And no, it’s not what you think.)
That’s it for now from my writing corner. I was going to share more about the challenges I’ve faced over the last months—picking genres, spending hours re-editing a single scene, and so on—but I’ll save that for a future post when I have a bit more time.
Keep reading (or listening)!
Max
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my updates and being part of this community!
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