Plum Parrot
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Plum's Writing Schedule and Plans (8/29/26)
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 16:11:25 +0000 UTCHey all! It's been a while since I've pinned a post like this, and I've finished and started a bunch of books since the last one, so I figure an update is in order. Here are my current plans and my current writing schedule:
Current, ongoing series:
Victor of Tucson - New chapters every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. I'm working on Book 12, and, if things go as planned, this will be the last VoT book. I think it will be done around the end of the year (sometime in December).
Neon Dust - New chapters on Friday and Saturday. I am currently working on Book 3, and I expect to finish it around January. I have a three-book contract with Podium, and we'll see how it goes before I commit to any more books in this series. I have plans to finish a major arc in this third book, but I also have long-term plans if people really enjoy it.
Andy in the Apocalypse - New chapters on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am currently working on Book 2, and have a three-book contract with Aethon. My fingers are crossed that this one will do well on KU/Audible.
Sanity adjustment to schedule: As Victor wraps up, I'll probably stick to only two ongoing stories at a time. I don't really have any (regular) days off right now, and it's starting to wear on me a bit.
Series that are "complete" or on hiatus:
Cyber Dreams - No concrete plans yet, but I have lots of ideas that are beginning to clamor more and more loudly in my mind. I wasn't sure the audience was there for me to continue this one, but it continues to sell on KU and Audible, and I'm starting to feel increasingly hopeful that a new series (trilogy?) might be warranted.
Falling with Folded Wings - I know I have some people who really want me to pick this one back up, but the audience for this series is seriously very niche, even among my readership. I love some of the characters from these books, and I'd like to give them some more love, but I think I'll need a bit of time away from Fanwath when Victor wraps up.
Vainglory - Unfortunately, Vainglory has NOT been well-received on KU and Audible. In fact, it's been my worst-selling story ever. It hurts because I put a lot of myself into this series, and I thought it was a lot of fun. It's made me really re-evaluate my writing and what I think is "fun" vs what people who read this genre think. In any case, I highly doubt I'll ever be able to justify the months of work that would go into writing more books in this series. This is a good segue into the rest of this post if you're interested in what motivates me and why I choose to write what I write:
If all you wanted was my schedule and plans, you can stop reading. However, if you're interested in why I've decided to continue some stories and end others, I'll delve into that a bit. Let's start with the elephant in the room: my biggest seller and the main reason many of you are here, Victor of Tucson.
Victor of Tucson has allowed me to write full-time. Thanks to the sales of those books, I'm able to pay my bills and spend 10 hours a day on my computer doing what I've always dreamed of doing. Why would I stop? There are a few reasons, but I'll narrow it down to two:
The story is very different today from when I started it. Victor is different. His challenges are different. The stakes are different. This is good, right? These things should change in a story; otherwise, it's not a good story. The problem is that I'm maybe a little better at writing the kinds of stuff that came up in early Victor books vs these later, grand-scale things. Maybe "better" is wrong, but it's certainly easier and more fun for me. If I'm having fun, I think the writing is better and people enjoy it more. Not saying I don't still enjoy Victor, but I definitely don't look forward to writing it the way I used to; it doesn't fill my head when I'm daydreaming anymore. So yeah, reason #1 is that I think I need a break (at least) from his tale.
The second reason is about reach. How many people are reading what I'm writing, and, as a side effect, how many are buying what I'm writing? Is it still profitable for me to write VoT? Yes, definitely. I won't lie about that. I still make money for each book. However, as you may or may not know, in any series, even the best of them, each new book has fewer readers than the ones that came before it. Perhaps some people become bored with it, or they lose track of the series, or who knows, but for instance, Pit Fighter has about six times the sales of Sojourner. That gap will grow the more books I release. So, unlike some authors with their long epic series, I simply cannot continue this forever, not if I want to be able to keep the lights on.
You can look at those two reasons why I'm going to be putting Victor of Tucson aside and apply them to any of my series. Cyber Dreams, for instance, had the same things going on. Reason #1 doesn't really apply to Cyber Dreams anymore, though. I've spent enough time away from the series, and new ideas are starting to crowd my mind, so, yeah, if I think I can make it worthwhile financially, I'll probably get back to it.
I WISH I didn't have to be concerned with sales. I wish I had just myself to worry about; I could buy a trailer and live like Andy (before the apocalypse, lol), writing what I want and just buying the things I need to get by. I have a family, though—people depending on me—and I have to consider my time (which is growing shorter by the year!) and what I'm getting in return for the investment of that finite, precious resource. It's not just money, either. As a writer, my #1 goal is to reach as many people as possible.
I mean that wholeheartedly. I have no intention of stopping. I want to write until I physically can't. I love the idea that my stories might bring someone some joy on an otherwise difficult day. When I was a teacher, I put up with a lot of awful stuff because I could focus on the kids. I could see how I was making a difference in a person's life. I loved reading in class, and if I could change the mind of one kid who said he "hated reading," then I felt like that entire school year was worthwhile.
Wow! I'm really rambling here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love writing, but I love people reading what I write even more. I want to reach as many as possible, so that's always a factor when I decide which series to continue or set aside.
If you read all this, thank you. I hope it's given you a little more insight into what I'm doing. Now, I have some cyberpunk to write!
Thanks and much love,
Plum
Comments
InLucidReverie
New cyber dreams would bd <3
Plum Parrot
I judge success based on sales and Amazon's ranking system. If Vainglory were my first book, I'd probably still be hopeful, but I can compare it to my other books, and I know it's really not doing well. It's fallen past 20k on the Amazon "Best Sellers List," and considering it's a new "book one," that's really bad (at least for our genre).
nick1689
Thanks for the update! I think I’m probably different to most here in that I signed up because I really loved AA, so hopefully it’ll take off on KU! Side question: you said Vainglory didn’t do so well in KU, and hopefully AA will. How do you judge success? Is there a certain revenue level you’re looking for, or it’s about engagement metrics, etc?
