Kal Spriggs

SF & Fantasy Author, US Military Vet, Gamer, Husband, & Father

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@MarkSowersBooks Hell yeah, get after it. Are you seeing good sales?

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

Many Fantasy readers will not start a series until all the books are completed. GRRM's failure to finish caused many to quit the genre.

Problem is, authors won't write a complete series if the first books don't sell. Tradpub says Fantasy is dead.

What do we do about it?

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@Weird_Friction If you think he's going to write any more words on those books at this point, you are being tremendously optimistic

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

I do indeed, I love all sorts of stuff that was never finished, stuff like Zelasny and Andre Northon's Elfbane series.

I'm a writer who has been repeatedly told my Epic Fantasy will not be read until it is finished.

If you think that's idiotic, take it up with the dozens who have posted just that in the comments.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@StillDiggs I mean, by all means, share it with alpha readers at least. I have a whole series of posts (all for free) on writing on my substack. Feedback is crucial for developing your craft as a writer.

And if your goal is to do an epic series, write it and start getting it out there.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@iriscal Eh, literary snobs shit on stuff because they have no joy in life.

Read what brings you joy.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@RandyZabel @CaptMurrica General statements like that fail to take into account a variety of story types. Epic Fantasy is by the nature, epic in scope. Grand stories that cover generational and even multigenerational struggles are another one.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@monsterhunter45 I blame the image, Jon Snow bleeding out is a parable for what GRRM did to the Fantasy genre.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

https://t.co/EHaugYYs5q

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@HCH_Hill @bad_pseudonym Last I read, it was a purge of all thinking machines, no?

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@Mr_Boffin @DaddyWarpig Sadly undercut by the how much do you bench joke after that...

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@Diacritic I write Sci-fi and Fantasy. Says it on my bio. Take a wild guess which genre does better for me sales wise. I will give you bonus points if you manage to guess it is the one that starts with an F.

Since you couldn't take the time to do even that much research, get fucked.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@aldiaXIII I hate GRRM on general principles, as he shits on better authors like Tolkien. GRRM and Rothfus are the main two that fans complain most loudly about. And when I market my epic Fantasy, theirs are the examples people bring up in not wanting to start something unfinished..

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@MWolfclaw Well, if you like 40k, you might like my ongoing Shadow Space Chronicles, starting with The Fallen Race. https://t.co/IemMZzNq7x

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@Corabough1985 Its a good point, society does very much want their instant gratification for the investment of time. But it also limits the pool to those with money to keep writing or the gatekept select that big publishers back.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@Brandon1991W I've published 47 at this point, and I have 8 more done and waiting on publishers. Every new book has its own joys and challenges. Some are feral and will bite again.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@MeltedI94659 I cringe when people recommend that series, as not only did it waste a lot of time, but by the end of it, the character was just wasting time and is back at the beginning. 0 stars

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@NickValdez I will happily forget that windbag

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@WayneMcNeil022 What's a major time gap? A year, a week, a decade? I've written 47 novels since GRRM choked. My entire publishing career has been in the shadow of his failure and the impact it had on the market.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@RDanaReid1 Did that, have done that with all my series, my Epic Fantasy simply doesnt sell as much as it isnt "done"

I dont have that issue with Sci-fi, just Fantasy novels.

[Kal Spriggs @KalSpriggs]

@jamiekwil Writers also need to eat, pay for internet so they can upload their books, and etc. I love my epic Fantasy series, otherwise it wouldn't be 4 books along, but the sales have been 10% of my other stuff. The consistent comment I get is "I dont read series until they are done."