March 2018

I know some of you are probably a bit busy right now, it being just into the 1st of March and AW4 having just hit Amazon a couple of hours ago. But that's no reason to not get my blog done for the month. Let's begin shall we?

Welcome back everyone it's going to start off with a bang this month. Alpha World 4: Playing For Keeps is now live, here are the links for it:
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B4Q6M8Y
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4Q6M8Y
AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07B4Q6M8Y
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07B4Q6M8Y

Those aren't all the areas its sold in just the ones that see the most sales, there are over 12 regions its sold in.

Podium has been handed the manuscript, so audio is all up to them at this point. I'll of course update you on that as they update me.

Last month was busy for the Facebook fan page as well. We did a contest, gave away shirts, ebooks, and even did a Q&A with the LITRPG PODCAST. If you haven't join the fan page you really should, as another contest is just a dozen or so people away from happening as of today. here is the link for any of you who haven't joined yet.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/364674377283655

What else do I have to talk about this month? Alpha World book 5 is currently being edited, tentative release date is the beginning of June. I'm also still writing AG2 at this time as well, but it's about to hit the last arc of that book, then it will go off to the editor, hopefully by the end of March, so i can get it out in September.

I'm still working a full-time job, if this years sales look as strong as last years though I will be strongly considering taking the plunge to full time writer. My Patreon page is still doing well, I've changed the format to send out a chapter every week, or close to every week. The drawback to that is that I need to pull those chapters down a week or so before the next book is published to be in compliance with Amazon's KU rules.
https://www.patreon.com/DJSchinhofen

If you haven't heard yet, Last Horizon was bundled into an Omnibus edition after being given another editing pass. So if you haven't gotten to the first 2 books I've written now is not a bad time to do so. 

Almost forgot, the audio for Apocalypse Gates (authors cut): Rapture should be done being recorded early this month. I'll be taking the time to audit the files and get corrections done as needed from the narrator, not that I expect many since Andrea Parsneau very talented. If everything goes well I might get it out by the end of the month, if not early April hopefully.

That's all I got for this month. Just remember to drop reviews on Amazon please, it really means a lot for indie authors like me.

Until next month, peace out,

Daniel Schinhofen

February 2018

Hello all and welcome back again.

Okay so lots of little things to cover, I wonder how many I'll forget. So the big news was I had t-shirts printed up to resemble the ones given away by Gerald and Marysue in AW3. You have a chance to win them over on my Facebook Fan Page

Okay now the bad news about that tidbit. The company kind of screwed up my shirts. How I found out about this, my friend who I was giving a shirt to pointed it out to me. Originally the back of the shirt was supposed to read:
Alpha Company
Recruit First Wave

They forgot the 'Alpha Company' entirely, which was aggravating but I could overlook it. My friend pointed out though that the shirt doesn't say 'Recruit', nope it says, "Recuit'.
Which leaves me waiting for the company to respond to an email from me to see what steps we can take to fix this major issue.

Moving on past that, what else do i have to talk about? I launched an Omnibus version of Last Horizon. I'll be pulling the 2 separate books from KU and leaving just the omnibus up for that service. The original two will stay up as they are tied to the audio books. Further more, the Omnibus was given another editing pass, so its a lot cleaner.

Next let's talk about Facebook again, my Fan Page hit 300 members, which is amazing, thanks to all of you who are there. I'm running contest every 100 people who join. The 300 contest which is now ongoing, has prizes of shirts, which can change depending on above statements about the shirts, a free copy of AW4 when i publish it in March, or being part of the beta reading team. So if you aren't on the Facebook page and you would like one of those prizes go sign up today.
On top of that I'm looking into holding a Q&A for my fans and have a question post up on the Page as well. Once i settle on where to hold the Q&A I'll be letting twitter and Facebook know.

Big news is that beta reading for AW4 will be starting soon™. I plan to publish it in March, hopefully early March. Following AW4 should be AW5 and then AG2, with probably 3 months between each book.

I'm about halfway through writing AG2 right now. it's coming along and I'm trying to flesh out the MC and Gothy more during the early part of the book.

Let's hit Patreon next. I'm changing the way I handle Patreon, instead of 1 post a month, I'm going to 1 post a week. The downside to this is, that i will be pulling those posts before i publish the book they are attached to. I have to do that per Amazon's rules about content being published, if it's going to be in KU, and I want all my Books to be in KU for you all to be able to read without needing to buy.

I think that's all I have to go over this month, besides one more small tidbit. I'll be changing my monthly posts from the first Monday to the first Thursday of the month. This is due to my job changing my hours and days off. Until I go full time I'm still at the whim of my stable job.

Well, that's it folks, thanks for stopping by again and I'll see you next time.

Daniel Schinhofen

January 2018

Holy fuck balls batman!
The New Year sure snuck up fast, or at least it seemed that way with me.

Welcome back to the blog, I know there are at least handful of you out there. I don't think there's a terrible lot to cover this month but let's get to it.

December came to an end with Alpha Company the 3rd book of Alpha World being released via audio. Which is pretty snazzy, and can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Company-World-Book/dp/B078BV4ZCB

December had also brought us Rapture the 1st book of Apocalypse Gates in both the uncensored and PG-16 editions. For those who are wondering, 40 to 1 was the ratio, heavily favoring the NSFW version. If you haven't read it yet, you should take a look, here is the NSFW link:
https://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Apocalypse-Gates-Authors-Book-ebook/dp/B077LGZ12S

Let's see what else do I have to tell you all, Alpha World 4 is still with the editor. The deadline for them to get it back to me is 1-24-17, they fell a bit behind but have assured me it will be back to me when it by deadline. Which will give me a week to go over it again before getting to my beta readers come February, with the tentative release date being in March. I'll have more on that next month.

Speaking of beta readers, I will be looking for a new reader or three when AW4 is ready. If you haven't joined the Facebook fan page, you might want to do so. I will be posting for beta readers there and will be selecting people to fill the gaps. Join the page via this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/364674377283655/

Also be aware I will be requesting beta reader can work via Google Docs, this way all of you can see what the others are finding. I will also be taking a page from fellow author William Arand and breaking the beta reading into sections. To get the next section you will need to show your willingness to improve the book in the previous section. I've had a few too many people 'beta read' but in reality just want to read the book for free and before it is published, hence why the change.

In other news, AW5 is finished with the first draft. It took me about 2 weeks longer then I wanted, but I got there. Also it has shown me that AW will stretch to 7 books as there were too many loose threads by the end of 5. The editor will be getting AW5 from me when I get AW4 back from them. Tentatively looking at June for its release. Before any of that though the next few days will be the first edit by me to catch all the big issues with it.

I also might be starting on a super secret project with a fellow author as my next book. I will hopefully be chatting with them today and getting things lined up. Once things are in place if possible I will do a mid month update and fill you all in on the surprise if it happens.

One last thing before I turn you all loose, Apocalypse Gates is slated for an audio version, it will be the NSFW version of it. Andrea Parsneau will be the narrator, and I hope i spelled that right, she did the narration for Wild Wastes by Randi Darren. She is a talented narrator and I'm happy to be working with her. I almost went with podium to handle the series like I did with Alpha World, but I wasn't able to guarantee a female narrator from them. As such i went out and found a narrator I wanted to work with. It's no slight on Podium, they have been wonderful to work with, but if I'm listening to sex be described I'd rather have a sexy female voice tell me about it then a guy.

With all of that said, i guess there was more to talk about than I had thought, heh. This concludes the Schinhofen Blog for the first month of 2018. I hope this year is better for you all than the last year was. I'll do my best to bring you even better books.

Love and Kisses,
Zaphod Beeb...

I mean... Until next month or a mid-month update, peace and good times,
Daniel Schinhofen

December 2017

Wow, is it that time again already?

Okay let's see what we have to talk about this month.

First: Did you know I had a new book out? I'm sure you did, right? It's a LITRPG/GAMELIT series, this one starts off with Zombies but starts to add in new things before the end of the book. The series will be open for a lot of stuff and I don't plan for it to end quickly. It even has a form of Settlement building. If you're interested let me help you find it, as it comes in two flavors. Vanilla or Dark Chocolate Carmel Swirl. Okay seriously it comes in a PG-16 edition which has the sex bits fade to black. Or, you can have it in the Author's Cut edition which is Graphically inclined.

This is the PG-16 edition.   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077L9V72Y

This is the Author's Cut Edition.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077LGZ12S

I hope you enjoy the book, either way you want to have it. If you enjoy it please remember to drop a review on Amazon. Us small indie authors need all the good press we can get.

Secondly: Did you hear that AW3 audio edition is up for pre-order? Sure you did, because you love me. However, just in case the fast approaching Holiday drove it from your mind, let me help ya out.

https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Alpha-Company-Audiobook/B077R1WNSR

That is the big, big news for the month out of the way. So for the smaller news, did you miss out on the free book promotions I ran at the end of November? I blasted about it on Twitter and on my Facebook Fan page. AW1 and Last Horizon: Beta were both up for 5 days, absolutely free. I also ran a small contest to give away 3 copies of my latest book. 20 people was the entire pool for that even on the Facebook page, if you had entered your chance to win would have been damn good. I try to run a small giveaway each time a new book is coming out, so maybe stop on by and keep tabs on my page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/364674377283655/

What else do i have to talk about? What's next, you ask? Well I am in talks with Podium and Tantor about who gets the audio rights to my new series. While I'm also considering going it alone. I'll figure it out by the end of the month.

AW4 is off to the editor, they work a little slow but they do right by me. So at the moment tentatively I have a March release for AW4. Following that should be AW5 around June-ish. Then I should follow up with Apocalypse Gates 2.

Okay that about rounds me out for the month. Just one small thing, not even worth mentioning. I'm taking a small road trip in a few days. Driving the road from Green River, Utah to Beatty, Nevada. I need a good look at the road and the terrain along the way. Why? Well you probably know if you've read Apocalypse Gates. If not, maybe you'll figure it out when you do.

Peace out,
Daniel Schinhofen

Novemeber 2017 Update

So update post for the month. the reason why this time, my next book is up for preorder on Amazon.

Apocalypse Gates Book 1: Rapture comes in PG-16 and NSFW versions.

The (NSFW) Author's Cut edition has descriptive sex scenes. So please be aware of which one your buying. I have attached different covers to them to make it obvious which one you are looking at.

So without any more delays here are the links:

PG-16:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077L9V72Y/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TSSVHDDTMAHC179E8TEZ

Author's Cut (NSFW):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077LGZ12S/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RAEYE8MH21F8WG4CXGB0

I hope you enjoy.

Daniel Schinhofen

November 2017

Welcome back folks.

Not much on the plate this month. AW3 is being handled by Podium for Audio, they are working on it. When they get more info I will of course share it with you'll.

AW3 was strong out of the gate, which is thanks to all of you and others who aren't reading this. I was amazed to be able to hit#1 in three categories all at once. Even if it was but briefly it was pretty amazing, but again that is all due to you guys.

In new news, wow that seems like a bad sentence, Apocalypse Gates: Rapture should be out of editing in a week or so. Then its 2 days in my hands for another once over. After that it gets thrown up for pre-order and goes out to my beta readers. Really hoping to hit the beginning of December as a release date.

Currently still planning on releasing the toned down version with as little sexual commentary as possible. Which will be the altered version, the other version is going to be known as the Author's Cut, as in Director's Cut. The reason is that is the way the story was originally written, it is what I wrote for you.

The reason for dual books on PG-16 and the other NSFW, is so I can see if the demand is more for the adult side of things or not. There have been a number of threads over on Facebook, that have touched on sex vs no sex. It seems really split, so let's see what people think the good old fashion way, give them a choice.

If you ask for my opinion on which version will be better, definitely the Author's Cut, which will have the better artwork. If you don't like sex I would just suggest skipping over the few pages where it gets descriptive. Yes it is descriptive, explicit, and graphic. I want you all warned on this ahead of time, even though I know people will still bash the hell out of the NSFW version for having sex, Meh.

For those of you who love audio books, I am currently in talks with Tantor, and Podium as both have expressed interest in the series. I am also weighing the idea of not going with either and going through ACX to find a narrator myself. I found one I would love to read the work, and if I do put out audio it is likely to be the Author's Cut.

Well that about sums it up for me this month, next month will be interesting to see how things fall. I am going to ask which version are you most interested in, PG-16 or NSFW. I'll see about setting up a poll over on my fan page on Facebook. Stop by and voice your opinion.

Until next month have fun, and enjoy all the good books coming out. I know I have a backlog of books waiting for me to tackle them.

Amazed at how wonderful you all are,
Daniel Schinhofen

October 2017

Welcome back everyone,

Okay what do I have to talk to you about this month....

1st off: Alpha World 3: Alpha Company, is out and being read by peoples. So far reviews seem good to the continuation of the story. I ask that if you read it and enjoyed it please drop by Amazon and leave a review. Every review helps.

Secondly: AW2 audio is slated for 10-3-17 according to podium, who has the rights to the audio for the series. No idea why is never had a pre-order, but it is what it is now. Having listened to the story myself I enjoyed it.

Nextly: Progress continues on my next book which is going to be Apocalypse Gates 1: Rapture. It is still undergoing editing, but it is trucking right along. I am slating for a December release hopefully.

Fourth: AW4 is being written and it is coming along nicely. If you've read AW3, then you should know what AW4 is going to be about. yes book 4 is all about that quest, the journey and the actual event at the end.

I ran a promotion on my fan page for free books for AW3. I am considering doing this again for Apocalypse Gates, when it goes out. So if you haven't stopped by yet, you might want to do so as free swag shows up at times it seems.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/364674377283655/

I was pretty stoked at the number of people who seemed ready to read book 3. You guys did something amazing that I'm still stoked about.

I hit #1 in three categories, if only briefly. as well as making it into the top 10 as an author in more categories. Which was only possible due to you, so thank you.

I have a new cover for AG as well, I'll show that off next month. As it is I'm still trying to figure out if Amazon will let me produce two versions of the same book. I want to publish a PG-13 and a NSFW version of AG. I just can't get a solid answer from them on how different the books need to be, for them to allow it.

Well that about sums up this month's blog. Thanks for stopping by and reading, feel free to join us on Facebook. I even get around to responding to messages when I can, so if there is something you just have to tell me, feel free.

Peace out,

Daniel Schinhofen