I just launched the Dan's Inferno Book V: Dominance kickstarter!

 If I get enough money, I'll even throw in some short stories for those at the Zoo level and above!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnvanstry/dans-inferno-book-v-dominance-ebook-audio-and-print

I'm seriously considering a kickstarter for Dan's Inferno, Book 5

 Seriously considering this. Have to think of what the rewards are that I would offer.

Understand the level on this is probably going to be around 20K just to get the book written. Because costs and taxes. The book title is 'Dominance' and the reason it never got written was that book 4 sales went soft during Covid (all book sales did to be honest). But sales have since come back up.

So I'm thinking of doing a kickstart or gofundme or whichever. Then I'll know if the interest is there or not.

What do you all think?

Something I wrote on Substack

 So I thought I'd share it here - so folks can follow me there too if they like. 

Though that's a bit more focused on writing than what I put here.

On Letting Go 

Ghost Warrior Book 2 - Necessity is now out!

 I realize it's taken a bit longer than expected, but Wolfhounds has been eating up a lot of time, and I did have a few obligations that I needed to deal with. But! It's done! Check it out!!

Ghost Warrior Book 2 Link

 

Also, this Sunday (9/22) Stand Alone, Book 1 in the Wolfhound series will be on sale for 99 cents. This is an Amazon sale, and it will be in the US and Canada.

Hello everyone! I've got a couple of announcements:

1st I have a new Novella out in the Portals of Infinity (POI) world. Well, it's not exactly new, I wrote it a long time ago, but I never published it. It's the story of how Will's sister Nikki ended up as a champion for Arianna, but told from Her viewpoint. You got to see some of it in POI #3, well now you see all of it.

I showed it to my patrons on Patreon, and they liked it said to publish it. I'd honestly kinda forgotten that I had it. But it's up on Amazon now, so if you want it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGHWR9W3

2nd, the third Wolfhounds Audiobook for Force Majeure is now up for pre-order on Audible. It's release date is October 1st and here's the link:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Force-Majeure-Audiobook/B0DFHR4NKR

(Note: Podium is working on Book 4, War Child, but I don't know when that will be released. I'm currently writing #5 - End Game and hope to release it sometime in October).

3rd, Necessity, Ghost Warrior #2 is almost ready for release. Right now I'm waiting on cover art and to hear back from some of my Beta readers. If could be out as soon as next week! I've got the cover art sketch, so the process after that is usually a quick one.

 

Will There Be Any More Valens Books?

 In short: No. It's done. I may, may finish the book I was working on when my dog died, which I set aside to write Troyland, because I needed something a bit more upbeat. But understand Sales on Troyland sucked.

I lost money.

Sales on Bellicose, also sucked, though they were about 12 percent better than Troyland. People said after Bellicose did poorly that they really wanted another Troy book. Well, no, turns out they didn't. So I know, from years of experience that I will lose a lot of money if I finish that other book and put it out. It's only 10 percent done, so it'd take at least a month to finish, unless I made it really short. 

So please don't tell me 'I'll buy it! So you can't say nobody wants it!' because for me to PAY for the cover and the editing I need to sell a thousand copies. And I don't think it'll sell even that when I look at the numbers of the last few books in Valens Heritage.

But honestly? It's to be expected. We're talking book Twenty-SEVEN here. The first series was 18, and the second is now 9. While Valens Heritage started out okay, it really wasn't doing any better than Valens Legacy #18. You always lose people as you go through a series. Nobody gets a 100 percent read through. Almost nobody gets 90 percent. I typically get 85+ percent, and that's unheard of for most series.

So I knew this was coming. 

What happens next? Well I may work on it a night or two a week, cut it down in size to maybe 40K or 50K words, not buy a cover, not get an editor, and just toss it out there when it's finished. But understand that this is a MAY. I just as well MAY NOT. And it could be a year or two. I have a LOT of active stories going on that make way more in sales, and I've got several commitments to publishers. I have a lot of books I need to get written. I have a lot of promises to keep. I know from experience that this book will sell poorly, and probably get pirated to hell and back, because whenever I break down and do something like this, that always happens to me.

So yeah, sorry that you may never get this book. But the truth is, my fans don't want it. Oh, some do, but most? No, most of my Valens fans moved on after Legacy ended. Some read Mihalis, and stayed for a few more books, but that was pretty much it. 

I am very much considering a new 4 or 5 book series that is not related to Valens in anyway, for my Stryvant name. Something new, with new characters and a new story. Because that's what my fans want Something New.

Again, sorry that we're at this point, but the overwhelming majority of my fans have spoken with their wallets and they just don't want this book. Oh, and if I do write it? It won't be KU, because I'll want to try and make some of my time back. 

So please, stop bugging me. Yeah, I love the series too, but I've got bills to pay myself.

If you're a fan, SIGN UP FOR MY MAILING LIST!!

 If you're a fan and want to know when my books come out you MUST SIGN UP!

Because Amazon is NOT going to tell you about my new release for WEEKS IF EVER.

Got that? Amazon is NOT telling people about my new releases anymore. So the ONLY WAY you will know, is by signing up for my mailing list! (and make sure it doesn't end up in the SPAM folder).

I only send out notifications when:

• I publish and release a new book.
• I release an audiobook.
• For occasional sales.

I will NEVER sell your information. I will NEVER share your information. It is private!

So please, if you're a fan, and you want to know when I release a new book, as either John Van Stry or Jan Stryvant, sign up for my mail list!

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Also, if there are other authors you are a fan of? Sign up for theirs too!!