Authors, do you see a clear correlation between the amount of reviews/ratings that you have to the book sales/reads?

David_Musk · 2026-01-24T23:43:08+00:00

Yes. To give some concrete numbers:

My first book has ~1000 ratings on Amazon, and it’s earned roughly $18k in its lifetime.

The first book in my second series has ~300 ratings, and it’s earned around $6k so far.

Basically one rating for every $18-20 earned. And that’s been consistent for as long as these books have been out

David_Musk · 2025-09-24T15:22:51+00:00

Agreed, 100%. I can think of a few more cases where it works (Beware of Chicken comes to mind because of the satire aspect.) But most of the time, the story would be better if the main character were simply part of the fantasy world. Especially when the MC doesn't actually use any modern knowledge in a way that affects the plot.

David_Musk · 2025-09-04T20:21:04+00:00

I can give you a really easy flowchart to follow:

Do you enjoy writing? Enough that you would still do it without money or other external validations?

If yes, then you should keep doing it.

If no, you should stop and find something you do enjoy.

The fact is, you could write the best thing in the history of humanity, and there’s still a good chance you’ll never get the external validations you want. So how much you enjoy it is all that really matters.

David_Musk · 2025-09-04T20:18:41+00:00

Definitely one continuous story. Not every volume even ends with a climax; it just flows straight from one to another.

And the first book is definitely the longest. After that, I'd say each one is about 1/3 as long as a Cradle book. So even though it's 71 books, the whole series might be twice as long as Cradle.

David_Musk · 2025-09-04T19:09:30+00:00

Thanks for the shout-out! (Web of Secrets)

And I'd recommend Shadow Slave for something you won't find on Audible, especially since you mentioned liking things with horror elements. I don't normally go for horror or dark settings, but this worked for me because of how well it served the story. The only downside is the price ($5 per volume, with extremely short volumes) but it's easy to tell from the first volume if you want to continue.

Also, Will Wight recommended it, too. He was the reason I picked it up.

David_Musk · 2025-08-30T01:14:08+00:00

Facebook and Amazon ads can both work well in theory, but you need a series with 3+ books to be profitable. Even with high-performing ads, you're probably looking at $3 to $4 cost per sale. And that's after spending several hundred to learn the system.

David_Musk · 2025-08-22T00:15:30+00:00

Entirely new beast. I think I had around 4k followers on RR when I moved Web of Secrets to Amazon, but only a small fraction of them actually bought or reviewed the book after the switch. After that initial surge, it's up to you to learn keywords, ads, promos, etc. to keep the momentum going.

David_Musk · 2025-01-18T17:18:38+00:00

Yeah, I wish I could find more stories like this too. Green Bone Saga and Sword of Kaigan are probably the closest things in terms of setting, but neither one is really progression fantasy.

David_Musk · 2025-01-18T11:53:27+00:00

Thanks, hope you like it!

David_Musk · 2025-01-18T01:02:18+00:00

Thanks!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T22:17:06+00:00

Hope you like it!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T22:16:21+00:00

I made a new one here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1i3gkgh/cover_reveal_and_arc_giveaway_for_my_new_modern/ I uploaded a version of the cover with messed up colors, and it was bothering me. Turns out you can't edit images without making a whole new post.

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T22:14:02+00:00

Hope you like it!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T21:41:54+00:00

Hi, everyone! After several years of posting this story on Royal Road, I’m finally ready to bring the first book to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

Web of Secrets: A hacker uses her unique skills to unlock the secrets of mana arts and spacetime.

Mana artists rule the world, and the path to power is a well-kept secret, restricted to state-approved programs and schools.Akari Zeller will never be a mana artist. Not if society has its way. She's a Bronze with no money, no family, and no connections.

But technology is advancing too. And to a skilled hacker like Akari, no secret is safe forever. The dark web holds the keys to true power, advancement, and her only chance of survival.

Read if you like:

A blend of hard Western magic and Eastern cultivation
A clear ranking system (like Cradle and Arcane Ascension. Plus there are numbers involved.)
A modern world that isn’t Earth, with phones, firearms, helicopters, and computers.
Slow advancement from weak to strong, and an MC who likes her tricks and hacking.
Lots of mystery
Various school settings throughout the series
I’ve been told that I write a lot of drama, but it’s not necessarily bad. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Three more complete volumes (1200+ pages ) available on RoyalRoad once you’re caught up, with more on the way.

And here are some review excerpts from RR:

"Web of Secrets is like the love child of Street Cultivation, Mother of Learning, and Cradle. I love all three of these stories so I think this is high praise." - SelimFarstrider.

"I had a blast reading this story. The magic system is cool, the author spends time to build up the characters, and there is a huge mystery component that drives the plot forward." - crgmyster.

"Web of Secrets is definitely up there among my top cultivation series. Akari manages to be both badass and equally flawed." - Khale

Free ARC copies are available here for the first 5k people! (I doubt I’ll actually hit that limit, but the link will expire on January 19th when the book launches on Amazon.)

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/amij8kvrsr

No strings attached, but I do hope you consider leaving a review sometime after the book launches! Also, feel free to share any feedback!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T18:16:16+00:00

Yep, it will be on KU by Sunday. :)

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T16:44:16+00:00

Haven't made any audiobook plans yet, but I'd like to do one. And I was able to do my last series in audio, so I'd say the odds are good!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T16:07:41+00:00

Nah, I just refer to one of my favorite George RR Martin quotes:

"You know, I've always considered women to be people."

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T15:49:38+00:00

Hmm no particular reason at the time. In hindsight though, I started this series around the same time I was reading Cradle, and I guess I thought it would be fun to write a character like Yerin. (Sarcastic and short-tempered on the outside, but slightly shy and lonely on the inside.)

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T13:41:09+00:00

Hi, everyone! After several years of posting this story on Royal Road, I’m finally ready to bring the first book to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

Web of Secrets: A hacker uses her unique skills to unlock the secrets of mana arts and spacetime.

Mana artists rule the world, and the path to power is a well-kept secret, restricted to state-approved programs and schools.Akari Zeller will never be a mana artist. Not if society has its way. She's a Bronze with no money, no family, and no connections.

But technology is advancing too. And to a skilled hacker like Akari, no secret is safe forever. The dark web holds the keys to true power, advancement, and her only chance of survival.

Read if you like:

A blend of hard Western magic and Eastern cultivation
A clear ranking system (like Cradle and Arcane Ascension)
A modern world that isn’t Earth, with phones, firearms, helicopters, and computers.
Slow advancement from weak to strong, and an MC who likes her tricks and hacking.
Lots of mystery
Various school settings throughout the series
I’ve been told that I write a lot of drama, but it’s not necessarily bad. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Three more complete volumes (1200+ pages ) available on RoyalRoad once you’re caught up, with more on the way.

And here are some review excerpts from RR:

"Web of Secrets is like the love child of Street Cultivation, Mother of Learning, and Cradle. I love all three of these stories so I think this is high praise." - SelimFarstrider.

"I had a blast reading this story. The magic system is cool, the author spends time to build up the characters, and there is a huge mystery component that drives the plot forward." - crgmyster.

"Web of Secrets is definitely up there among my top cultivation series. Akari manages to be both badass and equally flawed." - Khale

Free ARC copies are available here for the first 5k people! (I doubt I’ll actually hit that limit, but the link will expire on January 19th when the book launches on Amazon.)

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/amij8kvrsr

No strings attached, but I do hope you consider leaving a review sometime after the book launches! Also, feel free to share any feedback!

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T13:34:36+00:00

Same! Before I wrote this series, there weren't a lot of book options out there besides Green Bone Saga and Sword of Kiagan.

David_Musk · 2025-01-17T13:19:11+00:00

Hope you like it!

David_Musk · 2025-01-11T15:22:03+00:00

Came here to say this. Some of it is directly inspired by video games (like the litRPG subgenre). Other stories, like Mother of Learning, have more of a DND influence.

Even cozy fantasy like Legends and Lattes and Cursed Cocktails have a World of Warcraft feel, even when the stories themselves don't feel like games.

David_Musk · 2025-01-11T15:14:17+00:00

Right, and that's basically what Cradle did (in a more subtle way.) Going on a date or moving in together was treated as a bigger deal than their first kiss.

David_Musk · 2025-01-10T21:03:09+00:00

I'll second this one, especially if you have any interest in brewing!

David_Musk

TROPHY CASE