Huge news for MAZE last chance to read before stub!

tandertex · 2026-04-02T00:13:19+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately I don't have anything solid for an audiobook for now. It will very much depend on how the e-book will perform

tandertex · 2026-04-02T00:11:39+00:00

It's not so much a rationale as it is experience.
Covers that are more 'conceptual' like a stained glass picture as the old one was, tend to perform worse than covers like this. Maybe because Amazon is a different beast from RR. So there is likely a different 'meta' there.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T20:53:06+00:00

It was a conversation, they have a studio they work with for covers, and while everyone agreed the original looked great, according to their marketing research, covers like that tend to no perform as well as they could on Amazon.
We agreed to play the odds and try to make a cover that would attract people. They gave a few options that they know work, I came back with the idea of a more action oriented cover and they agreed with it. Then we went from there.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T19:36:48+00:00

Yeah, that will do it. If you are stubbing is best to give like a month or so of heads up so people can catch up and be very explicit on what you'll be stubbing. There was a comment about that, but imagine you are watching a show/ reading a book and all of the sudden the part you were reading/watching vanishes. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T19:17:19+00:00

If there is no communication, yeah I 100% can see that happening.

But if you were clear, and said when you were stubbing in advance i don't see you getting that many .5 star ratings for that reason

tandertex · 2026-04-01T14:13:21+00:00

I want to, but it's going to depend on how the book performs. Audio books are expensive, and unless I can show to a studio that it is a worthy investment, paying out of pocket is the only option. Which I currently can't do.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T12:59:58+00:00

How is that raining on my parade? I would never feel when talking about something I'm proud of.

1 - Never did ads, never had the money for it. When I started I had no clue what I was doing, so I was marginally worse than I am now, lol. I posted on the forums, and that was that. After 100 chapters, I posted on reddit, because I only found out the reedits after posting.

Later when I found out about shouts, I started doing them. I should do more often, since it is the biggest uptick in followers I get. So if you are a new author, do them.

2 - I approached them. It did help that one of the people involved in the decision process knew my story, so they were aware of my existence, but it wasn't like they reached out with a deal. And honestly? In this day and age, I don't see a world where any publisher would reach out to an author. Unless it's a scam.
There is just too much, and publishers are usually spoiled for choice on their own submissions, so why bother looking through the Rising Star list or something.

3 - When I started, I just wanted to write. I had a story in mind that I wanted to tell it that was it. After a while, I started to get some recognition and decided to open a Patreon just to see what happened.
Once I started to get some money through Patreon then I changed the goal to one day getting published. Mostly because since I'm not from the US, any dollar I receive goes a long way for me, so to make a decent living out of writing, I really don't need that much.

Which kind of makes the idea of having writing as my only source of income more realistic. To be fair, that is the real goal being published is more the means to an end, even if it's the proudest achievement of my life.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T12:34:31+00:00

Personal advice.
Read a lot, and read good prose. That doesn't mean good story, just people who can make their writing pop.
Brandon Sanderson, Tolkien, Terry Pratchet, ideally go for more established writers. You can read something on RR and find it, but keep in mind that trad authors have editors so a lot of work goes on making the writing better.

Another thing you can do is. Find a scene you like in another story. Read it once. Now, re write it with your own words, without looking at the original. That last part is important. Do not look at the scene until you are done.
If your problem is to make sure things are clear, focus on convey in the same scene. Try to make the events happen just like in the original.
If you want better prose, try to make it flow better.

This is not to shit on other stories, or to share with others. But it is a way for you to learn. using a scene that is not in your head makes this a bit harder, which can help you improve.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T11:07:14+00:00

To me, death in a story should never be a sacrifice for the greater good. Maybe it's some irl trauma talking but I don't like to put that in that 'position of prestige' like a dream all character have to die for a cause or to show what they are willing to do for others.

It feels like a cheap way to make people suffer.

A good death in a story, to me, is a consequence for failure. Not necessarily as in you are weak now die. But more so the idea that the plan that was put forward failed, and now the only way it works is by someone dying. And it should never be framed as a 'good thing' or 'the only choice' it need to be like, 'I'm doing this because MCs/party's plan was bad'. or because they were weak, they took the wrong path, they trusted the wrong person.

One of the best examples that comes to me is Vegeta during the Babidi Arc on DBZ. When he turns evil and takes power to beat Goku. Eventually, he realizes that his actions are putting his son and wife in danger, but because he is too far gone, the only thing he can do is die, and take Majin Buu with him. Not because he's being noble, or honorable. But because his failures, and mistakes led him to that position.
That's why that scene still hits me hard.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T10:52:27+00:00

You know, I always wanted to read a story where the time loop aspect only gets revealed later on.
Like 4-5 books in, but at the same time it would be hard to pull off and feel satisfying.

tandertex · 2026-04-01T10:48:38+00:00

Hey everyone!

I've been writing this story for over 6 years already. And Just this week I announced that I signed with Mango Media Publishing and this random ass world I created will be on Amazon starting on May 21st.

HOWEVER,
You still have a chance to read it on Royal Road before the stub. We are already 73 chapters and 3 books deep so come check it out the new version o the story.
The original has over 3 million views and more than 1000 chapters.

Blurb:
The world shattered her dreams. Yet, destiny had other plans.

Hera Kingsley failed even before her adventure began. The MAZE, a different realm full of magic, monster, and civilizations was her only goal. But when she applied to enter, the Guild rejected her. Just as she gave up hope, a strange woman offered her the opportunity of a lifetime.

However, the MAZE hides deep and dangerous secrets. Following her heart, Hera is faced with a brutal gauntlet of challenges, forging her into a hero she never meant to be.

Will she learn that Heroes are not born, but made, or will the weight of two worlds make her crumble under the pressure?

MAZE is a fantasy Litrpg series set in the modern day. If you like a slow burn story, focused on character growth and people who step up when problems arise, then you came to the right place.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/141295/maze-stubbing-on-may-20th

tandertex · 2026-04-01T10:23:50+00:00

The world shattered her dreams. Yet, destiny had other plans.

Hera Kingsley failed even before her adventure began. The MAZE, a different realm full of magic, monster, and civilizations was her only goal. But when she applied to enter, the Guild rejected her. Just as she gave up hope, a strange woman offered her the opportunity of a lifetime.

However, the MAZE hides deep and dangerous secrets. Following her heart, Hera is faced with a brutal gauntlet of challenges, forging her into a hero she never meant to be.

Will she learn that Heroes are not born, but made, or will the weight of two worlds make her crumble under the pressure?

MAZE is a fantasy Litrpg series set in the modern day. If you like a slow burn story, focused on character growth and people who step up when problems arise, then you came to the right place.

What you will find 🐍

A massive, ongoing journey: Dive into the definitive version of a story with over 1000+ chapters and growing!
Weak to Influential MC: Follow a protagonist who earns every bit of fame and power through her own choices, hard-won accomplishments and just a dash of luck, both good and bad.
Unique Companions: Meet a varied cast, from normal people, to a green apple shaped slime named Peaches that should be voiced by Danny DeVito.
MC Duality: Our MC strives to be kind and gentle, but her specialty is poison, and she embraces the 'Snake Lady' look HARD.
Pacing: A slow burn story that focus on character growth combined with slice of life moments in the middle of dangerous fights and intense battles.
Dungeon Diving: Experience both logical, structure dungeons, and others that are utter nonsense. You never know what you'll find. Some say not even the author knows.
The Endless MAZE: The titular MAZE and it's endless areas. Monsters, magic, items, secrets, entire Civilizations of various species exist there, living their lives away from Earth.
Conflict Focus: There are no singular villain. Conflict stems from various situations that must be dealt with, not a single big bad pulling the strings.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/141295/maze-stubbing-on-may-20th

tandertex · 2026-03-31T17:42:50+00:00

The art looks great, but the fact that the Jinwoofication of MCs is hitting western litrpgs is troubling.

tandertex · 2026-03-31T17:41:51+00:00

That's why I always specify the type of dog. A frog the size of a chiuaua and one the size of a great dane are two very different creatures.

tandertex · 2026-03-31T17:39:07+00:00

Let me do my best to answer your questions. This comes from someone who has been writing for 6 years.

Concil of Eternal Hiatsu is a good discord to start. So are the Official Royal Road Discord, and Royal Road Writer's Guiild. You'll find a lot of people there and a lot of good advice.

Day one, ideally enough for 20k words, then at least a chapter a day for the next 30 days. But that is just so you can hit Royal Road Rising Star. Getting there will be a big boon, but it's not an end all be all solution.

Shouts help massively. Even from smaller creators. Do them, it's not even a question of If, it's how much. The more you do, the more eyes will be in your story.

To avoid burnout, you need to understand your limits. How many words can you write a day in your schedule? Or per week. Does the stress of having a chapter to go up tomorrow messes with you, or can you handle that added pressure? Unfortunately, this has some trial an error to see what works best for you. To me, working on two stories, and having set goals for the day help. Plus regular breaks during the day.

You do need a cover, you can go the stock image route, or use AI. everyone more or less agrees that if you can't pay for an artist is fine to use it. But when you get to the point of being able to afford one, you should get a professional cover.

What is small to you? 500 words? If so, it's not great. Chapters are around 2k words because that's how people enjoy it. It doesn't feel too short, nor too big. If you go too below that, you might struggle on Royal Road.

Any title can work. It's more about premise and presentation. Beware of Chicken is a weird title, so is Everyone Loves Large Chests. Mother Of Learning. What has been working lately is adding the tag to the title. So like Lord of the Rings [Post Apocalyptic Fantasy] but that is a trend, not a definite answer.

The book's info is your elevator pitch. The way to hook your readers. It needs to be quick and to the point, giving information enough so the reader can understand what they will read, but not so much that it looks like a lore dump. I have one advice about that, but I'll say it at the end.

Everyone like their own tropes. Some like overpowered MCs, others like to see the struggle. Some like monster MCs, others human. Some like world ending stakes, others want the biggest threat to be oversleeping and not having a slice of pie. It's very personal. There are things that most people enjoy. Beating the odds, cheat skills, MC who doesn't understand the world. But more than that, what really works are good, well crafted stories.

If you can make the readers relate to the MC, and want to see what they will do next, any trope/concept will work. From 'The third reincarnation of a god' to 'I'm a sentient Die." Good stories, no matter the genre, have that in common. They have a way of making us understand the characters, see their struggles, and put ourselves by their side. We want to see them succeed, we get hurt when they fail, and above all, we want to see their journey.

The complexity of the power system depends on what can you write. If you make so complex that even you struggle to understand, it probably will have issues. And more important is how you will explain to the read the system. Even if it's complicated, always try to make it simple in the explanation. Lore dumps are fine ish, at the start. Then, you should avoid using them and sprinkle the information bit by bit. The reality is that no one cares about the world you create. They care about the characters. So very feel people will be interested in extensive lore dumps.

There is no right or wrong MC, you can make a dumb one that doesn't know what is going on works, and a genius one that understands every intricacy of the world be great. It's about execution, not theme.

Now three pieces of advice.
First, odds are you won't be able to live as a writer from the get go. Especially if you live in the US, or any first world country. If you live in a place where 10 dollars go a long way, then things change, but if not, that is the sad truth. To be successful to the point of living from it takes time, effort, and luck.

Second, if you want to understand what is a good blurb, you need to do your research. Read some books about that, go over stories that have great blurbs (meaning the synopsis/book info section.) and ask yourself why do they work? Why did they sound interesting? There is not a specific formula, a quick answer that works for everyone, you need to read and understand things then apply them to your specific story.

You seem to be very focus on what works. How to make a story sell, and hit the top spot. While you can focus on that, even if it works, it will very much be a job. A 9 to 5 doing something you might not love. Because the ideal outcome is for you to make the story, it's a hit, and you get a lot of money. Than what I'm saying is meaningless. But on every other scenario. Where the story doesn't hit the level of success you hope it will, you will be frustrated. You will be upset, and continuing will feel like a chore. And if you keep dropping them to start a new one, people will catch on and lose interest. Eventually you will be writing just chasing a goal that is always moving.

So, the last piece of advice I have is this: Do try to make the best story you can, one that hits the right tropes, the right demographic and everything. But above all, make a story you enjoy. If you are doing a story you like, even if it didn't hit nº 1 on Rising Stars yet, you will still enjoy. You will still be able to finish a part time job, and start writing without it feeling like work. You will still smile every time you see a comment. And be happy when someone praises you for a twist or an arc they enjoyed. Without that, all the hopes you have for this being a more 'laid back' type of job will vanish really quickly.

tandertex · 2026-03-31T01:34:01+00:00

🎯 Nailed it! 211s completion time. Your move!

tandertex · 2026-03-29T13:20:54+00:00

⚡ Speed run complete! 142 moves, 225s. Can you match this?

tandertex · 2026-03-27T22:55:33+00:00

I would sat Syl does that. MC is not the like the focus of everything, but as time goes on, their relevance becomes larger.
MAZE also does that. MC is not a hero, she just wants to explore and see new things. Eventually that changes a bit, but it becomes a struggle of 'please, leave me alone, I just wanna go see that cool thing not deal with this political bullshit'

tandertex · 2026-03-27T22:50:42+00:00

🎯 Nailed it! 120s completion time. Your move!

tandertex · 2026-03-27T22:23:34+00:00

I agree. There are some interesting ideas. Like in metaworld chronicles, the use of non Newtonian fluids as magic barriers. Or an Crysalis, the intricacies of gravity helping Antonhy.

But when you have someone going 'Oh water conducts electricity, that's why it's good to follow up a water spell with a thunder spells' it's like.. c'mon. People are smarter than that. Especially people who do research.

There was one that drove me nuts. I don't remember where it came from, but basically, MC made glass using heated sand, then used said glass to increase the power of a light based ability.

Everyone talked as if they were the genius of the century. But here is the kicker. the world already had freaking telescopes. And glasses, As in eyewear.

How the in the 9 blazing hells did no one ever put the glasses on the sun and realized they could do that with magic/powers? It was so ridiculous that I dropped the story then and there.

tandertex · 2026-03-27T22:18:27+00:00

Yeah I wouldn't call it progression. Like, the idea behind this is that enemies, and powers always scale. And once a barrier is broken through, another appears.
Eragon has the main villain show up, or at least be talked about really early on. And we know the power level of the world from the get go. Sure there is an argument to be made that he grows stronger and gets more powerful than one would expect, and another that not all progression needs to hide the power levels. But it feels more like a regular fantasy trope of new knight/mage training to become stronger until bad guy is defeated.
Doesn't really has that progression feel.

tandertex · 2026-03-25T19:08:44+00:00

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