On November 15th, probably around noon, this book will be launched.
For a new book, going on sale is its destined judgment, the crucial moment to reveal whether it’s good or bad. In the face of tangible results, any words become pale.
After two and a half months of effort, we have finally reached this moment. Through it all, there were various hardships unknown to the readers, but somehow, we managed to endure them.
This book has received the most positive reviews of any book in Gray’s history, surpassing "The Great Splashing Monkey," "The Great Monster Monkey," and "Military Soul 1951." However, Gray knows very well what the real results are.
According to the latest data, the total number of paying readers who have reached the latest Chapter is only 1080. Yes, 1080, an exact number. These are all the potential subscribers for this book. Non-paying readers turning into paying readers just for this book is highly unlikely; Gray would be thrilled with just 50. And how can paying readers who haven’t reached the latest Chapter subscribe to the latest Chapter?
So, 1080 is the precise number of this book’s initial subscriptions. In reality, many may turn to piracy after the launch; just because they read other books legally doesn’t mean they’ll read this one legally, right? So, this number needs to be discounted further. Maybe it’s 80% of 1080, maybe it’s 60% of 1080. Anyway, achieving good results for this book is already impossible. What Gray can hope for is just that those existing readers will subscribe more, and the performance won’t be too embarrassing.
Originally, there was much to say, but when it came time to write this note, it felt as if saying it or not made no difference. Those who like it will naturally subscribe; persuading those who don’t like it is useless, and those who want to read pirated versions will do so regardless of any obstacle. As an author, there isn’t much I can do. Like the "Gray" in the book, Benedict and Gray’s bigger picture was never something I could decide as an author; I’m merely going with the flow.
Before the launch, Gray wants to clarify a few points.
1. This book won’t be abandoned or end poorly. It’s a book planned for many years, and Gray will finish it no matter what. The difference lies in how it is finished. Please forgive an author’s selfishness; contributing for a while for a dream is possible. Gray doesn’t mind no results for a short time, but long term, it’s certainly not feasible. This is reality, more real than any "this book is great, keep writing and it will surely pay off" kind of talk. Gray doesn’t want to deceive you, nor himself. From the beginning, Gray hid an endpoint. If the book does well, Gray will write it completely, with the entire book being nearly ten million words. If it doesn’t do well, Gray will choose a point to end it, maybe at half a million words, maybe a million. Leaving an open ending, then taking the remaining outline to the grave.
2. Regarding whether it will be a tragedy or not, Gray actually doesn’t want to promise anything. Because promises equal spoilers and harm the readers’ experience. I can only tell you that the tone of the story is an epic fairy tale. Gray will try his best to write it, irrespective of the results. A happy ending will remain happy even if the results are terrible, and a tragic ending will remain tragic even if the results are great.
3. Regarding updates, Gray would also love to update faster, even wishing to write the entire book in one night. But writing isn’t something that can speed up simply by wanting to. Gray can only say he’ll do his best. Of course, this isn’t vague. Updates are related to results. Gray is an adult, a full-time author; I can contribute for a dream but also need to live. A book that clearly won’t perform well, Gray has stubbornly invested two and a half months in it despite everyone’s opposition; you can’t say that Gray is money-minded. But expecting a non-performing book to occupy the author’s main creative time is unrealistic. I hope for understanding. If the results after launch truly are terrible, then everyone must allow Gray to earn some extra income elsewhere, right? After all, an author needs to live.
Alright, I finished the non-comment comments, and Gray will get back to being busy. The final results are left to fate. It officially goes on sale at noon on the 15th, releasing the first VIP Chapter.
Thank you to the readers who have supported Gray all the way. Thank you. Because they’re few, they’re precious. Thank you. We are all lonely minorities.