Hello dear necromancers,
It's been a while since I posted an update, and unfortunately, no, this isn't to raise this story from the dead. In fact, I'm here to bury it and exorcize its soul to another place.
The thing is, I've come to inform you that I'm going to remove Never Die Twice from Royal Road and put it on Kindle Unlimited by the month's end; my publisher and I have agreed for a target launch date of November 25th.
[https://c10.patreonusercontent.com/4/patreon-media/p/post/88753395/5a90c144b5f1402f90e3485a6f851ce1/eyJ3Ijo4MjB9/1.jpeg?token-time=1700092800&token-hash=slyE9hnnZI-FJr_-avQIsdcOmKg25VU1vc3-UGT9rxM%3D]
- The Context
I've got somewhat more in-depth about my reasoning on Patreon and other posts, but basically, it boils down to the facts that 1) everyone who wanted to read this story on RR already has, 2) it's unlikely to get more visibility on the platform anymore and 3) KU is getting crowded.
Three years ago, when I published Never Die Twice as a standalone LitRPG novel (before Tye's adventures continued in my crossover Apocalypse Tamer), the LitRPG scene was very different. There were far fewer large series back then and I still remember the days NDT had a spot in the top 5 best completed.
However, times have changed. Newcomers have come to leave the dead in the dust. Not only has NDT fallen off the RR front page (which, since it's a completed series, kinda kills its visibility), but it has both been pirated to death and doesn't bring in any new patrons. New readers are only likely to stumble upon the story if they actively look for it. I suspect Vainqueur the Dragon will eventually suffer the same fate (hence why I also intend to put it on KU shortly after).
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
However, Kindle Unlimited is a very different beast; there's a reason why many authors, including myself, choose to go there. Going to KU greatly increases sales on average, and most of the audience there is both interested in LitRPG and has rarely heard of royal road. Sending NDT (and Vainqueur) to KU would help give the book a breath of fresh air. More funds means that I can also fund more projects like games or webtoons.
However, while Kindle Unlimited is currently the hot stuff for LitRPG, the market on this platform is clearly aiming towards saturation. New books must now compete with multiple volumes of the Primal Hunter, Dungeon Crawler Carl and quite a few other heavyweights. The competition is only going to get tougher as time goes on.
At this point, the more I wait, the more I feel Never Die Twice and Vainqueur will be drowned out in the crowd. I still have my name and reputation to surf upon, but as Hollywood remakes can attest, nostalgia only gets you so far.
The moment is now... and I'm probably a bit late already, to be honest.
- So what's the plan?
After long discussions, I've decided to partner with Mango Media/Selkie to relaunch Never Die Twice on Kindle Unlimited (mostly due to algorithm shenanigans). This means that I will start with unlisting Never Die Twice from Amazon in the following days, at which point Mango will set it up again as a fresh book.
Our target date for the official KU launch is November 25th, so in three weeks' time. As per KU exclusivity rules, I'll be removing the chapters on RR a week or so before the launch date. So if you want to reread the story one last time on Royal Road, it's now or never ;)
In any case, I want to thank you again for supporting Never Die Twice all these years. I know most of you moved on, but this story holds a special case in my heart; I still feel Walter Tye is one of the best protagonists (or villain, depending on your point of view) that I've created. I do wonders sometimes if I shouldn't write another dungeon shopkeeper story sometimes. I hope his spooky adventures entertained you and helped you ponder if death is truly an inescapable face of life.
See you again on November 25th.
Best regards,
Voidy.