Brennan Smith

Today is a good day. The Amazon copy of Iron Empire has just had an advertisement published in a local newspaper! Thank you to everyone who's picked up a copy of the finishex novel!
          
          I'm still currently occupied with my final year of mechanical engineering, but the sequel, Steel Skies, is well underway a week at a time and promises to be even better. Have a read of the first draft here on Wattpad if you haven't already!

Something watches from on high. A relic from a bygone age, it has waited patiently for decades.
          
          Now... it is awake.
          
          Jackson Quinn and his friends are on the run, with nobody left to trust—or so they believe. With the help of a mysterious new benefactor and dangerous new allies, they find themselves back in the fight, in an all-out war against the corporate powers that be.
          
          But Jackson is not the first hero to rise—others have fought before, and their failures still echo through history, shaping the future to come. The sins of the old vanguard will come to light as the greatest threat of all finally steps out of the shadows, and nothing will ever be the same.
          
          The Iron War has only just begun.
          
          Steel Skies. 
          
          Coming soon.

IT'S LIVE!
          
          Iron Empire is now a PUBLISHED PAPERBACK AND EBOOK!
          
          https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DDWNH8Q4
          
          (No idea if this link will work, if not simply search "Iron Empire", and barring that just message me for the link lol)
          
          This has been a dream of mine since I was in the sixth grade. My teenage self would be so proud. Adult me is so proud. 
          
          It's finally done. I can't believe it. I'm on cloud nine.
          
          Expect a few more posts on the topic shortly, I'm working on a proper trailer for the novel with an original soundtrack, and an author page as well!

Turns out publishing a book is really hard.
          
          Never fear, Iron Empire will be available by the end of this month.

I know I said the next post would be announcing the release, but... I just have to post about this.
          
          I got the preview copy. It's sitting on my bed right now. It's FOUR CENTIMETERS (1.57 inches) thick, cover to cover.
          
          After six years of writing the entire novel on an old Samsung Galaxy S8 and editing it on my PC, I'm holding my REAL LIFE book in my hands.
          
          I've got a pencil and some sticky notes and I'm marking it up, fixing the few minor errors I can still find. When I'm done, everyone can get a copy.
          
          I can't wait for you guys to read it. This is so surreal. 

@_ieatmarmalade_ Much appreciated! And thanks for the pricing information, I was really worried that nobody would buy the paperback copy because it was too expensive, but your information indicates I may be okay after all!

⚠️The time is almost nigh.⚠️
          
          I've hyped up the final release of Iron Empire a lot, so I'll skip to the facts.
          
          - The novel will officially go live on Amazon.ca and other international versions of the site sometime within the next three months, with the more likely date being closer to the next three WEEKS.
          
          - The novel will release in paperback and ebook formats.
          
          - The prices are still currently in flux, but I can give my best guess as to what they'll be. (Listed prices are in Canadian dollars, and aren't final).
          
          - Due to the sheer size and printing costs of a 180k word novel (it's a THICK book) paperback will be somewhere around $24 (with only about $2 going to me in royalties ). This is not ideal, but I have to price it high to make any money at all.
          
          - Fear not, because the ebook copy will only cost about $6 (with a royalty of $4 per copy to me). Considering we're on Wattpad, I don't expect anyone to mind reading a digital book, so I tried to keep the price as low as possible while still remaining competitive. 
          
          - There will be no hardcover version, because the novel is, quite literally, too thick for the printing presses in that format (max of 500 pages for hardcover, Iron Empire is 775). 
          
          - The uncertain release date is simply because I currently have a print copy of my own shipping to my house for final review. I was about to publish Iron Empire TONIGHT, but the moment I do I have exactly two weeks to make any edits before the novel is locked forever, any remaining typos and all. I don't want that time crunch, so I opted to delay just a little longer.
          
          So there you have it! Expect the next announcement to be the final release! 
          
          If you can spare the price of $6 (4.38 USD) for a digital copy of the finished novel, I would be eternally grateful. If not, thank you for your support nonetheless, and I can't wait to begin the next journey on Steel Skies!

Turns out formatting a novel for print is hard.
          
          Iron Empire is still being worked on for paperback/ebook format, but I hope to have it finished soon!
          
          Due to funding I'm not sure if it'll release in ebook only or ebook AND paperback format. I may have to do digital only until I earn enough money to create a physical copy.
          
          Time will tell.

The Iron Empire Trilogy:
          
          Book 1: Iron Empire
          
          Book 2: Steel Skies
          
          Book 3: Dead Metal 
          (tentative title)
          
          With any luck, Iron Empire will be done and submitted to the publisher by the end of April! 
          No promises, but this is my rough self-imposed deadline, and I believe I can achieve it.
          
          I can't wait for you all to see all the incredible changes that have been made! The novel really has reached the next level, and I'll be proud to finally put it out in the world.
          
          And from there? Sequel time. The Iron War isn't over, after all.
          
          See you soon!

@SmittyBS, this is a monthly reminder to see if your still alive (I hope so).