From Wattpad to Published Author - My Journey

Australia

When December came along, I had written fifty thousand words and Summoner: The Novice had been read almost one hundred thousand times. But the book wasn't finished and I knew that I would soon be backpacking around Australia, with limited access to the internet. Amid some protests but also a lot of encouragement, I told my readers I would now upload a chapter once a week.

Thus, the second half of the book was written in the back of juddering buses and dingy hotel rooms. I would hoard my access to the internet jealously, making sure to reply to every comment whenever I found a spare moment and noting down my daily read count, using my phone's roaming if I couldn't find it. On Fridays, I would hunt through the streets looking for free wifi, occasionally forced to pay the extortionate fees that the hotel charged for access.

It was a whirlwind trip, where I cage dived with saltwater crocodiles, skydived onto the beach on Surfers Paradise and scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef. I ate kangaroo, crocodile, camel, emu and barramundi. I learned to surf in Byron Bay, hiked in the outback, hung out with aboriginal tribes and wandered through the jungles of northern Australia.

By the time my travels were over, a month and a half later, it was almost a surprise to find I had hit half a million reads. Even more shocking, at one point Summoner was being read thirty thousand times a day. It was with a heavy heart that I left Australia, but with new purpose. I wanted to get Summoner published.

Yet, at the same time, I knew that I needed to finish Summoner before I could do anything. With that in mind, I moved to an upload every two weeks, so I could complete the book ahead of schedule. I also started sharing concept art that I commissioned from Malgorzata, which many loved and others were frustrated by, since they wanted more writing instead. Four months after I uploaded the first chapter, I hit a million reads.

It was a surreal day and I celebrated my success by popping open some champagne and telling my friends via Facebook what I was doing for the first time, to their amazement. But that wasn't the end of it. Another email was about to change everything once again.

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If you are enjoying reading this, please don't hesitate to vote! Feel free to comment and ask questions, I'll always try and respond when I can :). Don't forget to look out for Summoner: The Novice in your local bookstores or if you're feeling extra excited, you can preorder the book using the links on my profile, or searching for it in your usual online bookstore. 

All the best! 

Taran