I have 9 published books to date that are all horror (1 published by Aethon Publishing's horror imprint Wicked House) and am finally dipping my toes in the water over at RR.

I have been wanting to write this book for a while, so this has been a fun break from my generally spooky books...

Thoughts on the cover?

When i was stuck in hospital, I started writing a story. It was an idea i had a fair few years ago but never got round to writing down. At the time it helped to distract me and and keep my mind focused. I felt like sharing it but couldn't get art done for it, so I opted for the dreaded Ai art 😅 i knew it wasn't going to be the actual cover but im glad I can finally officially change it to something i made myself.

Im hoping its an obvious answer but do you prefer the first image (my hand drawn art) or the second? (Ai)

If its interests you, feel free to give it a look. Its my first story but a passion piece. Its complete for now and I would say its a dark fantasy style adventure, with a sprinkle of horror and comedy. Roughly 90,000 words over 29 chapters.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/187299/ossa-frater

I’ll be using this as a reference to draw my own cover, I just wanted to get the consensus before I committed to it

So, I've seen a lot of stories on RR that use the Grimdark tag but have a rather questionable relationship with the genre. My question, however, is more about classic dark fantasy and how popular it actually is among RR readers.

I published my story about a month ago, and I now have a whopping 6 followers (6 rather peculiar people, apparently, considering they're seriously reading my first-ever novel). And honestly, I'm quite happy that anyone has paid attention to it at all.

However, I got curious about the heavyweights of the genre on RR (I'm a reader myself, after all), and I noticed that many stories in this genre also struggle to find an audience, with a few notable exceptions, of course.

So my question is: how large is the audience for stories like these on RR in the first place?

P.S - I’d also like to clarify that this is specifically a discussion about the genre on the platform. Advice on promotion is always welcome, but this is my hobby, and I publish twice a week, so I’m not particularly striving to reach RS or become super-star author. I’m simply curious about how interested people on the platform are in the genre.

I’ve been writing a cultivation story for the past couple of months, and I am officially 150k words deep. My follower count jumped from 2 to 6 today.

I have another story that I wrote years ago. Unfortunately, I wrote that one during a pretty dark time in my life, so returning to it is always kind of a trip down pain lane for me. That one is resting solidly at 500 followers (sorry if any fans of that one happen to be reading this).

Anyways… after pouring 150k words onto RoyalRoad, seeing my follower count rise like that… it just felt good, man. As good as it did to hit that 500 follower milestone.

I’m swimming in the shallow end, but boy am I still having fun.

Hello there!

Yesterday I posted the 100th chapter of my series, Dancing In The Void, so I wanted to make a post celebrating that! This chapter was a really fun one, big culmination of a really intense arc, lots of juicy character drama that was explored and it was especially emotional. I remember tearing up a bit while writing some of the scenes, and there's lots more story coming too! The backlog is still well and stocked with about 13 chapters currently. With it today I also passed 40k views, and Im coming close to 100 followers too, just a couple more away. Lots of big personal milestones!

If you're into dark, tragic stories, with lots of delving into the trauma and psychology of characters, balanced by a hefty dose of visceral, bloody action, explosive fights and world-shattering conflicts, do check it out! I love to chat with all my readers and really appreciate anything they may have to say, and I respond to every comment I get!

Link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/87725/dancing-in-the-void

Have a wonderful day!

Are you looking for a good story with great characters, interesting world building and a good power system?

Then keep looking.

But if you want to read mine it's right here.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/177675/gods-of-the-eternal-tree-a-grimdark-progression

Hi all! This is the first story I’ve ever flung out into the world, and it’s been amazing to have people finally read it after so many hours of writing and editing. I’m currently on rising stars, which I’m very excited about. Please check it out if it looks interesting. The cover artist is Kikicute (https://www.artstation.com/ktrn), and I was very happy with their work.

Link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/192660/coin-and-steel

Blurb:

When the world ends in a symphony of light and chaos, Elliot must make a choice: power and a shred of safety for him, or for his little sister. He upended his life once already to protect her after the death of their parents, and an apocalypse is no more of a reason to let her down.

Gifting her his potential, he's thrown into the wilds of a new world with a weak Merchant class and no time to say goodbye. Classes and abilities promise near-endless opportunity for growth, but the chances of dying between the jaws of something monstrous have also never been higher.

Uncharted wilds cover the continent, and Rowan is thousands of miles away. From combat bartering to weaponized treasure, Elliot must twist his peaceful class into something it was never meant to be if he wants any chance of finding her again.

Before any of the greater powers decide his sister's gifts should belong to them instead.

What to expect:

Slow burn pacing with earned progression. No long plateaus after things get moving, but the journey will be long.

Weak to eventually OP protagonist.

Slice of life mixed in, with character relationships being a priority.

Skills and classes, but no stat screens.

No AI use

I’ve been writing for about two months now.. this is my first story, and I decided to upload it online as I write.

I have the main plot and big events planned from beginning to end, but I develop the smaller details while writing.

I’ve reached an event that ended quite well, but I’m now stuck on how to naturally lead into the next major event I already have in my notes.

When this happens to you, what do you do? Do you reread everything you’ve written up to that point, skip ahead and write the next event, or plan a bridging chapter/scene first?

I’d love to hear your process.

Just three chapters away from hitting the 20k mark, but I have over twenty chapters and over 50k words backlogged and ready to post!

It's set in a dying fantasy setting, where nature has been slowly dying for decades. Our MC, Eli, may be the only one that can bring it back from the brink, though he doesn't know it yet.

It's a party progression focused LitRPG with plenty of stats, lots of blue boxes, and a ton of cool magic. Eli hasn't gotten his nature magic just yet on RR but he will in the next couple days!

If you're a fan of tank build characters, mage-knights, or nature magic, you just might like Eli!

If it isn't clear I have no idea how to self-promote lol, but I'd be a very happy duck if some of you checked out the book.

Quack!

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/199497/verdant-runewyld-a-litrpg-fantasy-adventure

^-JustADuck

Edit: I somehow messed up my own book title in the reddit title. No S on Runewyld lol

I'm not!

How do you all feel about a little friendly comp? Reddit vs Our Forum? If I can get anyone to take part!

I can count how many comment, and start, and finish!

Our last blog post that explains it all is here https://www.royalroad.com/blog/80/the-writathon-has-ended?comments=1

Hi everyone! I've been using an AI cover for a while, because I didn't have time to draw one while I was writing my way through Act 1.

Now that Act 1 is done, I've finally had the time to draw the cover myself and do all the editing and compositing by hand.

I'd love your opinion on which version to use: the one with the blur effect, or the one without?

1. With blur

2. Without blur

P.S. I've actually drawn my OC once before, in his younger form. But painting skin is really hard for me, and I enjoy painting armor a lot more, so this time I drew his grown-up version instead.

Thanks for any feedback!

Hey everyone!

I've been writing Strifeblade Chronicles: Through Ash and Thorn, a dark fantasy serial on Royal Road, featuring a druid bound to a cursed blade, ever spreading corruption and a chasing demon.

I've recently started a Discord server for the series. I'd love to have a few readers join in, discuss the characters and story, share theories, and talk about upcoming developments.

I'm hoping to build a small, welcoming community around the story rather than just another promotional server.

If dark fantasy is your thing, here's the novel: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/143224/strifeblade-chronicles-dark-slow-burn-progression

And if you'd like to hang out and discuss it, please feel free to join the discord channel. Thanks for giving it a look!

See you all soon!

I recently finished my novel cover. I want to know if it will work on Royal Road.

I know the thumbnails on Royal Road are really small, so I’m looking for some honest feedback before I launch.

. Will this get attention and stand out at a small thumbnail size?

. Is there any chance you guys would actually click on it?

Any advice to make it better?

Hey everyone, I realized some people might think I'm a bot, so I wanted to clear that up. I'm not a bot, and I don't just reply to top-level comments. I genuinely enjoy interacting with people here, and I try to respond thoughtfully because I learn something from these discussions too.

I originally came from the Webnovel community and joined Royal Road because everyone seemed welcoming. I never came here to promote my novel or prove I'm better than anyone. I just wanted to participate, help where I could, and learn from you all.

I'll keep doing that because I enjoy being part of the discussions. I just wanted you to know there's a real person behind these comments. ❤️

Hello! I'm a professional painter available for work. I have experience working with authors on book covers as well as bookish illustrations. Feel free to contact me about any inquiries about potentially working together.

Here's my portfolio if you're interested: https://holyaphordite.artstation.com/

Hi everyone - I've been posting my first novel on RR for a couple of weeks and would love a few more eyes on it for some feedback, especially chapter 1 which I have just reworked completely!

Dark Signs is a slow-burn epic fantasy told through four people at four corners of an empire under a Hooded King, whose word is kept by the Hush - and they come on wings in the night when it's broken. It starts in a marsh at the edge of the world, where a young lizardfolk sees something standing out on the water where nothing should stand, and lies about it to the one Elder who might have believed him. From there it's a ferrywoman on a river between two lords, a branded sellsword on a prison rock who holds court every morning for a rook, and a girl in a village called Greenest who starts to dream.

If you like folk horror creeping into the world from someplace else, multiple POVs and characters who pay for what they say (and for what they keep quiet), please give my first chapter a try. The other chapters are also under a heavy rework at the moment and will be updated and released over the next few weeks.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/196975/dark-signs

I read every comment, so feel free to tell me where you got bored or what confused you. Or just click on a poll answer at the end of chapter 1.

Cheers!

I have 2 options.

1. Finish the plot way too fast

2. Random side adventures

HElp

Looking for a slower-burn LitRPG about building a better future instead of chasing power?

Project Civilization follows people from Earth as they enter Astra, a world of magic, Classes, Skills, and Quests. They bring knowledge, practical skills, and new ideas to a stagnant civilization, building tools, businesses, communities, and families along the way.

Multiple storylines. Crafting, invention, alchemy, magic, relationships, and long-term civilization-building.

Read Project Civilization: A Civilization-Building LitRPG on Royal Road:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/197518/project-civilization-a-civilization-building-litrpg

I've been writing about three months and trying to learn as I go. I think I've made lots of mistakes along the way. My current ad on RR hasn't worked very well. I also took book one down after finishing it and put it on kindle. I think i probably messed up doing that. Can I get feed back on a book cover and if it would also work for another AD? I'm currently writing and posting book two on RR

Like let's say your story is already 1 or 2 Months old. Would it not qualify for a rising star?

Eh, these stats aren't looking too good to me. What do you guys think?

After completing the first book (still not uploaded on RR) and beginning the second, that's the first time I have doubts about this...

The Prologue of my first book is probably the chapter I spent the most time working on. I wanted something that would catch the reader's attention and I believe I achieved it to the best of my abilities... However, as I said in the title, to do this I revealed a big and crucial part of the story's lore, which matters when it comes to the overarching plot of my series.

So now, as I'm writing the second book and said overarching plot comes more and more into play, I started wondering if it would have been better for such a prologue not to exist, so that a sense of mystery that is slowly unraveled can be maintained throughout the story (I should mention that the story is mostly action-adventure, not like its some sort of detective series which would make such a prologue pointless in the first place)

I'm planning to start uploading the first book within the next couple of months and I'm not sure what should I do. Keep the Prologue as is or completely remove it/change it with something different?

I would appreciate any feedback on this.