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Juggling Multiple WIPS

@zackprincebooks / zackprincebooks.tumblr.com

Hello! I'm Zack, he/him/his, 31. This blog is 18+. I currently write a lot of things. Icon art by angronsjewelbeetle. Check here for drafts, writing games, and book updates!

Pirates and Poise is live!

Happy New Year! Let's open 2026 with a new book release of Pirates and Poise, my fantasy-of-manners pirate erotica.

The divorce of Emperor Ampelian and Imperial Consort Davi of Karulia is a disaster. Faced with his chancellors voting against him and his mistress, Lady Isla, Ampelian forces the vote through during a lunch recess, and imprisons Davi in the Gardenia Wing.  With his petitions for their return going unanswered, Davi's father Duke Tiago makes a last-ditch effort to save them by hiring the dashing sky-pirate Captain Topaz Bandrake. Topaz and the crew of the Treasure Chest must break into the emperor's engagement party and rescue Davi in the middle of the night.  But it appears Topaz has other ideas, as Davi's abandonment tugs on his heart in a way he's never felt before...

Content: 

-Trans man x nonbinary transfemme -Dashing sky pirates -Espionage -Love at first sight -Sloppy kissing -Vaginal fingering -Hand jobs -Breast play

Please be advised that content in Pirates and Poise is of an adult nature; this is meant for readers 18 and up.

Want to read it for free before you buy? Pirates and Poise will drop on my Ream page for followers on 2/1, and for the public on 2/8!

Want to be updated on book news? Join my taglist!

I just wrote 8 pages when I haven't written in months and was beginning to think I'd never be able to again. Idk what it is, but I am sharing and manifesting this energy for every writer who sees this. May you write 8 quality pages effortlessly and find joy writing once more

On pitching: it's a fine art, and a tricky one - the instinct is to tell readers what it's about, but that's often the last piece of the puzzle. The goal with pitching is to catch a reader's attention, and then to give them something to remember. These are my best tips with examples of how I used them!

1. Find your "ooh" factor: You already know what makes your book amazing, but sometimes loving something so much means you get lost in details that aren't going to mean anything to strangers. Look for details that are unique - your hook, anything that your book has that you might not find elsewhere - and will make a complete stranger say "ooh" and ask for more information.

(For my debut, my "ooh" factor was that it featured two secrets: how a girl died, and the way her toxic behaviour destroyed her friend's life. For my upcoming novel, my "ooh" factor is that a boy wakes up in a girl's body with no memories and 100 loops of the same day to find himself.)

2. "FOR FANS OF": For traditional querying, you want to find books published roughly in the last year* that operate successfully in the same sphere you think your book will be. (i.e. for YA you want YA, for adult romance you want adult romance titles, etc). For casual pitching, you can do literally whatever you want. Use movies, TV shows, games - you're aiming for vibes. It's really valuable to be able to give would-be readers context for your book from what they already know, so "If you liked X, you'll definitely like my book" is a great tool.

(*For my debut, my comps were Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky. For my upcoming novel, my comps were If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch and Every Day by David Levithan. Clearly, some of these books are not published within the last 5 years, so you can get a little sneaky with this.)

3. Lean on tropes and themes: Used sparingly, tropes give readers even more context from other media they know and love. Themes give a broad-strokes window into what readers can expect.

(For my debut, the tropes and themes I used were "second chance romance" and "toxic friendship." For my upcoming novel, I used "time loop" "body swap" and "friends-to-friends-to-friends-to-lovers".)

4. Ask questions: Using questions prompts a tiny bit of reflection from readers, whether consciously or not. I often use "What if?" questions to wrap up a pitch.

(For my debut, the big question was "What does it mean when your best friend dies and your instinct is relief?" For my upcoming novel, the questions are "What would you do if you woke up in a body that wasn't yours with no memory of who you really are?" and "What happens when the boy you're falling in love with forgets you at the end of every day?")

I hope these tips are helpful! Happy pitching!

They should make a content label for ai posts like they do for mature content so I dont ever have to fucking look at it

okay nah but this is what I've been saying. everyone arguing over how to regulate AI and what it means for copyright and how do we account for AI without hurting creative industries and and and

Require it to be labeled. that's it. require every instance of AI output to be clearly and obviously labeled that it is AI. Every decision made with AI has to be disclosed in plain phrasing, every email, every paper, every image and video must be clearly and obviously watermarked. Make removing the label/identifier a procecutable offence.

Now everyone who doesn't want it can avoid it. Now everyone using it with intent as a bad actor has to jump through extra hoops (and is on the hook for additional charges when caught). Now every single person who has had their insurance claim or credit application or resume rejected or denied because of AI can point to it and demand a reconsideration. Make. Every. Single. Instance. Of AI use mandated to be legally disclosed. That's it!

Ten Ways To Support Indie Authors

1. Share their posts! Did you guys know I get twice as much views on my instagram posts just from one person adding them to their story? This helps more people see my work and gives us a better shot against the algorithm!

2. Interact with them! Leaving a comment on a post or sending them a message is a simple way to brighten their day and show them they are seen and appreciated! Tell them what you love about what they do!

3. Tell your friends! Sometimes it takes a dozen posts from an author to get a reader to even consider reading their book, but all it takes is one message that starts with "BESTIE YOU'VE GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT!"

4. Request their books at the library! Yes, you can get your favorite indie author's book to a wider audience and support your local library at the same time! Win-win!

5. Make fan content! Seeing fanart, playlists, edits, and other creations based on your creations is always encouraging. As an author, I would be honored if people loved my characters enough to make fanworks of them.

6. Leave a review! Reviews help show the author people are actually reading their book, let others know why they should read it too, and help boost visibility and community!

7. Buy their books! Obviously, the best way to support an author is to buy their books! If you already have a copy, consider purchasing one to gift to a friend, library, youth center, or little free library!

8. Participate in online giveaways & events. Authors spend a lot of time setting up giveaway events to help build hype and boost community, and by participating, you can help them and maybe claim some goodies for yourself!

9. Merch! If an author sells promo items realated to their book, it helps more than just financially! When other people see your swag, you get to spread the hype! If the author doesn't have merch maybe you can offer to help them design some!!

10. Attend events! Seeing people physically in front of you excited about your book is so encouraging, and enthusiastic fans encourage others' curiousity!

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