LITRPG: A few Space Offerings

I've noticed even though LITRPG is numerous its harder to find Sci Fi based ones. Here's a few.

Nova Online: Here

 

Star Warrior: Here

 

The Last Enclave: Here

  

The Derelict: Here

 

The SyStem: Multiverse: Here

LITRPG: What I Have Bought

 Granted, this list will be short but its the few LITRPG's I have taken a look at.

First up is CJ's: Has a Likable MC even with some of the Harem Elements. They operate with goals beyond Hawke so that's a bonus. 

IE: Feels like most LITRPG makes it all about the MC. Like Anita Blake. But they usually are just as Un-likable as her. IF you have LIT RPGS, make your MC LIKABLE! PLEASE!

The Eternal Journey: Here 

So far I've read the first two books with Eternal. (Writing has made a dent in Reading for Fun and Examination Purposes.)

 

Next Up is something recommended by Brian Niemeier, The Last Enclave: Here

Although I still heavily disagree with it getting lumped into "Superhero Fantasy or Superhero Science Fiction, cause to me Superhero = Western Cape Comic backdrops or wheelhouses." 

Not Isekai  to a VR Realm or VG realm. 

I did listen to this on Audible but I also like this narrator because of other books. Its fun but all the stats do slow it down. (Audible with Book 1 and 2 so far.) Here

This has a scifi MMO setup: Here

 

I've read the first book in the series. Ill probably finish it via audible. Mostly because I drive to grandma's a fair bit. So its easier for me to listen to books at this point.  

These are the bigger ones that come to mind. I'll look through my library later. I think I picked up 2 or 3 other LITRPG based books....oh wait! I remember another one now.

 

Mainly because I do enjoy Galaxy's Edge here and there. Taking a break for now mainly because Uplift Protocol and wanting wholesome campy fun but they use gaming setups well enough. Havent read the 2nd book yet.

Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did this become a hit?

 This Kong guy considers himself the father of LIT RPG in America. Inflated ego much? Oh my.

Chaos Seeds

From Book 1: From the Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author, Aleron Kong, comes the 1st book in the genre defining series, The Land
The series with over 100 THOUSAND ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reviews!
"It's like Rick and Morty were the gods of Game of Thrones!"
Audible's Customer Favorite of the Year
"Best new series I've read in YEARS!!!"
#1 Audiobook 2017
"Better than the Wheel of Time and Firefly!"
#1 in Epic Fantasy

What? How? Why? It's def. not my cup of coffee. Whatsoever. It's time to do a dive of sorts. Plus his latest book utilizes the:

• "in African American Fantasy Fiction" 

To basically rise to the top of, if I had to guess, an under utilized genre arena. Plus based on what I initially see here, was it the audible version that catapulted this series to the top? It would be on a bullseye to assume:

Audible Version 

Gotta admit, that narrator is pretty animated.  

Debates 1 
Why is Kong hated? 
 
2,000 pages of useless charts and added fluff is basically his books in a nutshell. Kong is a cash grabber not a storyteller, I read his first book and it was awful not a good example of a LitRPG. Awaken Online is better in my opinion. And the MC of The Land is cringe as hell. 

• So the basics: Good Audible Narrator
• Abusing the KU page turn with empty stat fluff 
• Does the standard meat and potatoes of Lit RPG but its like McDonalds. 
• attempted to trademark "LitRPG". SO very much in the vein of the Star Justice guy, Micheal Scott Earle.  

Oh boy, yea, even from that thread above, most attribute his initial success to "over feeding" that genre and the audible narrator. Who managed to pull more people in. The way reviews describe this series, I will not touch it whatsoever. From the 5 down to the 1 stars. It's empty calories: the series.
But the audible keeps it afloat for some:

To read? No. To listen with Nick Podehl as narrator? Absolutely. 

So the series is cringe as all getup but some will give it a pass because the narration is smooth as silk. SO you can dress a pig up in a tux. Note to self, when launching Superhero Space Opera, don't call myself the Queen of Superhero Prose, that sounds just as stupid and silly as this "father" of americana LIT RPG. 

Further inspection of other threads about it:

• Has elements of Cash Grab, with some idea of marketing to the algorithm, with some grifting and griefing of customers who disagree with him. 
• He doesnt really use his status to help find other LIT RPG stuff worth people's time. 
• Using his superfans as attack dogs (That sounds familiar.) LKH syndrome/comic book land debates.

Another Gem:

Please Fans, no bulli and leaving bad reviews. 

So....you have all this revenue from the audible versions which apparently snake charm people into keeping your series above water and funded....but yet, your like, "No bad reviews pls." Damn.  Plus it would appear that he had a pretty nice dayjob as a doctor so whatever he made from book selling was pretty much gravy. 

(So why not use your resources to promote things you enjoy Mr. Kong? Just wondering. Genuinely, cause if I was that big in my genre, id be bringing up my favorites all the time.) 

Cause with today's society there's so much navel gazing that maybe he's just too wrapped up in just what's in front of him to notice.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleron-kong-55455970  

Yep, has Doctor experience.

But one thing is clear: He knows how to market himself and his books for the greatest effect he can get. Love him, hate him or don't care about him? He still managed to hit on all cylinders to get his books out there.

https://www.patreon.com/AleronKong 
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/aleron-kong/ 
https://www.instagram.com/litrpgbooks/?hl=en 
Kong on LIT RPG popularity 
www.LitRPG.com/store  
https://www.litrpg.com/ 

Since he was making bank, so was amazon, so it ended up supporting him even more. Because you know amazon made a nice little bundle from his audibles and books.(its not a knock, just basic economics guesswork)

So the other big things I get from all of this, try to pre-plan your book launches as much as possible, build an audience, strike when the iron is hot, get some basic marketing experience under your belt, plan for success. (even if his ego gets in the way, he did plan for that, from the looks of it). But try to temper all of that with as much good will as you can. Imho. Cause even after my series launches, Ill never stop finding books to bring to the surface. So we can all enjoy.

Edit: I will give him credit, he does use his main site to promote other work he likes. I still think its silly to try to trademark LIT RPG or call yourself X of Genre. That's just my personal input. So he does try to use some of his own coat tails to help others. So that does put a feather in his cap. In my estimation.

Either way, he is a pretty busy topic:

Kong, all across reddit. 

Daily Does: 2

Why not? Another hit: Chaaaaaaaaarge!

• Civil Tribulation
• The Promised Lie
• Space Team
• Starhawke Rising 
• Talon
• Honor And Duty 
• Slave Mind
• The Elai War 
• Sins of Angels
• Progenitor Universe
• The Covenant Chronicles 
• Gladius 
• The Golden Throne 
• Dark Seas
• Mobius 
• Psi-Tech

Sci Fi Lit RPG, yeah, even though I do give people a hard time over tag spamming and things,  I do have a soft spot for some of these:

• Skeleton in Space 
• Nova Online 
• Titan Online 

Biggest reason for doing these things, bringing books to readers, to offer other series that might excite people and get them away from failing franchises. There's more then Star Wars out there. I promise.

Are people in Love with the Villian?

Why is it that harem, rev. harem, urban fantasy and the anti-hero, villain PoV dominate Superhero Prose genre/tag on Amazon. Are people much more in love with those aspects then what I grew up with watching Superman: TAS or even Power Rangers.

The only superhero series that I enjoy that is breaking the top 100, filled with all the tropes I wish to see from is:

My main reason for loving Action Figures:

A Run Down of the Whole thing.

The tone is generally lighter than a lot of YA books out there now. While there is drama and conflict, and some later stories deal with darker issues, I try to keep the series fun, upbeat, and optimistic.

A very simple statement but accurate to what I what nowadays.

As for the Amazon Tag Issue:

• Urban Paranormal gets thrown in because Magic Powers
• Harems get thrown in because the paint on the surface is Astro City meets Tenchi Muyo, with some of these books. Or the Anita setup of many guys vs one lady.
• If fact, if there is a super soldier premise, it gets thrown into the Superhero tag by default, even if its more akin to military sci fi. OR a Ghost in the Shell type.
• Cyberpunk books get thrown in because it can enhance the user to a superhero aspect.
• Writing to market has flooded the underfed genre tags with things that don't directly reflect that genre. I get wanting to make writing full time. I do but its a double edged sword. We readers have a very hard time finding what we want because its buried under all the competition to get an orange tag. 
• Some writers do pay for the extra sponsorship to get the extra airtime but its for the wrong genre. This makes it harder to find things you are really looking for. Could it also be mis-tagging on the writer's part? Sure. But its a hurdle nonetheless. 
• LIT RPG often gets thrown in there because you are taking on a different Identity. Or the game gives you Saints Row 4 level virtual Powers. But to me, Lit RPG should be its own genre onto itself. 
• What also might contribute, a fair amount of indies don't put the books into a series tab on amazon. Makes it harder to see if you have a sequel. 
• If it has demi-gods like the Percy Jackson series, it usually gets shoved in also. Even if that world has no traditional in spandex/capes setups.

When it comes to movies, Marvel style does dominate, The Boys type of shows are everywhere. Grim-dark seems to be the top contender. Are people really that enamored of the World going to Shit? We see all that crap on the news because that's what media wants us to latch onto. Get addicted to the drama of "HUMANITY SUCKS!"

Wonder if most of this can be tracked back to patient zero: Watchmen. At least on the superhero side. Things like Game of Thrones probably made grim status more popular then Black Company ever did. Even though I think Black Company is much muuuuuuuuuch better written.

While I was making this entry, I found a whole other series, what else can a writer do in order to pinpoint their reading base and hook them in?

Some of the basics I can think of:

• Have a cover relevant to what your book is about. Not just a generic cover. I think that's why so many of these out of genre books are catching people's eyes too.
• Don't take forever like GRRM to release books. Pre-write all that you can first. Then release your series in great swaths. So us readers can see you are dedicated to finishing the story before we die. Or you die. That's what's got people worried about Martin I think.
• If you are doing writing as a job to get living expenses, try to balance passion with what you are interested in, It shows if you are phoning it in.

You are a specialist with a different genre all together and this series would have been much more interesting without the LIT RPG forced aspects:

Series Bloat:

Mr. Weber and Mr. Anderle are pretty guilty of this. GRRM too. IMHO.

Sometimes less is more. Eventually a story has to reach a natural stop point. By no means does this say, "OH! Don't make side stories." That's what anthologies or side series are for. But sometimes I feel when something hits it big, the temptation to milk it beyond its ability does shine through.

So far, I believe Galaxy's Edge and Aeon 14, have jumped away from this pitfall. Esp since they are open to co-writers to help develop other aspects of that universe. Plus, since people wanted to see where Honor Harrington ended up, the side series books kinda got in the way for a while.

So I've decided with my books, Ill finish the main sequence first then work on side stories. Because the setting I made is pretty robust. In my biased opinion. :P

• A fair amount of the Harem stuff seems to have series bloat. Some go on for 7-12 books when they really only need 3-5 or so. Hmmm, what was patient zero for this, my best guess:

This series here:

What ends up making these books more popular? Is the reader base really that big or under fed? To the point that there's a very real over-saturation.

Yea, Harem and Lit RPG really do need their own Overall Encompassing Genre Tag. I guess it hasn't happened because the stuff is everywhere. In Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mil Sci fi, Space Opera, Post Apoc, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, since you can basically make it "MC lost in a video-game and that game can have any of these settings."

Since so much genre blending is happening, maybe it would be better to state what the primary genre is for the book.

What also might play into harem stuff: (My opinion)

• Bioware Syndrome. IE: Getting attached to more then one LI for a series. But this also occurs in shows, comics, books, other games. 
• Who will the Protag choose.
• A way to make more drama happen.
• Tension between characters is accentuated. Not only with the MC but with the whole cast.
• What the reader is ultimately jonesing for.

So this is why he's not on amazon. Trademark wars. Oh boy. It's not like I'm gonna go in and say I own Superhero Space Opera. Its a term to describe the main themes. Jesus. He really went whole hog on his website too, plastering the book covers over everything.

MSE vs Everything.

I think Nick Cole and Anspach have a good idea going, to fund stuff while writing in-between seasons. But that requires consideration and knowing your core fan base.


Get started here. Join the Legion today!

So much to learn, I'm glad the silver lining of DMR books gave me the idea to start this blog. Its a good way to Marshall one's thoughts. But back to Superhero Prose for a bit. I guess part of it is the actual established fanbase for these kinds of books.

Most of us are probably:

• In our late 20s or older. Most are likely 35+
• Already a part of a smaller subset of fans that love comic books but also love books.
• Most seem to prefer the grit of old style Marvel over old style DC when it comes to the prose format. So the pie is already sliced thin. 
• It doesn't help that most of the superhero prose writers only finish one book or two. Then they leave the readers hanging. I love to buy out 4-5 books in a series in one go if I can.  
• Most of the super hero prose books that hit over 40,000 copies or more have a very dystopic bent to them. Which seems to be the trend. Is there a way to change this trend? To go against the river.
• Some only do anthologies. So they never get to have expansive world building.
• This is why I try my hardest to unearth what series I can. The algorithm can only do so much.

Guess this kinda showcases while people will love to go see things like the Incredibles it wont nessessarily translate to more comic or book sales. A pity. I want more capes. Just like Honor said, "Let's be about it."

So from the looks of it, the current trend pretty much indicates that most desire the Punisher over Superman. Maybe even if its a little thing, with enough effort maybe Optimism can win out again. Because that's what Superman does. Hope is eternal.

Even if my series only sells say....300 copies, I'd still consider that a success. Because I love superheros and I want to share that with people. I might have to Clark Kent at my regular job for quite a while but I can always say without any hesitation, I am Superman levels of exited about writing this series.


More Links to things I love: (I will always promote New Olympus Saga, always!)

New Olympus Saga
One Last Echo 
DMR Books
Silver Empire
White Knight/Black Valentine
Action Figures
Unlikely Hero
Kid Sensation
Cosmic Girl