About the Book - The First Question (Patreon)

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now. Weeks, actually, but I kept getting side-tracked for one reason or another. Even this week, I meant to post this on Wednesday, but I got sick, so eh. That sucked.

Anyway, let’s talk.

You may recall that I want to release the first book of Ave Xia Rem Y this year. That’s still a thing. In fact, this post is to talk about that subject. Specifically, I want to talk about my biggest issue regarding the book version of Ave Xia Rem Y.

Deciding what goes into the book.

I once said that Chapters 1 to 71 make Book 0 of the story. The prologue, as it were. I stand by it. I could grab those chapters, tidy them up, bundle them into one book, and call it a day. However, I’m unsure how well those chapters would work in a book format because of how Ave Xia Rem Y is structured.

If you think about it, Ave Xia Rem Y is a story told in novella-sized arcs.

Chapters 1-14 are the Intro Arc. We are introduced to Liu Jin and the world he lives in. Liu Jin is introduced to Old Jiang, and his training begins.

Chapters 15-31 are the New Moon Town Arc. Everything from Xiao Nan inviting Liu Jin to New Moon Town to Xiao Nan revealing that Liu Jin is going to get married.

Chapters 32-40 are the Engagement Arc. Everything up to Xiao Shuang leaving Eastern Port City. This includes the A Father’s Tale chapters.

Chapters 41-64 are the Eastern Port City Tournament Arc. Liu Jin gets his first important mission from the Xiao Sect, participates in a tournament, and the Yun Sect goes from background to foreground.

Chapters 65-71 are The Fall of Eastern Port City Arc. Everything bad happens. You know it. I know it.

Finally, Chapters 72-83 and all the interludes are the Five Bats City arc. Though not part of Book 0, it works as an epilogue for it. Then, chapter 84 is officially the start of the Eternal Flame Clan arc.

They are not stand-alone arcs, and they tell a continuing story, but if you combine them, the result is not as tightly-knit as a normal book would be. While the format has worked well in web-serial form, I’m not sure if it translates well to book form.

Also, it’s a lot of text. Well over 100k words. Maybe 150k or something. That might feel daunting to some.

I am also unsure whether to include the Five Bats City arc in this book or not. It doesn’t feel like a great place to end the book. Chapter 71: Ashes would have to be the ending because it’s just (I feel) a strong ending (if perhaps, a tad rage-inducing to some).

I’ve also been thinking maybe I need to break things instead of releasing all of Book 0 as one book. Like, maybe break it in half to make it more digestible. Book 1: Intro+New Moon Town. Book 2: Engagement+Tournament+Fall.

Something like that.

In case it wasn’t clear by now, I’m pretty much rambling despite repeated attempts to proofread this post so it doesn’t sound rambly. That’s how unsure I am.

Here’s where you guys come in. I want to hear your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Am I on the right track? Am I overthinking? How would you arrange the chapters into a book if it was up to you?

And so on.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!