Writing and Pseudonyms (Patreon)

Time for another long post, both updating on something else I've been doing and asking for input, if people have opinions.

I meant to make this post a while ago, but ended up getting wrapped up in TLS work and decided to roll with that instead. Still staying mostly focused on that now, but didn't want to let this post sit unfinished for too long.

The Second Project

When we talked about traditional publishing versus self-publishing, part of me thought "Why not try both?" My general feeling is that The Brightest Shadow would be DOA if self-published in the current market, but there was another idea in the back of my mind that I felt like pursuing, one that I think is better suited to market realities. Also something I could start and finish in several bursts, without relying on collaborators or scheduling a lot of work in my future. Given my situation right now, that sort of thing appeals.

My feeling was that, other than the time investment, this has only upsides. I'd get some hard data on a self-publishing attempt for later consideration. Regardless of if I used that platform for anything else or just set it aside once it was complete, it would reach a new audience of people who might be interested in my work.

This project would by a quick trilogy in the LitRPG genre (stories set in games, basically). It's an emerging subgenre, and my feelings about it are very similar to how I felt about the harem RPG genre before TLS: it generates new ideas for me, but I have no idea if the genre's audience would like them. =/ I feel it might be a good fit for my patrons, though, since you guys are generally game-liking people.

Here's my first effort at a store description:

"Bloodwraith thought of himself as an effective villain, until a single adventurer destroyed his entire lair. With his last breath, he switched bodies with the adventurer and discovered that his world was built on lies. Alien beings from another dimension were using his world as a game... and now he was one of them.

The problem is, Bloodwraith has no experience being an adventurer. He was a mage, but his new body is only good at hitting things. He relied on undead minions, but now he has no choice but to depend on other people. And worst of all, strange boxes are constantly appearing in his vision, describing the world in unfamiliar, nonsensical terms.

Taking over the world is off the table, because the alien gods might be watching. To survive, Bloodwraith will need to learn the truth about himself and his world. And that means acting like an adventurer, at least for now."

Most LitRPGs have protagonists who are generic gamer dudes, so I think it might be fun to do things from the perspective of an NPC for whom all the game mechanics are unfamiliar. I'd also like to try to do a bit more of an anti-hero arc, compared to most of my basically good-intentioned protagonists. 

Anyway, it's an idea that, while it could be expanded further, I can bring to a satisfying conclusion in just three average-length books. No deadlines and no huge time commitment.

Genre Uncertainties

I have a question I'd like input on, if people have opinions: I'm split about how I should handle sexual content in this series. This seems to be somewhat of a point of contention in the genre. I see a lot of people complaining about sexual content they feel is unnecessary... but I also see successful authors with a mercenary streak going heavy on this side of things.

The draft I wrote has a sexual relationship that's consummated off screen, because that's what felt right at the time. Not sure about audience expectations. I toyed with the idea of having the sex scenes as bonus content, not so much to motivate people as because it feels more appropriate.

Also very uncertain about getting cover art. To my brain, spending hours and hours writing a book is no big deal. Spending a short amount of time researching/contacting artists? Huge imposition. But the cover is more important than anything else about your book, so I can't skimp on this aspect. I've been trying to do some research without success.

Pseudonym Problems

This is my primary question right now. If I did a traditionally published novel, I'd unquestionably use a different pseudonym - the number of people who would be offended by the work I do here is just too high. But I'm not sure about whether or not that's necessary when it comes to this LitRPG trilogy.

My bias is against another name, just because managing more accounts is annoying. I feel like it would be pretty strange to put these new novels up on Amazon next to all my old erotica, though. I think I'm pretty much okay with people who look me up from this book finding my games/erotica, I just don't want it to impose on people who only want fantasy books. Also, I only have one other name idea I like, not two.

So yes, this post is partially an update on my thinking, partially asking for feedback on the unknown issues, and partially just an opportunity to give input. I would like to try to give writing one more shot before I set it aside.