signingbooks Chapter 69: Launch Speech - Glimpse Through the Hole
Chapter 69: Launch Speech - Glimpse Through the Hole
Quick summary: Tomorrow, over 10,000 words will be updated, launching at noon!For those not in a rush, let’s sit down and chat.
*
Reading a new book is like glimpsing light through a hole.
On a snowy night, readers approach houses glowing with light, their windows covered in paper.
You can roughly tell the brightness of each house, but not its interior or what the owner is doing.
Only by peering through a hole in the wall can you see the furnishings inside.
Carefully turning your head, you glimpse the room’s layout through the narrow hole, catching the faint glow to understand what kind of home this is and why it’s lit.
Once you fully see and feel at ease, you knock lightly and step inside, sharing the rare light of this snowy night.
This light comes from my heart, shared with all who wish to join me.
It’s not a blazing light like the sun, illuminating everyone, nor a surgical lamp, banishing all shadows.
It’s just a lantern, a candle, a single bulb—the faint light I can offer.
But it’s enough to brighten this small room.
I hope you can see me through this light.
*
Now, for some updates on performance: Mu Xu’s follow-up reads have surpassed 10,000.
This is, without a doubt, my best-performing book to date.
I’ve written five published novels before Mu Xu, totaling over nine million words, with three hitting 10,000 subscriptions and one considered a premium work.
But none of those three ever achieved a first-time premium status.
Their success came from steady, engaging plots, gradually built over time.
This book marks the highest achievement in my writing career.
It makes me a bit anxious—I’m not sure if I can maintain this hard-earned success.
At the same time, I’m proud.
I’ve always stuck to the principle of “If I don’t understand the plot’s logic, no matter how interesting it seems, I won’t write it.”
Sudden, unexplained success would only shatter my worldview.
So, I only write what I understand, what I can grasp, and what I can recreate.
The skills honed in my previous book proved useful!
Some authors claim they’re “practicing” after a flop, but before starting Tower of Overturn, I told everyone I was writing a book specifically to practice.
While writing Players Super Justice, I felt my shortcomings in many areas and lacked experience in certain fields.
Players Super Justice was doing well, so I didn’t dare experiment with new ideas for fear of ruining it.
I firmly believe: if you don’t practice, you’ll never learn; if you don’t experience, you’ll never understand.
So, I recorded all the ideas I wanted to try but wasn’t sure about and practiced them in Tower of Overturn.
To eliminate distractions, I chose a genre I wasn’t skilled in—science fiction—purely to test reader reactions to different plots, character development, and writing styles, then refine accordingly.
It’s like creating a game character with a buzzcut or bald head to focus on the essentials!
I chose science fiction out of love for the genre.
You can love something even if you’re not good at it!
I call this “compromised idealism.”
While chasing dreams, I still focus on improvement and results.
It’s like balancing cool aesthetics and strength in a game—not just chasing looks or pure power.
When I wrote Blood of Mercury, it was all instinct, with no outline or plan.
I was left with many regrets, thinking, ‘If only I’d done this differently.’
I recorded those regrets, determined to “come back and make things right.”
With Players Super Justice, I wrote in a way that appealed to a broader audience, and its success was ten times that of Blood of Mercury.
But that book brought new regrets, so I optimized again with this one, and its performance is four times that of Players Super Justice.
As long as you commit to “effective learning” and constant self-criticism, improvement is real!
That said, my health is getting worse.
My schedule has shifted to sleeping at 10:30 AM and waking at 5:30 PM.
Writing eight hours a day feels like I’m about to ascend to another plane.
This book’s outline is set to last about two years, roughly three million words.
I just hope I don’t collapse.
After finishing this book, I’ll rest for six months to a year.
I’ve already booked a friend’s villa in Wuzhi Mountain, Hainan.
Soon, this cat will head to Wuzhi Mountain to recover like a monkey.
The month-long break I took wasn’t enough.
Though the outline, setting, and inspiration were mostly set last October, half of that break was spent recovering.
*
Now, for the gratitude section—
First, thanks to my friends for their chapter recommendations.
I’ll treat you all to a meal next time we meet!
Next, a huge thanks to my editor, Jia Nan!
Before this book was published, Jia Nan worked with me extensively on the setting and outline, offering immense help.
A big shoutout to my incredible operations officer and artist, [Can Without Grain]!
Can is unbeatable—look at this book’s cover and the cover for Tower of Overturn, both drawn by her!
She also crafted the character designs and various merchandise for this book, all by hand!
What kind of god-tier operations officer is this? Do you have one? (shouting)
She’s hosting a giveaway in the comments section, offering free merchandise she made!
Authors can’t sell merchandise, but giving it away for free is fine!
I’m covering the shipping costs, so go check it out later!
Next, thanks to all the readers for their donations!
A special thanks to Fu Luo Li Tian Ze Lu for the Silver Alliance donation!
Since meeting during Blood of Mercury, Tian Ze has donated one to three Alliance Leaders monthly.
On another platform, she’s donated three Silver Alliances, plus one Golden Alliance each for Players Super Justice and Tower of Overturn, along with several Silver Alliances for Tower.
Huge thanks to Tian Ze, my beautiful supporter—I feel like a kept cat!
Thanks to Yin Tian Shen Yin, Li Tian X, Mood Complex, Ying Ni Yan, Yu Zhou Ge, Chai Ke Fu Si Ji Ta Ke Wei Qi, Mu Feng Zhi Ge, Wei La 0205, Gu Xin Xuan, and Zuo Bo Jia Ye Zi for their Alliance Leader donations!
Thanks to Cang Jing Meng Hai, Dian Si Ji Zi, and Yao Du Ting Ri for their Helmsman donations!
And thanks to everyone for your donations, votes, and subscriptions!
This is the best start I’ve ever had (Small Rock Fist clenches)… though that phrase feels a bit unlucky, so never mind.
*
Someone once asked me, “Can you really stick to two hours of daily study? How do you ensure you keep learning every day?”
The answer is simple, and you’ll see its feasibility right away—though it might not work for everyone.
Basically, every day, after starting work (writing), I immediately stop to read a book.
My intense desire to avoid work and escape its pressures pushes me to read more to kill time.
In that moment, I enter a space free from work’s burdens, and my learning efficiency skyrockets.
It’s like doing homework and flipping through a textbook to find answers.
The strong urge to avoid homework drives you to read the textbook carefully, even things you’d normally ignore.
In that escape from reality, those things become sweet.
Back when I was a student, to avoid homework, I’d even read medicine bottle labels for ages, let alone extracurricular books!
This proves people will do anything to procrastinate—and can achieve anything in the process.
This book’s inspiration comes from tons of books and games.
This cat only does two things at home: read books or play games.
I can’t count how many game settings I’ve woven into my books, but it’s a lot.
My friend Yin Tian and I are different.
Writing itself is his joy, but for me, writing is just a skill I’m good at.
My ultimate goal is reading and gaming—writing is just a byproduct of the inspiration overflowing from those.
If anything feels familiar, it’s a homage!
Thanks to games like Granblue Fantasy, Final Fantasy, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Cultist Simulator for inspiring me with their beloved worlds!
Lastly, I’ll share my book list, as some have asked for it multiple times.
I meant to share it at a good time, but I forgot during the busy New Year!
If you’re not interested, feel free to skip this part—it’s mostly unrelated to the book, just a knowledge-sharing moment.
Below are books I’ve read since Players Super Justice began in 2019, up to now—four years’ worth!
These include books I finished, reread multiple times, or partially read.
This list gives a sense of my tastes.
It’s not just for readers who enjoy this book but also for fellow authors as a resource for creative materials.
These books should be available for purchase, but this isn’t a recommendation list—everyone’s preferred genres differ, and my reading is quite eclectic.
To avoid seeming like a shill, I’ve excluded web novels I read.
The books aren’t ranked; they’re just what I’ve read.
I’ll only briefly comment on books I’ve reread multiple times.
I won’t include books I read years ago but haven’t revisited recently.
I forget silly books as if I never read them—erased from my mental cache.
I’ll list any I recall, though I might miss some.
For books with multiple versions or similar titles, I’ll include the author for clarity.
*
Books I’ve read but didn’t finish:
Scott’s Wicca Magic
Witchcraft: A History of Fear
Lewis Ri Blouqui’s Cattle Raid
Robert’s Strange Spirits
Su Tompkin’s Astrological Aspects Study, Astrological Magic: Basic Rituals and Meditation
Leo Strauss’s History of Political Philosophy
The Third Wave
Criminal IA
Borges’s The Book of Sand
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Sun, Moon, Star Murder Case
The Bible, Protestantism, and the Rise of Natural Science
History of International Relations, Volume 3
Books I’ve finished:
Story Morphology
Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande
Myths of Fire’s Origin
1844 Economic-Philosophical Manuscripts
Origins of Ancient Chinese Thought and Yin-Yang Five Elements Theory
Toffler’s Power Shift
Guide to Western Mysticism
Secrets of Alchemy
Avesta: Zoroastrian Holy Book
Pastoral Bible
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Studies in British and American Novel Narrative Theory
Detective AI
The Vanishing Thirteenth Step
Headless: Cursed Object
Twelve Hours of Chang’an
When Mysticism Knocks
Homer’s Odyssey
The Moon and Sixpence
Stranger Music
The Glass Hammer
Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetry Collection
Man and His Symbols
Yes, Minister
Thomas Rollston’s Celtic Myths and Legends
Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon
Uragawa Kazuhiro’s Delta Tragedy
Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light
Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat
Deep into History: Studies on Marx’s Historical View
Guo Qingguang’s Communication Studies Tutorial (Second Edition)
Higashino Keigo’s Black Laughter Novels, Crooked Laughter Novels, Doppelgänger, Who Killed Her, Tragic Puppet
Pas’s The Bow and the Lyre
The Weight of Butterflies: Nelly Sachs Poetry Selection
Milton Biography
Friedrich Schiller’s Letters on Aesthetic Education
The Alphabet Killer Club
Pamuk’s My Name Is Red
Rigveda Close Reading
Bhagavad Gita Commentary
Liu Zhongyu’s Chinese Monster Culture
Ye Shuxian’s Heroes and the Sun: Reconstructing Archetypes in Ancient Chinese Epics
Okajima Duo’s Klein Bottle
Detective Twilight Traveler
Books I’ve reread multiple times in the last three or four years:
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko’s Black Magic Notebook (Great reference, very clear)
McKee’s Story (Highly recommended—every novelist should read it once)
Frazer’s The Golden Bough (Recommended for anyone writing mysticism)
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat 2 (Much stronger than the first)
Purple and Black (Wonderful fantasy story)
Tagore’s Poetry Selection (This cat loves poetry; a foundation for Tower of Overturn)
Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s Rashomon Short Stories (My high school memories)
Hitchcock Short Stories and Scripts from Times Literature Press: Rebecca, North by Northwest, Double Killer, Killing with a Borrowed Knife, Midnight Pursuit (My middle school memories, still fresh)
Gibran’s The Prophet, Sand and Foam (Poetry +1)
Death Fugue: Paul Celan’s Selected Poems (Poetry +2)
Lord El-Melloi II Case Files (My favorite light novel, probably)
Fate/Zero (Second favorite!)
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Foundation for Players Super Justice)
Faust (Also a foundation for Players Super Justice)
The Godfather (Practically my childhood—I was so young when I read it)
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Childhood +1)
Agatha Christie’s Detective Novels, Complete Collection (Childhood +2)
*
Lastly, I recommend the public account [Literature Theory and Criticism]—you can occasionally find great books there.
I doubt many readers will scroll this far, but as is tradition, I’ll end with this:
Hope we meet again tomorrow.
—May happiness always be with you.
(Chapter End)