Chapter 65

Old rules, the book will go up for sale at noon tomorrow, and I will start charging. Let me share a few thoughts.

The Star Gate has been out for a month, and I've written 495,000 words, just short of 500,000. It's a few thousand less than I initially expected because I took a break for one chapter. There's no way around it; I've done my best. During the new book period, I've actually been very diligent, even more so than with my previous books, which never exceeded 10,000 words a day during their new book periods.

Let me explain why I've been so diligent... As I get older, I feel that after finishing this book, I might not have the energy to push myself so hard again. The Star Gate might be my last burst of energy, and even then, I'm not sure how long I can keep it up.

I've had back pain for over half a year, and it hasn't improved. It flared up completely on the day I finished "Myriad Clans," and after that, I was completely drained. I rested for half a year and still feel much worse than before.

So, while I can still write, I want to write as much as I can.

Many people have advised me that there's no need to push so hard during the new book period. The editor even said I could take it easy and save up chapters to release when the book goes up for sale... But I have my own habits. I write as much as I can, and I don't save up chapters. I've been recovering my health this past half year, so there's no need to save up chapters. Besides, I like to rewrite my saved chapters, and my old readers know this.

So, tomorrow when the book goes up for sale, I won't have a single word saved up. It's the truth, and you can believe it or not. I'll try to release one chapter at noon tomorrow, and then update normally in the afternoon and evening. I should be able to do three updates, and if I have the energy, I'll aim for four.

If I do four updates, it should be at least 25,000 words, and 30,000 words should be normal.

I'm lazy about dividing chapters; each additional chapter means writing another title, which is too much trouble. I'm lazy about naming them, so even if I do three or four chapters, the word count won't be less. It will be equivalent to a week's worth of updates from others.

After the book goes up for sale, I'll aim to do three updates a day, maintaining at least 20,000 words a day, unless I'm sick or have something else going on. I won't break my promise under normal circumstances.

This is about updates, not about extra updates for donations. Since "Myriad Clans," I haven't mentioned extra updates for donations... If I were to talk about it, it would go back to the "High Martial" period, where I promised three extra updates for each patron, but with 500-600 patrons, I owed over a thousand chapters, which was a slap in the face... I couldn't face it. "Myriad Clans" had around 800 patrons, and I was lucky I didn't promise extra updates, or I might have died at my computer.

So for the new book, the old rules apply. If you like it, subscribe and give some monthly votes and recommendations. Donations are extra, and I'm not a new writer anymore. I'm not as eager for donations as I used to be. Back then, I wished everyone would donate, but now, just subscribing is fine. Too many donations can be a lot of pressure, but monthly votes and subscriptions are necessary for survival.

I want to emphasize the importance of the first subscription, which is the first chapter released tomorrow. The first subscription is crucial, even though I'm a platinum author (emphasis on platinum). I can't afford to ignore it. The higher the first subscription, the better. Don't compare with other big authors; I saw someone in the comments saying they want to break some record... No, that's not necessary. Don't start a war. Over the years, I've really liked a few big authors and have a good relationship with them, but there's no need to post such things in the comments. If you like it, just read quietly; if you don't, just skip it. I don't focus on the first subscription (just saying, but please don't take it too seriously and not give it).

Let me brag a bit about my past performance. "Wealth Source" had 800 first subscriptions and now has over 20,000 average subscriptions.

"High Martial" had over 5,000 first subscriptions and now has nearly 70,000 average subscriptions.

"Myriad Clans" had 15,000 first subscriptions and now has nearly 90,000 average subscriptions.

So, if the Star Gate gets 20,000 first subscriptions, I'll aim for 100,000 average subscriptions. Hahaha, tell me, isn't Old Eagle cool?

Please support the first subscription as much as you can. For the rest, if you like it, keep reading; if you don't, just drop it. Don't subscribe out of sentiment. Some people often say, "I have to subscribe to Old Eagle's books even if I don't read them"... There's no need. Honestly, if you don't read it, why waste the money? Although my income has increased, over the years, I've saved a bit, so I won't starve. Don't worry, brothers. Even if I earn a bit less, I can still keep writing. I'm a full-time writer now, and I won't stop writing just because of a bit less money.

Regarding monthly votes, we're currently 13th. The main reason is the fourfold monthly votes at the beginning of the month, and since we haven't gone up for sale, we don't have any saved votes, so we've fallen behind a lot. It's very frustrating, but I still want to push for a top 10 spot.

Don't worry, we'll definitely have votes by the end of the month. I've calculated that if we update 330,000 words a month, we'll get votes. Everyone can contribute. I thought about it: 330,000 words, 31 days in August, starting from tomorrow, 12 days left, about 28,000 words a day, and we can generate our own votes.

If everyone contributes, will we still worry about not having votes?

That's about it. We're all old friends, so no need to talk about sentiment. The only thing I can offer you is my dedication!

At least for this book, it looks like I can still push myself!

When I can't write anymore, I'll let you know, and then don't have too high hopes.

That's all I have to say. Thank you for your support!

For the big donors, I won't thank each one individually. Many of them read out of sentiment, like Huan Yu and Ba Jie. They probably don't even read the books, but they donate first. In the future, I won't notify them when I start a new book. If they really want to donate, they can just transfer the money to me directly. Hahaha!

Alright, that's all the talk. See you at noon tomorrow. Old Eagle is here, let's go!