You're Not Missing My Updates (They're Over on Vocal)

Long-time readers know that I generally update this blog twice a week, once on Mondays, and once on either Friday or Saturday. Sometimes the weekend post gets wiped out because of a convention or other major event where I just can't sit down at my desk long enough to put some text on the page, but when that happens the Crunch, Fluff, Table Talk, or Unusual Character Concepts post usually goes up the following Monday.

However, you may have noticed there have been some... gaps on this page of late. You're not imagining things, but I wanted to take this week to let folks know what I've been changing up, why I'm changing it, and what sort of results I'm trying to generate with this shift in approach.

And like everything else, it's been a roll of the dice.

Before I get into the details, as always, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter if you want to get all of my updates, and if you've got a little extra cash to toss around for the holidays you should consider becoming a Patreon patron to help me keep the blog going.

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Vocal, And Return on Investment

I've been running Improved Initiative for quite a few years, and while my content, style, and organization have changed over time, one thing has remained the same... the blog doesn't really put any money in my pockets. Even if you don't have AdBlock on (and to the six of you that turned it off, my thanks), the ads that run on this site pay terribly. We're talking like $25 a year or so on a blog that (to toot my own horn a bit) draws between 20k and 50k views a month.

So if you wondered why it was I'm always pushing my Patreon page, my Ko-Fi link, or supplements like the Inns and Tavern Bundle or Evil Incorporated: 10 Pentex Subsidiaries, it's because the blog itself doesn't really earn any money on its own.

No student loans here, but definitely a cat who needs his treats.

As a way to shake things up a bit, I started experimenting with putting some of my regular, weekly updates over in my Vocal archive instead of on Improved Initiative, linking them in the master lists when the article goes live. I started with Table Talk, starting with That One Time My Bard Made The Dungeon Master's Girlfriend Jealous, and then I put the first 3 installments of the Silver Raven Chronicles up (my group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path). I also put a few of my Unusual Character Concepts posts up there, such as The Anti-Party and The Possessed, and I also put my most recent Crunch installment Tips For Writing RPG Character Conversions there as well.

For the record, it's been a bastard and a half to get eyes on The Silver Raven Chronicles. So if you haven't read any of the installments yet make sure you check out Devil's Night, From The Ashes, and The Raven's Nest. It would be greatly appreciated!

Why did I do this, you ask? Put simply, return on investment.

As a Vocal+ member, I make roughly $6 per 1k reads my articles on that site get. While it's true that they'd be more visible if I put them here on my blog, all the traffic in the world does you no good if it doesn't actually generate anything. I could write a blog entry that pushes all kinds of buttons and gets 20k hits in the space of a weekend, but it won't give me anything for my trouble. I could publish that same article on Vocal, get half the traffic, and still have $60 in my back pocket for the weekend's work.

Is This Blog Dying?

No, not in the slightest.

While I'm probably going to keep both my Table Talk and Unusual Character Concepts on Vocal (at least in the near future), Fluff, Crunch, and my Monday posts are going to keep showing up here. Mostly this change in platform for some of my articles is just me trying to diversify my income streams so I can keep doing what I'm doing, and ensure that rent gets paid. Because while I know I have fans out there who love my RPG work, as well as folks who want to see me release more novels, I'm trying to work smarter instead of harder.

Especially since I've been going at about 130% since last March, and I really need to take my foot off the gas a bit before something blows in my brain. There will be more of an update on that later, but the short version is that with so many clients going silent during the pandemic (and all the work I'd already done for them just not getting paid for) I've been on more of a scramble than normal. While I'm by no means on top of that, it's important to acknowledge that you can only run in the red for so long before you burn yourself out... and that isn't something I want to do.

As such, you're going to see me trying some new things, expanding into different areas, and trying to get better results. All I ask from you fine folks is that you keep giving me your eyeballs, and help me get back up on my feet before the rising tide comes for me.

Until then, though, go check out my Vocal archive! It's got over 200 articles in it, and if you haven't been there yet it should keep you scrolling for quite a few hours to come!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!