Author's Note on Official Publication
Ahem, so we’ve reached the customary "on-the-shelf" announcement. I never imagined there would come a day when I’d be writing one of these.
First off, let me share some thoughts. I’ve managed to stick to a near-daily update schedule, all while navigating my National Computer Rank Examination, the CET-4, and final exams. What started as a fleeting whim in my mind eventually flowed onto the page, and the fact that so many people have supported it is truly beyond my expectations. After all, I had never written ACG-themed fiction before, nor had I ever attempted a long-form work exceeding 100,000 words.
Even now, despite the growing popularity of subculture, whenever I’m watching anime at home and my parents catch a glimpse, they can’t help but say things like, "You’re how old, and you’re still watching cartoons?" Well, I can’t really blame them. I suppose no matter how much we champion it, this subculture remains niche in the end.
That this impulsive piece of writing actually made it to the point of being published is something I’m quite proud of. Of course, I am even more grateful to everyone who silently voted, tipped, or left comments during my sluggish, one-chapter-a-day slog. Without you, I doubt I could have persisted this long playing a single-player game.
Perhaps because I’m a new author, I still remember my first donor, North Wind Returns, even though I don't think I’ve seen them since =.=; I also want to thank the many friends who tipped in batches to make my total look a bit more respectable. Then there are the readers who discussed the plot with me, or those who accused me of plagiarism... well, I don’t want to dwell on that.
Right, enough rambling. Let’s talk about the update schedule, which I know is what you’re most concerned about.
First, the launch burst: ten chapters.
Please don’t be disappointed; I physically cannot write any more than that. To be honest, as I write this, I don’t even have those ten chapters finished yet; I still have to go write them. I’ll release five once the VIP chapters are enabled, and I’ll upload the other five after I wake up on the first.
After the launch, I will maintain a daily schedule of two chapters, with bonus chapters added according to the rules I set out early on.
Regarding tips: one "Ten Thousand" tip equals one bonus chapter. As for more than that... well, I dare not even dream of it. Honestly, as a new author, I’ll be more than satisfied if you simply support me with your subscriptions.
As for monthly tickets, to be fair, even after reading for so many years, I still don’t really understand how they work. I usually just throw mine at whatever book comes to mind. Still, if no one gives me any, I’ll just have to vote for myself (laughs).
Regarding the bonus chapters: since I might not be able to write them all at once, I’ll start paying them back slowly from the day after the launch.
Next, subscriptions. This book currently has over 4,500 followers. At a decent ratio of 10:1, that would be around 400 average daily subscriptions. However, given the notoriously difficult subscription-to-follower ratio in the ACG category... I’d at least like to reach 100. My only real wish is to reach 1,000 average subscriptions by the time the book is finished—I’ll work toward that slowly. If you’re willing to set up an auto-subscription, that would be the greatest validation for me. And for those of you who might be on a tight budget, I hope you’ll at least consider the first chapter subscription. Although I’m not entirely sure, it seems that the "first subscription" metric is quite important (serious face).
In short, I hope this book can accompany you through the rest of 2018 (will I be able to write for that long?). I hope you’ll support me with your subscriptions. I’m not going to cry poor; if the subscriptions are low, I’ll just enjoy the process myself. If they’re high, I’ll show my parents and tell them that the "cartoons" I was watching can actually earn a little money. That’s all.
Finally, thank you for every encounter in this world.