Hello everyone! Still on Winter break, but this was important, and I needed to ask you.

So, those who paid attention may remember me mentioning in my last author note that I planned to work with MoonQuill to publish Silhouette, while hopefully keeping the base original draft version of the story - what you're reading on Royal Road - free.

Sadly, that's... Impossible.

MoonQuill kindly explained that no, this wasn't possible, the numbers don't add up. Most of the revenue from a published story like this one comes from Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's platform. Amazon is the one insisting there be no free version, it's part of their rules, and they're too stubborn to consider making exceptions or understanding things like my original plan, with a "lesser" free version and a "premium" edited paid version.

And when I say most of the revenue, I do mean most. A vast majority. It isn't worth considering for MoonQuill if the story isn't published on KU. Which is fair, they are a company, they need to make a profit.

So, I ask you, dear readers. Would you be open to me stubbing the story?

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

The stub would only concern volume one, From the Darkness of the Slums, and probably go from chapters 11 to 115 - Amazon wants only 10% of the story to be available for free at most. Chapters on Patreon would still be available for supporters, and I'll make sure to port the early chapters that aren't on Patreon yet.

I am very reluctant to stub the story. I said as such in the last author note. If you decide to tell me no, I'll try to look for other ways, or I will just drop the publishing plan for Silhouette and try again later with another story written with the idea of getting stubbed at some point.

The fact is, as much as I appreciate the Patreon support, more money would always be welcome, and while stubbing the story would mean essentially killing the follower growth on Royal Road, the story has been around for so long that the reader growth is already pretty much dead.

I'd put a big "Stubbing on the so and so" in the title, of course, give everyone who's behind time to catch up.

Of course, MoonQuill hasn't confirmed they'd publish the story yet. This is just about me deciding if I'm willing to stub the story. The stub vote could win, and MoonQuill could decide not to publish Silhouette in the end. But the results of the vote mean I could try again with a different company, this time prepared to stub from the get-go.

So, here are the facts. Do with this as you will.

Try to answer this fast, I'd like to give a response to MoonQuill soon. Within the next few days, hopefully.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a lovely end of the year.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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