S.A. Klopfenstein's Blog

A little about life
2022 has been a huge year for me, personally. It’s been a year of trying to be healthier (both mentally and physically) and find more balance amidst a lot of busyness and stress. It hasn’t always been perfect, but it was a whole lot better than the previous couple of years. My second son, Parker, was born this spring, and both my sons have been enormous blessings. The time already is flying by, but I’ve loved seeing them grow through their early stages of life.

But between my day job as a high school English teacher, and a hectic life with two kids 2 and under at home, my writing time has gone from something I could fit pretty easily into my schedule, to something I have to be really intentional about. Which is not all bad. Because it’s forced me to be more intentional about my work process.

A little about writing
Despite less time to work with, I managed to publish two books in 2022 for the first time. I had always wanted to release two in a year, and finally made it happen.

It was a lot of work. I don’t have a ton of time, but if I optimize that time, I can still get a lot done. The key, I’ve found, is consistency. Both books were written in short spans of time each and every day. A little in the morning before work. A little during nap times. A little before I go to bed. Most days I wrote about 500 words (about 2 pages) in about an hour of actual writing. This year, I learned a lot about the power of regular work, even if it’s a small amount.

A little about business

I’ve had a lot of people ask over the years how the business is going, and whether I’m making any money, so I thought I’d offer a peek behind the curtain (but feel free to skip if you’re not interested).

Writing/Publishing is a business. For the first three years of publishing, I was very much in the Founding stage of the business. I was investing time and money, and learning how to make it back. Each book costs around $1k to produce, and marketing is difficult to learn at first. But in January, my business officially went in the black, and has only grown from there. This year took me to a new stage of business–Profitability and Growth–which has been incredible.

I made a little over $10k in Net Profits (my pre-tax take home after marketing expenses come out) from my writing this year. In other words, 2022 has taken me from trying to break even to something that helps provide for my family.

Considering this remains a side hustle that I spend around 2 hours a day working on (either writing, editing, or marketing), I’m pretty damn proud of that growth this year! And I definitely wonder how much more I could do with more time in the years to come.

Thanks for an incredible 2022!
I’m especially grateful to all of you readers who have enjoyed my books, shared them with others, and supported my career. The growth and success this year would not be possible without all of you! So thank you, thank you!

2022 has made my dream of becoming a full-time writer something that definitely feels attainable. And that is an incredible feeling.

I’m beyond excited for what 2023 may hold.

Here’s a quick glimpse of what I’ll be working on…

2023 Writing Goals

Focus on new words (aiming to get more productive with the same amount of time, and get 700 words a day). Basically be more focused and on-task with the writing time I have. Having a release right at the end of 2022 will make it difficult to publish two books in 2023, but I am aiming to write two books, which is more than I wrote last year.Guild War (Pantheon Online #3) – This will complete the trilogy, and the first arc of a large multi-series story I’ve got planned. This is currently slated for an Oct. 2023 release, though may be earlier if all goes well.Swordslinger (Legend of Saber #1) – This will be the next arc of the Realms of Pantheon, and will have a Logan/Witcher vibe set in a post-apocalyptic LitRPG world. I can’t say too much yet because it could involve some spoilers for Pantheon Online, but I can’t wait to start writing this series.Shadow Watch (Special Illustrated Hardcover Edition) – This will most likely come together as a Kickstarter. I hope to include a bunch of illustrations (probably one for each of the thirteen parts of the book), a brand new cover, and some other bonus material as well (possibly a Tori and Darien origin short story and some commentary). I’ve been mulling this over for awhile, and really want it to happen this year, but I’ve got a lot of details to get ironed out first. Stay tuned, and if you know you’d be interested, or have some ideas for bonus material you want, I’d love to hear about it.Other things in the worksThe Watcher Chronicles – I’ve teased before that there might be more stories to come in the world of the Shadow Watch. I’ve been simmering on some ideas for a while now, and I think I’ve finally zeroed in on some key details. This is probably at least a year out from actual writing, but I’ll hopefully do some outlining this year.Blade of Fire – This is an epic progression fantasy I’m slowly working on. It’s set in a world where day and night are fixed halves of a world, and I’m pretty excited about it. I wrote the opening fifty pages of this awhile back, but needed to figure a lot more things out about the larger scope of the series (I had a similar pause with the Shadow Watch series in its early days). It’s something I may play with, but probably won’t start actively working on till next year.

2023 Business Goals

Start an LLC – There’s a certain level where it makes sense to publish books as an SP (sole proprietor). But I’ve reached a level where I’m told this makes sense. So basically, I’ll be forming my own official publisher.Scale Advertising – As they say, it takes money to make money. I’ve figured out some things that have worked really well, but I’ve struggled to scale them beyond a certain point, and have settled for that certain level of success. My goal is to find ways to scale my ad spending to get my books to even more new readers.TikTok / BookTok – I’ve been hearing a lot of success stories about using BookTok as a means to build readership, and I’m giving it a go this year. Feel free to follow me.

I hope 2022 has treated you and yours well!



Wishing you all the best in 2023!

S.A. Klopfenstein

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I read 41 books this year, 16 were non-fiction, 25 were fiction. There were so many I enjoyed, but these were my favorites. FICTION Words of Radiance (Stormlight #2) - Brandon Sanderson It is no exaggeration to say that the Stormlight Archive is one of the biggest things happening in Epic Fantasy right now. If… Continue reading My Top Reads of 2019

Hello friends of the Shadow Watch! I am really excited to announce that The Shadow Watch has been entered in the Epic Fantasy Fanatics contest! It is up against some incredible indie books, such as the Arcane series by Sever Bronny, the Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson, among many other big hitters in the indie… Continue reading Vote for THE SHADOW WATCH in the Epic Fantasy Fanatics contest

  I am very excited to announce the release of the second novel in the Shadow Watch series of teen epic fantasy novels! This book has been so much work, but has brought so much joy along the way. I've grown a lot as a writer, and according to the early reviews, this one is… Continue reading My Fantasy Novel (The Rage of Saints) has Published!

The Hermit Librarian

Today’s feature is about The Shadow’s Watch series by S.A. Klopfenstein. Rockstar Book Tours brings a tour of interviews, spotlights, and more together to celebrate the newest book in the series, The Rage of Saints. I want to thank Rockstar for having me on the tour and S.A. Klopfenstein for their guest post, a fancast of characters from the series.

Be sure to check out all the stops on the Tour Schedule below as well as the giveaway, in which one winner (US only) will win finished copies of the first two books in the Shadow’s Watch series.

The Shadow’s Watch (Book One)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads | Indiebound

Published: 15 May 2018

Publisher: Guardian Grey Publishing

Category: Fantasy

For centuries, the Oshan Empire has ruled the New World with terror and blood. The Watchers have been eradicated, and their sorcery is but…

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I read 37 books this year, 19 were non-fiction, 18 were fiction. There were so many I enjoyed, but these were my five star reads. MEMOIRS Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates Written as a letter to his son, this memoir offers an honest depiction of race in 21st century America. Toni Morrison… Continue reading My Top Reads for 2018

Very excited to reveal the stunning cover for my next novel, The Rage of Saints! This is book 2 of The Shadow Watch series, and if you loved book 1, I think you will love this one even more! Official Release Date: March 26 Pre-Order now available here. Blurb:  The Shadow Watch has been undone.… Continue reading Cover Reveal: The Rage of Saints (Shadow Watch Book 2)

Time for a much-needed update on the second book of The Shadow Watch: The Rage of Saints is complete, has gone through the first rounds of edits, and is now off to a few early beta readers. And the response so far... they are loving it!     This second book has been a lot… Continue reading Update on Shadow Watch Book 2 (The Rage of Saints)

Here are some reflections on my first week in self-publishing: Week One of the launch of my first book, THE SHADOW WATCH, has been a blast, as well as a huge learning experience! Went into this with a small ARC team and I'm mostly postponing advertising until I get more reviews. Did a 99c deal… Continue reading My Self-Publishing Diary (Week One Rundown)

It has been a couple days since the launch of my first self-published novel, THE SHADOW WATCH, a YA epic fantasy. Some quick background: I enrolled in KDP Select, so my Ebook is only available through Amazon. I published my paperback through Createspace, and though I may branch out later, right now, it is only… Continue reading My Self Publishing Diary (Launch Day)