Son of the Siren was my first published book. 33 agents rejected it. Vastly more publishers rejected it. But one publisher, Oliver Heber Books, took a chance on it–a weird little novel full of darkness and whimsy simultaneously, that blended together three fairy tales to tell a new story about an illegitimate siren price caught between two worlds: the land and the sea. It features an unwavering devotion to family, young love, and the darkness of obsessive, taboo love.

The dark, obsessive love from a bewitched Queen for her stepson really set people over the edge at first, and my reviews were….not good. I had a lot of 2 and 3 stars with people openly commenting on how they felt the stepmother-stepson relationship was either unnecessary to the plot (it is) or that it was too disturbing (I meant it to be disturbing, but it is completely unwanted attention). The thing is, readers are allowed to draw a line and determine what makes them comfortable and uncomfortable, and what I wrote made them uncomfortable enough to give the book average and below ratings, as is their right.

Although the book is at 4.12 stars on Goodreads and 4.5 on Amazon, it took a really long time to get there. And my score on Storygraph still isn’t great (3.75). And while I’m happy with 43 ratings on Goodreads, I don’t actually have that many reviews, and the last review I got was November 2025 (a hilarious but negative review). There’s been nothing since.

The reviews kind of go along with my sales. According to BookScan, the last time someone bought a paperback was September 2025; before going wide my Kindle Unlimited page read was four pages, and I can’t remember the last time someone bought an eBook or audiobook. I have that data somewhere but I’m too depressed to look for it.

I’ve been holding back on saying this, but I’ll say it outright: I’m pretty sure my book failed. It hasn’t found its readers, not for lack of trying on my publisher’s part or my part. They’re still pumping money into advertising it, but there are just no bites. And I invested about $3,000 in addition to what my publisher has done (book tours, giveaways, commissioned art, editorial reviews, contests) without showing anything moving the dial.

I’ve had great things happen with this book. It was featured at ALA at the Ingram Spark table; it nabbed a Book Bub feature (which are hard to get, and this did help sales for a burst); and it was a finalist in the American Writing Awards in 2025. But this didn’t do too much in the long run.

I don’t know what to do. I’ve been told to try to join events and contact more bookstores to see if I can sell books in person or on consignment, but I don’t have the money to buy the books to stock them. I intend to at some point, but right now, all of my money is currently going towards The Name and the Key and its launch.

To be honest, based on Son of the Siren‘s performance, I didn’t think Oliver Heber Books would want to work with me again or offer me a three-book deal on the trilogy, but here we are, and OHB told me that they grow and nurture their authors. I feel that, I really do. I’m so grateful The Darkening Gate has a home and will release to the world.

I’m throwing what I can at The Name and the Key. I do not have the money I had for Son of the Siren this time around (which came from an inheritance and my retirement withdrawal from Japan), so I’m not able to do things like a Bookstagram tour or two.

I’m going to keep trying to find free ways to promote it, like looking for more interviews or podcasts or similar, and I’ve been pushing Instagram the hardest. I’ve paid money to boost certain Instagram posts, which has grown views from 29 to 2,049 (this was what helped me get ARC signups)–I can’t afford to pay more to get those numbers higher than that.

I’m once again commissioning art to be used for swag–that’s costing $825 right there–and I’m giving them to my ARC signups (art postcard and two chibi stickers). I’m not doing preorders for The Name and the Key based on Son of the Siren’s performance (only 8 filled out forms to get preorder swag). And since I have 66 ARC signups so far (closing them at 100 if I get that many), I have to spend money on shipping and printing those art pieces to reward people for signing up. I cannot compensate them in any way for reviewing–that’s illegal.

They say that only 1-10% of ARC readers actually follow through and review the book. So, I’m looking at 0-6 reviews if the signups hover at 66 (I REALLY HOPE THIS PERCENTAGE FACTOID ISN’T TRUE). This is kind of abysmal so I’m hoping I get a lot–The Name and the Key is a super-quick read at 241 pages.

I’ve also invested money in getting blurbs from four editorial reviews. I chose ones that weren’t as expensive (not like BookLife or Kirkus Indie) and I hope the endorsements help draw more attention to The Name and the Key.

I’m kind of rambling a little bit. This post is about Son of the Siren, not The Name and the Key. But they’re intertwined in a way. I feel like I really have to throw myself into The Name and the Key because if this trilogy repeats the numbers that Son of the Siren got, I fear I will not have a future with a publishing house at all and the lack of financial success means that I will probably have to self-publish if I want to keep writing. I know I’m jumping the gun considerably, but this is a very legitimate fear.

I don’t know what to do with Son of the Siren now that I’m so busy with The Name and the Key. We’ve recently made Son of the Siren go wide, which may or may not help with sales now that there’s eBook availability pretty much everywhere.

(Apple is coming soon).

This is an exciting new thing. But I’m not sure how to publicize Son of the Siren anymore, and I keep pushing all of my work into The Name and the Key. I’ve asked what to do in my Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction group (it’s private) and some people suggested I quietly let Son of the Siren die.

There were also people who pointed out that new books sell a backlist, so it may get a new lease on life when The Name and the Key releases. I’m really hoping for this one.

I’m really torn. OHB is really transparent and shows you how much they spend on advertising your books, and they keep advertising it! So I really don’t feel like I should let the book die if my publisher isn’t going to. But I’m at a loss as to what to do to move forward with the book. Any ideas, friends?