Chapter 122: VIP Release Message
The short version:
The book is now premium. Please subscribe to the first chapter—and don't use bonus coins. I've got a hundred chapters stockpiled. Please vote with your monthly tickets and send gifts.
The long-winded version:
For those of you who don't want to read any further, you can stop here. For those who are bored, feel free to continue.
It's going premium. After all this time, it's finally going premium.
I'm a mess of emotions right now. There are a million things I want to say, but I don't know where to begin. After two and a half months and 380,000 characters in the public section, after all the twists and turns, *Bambi* is finally going premium. To be honest, I'm more anxious and uneasy than I am excited.
Not long ago, I saw a post in the review section saying that by choosing American football as its subject, this book was destined to be a flop. It was harsh and left a bitter taste, but I couldn't argue with it.
As I mentioned in a previous note, I started writing *Bambi* mostly out of personal interest, driven by my passion as a sports fan. For a story in such a niche-within-a-niche genre, the support I've received has been beyond anything I could have imagined. It's been a wonderful surprise.
The weekly recommendation tickets, the gifts from all of you, the lively discussions in the review section and chapter comments, and the unbelievable number of views—the results have been so good it feels like a dream I can't quite believe. I started out with zero expectations, but inevitably, I began to worry about keeping up the success, and my mindset became unbalanced.
Especially the draft arc in the second volume.
I've said it before: I wrestled with myself for a long time before writing the second volume. After much hesitation, I decided to go ahead with it because I believe that the low points and setbacks, the difficulties and hardships, are an indispensable part of sports and a necessary part of any professional athlete's journey. But clearly, this isn't the standard way to write a feel-good power-fantasy story, nor is it the right pacing for one.
As I was writing and releasing the second volume, I was on an emotional roller coaster right along with the plot's ups and downs. I was fighting with myself, feeling anxious and frustrated, and my composure was completely shot.
Fortunately, *Bambi* still received a tremendous amount of support—an almost unimaginable amount, really.
Every time I saw the recommendation ticket counts and the reader gifts, I felt both grateful and worried. I was always afraid my writing wasn't good enough, that I would mess up the story down the line and let everyone down. That would be a huge disservice to all the readers who have supported me so passionately. So, now that the book is going premium, there's so much I want to say that I can't quite put into words.
So here, allow me to once again express my sincere thanks.
Thank you to every single reader who has supported this book. The gifts, the recommendations, the reviews—all of it is the most vital support I could ask for. Thank you, truly! As a writer, I know I still have many shortcomings. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I will continue to work hard and hope to deliver a wonderful story!
Thank you!
As for explanations and introductions to American football—including how to watch live games and the physical qualities of a quarterback—I've already covered these topics in two separate auxiliary chapters. Any readers with questions or an interest in the topic can go read those. I won't repeat that information here. Now, let's move on to other matters.
First, an important announcement. Due to a lack of experience—a real, genuine lack of experience—I made a mistake.
Previously, when writing the game scenes, I only used players' first names. However, when I started writing the regular season, I realized that American first names are incredibly common. You've got a Jim here and a Mike there—they're all over the field. It started to feel like I was writing about the same person, and I was even getting myself confused.
So, from now on, I'll be using surnames as much as possible when narrating the games. However, so as not to disrupt the reading flow, I'll still occasionally use full names for emphasis.
Second, another important announcement. I've seen this come up repeatedly in the review section, so I realize I need to state this formally.
Bambi's template is NOT Tom Brady! I'm a "Brady Black," and I need to emphasize this with every fiber of my being: Bambi's template is NOT Tom Brady! He's not!
Bambi's template is Peyton Manning, who is also my personal idol—as I've mentioned before. The character also draws inspiration from two other top-tier quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Joe Montana. So, I hope readers won't get the wrong idea. Also, my favorite team right now is the Green Bay Packers, and that's not changing.
Next up is the issue readers care about most: the update schedule.
Each of my chapters is 3,000 characters long. Two chapters a day means 6,000 characters. The standard on this platform is usually 2,000 characters per chapter, released twice a day. This means my two chapters are equivalent to three chapters from most other books. This puts me at a real disadvantage, because readers tend to look at the number of chapters released, not the actual word count per chapter.
My editor has complained to me about this more than once. But what can I say? I'm obsessive, and I can't change it. *shrugs* So, I wanted to point this out and hope for your understanding.
The premium launch is much later than I expected, which means I've released a lot more free chapters than planned. But now that we're officially premium, enough talk. I'll kick things off with a ten-chapter mass release. That's 30,000 characters—the equivalent of fifteen chapters from other books—to show my sincere thanks.
As for future mass releases, that all depends on your support! My stockpile of chapters can definitely keep up if you're up for it.
Finally, we're going premium, and subscriptions are absolutely crucial.
Competitive sports is a niche genre, and American football is a niche within that niche. Even now, *Bambi* has only just passed 15,000 'collections' on the site. This means the reader base is smaller, which naturally makes getting subscriptions much harder. Therefore, every single subscription is incredibly, critically important. I sincerely hope that all of you will support the official release. Every subscription is the best validation a writer can receive!
The 'first chapter subscription' metric is the most critical part. If you can, please do not use bonus coins for the very first premium chapter. You can use your bonus coins for the subsequent chapters and then use your paid currency to come back and subscribe to the first one. The numbers for this first chapter are incredibly important for the book's future! I truly hope I can count on your support!
Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe!
Also, I might as well ask for monthly tickets. I feel a bit sheepish asking, since December is packed with superstar authors, but I still hope you'll consider lending your support. This humble author will do his best!
Lastly, thank you. And beyond all that... thank you.