XaviVerso celebrates its 14th anniversary, marking the 14th anniversary of the publication of ‘The Mark of Odin: The Awakening,’ which officially launched this crazy dream. Since then, I’ve published 12 books, 6 in Spanish and 6 in English, reaching nearly 200,000 copies sold worldwide across print, ebook, and audiobook formats. I’ve lost count of how many times ‘The Awakening’ has reached the Top 1 spot in Science Fiction on Amazon and Apple Books. But the best part is that, despite the constant challenges, we continue to grow and bring this independent publishing project to life.
This anniversary is very special, as it coincides with the publication of my latest story, ‘In Rare Lands,’ the action thriller that brings back Carla Romero, the protagonist of ‘The Stone Lotus,’ and with which I’ve established what I’ve dubbed my ‘Dystopian Current Affairs’ series, alongside ‘Yes, They Shall Pass.’ Publishing this novel in both Spanish and English has been quite a challenge and has required all my vital energy. These last few months have been absolutely crazy, with my life undergoing many changes, some of them completely unexpected. That makes reaching this anniversary, having achieved all the milestones I set for myself, more rewarding than ever. Especially being able to do it with all the love and support of all of you, my readers. Without you, this wouldn’t have any meaning.
Keeping this independent literary and publishing project growing despite this dystopian world is almost a miracle. What’s more, I’m pleased to have achieved this while also having to dedicate some of my attention to my other major projects. Last May, we launched our latest video game with Megapop Games: Life Below. It’s a reef development game designed to bring life back to the seabed, in the purest city-building simulator style, but with unique touches and a very clear message: We must protect our environment.
On the other hand, I’ve had to dedicate some of my energy to an unexpected battle with my most recent and beloved project: the Barbaros group and our restaurant in Hanoi. Sometimes life throws you curveballs that force you to drop everything and rack your brains to the limit to overcome them. That’s been the case here, and right now I’m still giving it my all so that this gastronomic dream, this desire to bring happiness to many people, can continue to be what we envisioned when I joined forces with my partners in crime, Carlos and David. The silver lining of this (and of the damned war in Iran) is that this year I’m spending more time in Spain, close to family and friends.
The Mark of Odin Takes Center Stage Again
After the publication of ‘In Rare Earths’ in English and Spanish, it’s time to turn my full attention back to our beloved ‘Mark of Odin’ saga. I was hoping to reach this anniversary with the third bonus chapter of ‘Ragnarok’ already published. As you may have noticed, that hasn’t been the case. ‘The Crusade of the Chosen’ isn’t finished yet, but I’m almost there. I hope that after recharging my batteries this July, I can finish the draft and prepare it for publication.
After that, everything necessary to tackle the production of the final draft of the fourth book in the saga will be ready. My intention is to begin this project this summer. I don’t want to give dates for when it might be finished, but my aim is to publish it between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. It will all depend on my inspiration and the external battles I still have to fight. After all, stress and exhaustion are the worst enemies of creativity. And as you can imagine, this fourth book is very important. It represents the culmination of the main saga of ‘The Mark of Odin’. I’ve been wanting to share its final pages with you for many years…
Internationalizing the XaviVerso
In parallel with all of this, my intention is to continue working on the internationalization of my books. After completing the publication of all of them in English, the plan now is to begin producing their translations into additional languages. Which will be the first language chosen? Who knows: German, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese? I haven’t made a final decision yet. In what language would you like my stories to be published first?
In any case, this is a very ambitious project that requires a significant amount of production and time. I prefer not to set deadlines and to progress slowly but surely, without letting this interfere with the main objective (writing a new book).
Here’s to the 15th anniversary!
Being an independent writer who also self-publishes their own books, as I do, is absolutely crazy. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that these days it’s harder to announce the publication of a new story than the entire process of creating it. It might sound unfair, but it’s true. With how the world and social media have evolved, even reaching you, my most fervent fans, is sometimes a Herculean task. Even so, for each of my readers who takes the step of continuing to support me and enjoy my stories, all the effort is worthwhile.
Of course, I couldn’t continue here without the support of many people who collaborate with me in one way or another on a daily basis. Not only in purely professional matters, but also by supporting me when my strength falters. Thank you so much! I will continue fighting with all my might so that you can continue enjoying my creations and so that more and more people can do so. Perhaps, one day, we will finally see them make the leap to film or video games.
Don’t forget that you can join our Discord community, our Telegram channel, and also add us to your WhatsApp contacts (Say hi to us at +34 671 48 96 90). And, of course, share your impressions of the books. Not only in the Reviews section, but also on external platforms like Amazon, Google Play, Apple, Kobo, Lektu, or Goodreads. Having good ratings and reviews there helps us a lot in attracting new readers.
Remember, everything is connected.
Xavier Marcé