Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt-Chapter 93: Release Announcement

This book will be officially published in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

At a time like this, there are a few things I’d like to say, both to all of you and to myself.

It seems this book was destined to always be second best.

From its initial submission to its first trial promotions, the book’s performance was never that great.

Thankfully, I had readers leaving supportive comments back then, which gave me the strength to keep writing.

Then came the official recommendation phase, and the book started with the worst promotional package available.

But thankfully, again, your support was so incredible that our promotional package was upgraded day by day until it finally reached the highest tier. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

At that point, the book started to make a name for itself on the new releases chart.

In the Urban category, we were unrivaled, holding the number one spot for a long time.

But on the overall chart, we were kept out of the top spot by works from two superstar authors, consistently stuck in second place.

We never once reached the top spot before our time on the new releases chart was over.

Many of you left comments saying things like, "This book is a masterpiece," or that it would be "an instant classic that makes an author a legend."

I’m incredibly grateful that you all love the book so much, and I, too, had hoped that it truly was a "masterpiece."

But for a book to be considered a masterpiece, does it have to surpass one of those superstar authors to prove its worth?

Unfortunately, at least during its debut period, we didn’t manage to do that.

...

I have to give special thanks to my editor, Shi Guang, for making this publication possible.

Without his support, this book would have just stayed on my hard drive, waiting for some future opportunity that might never have come.

First of all, I want to say that this isn’t what most people would consider a mainstream, popular book.

Compared to the epic fantasy and cultivation novels that top the charts, this book naturally appeals to a narrower audience.

Furthermore, my writing style is highly personal.

As many readers have commented, the novel’s pacing is actually quite slow at the beginning.

It’s not just slow; it can be quite off-putting.

It took a full three Chapters for Roosevelt—the protagonist’s "golden finger," or cheat—to even appear.

In the world of web novel writing, where the "golden three Chapters" rule is king, that’s practically professional suicide.

After that, I spent another five Chapters—close to 15,000 characters—describing the history of the United States and speculating on future possibilities.

At this point, the novel was already 25,000 characters long.

25,000 characters, and our dear Leo hadn’t even started to get to work.

Is this even a web novel anymore?

So, naturally, the book was rejected many times when I was first submitting it.

But my editor, Shi Guang, still gave me a shot.

I want to thank him again for all the support and help he has given me throughout the writing process.

...

I don’t remember where I once read this.

We start having political education classes in middle and high school, but many students don’t pay attention in class.

Someone felt sorry for the teacher, thinking he was wasting his breath on a bunch of "blockheads."

But the teacher said something profound: "Actually, the point of a politics class is to make people lose interest in politics, to even find it boring. That’s how it’s supposed to work."

At the time, I deeply agreed with that sentiment.

But now, I don’t believe that anymore.

I gradually came to realize that politics isn’t just empty talk. It’s the bread we buy, the roof over our heads, the very air we breathe.

I believe people must participate in political life and express themselves, because the essence of "politics" is public affairs—the business of the people.

However, at that point, my understanding was still very shallow and one-sided.

It wasn’t until I read Habermas’s theory of communicative action that I began to develop a systematic understanding of the issue.

We are not merely atomized individuals. We must actively discuss everything happening around us within the open space of the public sphere.

Rational communication and discourse are the foundation for building social consensus.

If we willingly give up our right to express ourselves and our concern for public affairs, the public sphere will be filled with the voices we don’t want to hear, and the truth will be drowned out by the noise.

If we don’t speak up—if we stay silent for the sake of so-called "safety" or "convenience"—then we will lose our "power."

Silence is not golden. Silence is deprivation. It is self-exile.

When we remain silent, we are, in effect, handing over the power to interpret our own lives and define our own destinies to others.

Because, "Man will be erased, like a face drawn in sand at the edge of the sea."

This novel was born out of such thoughts.

It is my attempt to break the silence, a small "public sphere" I have tried to construct with words.

Through this story, I hope to reconstruct the realities that have been obscured by a singular narrative.

My apologies, I got a bit carried away and started pontificating.

Let’s move on to something you’re all more interested in.

First, a thank you to "Xiao Bing Will Always Support You" for becoming an Alliance Leader! Because of your support, after the book is published, I will add an extra 10,000 characters to the previously promised 40,000-character update.

That’s a 50,000-character mass release, all at once. It will be at least that much, if not more.

After that, I will release 6,000 characters a day, and I’ll do my best to increase that to 8,000 or even 10,000.

The plot for this kind of story is very demanding to write, so I can’t guarantee a daily 10,000-character update like some of the more straightforward power-fantasy novels.

But I will do my best.

[Bonus Update Rules]

From now on, for every 1,000 monthly tickets received, I will release one bonus Chapter.

Becoming an Alliance Leader will trigger a 10,000-character bonus update. A Silver Alliance will trigger a 50,000-character bonus update.

As for a Golden Alliance... well, let’s talk about that if it ever happens. I can hardly imagine how I’d feel if this book ever got a Golden Alliance patron.

I’d probably have to kowtow to a Golden Alliance Leader.

I hope you all will continue to support the book after its official publication.

This time, let’s not settle for second place.

Hit me with all you’ve got—monthly tickets, subscriptions, all of it!

Let’s do this!!!