To be perfectly honest, as a once RoyalRoad writer, in my opinion, this is geared towards certain writers.
RoyalRoad really has a specific niche. Progression fantasy and lit-rpgs, and honestly, anything power fantasy, holds strong with that community. So any book that will be published is going to have to appeal to RoyalRoad's audience. And believe me, that audience is particular to the point of frustration if you happen to write off-genre like I did. That is one of the main reasons I no longer post on RoyalRoad. I'm never going to write a series that will appeal to that audience. So their particular publishing program isn't attractive to me.
Also, I honestly wish they never partnered with Moonquil. They've been publishing stories for years now and they don't exactly have that much of a presence in comparison to other lit-rpg and progression fantasy publishers. And the reason being is that they are terrible at marketing.
I know in this arrangement, RR is going to do the bulk of the marketing. I don't know if they can manage it, but I think it's better than anything I've seen Moonquil do. I mean, the only story I've seen given good marketing is the founder's own series. Sadly, I don't know enough about MangoMedia, because they are a part of this as well. They are just too new. I've never seen the name prior to the announcement.
Overall, I will stand back and watch, because it's interesting. However, I wouldn't even try. I'm trying to step aways from serial writing as I don't particularly enjoy it. Maybe Substack, in the end, will treat serialization differently. However, fiction platforms are too specific and have their own culture and ecosystems that don't allow for a lot of flexibility. Substack offers more, but what it has in flexibility it lacks in visibility.
This is a really unique perspective and I'm glad you decided to share it here. I see your point about it being geared toward a specific writer and genre, and how that might not appeal to other writers and audiences. That can be a crucial factor when bringing a new book to market. If it doesn't fit in with the built-in readership, then it could be dead on arrival. I suppose I was blinded by my excitement surrounding the basics of the program helping authors get their book to the market first, not necessarily how it performed after that. So, that is an interesting aspect to consider. I'd say your comment about standing by to see how it plays out will be smart in the long run. Whether they can actually produce a bestseller remains to be seen. Anyway, really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this subject. You've given me much to think about! Take care.
There is never 'no cost to the author' with publishing. Companies make money from selling an author's creative output. So isn't this just adding an additional middleman? So Royal Road takes a cut of royalties , Moonquill takes a service fee and the publisher takes a cut of the sales. The author might improve their book quality and marketing reach, but do they also reduce their sales margin per unit?
That's a good point, Johnathan. What I meant by the 'no cost' point was that the author wouldn't have to pay money to get their book published. The publisher takes on most of the financial risk in this case. With the MoonQuill program, the author seemingly gets 50% royalties (depending on the negotiation). That's much higher than traditional publishing. Royal Road's royalty money would then come from the publisher's (MoonQuill) 50% side, so not the author's. But I agree with you, if you're capable of self-publishing and have the time to do it, it's the best route for an author in terms of making the most money on each book sale.
Thanks for covering Royal Road and Moonquill. It's an interesting look at two sides of the same coin. The way I look at publishing right now is it's very much like building a home. Go through a custom builder who manages the entire project and constructs the house, or manage the project yourself and contract resources, or do the entire thing yourself. Not many people can build their own house from scratch, just like an author isn't likely to run a book printing press out of their basement. It's all a matter of how much control is desirable and how much money is involved, depending on the options. The more options we have, the better it is for authors.
I could see using Moonquill for marketing alone and helping to build an IP. I would definitely give up a slice of the pie for that kind of expertise.
That's a really great analogy to the types of publishing, Brian. At the very least, it's another opportunity for writers to break out. Another commenter made a great point that it's a very specific genre that the publisher specializes in, but if done well, the book could succeed on Amazon, as there is a huge appetite for niche market books like that. Only time will tell! Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your perspective.
Ooo, what are you publishing, Tiffany? I'm considering doing a limited series soon. I posted my first draft of a book called Crocodilian on there and it's at 4,000 views which is surprising given that I don't market or interact with other creators on there.
This would be interesting, if only for the marketing aspect. Most Indie Writers have the writing down, need a little help with editing, and know nothing about/don't have time for marketing.
Totally agree, Joseph. It's another budding opportunity for writers to focus on what they love doing without spending the precious time and resources to produce the final product. Marketing is tough as it is, even trad publishers can't seem to crack the code in most cases.
This is interesting. While at the same time I worry for the quality of the fiction. With some of the more popular recent releases in this space it seems like more serious fiction/genre-fiction is being sidelined by low effort, low quality works. Unless there is a similar publisher for the more literary/philosophical fiction/genre-fiction I enjoy writing and reading. If so please let me know. 🙏
Hey, John. Thanks for commenting. Quality control has become less "controlled" with the rise in self-publishing. It's definitely an interesting topic in terms of the psychology behind types of readers and their purchasing habits. For example, when I first started reading Fantasy as teen, I came across two incredibly well-written series and couldn't believe I'd never been exposed to the wonders of reading Fantasy before. Then, that third series I found was a disaster of a reading experience. It was a big learning moment for me that not all Fantasy was enjoyable. Therefore, I can see how the lack of quality control in a certain market could lead to less readers, or rather, more discerning readers who tend to read only the popular things and not attempt exploring the genre(s). Sorry for the tangent. I do agree with you, but I also want to believe that some readers will enjoy that there's more of a thing that they like available to them, and that this could be a better filter for producing higher quality products in this specific market (LitRPG mainly). As for a similar publisher that's going for a more literary approach, I'll have to keep my ear to the ground on that one. I linked Authors Equity in the post. They might be what you're referring to. Hopefully that helps!
It’s all Lit Rpgs and progression fantasy on there. I tried writing a sci-fi story and it got barely any traction. Other genres just don’t seem to do well. Wattpad meanwhile seems to be mostly for YA and romance.
I think all of these developments are really interesting in that they demonstrate authors' and readers' dissatisfaction with traditional publishing. Is this necessarily the right model for addressing those concerns? I can't say and I guess the market will answer that. I'm not the audience or creator for Royal Road content (which seems like a very specific niche), so I'd really like to see options open up for writers and readers of more general fiction. These online publishing ventures seem heavily weighted toward particular genres, which may be a function of their audience, but authors of other types of books could benefit from better access to publishing and marketing services, too. I'm curious why no platforms are tapping into different genres? Are there just no readers for them?
Hey J, thanks for commenting. You've brought up some great questions. We're in unprecedented territory with the democratization of publishing. I realized while writing the article that if this is the future of publishing, who will ultimately take over? It's likely still the Big Five because they have the resources to pivot and adopt any strategy that takes market share. We're sort of seeing now with legacy media companies merging to dominate the streaming space. They weren't liquidated, they just became something else because they have the rights to certain properties and the clout to back it up. I'd wager that's where we're heading in the publishing business, that they are watching the startups (small presses) innovate and establish the norms, while the most beneficial model is incubated by said smaller publishers taking all the risk. As for why they are targeting specific genres? I can only assume that it's inherently less risky to hyper focus on a target audience rather than casting a wide net, but I agree with you that there is a need from the broader publishing market to address this. Authors Equity might be that answer, but only time will tell since they haven't produced anything yet. What's sad is that there's likely more money in exploiting aspiring authors in the self-publishing space than there is publishing their books. The rise of writing conventions allows established authors to make money off of aspiring ones who pay to sit in the crowd and listen to them on panels talk about how they got there, or worse, preach to them that the "odds" of success are not in their favor. I get the need to ground people's expectations, but I think you're right, that the successful democratization of self-publishing and the new wave of writers seeking publication is a result of so many writers' dissatisfaction with the industry as a whole.
I think you are spot on and I am really curious to see where all of this lands. Thanks for keeping your eye on these things. You always give me much to think about!
I am doing well! I took a sabbatical for six months, and it has really refreshed me. I have a much clearer sense of what I am doing with writing and publishing. Ten out of ten. Highly recommended.
Thanks - it's good to keep updated on what's going on out there. Don't use Royal Road as of now but it's an interesting development bringing yet more legitimacy to the world of indie writers!
Exactly! Thanks for commenting, Dan. I've only used RR for one story, but it got over 4,000 views with zero attempt to market it on there. I definitely love seeing how other publishers are adapting and attempting to shape the future of the industry.
Thanks for taking the time to discuss these sites, Winston. I have always been leery about serializing book on any site, as I don't see how any website can be counted on to secure IP. The other thing I found interesting from your parsing of the Royal Round future plans is the nebulousness about possible future royalties changes. Somewhat uncharted waters. These types of sites are counting on us to build them the followers that will provide their content freely, as well as write it, all of which takes exponential time. IN a dystopian but possible view of the future royalties scheme, they will introduce a sliding scale metric for what percent authors can earn, based on how popular they are on the platform relatively. I guess the only sure way to do things and guarantee the right protections is to do what you have and open one's own publishing co.
You bring up some important and interesting subjects, Chris. Royal Road does require proof of ownership when uploading a new story, which I hadn't come across on other sites. So every new book has to get approved by the moderators. It remains to be seen how this partnership will play out, but you're right, it could develop to where the authors have less control and that's never a great thing. I'd hope that in that case, the users would boycott and start a new platform.
Damn, so the must buggy, difficult to get noticed on fiction site is overtaking the others. Figures.
Honestly when first starting out with Fiction online, I tried Royal Road, and found it to be a disastrous site. It was impossible to market, to get noticed and it was a waste of time and effort. Guess I'll have to reluctantly go back there. I really hate that site.
I'm fairly new to RR, so I'm not too familiar with the bugginess of it. I can definitely see how marketing and getting noticed would be a problem with it. It seems very niche, like LitRPG and Anime-style fantasies. I had that problem with Wattpad back in the day since it was prominently teen girls reading werewolf romance lol. To be clear, I'm not really pitching that people go write on RR if it's not for them. I just thought the news of a publisher partnering with them was pretty neat.
I honestly think this is the future of publishing! You already hear occasional stories of indie authors being picked up by big publishers (like the recent explosion of cozy fantasy with Travis Baldtree’s Legends and Lattes being picked up by a big publisher), so I imagine RR and Moonquill’s collaboration will only make that kind of process even more common.
Looking forward to seeing how authors and publishers implement this!
And I’m very much looking forward to Storyletter’s releases in 2025!
I'm very interested in all aspects of publishing. I plan to seek a publisher once I get Locksley all wrapped up. I mean, I do have my time travel fantasy, but I don't have the time to go through it and rework it. I'd love to send it to an editor, but I don't have the money, either. Things are tight here with retirement finally catching up to the reality of living. But that's neither here nor there.
Having been bitten once or twice with self publishing and not knowing the intricacies involved, I'm reluctant to give up my hard-earned cash, which is why I say I want to go the legit publisher way. I am, however, open to change. If you said you would publish my Time travel fantasy/thriller, I would take you up on it. But you're not ready for that yet, and I understand. I do, however, believe that the small independent presses like your own, are the way of the future. The Big Five are just too big, and let the little, unassuming writers go because they see no path to immediate profits, but that's because they're no longer willing to take on such projects. It's profit, and profit alone that matters. So yes, I want a legit publisher, but I don't necessarily mean one of the Big Five. They won't even look at someone like me.
I'm not familiar with Royal Road. But then again, I'm not familiar with a lot of small press publishers. I have to look into things before I go all in. I still like the idea of a Kickstarter campaign, and POD as viable options, but then, there's all that marketing that comes along with them.
You bring up some important points here, Ben. The more I ponder this topic, the more I see similarities in other industries, the closest being local bookstores vs chain bookstores. But it goes broader than that, it encompasses so many industries where the big kid on the block makes the most money, but since he can't be everywhere at once, the smaller, scrappier kids collect the loose change. I suppose its less a cooperative endeavor and more of a symbiosis by proxy (?) relationship. Let's consider a different metaphor: smaller presses are like agile cutter boats while the big five are operating cruise ships. The cutters will make it faster to the hard-to-reach destinations, but can only carry so much load. Whereas the cruiser liners will get there eventually, yet get the most attention and the most revenue. Not sure if that fits. Anyway, I do wish the best for your publishing journey and maybe a partnership with SXP will happen. In the meantime, I'll champion any progress toward your goals. Keep up the great work! Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your perspective.
To be perfectly honest, as a once RoyalRoad writer, in my opinion, this is geared towards certain writers.
RoyalRoad really has a specific niche. Progression fantasy and lit-rpgs, and honestly, anything power fantasy, holds strong with that community. So any book that will be published is going to have to appeal to RoyalRoad's audience. And believe me, that audience is particular to the point of frustration if you happen to write off-genre like I did. That is one of the main reasons I no longer post on RoyalRoad. I'm never going to write a series that will appeal to that audience. So their particular publishing program isn't attractive to me.
Also, I honestly wish they never partnered with Moonquil. They've been publishing stories for years now and they don't exactly have that much of a presence in comparison to other lit-rpg and progression fantasy publishers. And the reason being is that they are terrible at marketing.
I know in this arrangement, RR is going to do the bulk of the marketing. I don't know if they can manage it, but I think it's better than anything I've seen Moonquil do. I mean, the only story I've seen given good marketing is the founder's own series. Sadly, I don't know enough about MangoMedia, because they are a part of this as well. They are just too new. I've never seen the name prior to the announcement.
Overall, I will stand back and watch, because it's interesting. However, I wouldn't even try. I'm trying to step aways from serial writing as I don't particularly enjoy it. Maybe Substack, in the end, will treat serialization differently. However, fiction platforms are too specific and have their own culture and ecosystems that don't allow for a lot of flexibility. Substack offers more, but what it has in flexibility it lacks in visibility.
Hey L.J. McEachern,
This is a really unique perspective and I'm glad you decided to share it here. I see your point about it being geared toward a specific writer and genre, and how that might not appeal to other writers and audiences. That can be a crucial factor when bringing a new book to market. If it doesn't fit in with the built-in readership, then it could be dead on arrival. I suppose I was blinded by my excitement surrounding the basics of the program helping authors get their book to the market first, not necessarily how it performed after that. So, that is an interesting aspect to consider. I'd say your comment about standing by to see how it plays out will be smart in the long run. Whether they can actually produce a bestseller remains to be seen. Anyway, really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this subject. You've given me much to think about! Take care.
they’re where I looked when I thought to write fiction, seems like a good place
Fun place to start! I'm also partial to Substack. ;)
There is never 'no cost to the author' with publishing. Companies make money from selling an author's creative output. So isn't this just adding an additional middleman? So Royal Road takes a cut of royalties , Moonquill takes a service fee and the publisher takes a cut of the sales. The author might improve their book quality and marketing reach, but do they also reduce their sales margin per unit?
That's a good point, Johnathan. What I meant by the 'no cost' point was that the author wouldn't have to pay money to get their book published. The publisher takes on most of the financial risk in this case. With the MoonQuill program, the author seemingly gets 50% royalties (depending on the negotiation). That's much higher than traditional publishing. Royal Road's royalty money would then come from the publisher's (MoonQuill) 50% side, so not the author's. But I agree with you, if you're capable of self-publishing and have the time to do it, it's the best route for an author in terms of making the most money on each book sale.
Many thanks for this clarification, Winston. I'm interested in new business formulations, but also keen to do the necessary sums.
Thanks for covering Royal Road and Moonquill. It's an interesting look at two sides of the same coin. The way I look at publishing right now is it's very much like building a home. Go through a custom builder who manages the entire project and constructs the house, or manage the project yourself and contract resources, or do the entire thing yourself. Not many people can build their own house from scratch, just like an author isn't likely to run a book printing press out of their basement. It's all a matter of how much control is desirable and how much money is involved, depending on the options. The more options we have, the better it is for authors.
I could see using Moonquill for marketing alone and helping to build an IP. I would definitely give up a slice of the pie for that kind of expertise.
That's a really great analogy to the types of publishing, Brian. At the very least, it's another opportunity for writers to break out. Another commenter made a great point that it's a very specific genre that the publisher specializes in, but if done well, the book could succeed on Amazon, as there is a huge appetite for niche market books like that. Only time will tell! Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your perspective.
I just started publishing on Royal Road, so this is something to keep an eye on.
Ooo, what are you publishing, Tiffany? I'm considering doing a limited series soon. I posted my first draft of a book called Crocodilian on there and it's at 4,000 views which is surprising given that I don't market or interact with other creators on there.
This would be interesting, if only for the marketing aspect. Most Indie Writers have the writing down, need a little help with editing, and know nothing about/don't have time for marketing.
Totally agree, Joseph. It's another budding opportunity for writers to focus on what they love doing without spending the precious time and resources to produce the final product. Marketing is tough as it is, even trad publishers can't seem to crack the code in most cases.
This is interesting. While at the same time I worry for the quality of the fiction. With some of the more popular recent releases in this space it seems like more serious fiction/genre-fiction is being sidelined by low effort, low quality works. Unless there is a similar publisher for the more literary/philosophical fiction/genre-fiction I enjoy writing and reading. If so please let me know. 🙏
Hey, John. Thanks for commenting. Quality control has become less "controlled" with the rise in self-publishing. It's definitely an interesting topic in terms of the psychology behind types of readers and their purchasing habits. For example, when I first started reading Fantasy as teen, I came across two incredibly well-written series and couldn't believe I'd never been exposed to the wonders of reading Fantasy before. Then, that third series I found was a disaster of a reading experience. It was a big learning moment for me that not all Fantasy was enjoyable. Therefore, I can see how the lack of quality control in a certain market could lead to less readers, or rather, more discerning readers who tend to read only the popular things and not attempt exploring the genre(s). Sorry for the tangent. I do agree with you, but I also want to believe that some readers will enjoy that there's more of a thing that they like available to them, and that this could be a better filter for producing higher quality products in this specific market (LitRPG mainly). As for a similar publisher that's going for a more literary approach, I'll have to keep my ear to the ground on that one. I linked Authors Equity in the post. They might be what you're referring to. Hopefully that helps!
It’s all Lit Rpgs and progression fantasy on there. I tried writing a sci-fi story and it got barely any traction. Other genres just don’t seem to do well. Wattpad meanwhile seems to be mostly for YA and romance.
So webnovels are the future? 😎
I think all of these developments are really interesting in that they demonstrate authors' and readers' dissatisfaction with traditional publishing. Is this necessarily the right model for addressing those concerns? I can't say and I guess the market will answer that. I'm not the audience or creator for Royal Road content (which seems like a very specific niche), so I'd really like to see options open up for writers and readers of more general fiction. These online publishing ventures seem heavily weighted toward particular genres, which may be a function of their audience, but authors of other types of books could benefit from better access to publishing and marketing services, too. I'm curious why no platforms are tapping into different genres? Are there just no readers for them?
Hey J, thanks for commenting. You've brought up some great questions. We're in unprecedented territory with the democratization of publishing. I realized while writing the article that if this is the future of publishing, who will ultimately take over? It's likely still the Big Five because they have the resources to pivot and adopt any strategy that takes market share. We're sort of seeing now with legacy media companies merging to dominate the streaming space. They weren't liquidated, they just became something else because they have the rights to certain properties and the clout to back it up. I'd wager that's where we're heading in the publishing business, that they are watching the startups (small presses) innovate and establish the norms, while the most beneficial model is incubated by said smaller publishers taking all the risk. As for why they are targeting specific genres? I can only assume that it's inherently less risky to hyper focus on a target audience rather than casting a wide net, but I agree with you that there is a need from the broader publishing market to address this. Authors Equity might be that answer, but only time will tell since they haven't produced anything yet. What's sad is that there's likely more money in exploiting aspiring authors in the self-publishing space than there is publishing their books. The rise of writing conventions allows established authors to make money off of aspiring ones who pay to sit in the crowd and listen to them on panels talk about how they got there, or worse, preach to them that the "odds" of success are not in their favor. I get the need to ground people's expectations, but I think you're right, that the successful democratization of self-publishing and the new wave of writers seeking publication is a result of so many writers' dissatisfaction with the industry as a whole.
I think you are spot on and I am really curious to see where all of this lands. Thanks for keeping your eye on these things. You always give me much to think about!
Intriguing. Thanks for the info, sweet Winston. I hope you're doing well!
Thanks, T! I'm doing okay. Lots going on at the moment, but managing. How are you?
I am doing well! I took a sabbatical for six months, and it has really refreshed me. I have a much clearer sense of what I am doing with writing and publishing. Ten out of ten. Highly recommended.
That sounds absolutely delightful. Happy to hear you’re refreshed and doing well!
Thanks - it's good to keep updated on what's going on out there. Don't use Royal Road as of now but it's an interesting development bringing yet more legitimacy to the world of indie writers!
Exactly! Thanks for commenting, Dan. I've only used RR for one story, but it got over 4,000 views with zero attempt to market it on there. I definitely love seeing how other publishers are adapting and attempting to shape the future of the industry.
Thanks for taking the time to discuss these sites, Winston. I have always been leery about serializing book on any site, as I don't see how any website can be counted on to secure IP. The other thing I found interesting from your parsing of the Royal Round future plans is the nebulousness about possible future royalties changes. Somewhat uncharted waters. These types of sites are counting on us to build them the followers that will provide their content freely, as well as write it, all of which takes exponential time. IN a dystopian but possible view of the future royalties scheme, they will introduce a sliding scale metric for what percent authors can earn, based on how popular they are on the platform relatively. I guess the only sure way to do things and guarantee the right protections is to do what you have and open one's own publishing co.
You bring up some important and interesting subjects, Chris. Royal Road does require proof of ownership when uploading a new story, which I hadn't come across on other sites. So every new book has to get approved by the moderators. It remains to be seen how this partnership will play out, but you're right, it could develop to where the authors have less control and that's never a great thing. I'd hope that in that case, the users would boycott and start a new platform.
Damn, so the must buggy, difficult to get noticed on fiction site is overtaking the others. Figures.
Honestly when first starting out with Fiction online, I tried Royal Road, and found it to be a disastrous site. It was impossible to market, to get noticed and it was a waste of time and effort. Guess I'll have to reluctantly go back there. I really hate that site.
I'm fairly new to RR, so I'm not too familiar with the bugginess of it. I can definitely see how marketing and getting noticed would be a problem with it. It seems very niche, like LitRPG and Anime-style fantasies. I had that problem with Wattpad back in the day since it was prominently teen girls reading werewolf romance lol. To be clear, I'm not really pitching that people go write on RR if it's not for them. I just thought the news of a publisher partnering with them was pretty neat.
It is indeed neat as you said
I honestly think this is the future of publishing! You already hear occasional stories of indie authors being picked up by big publishers (like the recent explosion of cozy fantasy with Travis Baldtree’s Legends and Lattes being picked up by a big publisher), so I imagine RR and Moonquill’s collaboration will only make that kind of process even more common.
Looking forward to seeing how authors and publishers implement this!
And I’m very much looking forward to Storyletter’s releases in 2025!
Glad to hear your enthusiasm with this news, too! I hope it opens up many doors for upcoming authors. Thanks for your support, H. A. Titus!
I'm very interested in all aspects of publishing. I plan to seek a publisher once I get Locksley all wrapped up. I mean, I do have my time travel fantasy, but I don't have the time to go through it and rework it. I'd love to send it to an editor, but I don't have the money, either. Things are tight here with retirement finally catching up to the reality of living. But that's neither here nor there.
Having been bitten once or twice with self publishing and not knowing the intricacies involved, I'm reluctant to give up my hard-earned cash, which is why I say I want to go the legit publisher way. I am, however, open to change. If you said you would publish my Time travel fantasy/thriller, I would take you up on it. But you're not ready for that yet, and I understand. I do, however, believe that the small independent presses like your own, are the way of the future. The Big Five are just too big, and let the little, unassuming writers go because they see no path to immediate profits, but that's because they're no longer willing to take on such projects. It's profit, and profit alone that matters. So yes, I want a legit publisher, but I don't necessarily mean one of the Big Five. They won't even look at someone like me.
I'm not familiar with Royal Road. But then again, I'm not familiar with a lot of small press publishers. I have to look into things before I go all in. I still like the idea of a Kickstarter campaign, and POD as viable options, but then, there's all that marketing that comes along with them.
You bring up some important points here, Ben. The more I ponder this topic, the more I see similarities in other industries, the closest being local bookstores vs chain bookstores. But it goes broader than that, it encompasses so many industries where the big kid on the block makes the most money, but since he can't be everywhere at once, the smaller, scrappier kids collect the loose change. I suppose its less a cooperative endeavor and more of a symbiosis by proxy (?) relationship. Let's consider a different metaphor: smaller presses are like agile cutter boats while the big five are operating cruise ships. The cutters will make it faster to the hard-to-reach destinations, but can only carry so much load. Whereas the cruiser liners will get there eventually, yet get the most attention and the most revenue. Not sure if that fits. Anyway, I do wish the best for your publishing journey and maybe a partnership with SXP will happen. In the meantime, I'll champion any progress toward your goals. Keep up the great work! Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your perspective.