First things first: if you want the collector edition of Kinsmen from Subterranean, it’s on sale now for $37.50, 50% off. Click this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and it will be the 8th title up. Thank you to Aarya for heads up.
Quick update on SWEEP OF THE BLADE: thank you for all of the emails and inquiries regarding why SWEEP OF THE BLADE is not out on June 1st, as Goodreads says it would be. We appreciate your enthusiasm for our work. š Unfortunately, Goodreads doesn’t always have the most up to date information. We have no control over what date they put on the release. If you look in the menu above under Books, you will find Release Schedule. Clicking it gives you the following:
June/July, 2019 ā *SWEEP OF THE BLADE, Innkeeper #4
The edits will be completed today, and the book will enter production process to be copy-edited, formatted, proofread, and uploaded, which means it should be up in 60 days. We do not anticipate a pre-order period for this one, as it would push the release date back by 3 months.
Dear Brandi,
I was wondering if you or the authors would be willing to answer a potentially intrusive question regarding the choice to use a publishing house vs. self-publish. I’ve noticed that the authors presently use a publisher for some novels, but also self-publish others. I have noticed that several other authors who I follow also do both. If it’s not too nosy, could you explain why authors choose to do both? Is it that the publishing houses are too conservative regarding storylines and characters? Or that it is more flexible in terms of organizing releases when you self-publish? Is it a matter or product promotion? Or perhaps the authors earn a better profit margin self-publishing? I realize that the authors may be reticent to go into details if the answer is more personal than professional, but I thought it was worthwhile to at least ask, just in case they don’t mind sharing. Thanks.
L writes.
We’ve talked about this at length before, but this is a slightly different question. To answer: people go hybrid for different reasons and it depends on where you are in your career.
Not too long ago, we were at a conference and while on a panel with other established authors, a new author asked a contract question about non-compete clause. One of our colleagues answered that she would never sign a contract with that kind of clause and the author who asked the question should threaten to walk away, and I had an unpolitic moment and said, “No, you can do that, because you have ten books out. She has one book out.” I’ve got a look, but if you ask me a professional question, I will give you an honest answer.
Writer careers are unique and that’s why it’s so difficult to give advice, so I’m going to talk in general terms and broad categories. When I say, for example, “no control over audio narration,” I mean that most writers don’t have one. However, at this point in our career, I could go to the publisher and say, “The audio reader’s interpretation of my work made me deeply unhappy” and we would get a new reader for the next book. There are certain privileges that come with success and a proven sales record.
Traditional Publishing
Pros:
- Advance up front (no matter how the book sells, the author gets some money)
- Publisher takes care of all production and printing costs
- Publisher provides publicity
- Publisher has a guaranteed built in audience
- Access to professional editor
- Presence of the printed book in stores
Cons:
- Publisher dictates length and may request changes to title, character names, and other aspects of the book
- Publisher controls deadlines
- No control over cover or formatting of the book
- No control over availability, foreign rights, or audio narration
- Publisher provides publicity (this can be an infuriating experience)
- Royalties for ebooks typically amount to 25% of retail price, 10-15% on hardback, and 5-10% on mass market
- Contractual restrictions and non-compete clauses preventing the author from releasing a similar work of fiction for the duration of the contract
Self-Publishing
Pros:
- Full control over content of the book, including length, editing, cover, and formatting
- Full control over price, availability, and sales
- Royalties on ebooks amount to 70% of the price when the book is priced between $2.99-9.99
Cons:
- No advance (the author may end up earning nothing on the book)
- Responsible for all costs associated with the book, including the cover, editing, formatting, uploading, audio narration, and so on
- Responsible for all costs associated with promotion
- Limited promotion opportunities
- No built in audience
- Lack of qualified editorial input and often inability to recognize said input
To unpack some of this: if you have an audience, self-publishing requires a larger investment, but ultimately money is better. However, self-publishing typically results in a less polished book than traditional publishing. Good editors, especially content editors, are hard to find, which is why we hold on to them with teeth and claws. Hi, Sandra! And if the author hasn’t had experience with a good editor, they may think they are getting a solid edit when in fact they are being patted on the back.
Also, the publisher has a built in reader base. Even if they seem like they don’t promote the book, they still promote it on the back end by including it in the catalogs and sending it to review publications and so on. A book that comes out through traditional channels will have better visibility than a self-published title, especially if the author is an unknown.
Hybrid authors can be broken down into general categories:
beginning traditional authors
These are people who are starting out. They have a contract with the publisher, but they are trying to build their audience in anticipation of their release. They tend to do free or discounted releases of shorter works or free serials.
former Traditional authors
This category usually includes mid-list authors, although some bestselling authors get fed up and leave, too. (In general, the publishers try to retain bestselling authors much more vigorously.) The mid-listers have good sales and a solid base, yet they don’t hit high on bestseller lists. But publishing is fickle. Sometimes the publisher decides that a trend is dead or that a series is under-performing and they cut the author loose or offer them contract terms that are too restricting or an advance that’s too low.
In the old days, you just took that punch and tried to come up with something new to pitch to your former editor. But now we have an option to keep going through self-publishing. These authors often either continue their series on their own or publish new work in the similar genre. Some of them branch out and experiment with new concepts, others don’t. Some of them keep a foot in the door by still publishing something with a traditional publisher, but most don’t. Once you taste the freedom and the money, it’s hard to go back. All of them seem to be a lot happier.
current Traditional authors
This would be Gordon and me. Gordon and I do this for a number of reasons.
On the traditional side, we like working with Avon. We like our editor, we like the advance – guaranteed money, and we like the publicity the books receive. The publicity Avon generates for our series helps us maintain higher profile and effectively promotes all of our work. We are able to do TV interviews and have book tours where we get to meet you.
On self-publishing side, the money is nice, because instead of 25%, we get 70%. But what is even more nice is the creative control. After SWEEP OF THE BLADE and Iron Covenant #2 is done, we will likely do a fantasy with gladiators. We have no presence in heroic fantasy and when we floated this idea before a traditional publisher, the response wasn’t enthusiastic. It’s off brand. But we still want to do it, we have big chunks of it plotted, and so we will do it. Or we may do a violent dystopian Garbage Princess YA. Or a series of illustrated novellas that came out of the overload of Chinese dramas crossed with fae legends. Or the dragon fantasy we’ve been planning and planning and not getting to write.
Traditional publishing hinges on the publisher’s belief in you. You have to convince them that your work is worth the investment. Gordon and I believe in our work enough to invest time and money in it. We don’t mind taking that risk. You have to stretch or you will creatively stagnate.
So the reasons are complex, but in general, authors tend to shoot for the combination of guaranteed pay of the traditional advance and the traditional publicity and gambling on the joy of full creative control and potential lucrative payout of self-publishing. There is a golden middle of the road there that, when it works, can do wonderful things for the writer’s career.
Self-published authors who chose traditional publishing
In my experience, 95% of the people who do this are looking to expand their reader base. They want promotion from the publisher and legitimacy of a contract with New York. Some really sensational cases might have been tempted by a huge advance, but most people who do this are looking to reach wider and pull more readers in. Some of them are also seduced by the idea that they will do less work since publisher will take care of production and promotion and they will “just write.”
Hehehehehe, oh you sweet summer child. Hehehee. Yeah, come talk to me in a year.
So there you have it. There are other reasons why people choose to go hybrid, but these are the main ones.
Your thoughts/comments on the how’s and why’s are always really fun to read. Also, DRAGONS?!?! (yes please?)
+1
At this point, I think you have built an audience willing to read your grocery lists…so a story about dragons? Or gladiators? Or whatever catches your imagination? TAKE MY MONEY!! GIMME!!
+1!
Looking forward to gladiators! I can only imagine what fun will that be ?
+1!!
Adding my +1 as well to anything you write!!
+10!
Actually… I very well might be fascinated by a grocery list… To Do lists can potentially be hilarious…
I can’t remember how long ago it was, but the AuthorLords did, indeed post a grocery list for us. I read it. LOL
Since I was stuck in my head trying to figure out what an AL grocery list would be like I now have to waste a few days trying to find this!
+1
Ditto for me too. Take my money, please.
+1
+1
+1000
Seriously. I will legit read anything they throw my way. TAKE MY MONEY!!
+1, oh, pleeease!
Dragons!! Yes??????
Dragons! Yes, please, also.
+1
+1
+1
+1 also
I will try anything you guys write!
Siaman please
Or mixing gladiators with dragons. Fighting dragons in the arena!!!
I dig when authors go hybrid. It seems to let them get weird and creatively stretch. When established authors I like put out new self-pub passion projects, thereās a feel to them, the fun of it. The Innkeeper series is one of my absolute favs. Weird and cool and fun with a ton of heart and great world building, but obviously so far off the beaten path it couldnāt be traditional pub.
I have to agree. I don’t think I would have stumbled across the Authorlords if they hadn’t published traditionally, and that would be a sad thing. But it’s nice that they can stretch (earn a bit more money) and let us see other stuff they want to write.
I would LOVE a fantasy with gladiators type of book from you. I loved that aspect of Magic Strikes. But then again, I’ll read whatever you write so I’ll just sit here to wait and see what that would be.
+1
+1 and Magic Strikes is one of my favorite Kate Daniels books because of the gladiator type fight. Gladiator with Russel Crow is one of my all time favorite movie see where this is going lol!! But like everyone else anything you write I will read.
Also Chinese drama with Fae Ledgend sounds way interesting!
@natasha Have you watched the HBO series Spartacus? Warning, there is a LOT of nudity and sex , and very graphic violence (fitting for Roman times though). I loved every minute of it.
Thank you! The next time someone asks me this kind of question Iāll just point them to this post.
I cannot count how many times Iāve heard fledgling writers insist that all they have to do is find a publisher who will take on the time-consuming production and promotional workload. Riiiight. Or as you put it so perfectly, āHehehehehe, oh you sweet summer child. Hehehee. Yeah, come talk to me in a year.ā
I can’t wait for the new series. I love Gladiators and can only imagine what a gladiator story would become in your hands. The publisher is crazy for not just getting in board with everything you write. I have read ALL your series and short stories and yet to be disappointed.
+1
+1. I have loved every single one of your books including the ones in genres I donāt normally like. The characters are all so unique, the world building is beautiful and imaginative yet believable. Iād think by now the publishers should know weāll just read anything you put out… their loss!
+1
Donāt forget library sales. Traditional publishers and hybrid authors with a following have a huge advantage. Libraries are a big part of the market for childrenās and YA titles. It can also be a significant piece of an adult authors sales. Getting a review in one of the references used by libraries to select is hard for someone doing it on their own.
Really a good point, Sandy!
Get a good review in a standard library source like Publisher’s Weekly or Library Journal and a certain number of sales are almost guaranteed. May be e-book aggregator /print combo. I wonder how that works out in royalties?
All I know, is at this point in time, I’ll buy anything you write. I love the ride your works take me on. Great characters, interesting worlds, lovely flow for the writing style, a nice pacing to the adventure of the plot.
Seconded.
+1
Amen!
Plus many!
I agree that, particularly in the case of new authors, lack of editorial input results in a less polished book. I recently read a highly-recommended self-published book by a self-pub only author. I loved the world, characters, and plot, but desperately wanted to offer copy-editing help. The author’s verbal tics distracted me and thereby detracted from the reading experience.
However, I know that it would be bad etiquette to suggest that, so I bit my virtual tongue. I’m torn about continuing to buy those books, because it does add up, and I’m not sure I want to deal with the static, as it were.
I have this problem, also, though I sort of understand. The schools no longer push grammar the way they used to. The rules are more “suggestions” these days. I “get” that the spoken word has become less formal and “correct”, but writing is slower to change.
Some of it is the “creep” of definitions and idioms from one meaning to another. (ex. “decimate” has come to be synonymous with “devastate”, when it literally means “to destroy 10%”. One of my favorite authors uses “to toe the line” to mean “to push boundaries”, when it originally meant “to follow the rules exactly”. It stopped me in my tracks at first, but I’m more or less used to it now.
I want to remind writers that the easy way to decide if it’s “George and (I, he, she, we, they)” or “George and (me, him, her, us, them)” is to leave out “George and”. You wouldn’t say “with I”, so it shouldn’t be “with George and I”. The same for “George and her went to town.”
In other cases, words are missing because whoever proof read it knew what it was supposed to say and didn’t catch the missed word.
Homonyms are a never ending problem, because spell check is supposed to make sure you have the right word. The differences between rein, rain, and reign are real, folks! Getting the idiom right is hard. It’s “free rein”, not “free reign” – really, it is. It’s from horse handling, not royal politics.
I am so tempted to offer to help, but you are correct. It would be rude – and the last thing I want to do is slow down when the books come out!
Yes., This.
It is very easy to sit back and judge the grammar when you are writing a moderate amount. Now, if you write about half a million words per year, you will notice a marked increase in mistakes. For example, one of the hardest things for a writer is a one-eyed character. By now I’ve typed “his eyes” over a couple thousand times over the course of my career. When I’m writing, even though my brain thinks “his eye,” my hands type “his eyes” out of pure muscle memory. When I read back over it, my brain helpfully reads “his eye,” so I don’t see it. It knows that “his eye” should be there and I can quote entire passages of what I wrote from memory.
Likewise, after a long typing session, there is marked increase in homonym substitution. Correct spelling of homonyms requires that I actively concentrate on spelling vs the story or character development. This has zero to do with modern approach to grammar. It’s simply the nature of the human brain. That’s why we have copyeditors.
What I was addressing when I wrote this post was primarily the input of a content editor like Sandra Harding, who writes things like this, “I know Maud cut her hair on Karhari, but beyond that, what does she look like? Is she tall or short? Thin and willowy or stouter? What color is her hair?” Content edit shapes the book and is exceptionally important. You can tell the lack of content edit by presence of extraneous scenes, for example.
Thanks for the reader comment and your reply to this. I have a hard time reading those kinds of books where the editing needs work. I have written some stuff during NaNoWriMo and for some reason horde vs hoard is always one that I absolutely know the difference, but when writing I always use horde to describe the obscene amount of say, chocolate in her candy stash. Can you imagine a horde of chocolate coming after you? Mixed emotions with that one. Some of the errors I actually have to say out loud to figure out, such as ‘on slot’. Made me laugh out loud, but after so many similar errors, I put the book down and put the author on my ‘do not read = bad editing’ list. I know those things don’t matter to many people, but I just can’t.
I’ve seen this, too. I almost consistently type “the” as “teh” because of the speed I type. I’m also noticing the bit with homonyms, too. I was all set to blame it on age, since I didn’t used to have problems, but I like the muscle memory theory better. ?
I love dragons, my Mom painted Smaug for me when I was in High school.
When I was little she did a mural of red riding hood and the wolf on my bedroom wall when I was very sick and stuck in bed. She loved wolves.
So , love dragons, but gladiators also, you do great fight scenes and sword fighting.
if you described the Innkeeper to me , i would never read it, but ,it is brilliant and different and I own the Subterranean copy of the 3 innkeeper stories.
You had me at Brutus . Now Dina, Arland , Orro Helen and ripper cushions are in my heart. We need more about Caldenia .
First off: Gladiators? Woo hook, I love Gladiators! Dragons are also very good. Thanks for the comments on about publishing, I enjoyed reading them.
Thank you!
Great post! Thanks for writing it up. Always love to read your viewpoint (and your books!)
Thanks for the insiders perspective. Love the fact that you are willing to try a new genre.
I hope your medical stuff went well, are you still on the no nightshades or carne diet?
I absolutely squealed at the gladiators- I hope you do that so much! I have to go watch the Gladiator BeyoncƩ Pepsi commercial now ?.
This was such a good and valuable breakdown, thank you!
I like to support self-published authors when I can. The pricing is so much more reasonable, but I also admire the people who are plugging away independently. However, I’m pretty unforgiving if the editing is truly terrible. I can overlook some typos and basic mistakes that appear to be a result of an author being too close to the material or having looked at that page too many times to note the errors, but some independent authors are so slapdash they don’t deserve a second look from me.
I wonder about editing in the independent publishing world. Is there an industry for this? A network? It seems like it’s an overlooked opportunity.
My experience as a bookseller is that there are a large percentage of self published authors who donāt realize they need editing. And if they do, they donāt want to pay much for it.
+1 I have stopped reading books before when the editing was too bad. I’m one of those people that have to know how a story ends, but sometimes poor grammar just overrides it.
I wanted to add that I don’t mean standard poor grammar (I realize that isn’t very clear, but hopefully you know what I meant). I can skim over most things and know what they mean. I’m talking about the sentences that are so bad that you have to stop and read them 3 or 4 times and try to guess what they mean. That really takes away from the story.
From the idle research I’ve done there are resources like freelance editors and copy editors you can hire to go over your work. They can be expensive depending on what kind of edit they’re doing over how many words and I think finding someone who can give you a quality edit for you genre can be a challenge. As Ilona has said there is a risk they won’t be hard enough on content in fear of losing you as a client later, but I imagine this is less an issue for a straight copy edit.
That said I think it’s worth while for someone self publishing to try to do, and I take notice when a self published book is advertised as having been edited by someone else, but as JK said, there is a staggering number of writers who seem to think themselves above editing. I’ve read a few books I thought were just ok but could have been really great if they’d taken it through the rest of the process.
Always interesting to read what goes behind the scenes in the publishing world. You and Gordon have a solid reading base because your writing is that good. ?
I just read the acknowledgement in Magic Triumphs and the reference to rewriting Magic Bites. If that ever happens, count on me and the entire BDH to buy it.
Looking forward to Sweep of the Blade when it’s available.
Thanks for the writer’s insight. Here’s this readers response. I love what you and Gordon do, both traditionally and self published. I love that you are now working with Subterranean Press. I love books. I love stories. All kinds of stories. The problem and strength of traditional publishing is that they produce a brand, and they expect their product to fit that brand. It turns out good books, but not all the good books. Self publishing is risky for all of us, writers and readers. And because this is kind of the wild west of literature, both buyer and seller needs to be careful and do more homework. Hybrid authors are self publish books with training wheels for readers.
Draaaagons please please please… not that I donāt buy everything you publish ?
What about the audiobook for SWEEP OF THE BLADE?
Dragons! Dragons! Was it Prince Yu? Apple tree story with Julia top five. In my life right now multi issues have me reading a lot. Mostly ereader and the output from some others is amazing. Ok but you can sense some using platform to experiment no problem. Grateful for you guys on many levels including these truths.
Thank you for taking the time to educate and enlighten. The more newbie writers and your readers understand the process, the better relationships that develop. I love how you let us read a chapter at a time and am looking forward to buying and seeing the changes.
So on a related question, some of the, I’ll call them trade shows, that you guys go to that have panels, etc. Can self-publishers apply to get space at those trade shows, or do those shows only invite/allow authors with traditional publishing houses?
It depends on the “trade shows” or conventions. Smaller sff conventions like Capricon and Windycon in Chicago, ConFusion in Detroit, to be a panelist you can just email their programming director and tell them you are planning on coming, and ask if there is any availability in their schedule. You can usually suggest panels you want to be a part of. As long as you have some sort of qualification, you are good! Some, like Readercon, have a more curated programming where they reach out.
In my experience most shows don’t care how you are published, just how much of a draw you are. Being a guest vs a panelist is different. A guest (should) gets their hotel and travel covered, while a panelist may just get a discounted badge, but has to cover everything themselves.
It all depends on the different event.
Yes, gladiators! Yes, dragons! Yes, Ilona goes to do the banking with the purse of horrible cat surprises! (Every time I re-read that, I laugh until I’m nearly breathless.)
More stories!! Yay!! ??
YES! Really looking forward to Sweep of the Blade.
Thanks for the really clear and informative traditional vs indie authors breakdown. It’s helped me better understand why two of my favorite authors (and a third one who’s a former favorite) have been dropped by their traditional publishers despite their terrific books.
I’m one of those really rigid readers who has a terrible time with most relatively recent writers (~last 15+ years), regardless of genre and mode of publishing, because of (imo) poor characterization, world-building, and/or plotting, as well as the presence of contradictions, repetitions, and wrong word choices and spelling. Even reputable news sources and magazines (print/online) these days seem to frequently contain the latter mistakes.
All this is to say that I’m profoundly grateful to authors who consistently release excellent work and brilliant stories. My mind isn’t creatively wired in any direction (which makes me incredibly boring), so it’s such a joy to read outstanding writing like yours and Gordon’s.
That time when you look at the release date as June/July and wonder why people have their knickers in knot, I mean June is like 3 months away…*glances at date on computer* huh when did it stop being March.
dYsToPiAn GaRbAgE pRiNcEsS?!?!
Right! I’m intrigued!!
I really appreciate a good editor and want to send some love their way. Editors – we readers do recognize your special touch and appreciate it.
I’ve learned that writing requires teamwork (even non-partner writers) over the years of reading this blog. Even self-publishing where you do so much yourself can really benefit from development/finishing services.
I tend to choose books based on the writing, not necessarily the genre, so dragons would be good… Gladiators, garbage princesses (especially if I can share them with my grandgirls)… Whatever you’d like to write. I’m not big on vampires as the main hero or anything horror (even poorly written horror gives me nightmares) but if you write it I will buy it. I like your style.
I was looking for a book by Candace Robb once upon a time and accidently grabbed a book by JD Robb, a “new” author… Read it, loved it, but it felt familiar… Went and bought the rest of the series… 2nd book in I said “this person writes just like Nora Roberts.”. When the next book came out it said “Nora Roberts writing as” I told my husband “told you so!”… So he started reading Nora Roberts (because he likes her style.)
Basically what I’m saying is I’ll read anything you write so have fun… Guaranteed sale here.
Ilona: gladiators..
Me: shut up and take my money
Ilona: garbage princess..
Me: Shut up and take my money!
Ilona: dragons…
Me: shut up and take my money!!!!
Ilona: *breathes*
Me: SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!
+ 1
Yep, exactly like that!
THIS!!! ALL OF THISSS!!!!
*throws money at the authorlords*
Best use for money next to buying pizza! (Because pizza is the food of the gods, while stories are food for the soul… I know… that was so poetic it almost brought a tear to my eye as well…)
I wonder when Amazon will come up with a default “buy everything from this author as soon as it is available” button.
Dragon gladiator meets dystopian garbage princess on the run from Chinese fae!
Instant bestseller – Iāll buy it!
+1.
Norbert, you just described my favorite series from Wen Spencer, especially the first book, Tinker.
+1000!!
Yumm! Love the new ideas. You absolutely have to explore other venues or everybody gets bored you and your devoted readers. The release date on Sweep perfect timing for the heat of summer by the pool, shady nook in the garden or the AC in the house.
Thanks for the reminder about the Subterranean sale. I went to buy a copy of the Kinsmen Universe as a gift for someone, because she loved mine so much. I called her to tell her and said she bought it this morning, I think she was more exited than me!! Good thing I checked with her first! So I bought Jim Butchers Changes instead.
Oh my Gods do the Dragon one pleeeeeaaassseee
I would even consider reading the “violent dystopian Garbage Princess YA” – if YOU wrote it!
Thanks for such a generous reply to the question that one of your readers posed!
Yes, it was a similar question to one that you’ve answered before, but you added in some layers of detail that were very helpful.
Personally, I LOVE that you’ve gone the hybrid route. I absolutely adore your Innkeeper series, and am so delighted that you publish the book in chunks as you go along; this is one of the things that totally hooked me into your website on a regular basis. (And oh yes, I DO buy physical copies when you release … support your local authors, that sort of thing – plus, I prefer to hold a book in my hands when I do the later re-reads.)
So … yes, I’m so thrilled w/ all the ideas that you’ve got noodling, and casting my vote in favor of whatever you want to do … I do hope that as the dust clears w/ current editing schedule, and you have time for next projects, you’ll do some more along the Innkeeper lines, so we can follow along.
Now that I’ve begun rereading your KD series (and will reread EVERYTHING) while your next release goes through its final throes, I’m so enjoying how you’ve become better and better at writing. Love the KD series, of course, and am amazed at the complexity and detail of the first novel in terms of characters and world-building, and your continuation — but so much more enjoying how you’ve added more character richness and nuance and interactions in your more recent works.
Thus, ANYTHING that you put out will likely be very satisfying – and anything that you do w/ dragons or gladiators or whatever would certainly be head-and-shoulders above what most authors can do with these themes.
If publishers don’t “get it” about some of your ideas, to heck with them! You really DO have a strong base, and we’ll cheerfully buy whatever you release, in whatever format!
xoxo! – A.
Cool summary insights. You’ve never disappointed me yet! And now you have me drooling… like always…
I think you could tie dragons, Chinese fae, and maybe even gladiators with the dragon shifter from Julie’s school story. ? (Sorry, I forgot his name.)
The Innkeeper series is my favorite and once I realized that you self publish it, I had to go buy them all (I originally borrowed them from my library)! I feel that we should support the stories we love.
Do you know if there will be any more copies from Subterranean of the Innkeeper chronicles? (I bought the Kinsmen, but missed Innkeeper.) ?
Thank you both for all your wonderful stories!
As to Goodreads, it said “June/July 2019” and never said 1st June. I know cause I put it there. I’ve now amended it to “Now end of July as per blog.”
Ilona/Gordon you can always request a librarian to change something like that or you know just post about it and I or someone else will fix it š
And damn, half price on Kinsmen, I bought mine for Christmas and being in Australia, paid plenty for postage etc. LOL. So worth it. So everyone out there that wants a copy get in now!!
Yes, but that would require me to go to Goodreads, and once I am there, I will look at the reviews of our books. I have no willpower.
Thank you so much for fixing it. Several people reported that Goodreads had June 1st as the date so I am not sure how that came about.
I just checked the log and it did say June at one point. I had the June/July bit at the top of the description. Anyway it is now saying 31 July, so if there is any change, just post it and it will magically change on Goodreads. š
Garbage Princess…. now that’s a princess I can identify with
Yes! Yes! Sweep of the Blade!!!!
So looking forward to it………..
If you’ll forgive my mentioning it, you gave yourselves the perfect opening f0r a dragon story in the hunt scene of “Sweep of the Blade” by introducing the mukona. I would love to see that part of the story developed at some point.
I loved today’s blog and the comments. I learned a lot from both. I’m really looking forward to “Sweep of the Blade”, and after reading many books from you and Gordon for so many years, I really don’t think you can write a bad book. I can’t wait to see where your imagination and creativity take you next. I hope we still get the sequels in both Hidden Legacy and the Innkeeper. My two very favorite series. As for dragons, one of my favorite series is Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern. I wanted to live on Pern so that I could try for my own dragon. Sigh.
DRAGONS!!!! I would love a story about dragons. Gladiators too, I loved the movie with Russell Crow. I think I saw it 4 times in the theater and bought it on dvd when It came out. I still watch it on occasion.
Great post. One comment I want to make is that as a reader Iām seeing a lot of editing and continuity errors in traditional publishing, which a decade ago wouldnāt have happened. If the publishers arenāt going to invest money into staffing, then they are failing their authors and their readers.
Hybrid authors also have more control of their creative product.
Very true. I recently read a conventionally published book by a best selling author in which a feast was described as including “roast foul”.
Easy to do when you’re typing, but you’d think an editor would have noticed it.
I have been dumbfounded by the number of errors, especially continuity. Itās as if there is a whole breed of lazy editors, using spellcheck instead of giving the authors their very best.
Yes to all of those books. If you write it, I’ll read it.
When you referered to hybrid authors I thought you were referring to gas/eletric. š
Wouldnāt that be computer/ pen? ?
Siaman please
This was so interesting to read! Thank you :). Also, I would read any of those ideas written by you two š
I was interested in this part of your blog: And if the author hasnāt had experience with a good editor, they may think they are getting a solid edit when in fact they are being patted on the back.
Some years ago I met an author doing a promo in my local bookshop and offered to proofread for him, as it used to be my job. (I knew I would be facing an early, ill-health retirement and it seemed a good way to get to read books for free when my income was limited.) He took me up on the offer and was amazed at all of my corrections. Evidently he had paid someone from the church who had just done a proofreading course and she had found hardly anything. I found loads! Experience. I don’t think he agreed with all of my corrections and as he was self-publishing, he could pick and choose. Later he worked with a publisher for another series and I received a comment from his wife to the effect that the publisher was making the same sort of corrections that I had. At that point the wife, a barrister, queried me a few times about grammar in order to gain ‘brownie points’ with the judge.
I used to read a lot of self published first time authors via kindle and Iāve had to stop. Far too many with no or poor editing, making them impossible to read. Itās a shame when you can see the idea behind the story that seems really great, but just canāt slog through reading it. I have no skill in this area, so I respect anyone who even makes an attempt at writing professionally, but I have to value my own time as well. Also, with all of the revelations about the book mills stealing work from others and making frankenbooks, I feel better supporting known authors that Iām sure have done their own work.
Gladiators, dragons, and dystopian Garbage Princess YA… oh my! Count me in on all counts please,
Publishing is a mixed bag. However, I’m curious about the Subterranean deals. Did they contact you first? Is it wildly lucrative, or is the prestige factor high? I know both Kelley Armstrong and Jim Butcher were well established before they were published by them.
I was quite disappointed that this post wasn’t about a certain budding half-vampire hybrid that decided to take up writing š
Wow. This post hast been fascinating. It’s great to get this insight into the part you don’t often get to see. BUT my main takeaway was – dragon fantasy by Ilona Andrews! How is that not a thing yet! There are so few out there and so hard to get right, but I have complete faith that if you go ahead with it, it’ll be amazing…
Didnāt read all of the comments but have you thought of going āoff brandā under a different name? J.K. Rowlingās wrote her Cormoran Strike mystery series as Robert Galbraith. It was only acknowledged as hers after a couple/few (?) books where published. Iād like to see you two expand to whatever takes your interest. I think some of the best books written are ones the authors really want to write. Maybe for books with male main character could be written under a male āpen nameā. Give Gordon some equal rights?
oh no, no mention of Julie’s book. š
still sad (and mad) about the haters putting you off it. Bad Peoples
I agree. I’d love more in that world, and I’ll read anything that comes out. I’d love a Julie and Derek book!
“Self-published authors who chose traditional publishing
In my experience, 95% of the people who do this are looking to expand their reader base. ”
~ Raises hand ~ Me, right here.
Part of your reader base here! I have no idea if I started to read you via one of your traditional or self-published books as I read e-books. I usually find new authors via reading an anthology of short stories that include something from an author whose work I already love. I usually then go on to devour the new authorās back catalogue, often forgetting the rest of the anthology until I have exhausted all available books, novellas, and short stories and I emerge looking for something new to read.
That said, I have a feeling I found you via āRadianceā; perhaps promoted here? I do remember pre-purchasing it and eagerly awaiting its publication. When I went on to read āMaster of Crowsā I was devastated to realise that āRadianceā wasnāt concurrent with the MoC timeframe. I actually shed a few tears to realise that the characters were not āaliveā but long, long gone in the past.
I’m so glad you found me, whichever route got you there. š
If it’s any consolation, Master of Crows and the Wraith Kings world start to weave a little tighter together as the WK series moves forward. I don’t know if you’ve read Eidolon yet (Wraith Kings #2), but it has a very obvious connection to The Brush of Black Wings (Master of Crows #2). So if you like both worlds and how they intertwine, then I can tell you that you’ll see examples of them meshing together in subsequent books.
Thank you for the educational post. Something I have noticed is that the 2000 generation read electronically.. When Dad was undergoing chemotherapy in 2010, I started getting kindle editions thru Baen as I could make letters whatever size Dad could read on computer screen or large screen monitor. That varied from day to day and during day. I prefer dead tree books but having an electronic edition available allowed him to continue to read his favorite authors at his own pace. This is part of traditional publishing houses now.
Thanks that was very interesting. I can guarantee If you write it I will read it, I love you guys and I jump on every chance to post your names when ever I see posts or someone/place seeking a new read or great author to try. It is the least I can do after the thousands of hours reading and listening to your books. And people who haven’t read you yet need the experience.
āFantasy with gladiatorsā??? YAY!!!
Verily, Noncompete Clauses are the Work of the Devil… And I say this as a member of the Medical Field. If they want you bad enough, you won’t have to sign one. If you sign one, you are very, very screwed if things go wrong – and they will. Of note, Lawyers don’t have to sign noncompete clauses because of the nature of the Attorney-client Relationship, but Physicians can – now you know who is best at protecting their own best interests. Do not sign a Noncompete for any reason – refuse with a smile, but refuse absolutely.