Look what I have. 🙂
Usually when you hit a bestseller list, publisher sends you flowers. Instead the flowers came from my husband.
Flowers make everything better.
Gordon note: These pretty flowers can be purchased and next day delivered from Olive & Cocoa.
We have some questions to answer today, so let me get to it.
Where is the best place to buy your books that gets you the best returns for revenue/publicity? I’ve been buying my books through Amazon, but if there’s a better place to buy them from that’s better for you would you post them please?
This has cropped up repeatedly, so let me reiterate that we are grateful for every sale. If you buy it in ebook, if you buy it in print, or if you borrow it from the library, if you find it for a penny in a used bookstore, buy it, someone else did. We want you to enjoy our work in the way most convenient to you. The most important thing is that purchasing our books is easy and guilt-free.
We ask only that you don’t pirate. Pirating ebooks is stealing; it’s not a victimless crime. It costs us sales, but it also shortchanges other readers, because when the book is pirated in large enough numbers, the writer won’t continue the series. What’s the point of working on something for months and months if someone is just going to steal it? For example, right now we are reevaluating our Netgalley policy, because someone was given an ARC of BLOOD HEIR in epub format and uploaded it to a pirate site. So if you like a particular book, please buy it or legally borrow it.
But I digress. Back to the earnings. In terms of money earned per copy, ebooks are probably best. It doesn’t really matter in what format. Most ebook retailers pay us 70% of the cover price from each purchase. This doesn’t mean that you should feel guilty purchasing in print. We make money there too. 😀
So I’m guessing no big 5 {or 4, 3 however many there are now} contracts for a while?
Probably not. As we touched on during Zoom Afterparty, once we finish RUBY FEVER, we would like to take a year off to situate ourselves and deliver new installments in some of our self-published series. The only thing we would be willing to shop right now to New York is a possible Arabella series, which wouldn’t exactly fit into Avon’s lineup.
Romance is a great genre, but it comes with certain tropes, just like any other genre. One of the tropes is having the hero and heroine identified early on. People like to know who to root for. Arabella’s books would feature several possible love interests and we are not sure who she is going to end up with. We could do a series through one of Avon’s sister imprints, but right now we are not ready to discuss it. We need to get some things off our desk, like the second Iron Covenant book.
Ideally, we would like to remain hybrid, but and this is a big but (big butt, hehe,) we’ve just seen a self-published title explode onto the lists with a minimum of publicity. We do run a business, so let’s talk some numbers.
Disclaimer: we are authors with an established audience. If you are just starting out, not a lot of this will apply to you. Please don’t consider this a business advice.
A traditional publisher gives us 25% of the ebook receipts, that is, they give us 25% of their profits.
A quick breakdown before all expenses and agent’s cut of 15%:
Cover price: $4.99
Traditional royalty : $0.87
Self-Published: $3.49
You see, the publisher takes whatever we earn and keeps 3/4 of it. In perpetuity.
Now, the publisher takes on risks when they choose to publish us. They give a big chunk of money upfront, they provide editorial expertise, they shoulder production costs such as cover, design, formatting, and printing, and they provide us with a distribution network for print and publicity and marketing.
I should pause here and specify that publicity and marketing are two different things. People often confuse the two, so let’s define them.
Publicity team handles what’s called “earned” promotion. They send the book out for reviews, and they arrange interviews, appearances, conventions, and so on. They also do a lot of things that the author typically doesn’t see, like follow up with bookstores, make sure they’re advertising the appearance, enticing the bloggers to feature the book, and generally thinking out of the box on how to promote the book. They think in terms of individuals. What will appeal to this particular blogger? What will work for the audience of this TV show? Money doesn’t exchange hands.
The marketing team handles “paid” promotion. They work on paid advertisements, retailer placement (big banners you see on retailer sites, for example, or special displays in stores,) they handle the metadata, they make swag, and they are in charge of the giveaways. They are people who think in statistical generalities. What keywords will help the book reach a particular demographic? Money exchanges hands.
So if you are a self-published author, and you are hiring someone to promote the books, you may want to clarify who you are hiring. Is it a publicist or a marketing specialist?
In the past, going with the publisher made sense, because there was really no printing and distribution model available to a self-published author. You couldn’t get your books into Wal-Mart or your local grocery store. You couldn’t get them into independent bookstores. You were stuck. Similarly, you couldn’t really do your own marketing. You could hire a publicist, but you would have to look and long and hard to find someone with the right contacts in the industry. But the marketing specialists were out of our reach.
2020 has shown us that already low print sales have cratered. Now we have Ingram Spark, which allows us to print and provide printed copies to the independent stores. I am not broke up about our absence in the big box stores. Print now accounts for a very small percentage of total copies sold, and everyone likes to support small bookstores.
Similarly, our agency does a fantastic job at marketing our self-published releases. They did negotiate some nice placement for us with Apple Books. They are always looking at new avenues to distribute our work. We have some interesting things coming up, which I can’t talk about yet. We seem to be doing okay with our own publicity, although I will mention that Pam Jaffee, the former publicist at Avon, was worth her weight in gold. Still, we were able to coordinate signed copies with bookstores, we had ARCs available, and we successfully hosted our own Zoom webinars.
Which brings us to the huge burning question: what will the publisher do for us that will be worth giving up 3/4 of our money forever? A publisher would have to make a very compelling argument and that argument can’t be just “We will give you a big advance.” Here is why the advance argument falls flat on its face.
Let’s say we get an advance of $100,000 for a book price $4.99. The book sells 30,000 units in one year.
Traditional model: the publisher earns $3.49 off each copy, and then pays us 25% or 87 cents. Self-published model: we get $3.49.
Traditional : 30,000 units will bring in $26,100 for us. A little over 1/4 of our advance.
Self-published: 30,000 units will bring in $104,700. We have made as much as the advance given to us by the publisher without strings attached.
Math is our friend. 🙂
If we are negotiating another contract, I want to know what we will be getting. What is it they are contributing that’s worth giving up that much income?
For this and other reasons, we are going to take the year off from traditional publishing. This will also mean changes to the Release Schedule page of the website. There will be no release dates for upcoming projects until these projects are complete and ready to the first editorial pass.
Just as a question to toss out there for whenever is convenient for you to answer: Assuming you end up in a good headspace for working on the Iron Covenant series, would Iron Covenant titles come between entries in Blood Heir, is it being abandoned, or is it postponed indefinitely?
We are not ready to discuss it at this time. We need to get RUBY FEVER finished. 🙂 We are not dropping Iron Covenant, but how exactly our schedule will pan out remains to be seen. It depends on RF new publishing date, etc.
Phew! I have knocked it out. I am going to go try to figure out what to unfreeze for dinner and then go write. Happy Friday!
Very pretty flowers. Gordon should get husband of the year (even though it’s only January). 🙂
Yes, math is your friend (from your friendly neighborhood biostatistician). I drive people crazy when I can add something in my head that they use a calculator.
Whatever you and Gordon decide on with going the traditional route or self-publish, it really is up to you. You know your readers will buy it in whatever form the book in.
Well, what do you know…I’m actually the first person to respond! This is extremely rare since I don’t get to the blog in time to be first. 😀
My best friend in the Navy, Teddy Joe, could multiply numbers, like really hard math problems in his head faster than we could with a calculator. It became a game we played on the ship. He was terrible at sit down written tests but his recall was amazing.
I’m the same way. Put a test in front of me and my brain freezes up. Put me in front of a class, and I can teach statistics to even those who don’t give a you-know-what. It’s crazy what the mind will do.
This is why I don’t play the lottery. Bad odds.
Aaaaaand that’s how we got Thanatos. ???? Love it!
Hah! Didn’t catch the Teddy Jo name. Wonder if his buddy likes the flaming sword his namesake has?
Did he have wings and a flaming sword?
No, but he had a talent for winning barroom pool tournaments in San Diego, and an ability to consume alcohol that both amazed and concerned me. The two are connected because to win at pool, he need to consume a certain number of beers. We eventually figured out that 4 or 5 and he was unbeatable, more than that and he just got happy and weird. He once, and this is true, threw a lit cigarette on a stage, someone was dancing on it, he then poured a nearby pitcher of beer on both the burning cigarette and stage.
First of all congrats on the success of Blood Heir, as Patricia said I’m sure wherever route you go the BDH will probably happily follow.
As for your bf, never ceases to amaze me how interesting the people you guys know and the stories you have to tell about them
Ditto
To infinity and beyond, where House Andrews dares to tread, the BDH will follow
Absolutely.
No question about it
1+ 🙂
Woo number 3
Gorgeous flowers! We have pretty much the exact same bench. 😀 Our dog is different though.
Anyone else want a Leon novella? I loved the Arabella one.
Here for it!
I want a Leon novel. He’s growing up and becoming so interesting.
Yes!
Maybe if we really beg… With chocolate? And Yarn? And Tea?
Iron Covenant! Yes! What the heck is Elara? What’s poisoning the crops? The healing of the former heel Hugh. Yes! Inquiring minds.
I’m actually very grateful for all the hard work you guys put into each book. You’ve created so many of my favourite characters and serials. Taking time off will just make us appreciate you more when you come back, AFTER Ruby Fever!
This is fascinating – thank you for explaining all of this. It makes me glad that I don’t have to worry about this kind of thing, but really interesting to get a glimpse into this world of authors. Well cheers and congratulations – it’s all very well deserved. Frankly as long as I can keep reading your books, I’m happy. So please do whatever works best for you guys. I (and family) will buy all audio and print/electronic copies we can! Can’t wait for the next books (whichever they are).
Thanks for the post! Happy Friday 🙂
As long I get to keep reading your work, I don’t care how/where it gets published. You keep the blog updated (I don’t follow any social medial sites) and I’ll keep on buying. Love the flowers. Stay safe and healthy.
I had no idea that authors only received only 25% of profits! That seems to be incentivized completely wrong. How do new authors survive to continue writing? It now makes sense that many of the authors I bought in print are switching to a hybrid model or have gone completely self-published. An interesting insight into the life of an author. Congrats on the success of Blood Heir and many thanks on hanging in there so that all of us can enjoy the all the wonderful worlds you have created 🙂
However you guys chose to move forward i will be happy. Your books bring me light and make me laugh out loud on the couch!
The flowers are very pretty
I hate basic math. My husband loves math, all the math. I can only do complicated math when I am in the field working and need to calculate on the fly….I dont know how I do it. It just happens. I have had students sit down and with compass, paper, and calculator check my numbers and stare at me like I’ve grown a second head. To which I shrug. Put me with my magnetometer in a field with varying topography and I will tell you where to put the lines for the grid to be perfect for data generation. 🙂
Love the flowers. Gordon is a gentleman of worth.
I bought the print book from Independent bookstore. I like holding the book. Haven’t read it yet. Will try this weekend.
Thank you for explaining the ins and outs of publishing.
I only ask that you continue to publish physical books.
I still don’t have a kindle.
Will buy Ruby Fever.
Will buy Hugh and Elara 2
Sight unseen.
I trust your writing.
I loved Arabella in “The Cool Aunt.”
She had 1 task, and she did it .Quietly, efficient and no fuss.
I can see how her book would be more complex. She and Leon are act first, think later.
Personally, I do miss the Innkeeper.
You need time off.
You need time to breathe.
Congratulations on your success.
It is well deserved.
We will wait.
Thank you.
I don’t have a Kindle either, I read ebooks onmy laptop using the Kindle for PC’s thing available free on the Kindle website. Though I could do the same on a tablet and may well start doing so. They are available for other operating systems and are really easy to use.
Just in case you do decide you waant to dip a toe in the ebook ocean.
you might consider an e ink kindle. They are much less eyestrain than a computer or a tablet. I read on all three. You can get an older style kindle for not much money now.
I have the kindle app on my phone. I read books on my phone and graphic novels on my iPad. I have found that carrying multiple anything around is annoying. So I carry most everything in my phone. It guarantees that I won’t leave my phone anywhere or forget it.
You can also just download the kindle app on a smartphone, its free, no need to have a Kindle 🙂
I prefer printed books, I love the feel and smell of them and the way the paper softens after multiple rereads. Also, my kids see me reading and not “playing” on technology so they complain less about not getting to use theirs.
It’s also easier to flip back a page to double check something.
I completely agree. And with print I don’t have to worry about blue light, eye strain, battery life, etc. print is more comfortable to hold, to read and to carry for me. I’m not a Luddite, tech is fine for some things but to me print is still magic.
“someone was given an ARC of BLOOD HEIR in epub format and uploaded it to a pirate site”
That is all kinds of wrong. Such a breech of trust. I can’t even.
Follow-up question… Are you able to figure out who it was (hopefully yes so you can ban them from getting ARCs) and what’s your legal recourse for them uploading to a pirate site?
Oh good, somebody else with same thoughts on that human. That is vile and sleazy action.
Btw, ???? to Mr. Andrews on the flowers, very lovely.
+1 on the Flowers
I hope the BDH will not find out who uploaded the book to the pirat site. Or that person will wear a lot of tar and feathers……..
+1
yesssssss self publishing and making more $$$!
…also less restrictions on what you write. Thank you thank you thank you for keeping true to Arabella’s story (whether it ends up published or not!) rather than pigeon-holing her into a traditional romance.
All I know is most readers aren’t going to notice where a book is published. I saw it on Amazon when I searched your name and clicked the pre-order button. It must be difficult for new authors though, but I suppose there is where the publishing houses are still very much important.
But, I’ll be honest, I am a re-reader of books instead of always a new book and already have many authors who I periodically will check for book releases. I then will scan GoodReads and Amazon recommendations for similar books. I’m sure some of those recommendations came from the number of people who received free ARCs in order to get the word out, but self-published authors can also give out ARCs. The piracy thing is an issue clearly and unfortunately, but I think that would be true if you are self-published or not.
Buuuuuutttt, clearly I am not an author or an expert. Just my ideas from a reader’s standpoint.
You can follow authors on amazon, and it will send a notification when they publish a new book
The amount you get for self-publishing, specifically ebooks… Is there much difference between resellers? For example, does Amazon let you keep more/less than Nook or Wal-Mart or whomever else sells ebooks, or is there an industry standard that they all kind of stick to?
I love reading this industry-related stuff. You explain it really well (e.g., marketing vs publicity).
As long as there are print copies for those of us who like that route. It is very annoying to follow a series line and/or an author, collect their titles from day one, only to be abandoned because the electronic is more popular. I am perfectly willing to go to trade size and pay more, but I need to see them on the shelf, be able to take them down to check a point from a previous book, etc.
Me too
Love everything and will try to be patient, lol
Boy, put down that cow ❤️❤️❤️
You write it, I’ll buy it, no matter when it comes on the market. Your stories are simply too good to pass up; even snippets make me a happy camper.
Thank you, Ilona! Just thank you.
I never want to take for granted the enormous amount of work that you and Gordon invest in these stories. I love them all, and anticipate each drop with the excitement of a day at Disneyland. You are the best.
Love the flowers!
I buy your books regardless of how they are published. But I would like the more money option myself. 😉
And YES to Arabella books.
Beautiful beautiful flowers. Consideration and love from Gordon on both of your successes in Blood Heir.
If you self publish, you certainly won’t lose your fans. I buy all my books from Amazon, and rarely go into a bookstore. Sometimes, as with your books, I buy the printed book, as well as the kindle version. That way I am covered in whatever form I want to re-read the book. And, re-read them I do many times.
Another author I love, Jana DeLeon “The Miss Fortune Series”, is self published. When I know a book of hers is coming out, I hound her web-page and Amazon, trying to get the book as soon as it comes out. I would be doing the same with you self-publishing your books. I think a lot of your readers would be right there with me.
I am also glad to see that you are looking at Arabella’s book as a trilogy. She is a complicated character, that has a lot of growing up to do, and I can only imagine the fun you will have in writing her story. And, the fun we will have in reading it.
Have something truly fun for dinner. And, have a quiet peaceful weekend. Thank you for the information on publishing. I love learning something new.
Haha man this post would have been good to forward “anonymously” to that crazy Nora Roberts fanatic…
Happy that most all of my purchases have been in ebook format (Bay Area Apartment Life 101: Get ready to move multiple times within few years due to inflated rent increases)
Congratulations on your success!
I was listening to a radio broadcast one day. The guest was another broadcaster that had published a book. The one thing that struck me about his story was that he had worked on it for a year and a half (it was non fiction) and later he said that the government made more money on the sale of the book he wrote than he did. He was laughing about that…in response to the question about quitting his day job.
This sounds like great news. 🙂
Delighted that this is all working out so well for you. So well deserved!
Happy Friday!
This is really interesting, thanks fo explaining it. I’m so glad that you found a way to keep more of the money that your art produces. Your books bring me so much joy!
I love the flowers, they are beautiful! As far as going with self published or professional published is up to you both. I read several authors who made the switch from professional to self published for their own reasons, and they seem be contiune to do well, as they have an established reader audience. As you have a very high established reader audience, I’m sure like me we will buy everything you write, and word of mouth from your fans will make up a lot of your promotion! I will follow you guys no matter what way you go with publishing!! I love everything you write!!
“…like the second Iron Covenant book.”
Oh please oh please oh please!
I try not to nag (out loud) but I want to know what happens with Hugh and Elara. Uh… I also want to know what’s going on with Dina and that bunch… And…I’d love to read Arabellas story, even if it’s not a traditional romance. Also would like to see what’s going on with Bern and Runa and Leon…
But… You know… As you get to it. No pressure… And I’m always willing to read short stories or snippets or serials or totally new stuff…
And thanks for the answer to the question about commercial vs self published. I wondered.
Love your books, and the generous way you share your writing and your life. You make many of my days brighter ????
Sounds to me as if you would be ahead to skip the publishing house and just self-publish Arabella’s story arc (whenever it fits into your schedule) and then you could write it the way you want to, instead of writing it to the publishing house’s specifications. But whatever you write, whenever you write, in whatever format you chose to bring the story to the public, I will buy it. Always in ebook and, if available, in print as well. And the flowers are beautiful.
In case people enjoy stories of self publishing, I quite liked this interview with Hugh Howie . His Wool series is good if anyone is looking for a dystopian non-romance.
https://fs.blog/knowledge-project/hugh-howey/
However you decide to publish, I’m buying it. I love my e-books, but when I go back to the office, I like the audiobooks. And of course, I still buy a couple prints…just in case my kindle dies unexpectedly…again. Just don’t tell my husband, he gets cranky when I buy more physical books (moving is a pain).
I have to say that as much as I love Nevada and Rogan, Catalina was a huge surprise for me- and I loved her character even more. I hope that we do get some Arabella novels, as I’d love to see how she handles things…but I would also love more stories with Nevada. Something that shows your adventures don’t end after getting married and having kids. Maude does that in the Inkeeper books, and I love her!
So this was my rambling way if saying, Thanks! And I love all of your books.
P.S. More Maude if you can. ????????
Yes! ????????????
Who says the adventures have to end after having a kid?! The dynamic just changes but mothers are also amazing and have there own unique adventures and stories too!
You guys did an amazing job with Kate and I enjoy your family stories in the blog. You guys can make a simple everyday situation sound so entertaining and interesting. Just show it’s how the story is told and you guys have honed your craft!
You keep humbly saying that you had a minimum of publicity for Blood Heir. I disagree. I read and re-read every chapter that you posted on the blog, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who referred friends and family to it as well. I had to buy the book when it finally came out, as I did for Maud’s story.
I don’t know why publishers are so stingy with their book snippets. The more I read, the more I know I’ll enjoy the book, the more likely I am to buy it!
Lovely flowers! Sorry to hear about someone uploading a copy to a pirated site. Hopefully they will be caught and punished.
Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions.
I am happy to read anything you write, and would love to do it in a way where you and Gordon get all the gross purchase price and get to decide where to invest in to build your business and brand.
I support other authors on patreon and kickstarter – I know there are down sides to those as well, but I do watch for ways to support creators that cut out the …. parasitical aspects of the publishing industry.
I will buy anything you release in whatever route you choose. Personally, I would choose the route with more control and financial gain.
That was A LOT of fascinating information! Thank you so much for sharing/educating me!
Also I’m in love with those flowers. So, so gorgeous!
Please, take your time. I want y’all mentally healthy and happy both bc I want that for my fellow humans – especially awesome ones like y’all, and also bc I’m selfish and realize if you burn out I won’t get any more books. So I’ll survive the waiting. And will be oh so grateful when you do gift us more books!
Thank you for all of the information! Y’all are greatly appreciated!
I am sad to know that there is a traitor hiding high among The Book Devouring Hoard, who would pirate an ARC copy. That is just so disappointing.
I am imagining a very somber mood at that tea party. Steve is probably dusting everything for fingerprints.
But Gordon wins Good Husband points for those flowers.
Perhaps they aren’t a Horde member, just a random person who got an ARC from Netgalley. Whoever they are, I hope they get permanently banned from all sites that offer ARCs and that they get convicted in a criminal and civil court for their actions.
Plus, No Tea For Them!
You are not able to write a bad book. So why should someone else take 75% of the profits of the wonderful books you create?!
But as I said your books are all wonderfull. So it is not so important in which order you publish these. I will pre-order them all.
Snippets on your site are wonderfull, but please don’t give us too much information on the story. Speculating about it is the best way to await its publishing date.
Wonderfull flowers and it was really sweet to see how much you love each other (zoom video on YouTube).
Have a nice weekend too!
Thank you, it’s always nice to know the whole process between the writing and the reading.
Lots of love, can’t wait for whatever is coming next!
Wow! The Flowers Rock! Inspiration in a floral arrangement.
Thank You for all the info.
Friday Hugs
Such beautiful flowers! Who needs a publisher when you’ve got the best husband of the year around?
I buy all you books on Kindle. All books, period. And Nook when someone gives me a B&N card. It’s so much cheaper than print Andrews I cam carry my library in my hand! Love it. So to me, self- publishing by you is more economical for me, too.
A year off is a great idea! No stress from iron-clad deadlines, too. You’ll feel better and healthier that way, which means more books for us to read. Win/win!
I’m sitting here smiling. Each of us is hooked on the characters in each of your series wanting to know what is going on in their lives like we’re the nosy neighbors of real people. Which is actually quite a compliment to you when you stop and think about it. Oh well, you publish we buy! Great flowers to mark a major accomplishment.
I love the way that was put! Readers are the “nosy neighbors” of the characters!
We also love to see what the characters are doing. I love slice of life short stories too! Anything they do is interesting to me because I get to see the situation through the characters’ perspective.
Thank you for the information. It’s great to see the inside of what you do. Even IF you have a traditional publisher, so much of being an author is not really writing.
Oh, I forgot. They flowers are beautiful. Gordon did good
Lovely flowers,they made me think of summer. I saw my first snowdrop today and that always makes me happy as they are the first of the spring flowers and the days are already getting longer.
Here in Scotland like the rest of the UK we are in lock down and our book stores are closed so thank heavens for my Kobo. I worked in retail and will not order on line unless it something that I cannot buy in a local shop, the only exception is my Kobo on which I have most of your books and the rest in paperback. Like a lot of your readers I will buy what ever you write because you never disappoint.
Take your time, enjoy your work and get the work life balance right and my finger is ready to press the “buy now “button whenever your next book is ready.
Lovely flowers and interesting post- thank you. 🙂
Also, math is my frenemy… ( I need to know math for life stuff, but I struggle with it at times.)
A year of being non-trad pub! I know you’ve covered a few things of what you do choose to outsource in the past, including printing like Ingram Spark. Some are trade-offs for not having to do everything yourselves down to shipping the books.
Just curious what else might you choose to delegate, hire independently, or contract out so you can keep some sanity?
Sometimes I recognize mostly newer indie vs slightly more established traditional->hybrid authors by the covers or amount of paid comprehensive quality edition. I enjoy the art but honestly don’t pay as much attention to it. Bad or no editing (including a certain NYT list traditional author ahem) is a huge turn off, though, which newer authors or tired authors seem to fall prey to. To be fair, some independent books I choose to buy are not great works and priced accordingly. I imagine part of the different between indie ( & paying for certain opinions) and traditional if you’re not a huge name is being told your work needs to be better. Authors who have done a good bit of traditional and go to hybrid seem to be more accepting of facing that “nope, not good enough” block a bit better, even for self published works?
Thank you Gordon for being an excellent example for hubbies everywhere!
For those of us who do not want to commit to Audible, is there an alternative place to purchase your Audiobooks? I’ve checked Kobo and other websites but can’t find the audiobook for Sweep of the Blade anywhere? Thanks.
I read your opinions on epub vs traditional pub with a lot of interest. I have also loosely read, for several years now, about what seems to been a slow, steady decline of printed books purchased. Unlike albums, cassettes, cds, vhs and dvds, this really hits close to my heart. I love books. I really love good books. I understood,from a lot of the articles, that for most authors a living wage is never going to be realized. For you to have achieved this level of success I would imagine is a testament to your artistry, hard work, but also to some extent getting into the market and getting established, before the market started shrinking. Now to my point of this long prelude to my post, I have a facebook account. I get A LOT of kindle ads for their subscription service. I have pretty much figured out, if you click on a paranormal dragon book synapses, you will get 100 more, before they give up trying to get you to read about alien dragons, shifter dragons, last of his kind dragons. If two partners used to be the edgy, darker side of of the genre than 4 is the norm now. If pirates, spies and undercover was the old grit, the new grit is abusive mafia revenge stories or abusive motorcycle club settings. If I was a new reader getting pulled into these new algorithms, I would not want to read these new authors. Honestly, if they cannot even make the snippets sound good, what are the odds the book is good?
My reader soul is so saddened to think that new authors with the potential to be wonderful like you will never get the chance to stand out in that hot mess.
Thank you for not giving up on the craft. Your books bring light to my life. I have reread my copies so often, I have to carefully hold them , so the spine does not finally give up it’s support. I have even bought a couple extras, at library book sales, fulling knowing my old friends are ready to loose all their pages any times. It is so sad to think of a world without wonderful stories. I hope you can continue to write for years to come.
You are so right! The books I get suggested to me on the back of reading X book are crazy sometimes. I don’t want to disparage someone’s work but jeeze….some of the stuff is off the charts niche and I wonder sometimes what the writer has going on in their head….. a hot mess is a good description!
My mom reads those motorcycle gang “romance” books. She recommends them to me all the time saying they are funny. No. No they are not.
Love the flowers and the details on publishing! Thank you!!!
I end up buying print and ebook copies of a lot of your books because I love having instant access when not at home, but I LOVE having a hard copy of a book to hold in my grubby little hands. 🙂
Thank you for that explanation. Now I’m worried about traditional publishers. But it occurs to me they made their bed. And if they want to survive, they need to reinvent themselves. I wish them luck.
Also thanks for a rough update on what to expect from house Andrews in the next year or so. You keep writing and publishing, I will keep reading and buying.
Beautiful flowers, purple is my favorite color!!!! Congrats on the release!!! You guys deserve all the props!!! Thanks for the q&a too… have a great weekend!
After reading the post – My first thought was, “for 3/4 of the money the publisher better send flowers!”
But heck, numbers don’t lie and with the extra profit you can buy your own darn flowers!
Your book on the NYT best seller list just goes to show that exceptional authors can self-publish and match the publishing houses at their own game. It just seems that commercial publishing are going to have to re-think and change some of their business practices to remain as relevant in the changing world.
One difference I have noticed between Blood Heir and your previous books is in library purchasing. The library I use, Chicago Public Library, seems to have all of your previous books, in paper and frequently in eBook and purchased them promptly when they came out. However, it does not have Blood Heir. I did put in a request before the book came out but it still has not been purchased. I don’t know whether that is because their budget is very tight now or if they are slow to purchase self-published books. I just went ahead and bought the eBook myself. Usually I wait until after I read the library book and then buy if I want the eBook available for re-reads. I bought the whole Innkeeper series because I re-read them a lot.
Hi Phyllis, I suggest you call or email your library and ask to be placed on the holds list and when they think it will be ordered.
It could be several things, but most likely they can’t order until this year’s budget is passed, and they didn’t pre-order it before the budget year ended.
Or Amazon is experiencing fulfillment issues. My library has a Prime membership and we ordered Blood Heir in mid-November. It came January 11 (a day before release) and was printed the week before. I don’t have Prime and ordered my personal copy December 2; it came yesterday, printed on the 18th January. I think the BDH crashed the print-on-demand system! ????
I’ve been indulging in a relisten to the Hidden Legacy saga. Looking forward to the next book. I also have a great curiosity about the nature of the Keeper’s magic which sounds very sinister. And Leonora’s magic.
But anything you write will be great. Innkeeper is next on the roster for relisten. I really want more of Maud and Arland.
Fabulous and well deserved flowers. And what does your spouse person get?
Happy Friday. Congratulations on the book release and sales. I loved every minute of reading it, can’t wait to catch everything I missed once I do the first reread!
Can you self publish an Arabella storyline or is anything Hidden Legacy related tied up with Avon? Just curious. Very excited for your self publishing success and the freedom this will give you to pursue the stories we, oops I meant you ????, want.
I had the same question!
Reread the post. It answers your question.
It’s really simple, if you write it, we will read it no matter whom the publishers are. Beautiful flowers but doggies always steal the picture.
Beautiful flowers. You guys have so much love in your family. My husband doesn’t buy flowers, he thinks they are a grand marketing scheme… I buy for myself from time to time!
I think each of the Baylor sisters is more interesting than the previous! I mean, I love them all but Arabella has so much capacity for humor and more…
I loved Blood Heir. It’s interesting to visit all these different worlds! In the moment I love whichever one I’m reading or rereading!
Happy writing and continued success.
Arabella can wait, I want more stories with Catalina and Alesandro. A couple of novelas while Arabella grows up and matures a little more. 🙂
Wow tank you for these comprehensive posts
I’d be perfectly happy to have Arabella on her own, without the romance part.
Thanks for the explanation! I’m not a writer myself, but I was wondering about the differences between self-publishing and going with a publisher.
The flowers are lovely!
Re: Arabella’s carousel of potential love interests complicating the horizon for her possible book(s), but also a general question perhaps… Have you ever considered a non-straight hero/heroine as the central relationship in the novel/series? Arabella came to mind for me because she feels ultra modern and very “anything goes,” so to speak. I’m not sure if y’all have ever addressed this before.
Sexual orientation is not a choice. You can’t just take a character who has been established as firmly heterosexual over the course of 6 books and suddenly decide that she is bi now because “anything goes.” People struggle with their sexuality. It’s a very serious issue for a lot of them, and we are not going to be flippant about it.
While we always include people of different sexual orientation in our work, we do not plan to write a non-hetero protagonist at this time. Some people would view it as an intrusion of a hetero person into a traditionally LGBTQ spaces, and we respect their point of view.
Well, there could always be a Barabas and Christopher short story, right?
Meybe about them adopting Sophia *wink*wink*
????
Ah, I never meant to suggest a flippant switch of sexual identity, sorry if that came off as cavalier. I haven’t done a full re-read in a long while and Arabella’s strong previously expressed interests must have faded from my mind when I was devouring the current main character’s plight.
I totally respect your decision to stick to what you’ve been expertly doing and write straight couples and include other pairings as secondary characters to flesh out your world and make it reflect the real world around you.
For my part, as a gay woman and a writer, I don’t think that I agree with people who feel LGBTQ people are the only people who should write fiction with an LGBTQ main character/characters if that fiction is well written. I understand how some people may feel that differently. (Especially in romance, which I sometimes forget the Hidden Legacy books are… oops?)
But for me, I wish that we didn’t need to have “LGBTQ” books and “straight” books. We should just have books. The orientation of the author(s) shouldn’t factor into it. I would like to just pick up an urban fantasy novel and whoever the hero or heroine flirts with, same gender, different gender, people accept it and the book doesn’t get put into a different category.
I recognize that there’s good and bad reasons that it doesn’t work that way, though. I’m just frustrated by the bad ones.
I’ll hop off the soap box and say thank you so very much for always bringing quality content and engaging, lifelike characters and realtionships. (That’s the main reason I’d love to see an LGBTQ main ‘ship in a novel from you, because I have no doubt you’d craft an epic and hilarious one that would stand toe to toe with your best. :))
Congratulations again for all the much earned and very deserved success with Blood Heir, it was 100% worth the wait!
Big butt! Arabella!
Also, I’m glad you’re in a position to have different distribution avenues. It’s great that self-publishing Blood Heir was received with much success and that it could mean more to come 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
So glad that Blood Heir has been such a blessing and so popular!
Yay ,that means more…more …more!
????
You know you could get us to send you about 2000 of those floral arrangements right? Just say the word… But what a darling thing for Gordon to do!
I really truly love posts like this. I love knowing the numbers and the strategies. I’m just a nerd for it.
FWIW I almost exclusively buy ebook/audiobook. Unless it’s a favorite author AND it’s a hardcover.
So I hope you continue to do special editions with SubPress and the like. And I’d love to see any of your work interpreted by Graphic Audio.
As someone in the video game industry who once received income from royalties I appreciate your answer to the question. Thank you for the in depth analysis. Bern would be proud.
Way to go Gordon! ????
I learn so much from your blog posts. The publishing world is so interesting, probably more for those of us who don’t have to deal with it, so thanks for sharing!
“This has cropped up repeatedly, so let me reiterate that we are grateful for every sale. If you buy it in ebook, if you buy it in print, or if you borrow it from the library, if you find it for a penny in a used bookstore, buy it, someone else did. We want you to enjoy our work in the way most convenient to you. The most important thing is that purchasing our books is easy and guilt-free.”
Every time you post this, I cry. My book budget has never been large, and the pandemic has severely affected my income. It is so nice that you let us know we shouldn’t feel guilty if we can’t always buy the books we love. I used a gift card to finish my Innkeeper collection, which I believe is the finest thing you have ever written. Thank you so much.
I too am missing Dina and her magical mind bending bed and breakfast.
I slurped up Blood Heir like a fly to the frog. And now Jeremiah wants more.
Before: Joy to the World
https://youtu.be/Dp7KfG9AjaY
Jeremiah is now a crazy frog.
After: Crazy frog
https://youtu.be/k85mRPqvMbE
Thank you for sharing this and thank you for your amazing writing. ???? Realistically, just tell us when and what to buy. The only way I know a book is being released is through this blog or your Facebook page. Very rarely have I seen other forms of publicity or marketing… Mind you I already love you guys and will purchase anything from you, so I’m not really the target audience. Anyways, you do you, math never lies, you killed it with this self-published release!!!! Just tell me when and where and take my money.
Thank you again for all the joy! When I saw the stats you published I thought, well dang no publisher to buy you flowers, and then Gordon to the rescue!
Rest is important. I hope you both can kick back and have some fun.
As always If you write it I will buy it. Thank you again!
Ilona this may be weird as anything but i listened to the zoom party and you have a nice voice. It has a lilt or something. Anyways, creepy statements aside but i have a question for you, do you miss living in russia? Or is that too personal?
Congratulations!!!!
Long May You Reign!!
I love the idea that Arabella’s story would have multiple suitors! It’s not that I’m big on love triangles, but some uncertainty and feeling out of possible partners sounds interesting.
Looking forward to everything you both have planned.
Thanks for all the explanations 🙂 it’s great to hear what you are planning in future. That said, I will happily buy any book you choose to write at whatever point you publish it. I have a special wish list on Amazon called “not yet published” where all my favourite authors go and your books naturally get added to that. I look at it every so often, and scroll up and down it wistfully. I think the important thing is for you to feel enthusiastic about whichever particular series you are currently writing. I know writing can be hard work, but overall I hope you enjoy creating your stories as much as we do reading them.
You definitely have an established audience! I’m buying both online and actual book in hand versions of all your books. I will continue to do so as long as you put them out there. Ive been an avid reader since I was around 15. I don’t plan to stop.
I really appreciate your willingness to talk business, strategy, and money so openly. Between all the myths and misconceptions out there, and the way the industry has been in flux for the past couple of decades, having people with current, relevant, hard-won experience breaking it down like this is invaluable. Thank you!
(Plus, it’s fascinating!)
I kind of love knowing that Arabella wouldn’t fit into the traditional Avon model. Avon as an imprint has some gems in their lineup and I will give a book a second look if I see their logo on the cover. But Arabella absolutely marches to the beat of her own spangled badass drum line, and I would be thrilled to read her story exactly as you intended.
I kinda feel guilty about purchasing ebooks from Amazon because of their rep, but it is convenient for me in terms of delivery, it solves my storage problem and back lit text RULZ! Y’all use Amazon and you make bank there, and while that might not be a glowing seal of approval, I’m gonna consider it a win-win.
Please keep writing. Blood Heir began as serial snippets when we were all reeling from the pandemic and it turned into an amazing book and now a series. I hope it helped y’all as much as it helped us get thru this. The ‘Rona isn’t done with us yet, but I feel we are at least on the downslope.
A year off, huh? Well, I’ll just have to wait during that period, because House Andrews certainly deserves a break.
Hi Kamchak,
“A year off from traditional publishing”, meaning House Andrews will self-publish, not take a break from giving us books at all.
I hope this helps ????
MOAR BOOKS!
WOO HOO!
Thanks for this ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse! What I love is that I know people who won’t touch e-books (for a variety of reasons) but I bet they would if they knew they were benefiting the author…
Thank you for giving us fun stuff to read, no matter which series it is. At this point, I would buy any book you wrote, even if it was something totally new. Your wok is definitely entertaining.
Thanks for this post, it really has everything:
Beautiful flowers
Interesting publishing info I wouldn’thave known about
A villain- really hope this netgalley leak gets fixed, since it’s a real shame!
And lots of good news, since no matter what you decide to self publish (Julie, Iron Covenant 2, unknown project, Innkeeper, Arabella, Roman and whatever else has been floating around in the comments) it sure is amazing. Just announce the preorder link whenever you are ready and until then I am glad to wait and see which world and and which person(s) calls to you and gets their story told next.
Thanks for sharing the business aspect of publishing. How do audio versions fit into the self publishing versus traditional publisher? Also, will you consider including identifying the English narrators of each book on your site?
Thanks for update. Selfpub makes total sense.:)
My son is a songwriter/producer, and he has the same concerns as far as contract/advance versus self promoting. A little different as he only has to sell a song or produced product once, but I recognized the similarities. Whichever way you decide to go, the BDH is always ready to support and promote. We love your books too much.
Oh, man. Arabella having several possible love interests sounds both fun and terrifying. A ship war within the BDH would be a sight to behold.
I kind of assumed she’d end up with the water mage dude but since that’s not a sure thing I am curious if we’ve met all or even any of the potential love interests.
I’m sure I’ll like whatever you guys decided to write. I’ve yet to read anything from you guys that I dislike. Y’all are awesome like that.
Hi Moderator R,
Wasn’t sure where to ask this question, but has the FB fan site been closed? It’s now showing up as private for me. Previously I used to go to the page and read the funny commentary and questions without having to make an account – is there any way to still do that?
Thanks!
Hello Neeta,
You will have to apply for membership in order to view content. This has been a decision taken with Ilona’s explicit approval, in order to protect content shared specifically just for the group (by both authors and fans).
*waves the Innkeeper flag*
Hi. Luv your books, obviously. Hate ebooks. Grew up holding paper books, plus well just don’t like reading on an electronic device. I luv my books on a bookshelf, i luv the comfort of seeing my books, and being embraced by my favorites.
The difficult part for choosing a self published book in any form from an unheard of author is sometimes its trash, filled with typos, and no editing. So im stuck buying books from proven authors such as yourselves. Also I have observed self published authors compare themselves to awesome authors, put up what have to be fake reviews, and good artwork. And they are a joke.
So for me to choose an unknown self published work is a tough sell, and a huge gamble.
Im glad you are going to receive all your profits. All your books are going to be on my bookshelf, pending getting a new (another) bookcase for my overflowing books.
And if any paper book lover can recommend the best electronic reader (should it come that????), please inform me!
At this point i have only a phone. No computer, etc…
I have the Kindle Water Fi – waterproofed and I love it. Not a tablet. Has paper white screen. Easiest on the eyes. They are not available at the moment but Amazon has their own waterproof version now
It is a good size, comfortable in the hands for a long time and if you drop it in the bath or pool no problem.
https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Kindle-Paperwhite-Waterproof-Storage/dp/B07CXG6C9W
I like my iPad mini. Unlike the paper white kindle, it’s difficult to read in sunlight, but it has the added advantage of being able to add apps to do many things. I read on the kindle app for amazons mobi files, the nook app for the ePub files. There are others that can do the same and apparently transform mobi to ePub. I listen to audiobooks on several different apps as well, depending on where I bought the book. Amazons Audible app works only with their proprietary file format, just as an FYI.
Any tablet of your choice will do the same. Make sure it has WiFi (should be standard) and Bluetooth (not always standard).
I was against e-books for a long time, but the Kindle Paperwhite changed my mind. It reads like a paper page, not like a screen. The only concern is water, but you have that with a book too. I’d definitely spring for a waterproof version, if it’s in your budget. If it’s not, you can get an older Paperwhite pretty reasonable.
I like the Paperwhite because it’s back-lit, which makes reading in the dark possible (I started while breastfeeding my son at night to help me stay awake ????), but it also works well in bright sunlight too (unlike a phone or tablet screen). Plus, I can bring hundreds (maybe thousands?) of books with me wherever I go, so I’m not limited to just 1 or 2, in case I go through them or change my mind about what I want to read. ????
Also, my 89 year old grandma really likes her Kindle because we can make the text as big as she needs (her eyesight is failing). She is not a tech or a gadget person. She doesn’t even have a cell phone. So, if text size is an issue for you, there’s a plus to consider. Full disclose, I put all the books on it for her, but it’s not hard to do. Also, you most likely can borrow e-books from your library with it (ours is tiny and they still do it). ????
The Kindle Paperwhite is excellent. I used that for quite awhile and bought them for family members because I liked it so well, The price is very reasonable and it does go on sale periodically. I then switched to the older Kindle Oasis which I love. I switched to it is because it was smaller and lighter. The old version is smaller than the newer versions. The Oasis is pricy though.
Thank you so much for writing all these lovely books that help me escape from reality when life gets too much! ❤
And Arabella series where there are more than 1 possible love interest sounds amazing and so like her character as the youngest sister!
Even if it may not be a paranormal romance centric series we know you deliver amazing urban fantasy adventures. Just like how you did with Julie’s book in how you stayed true to how you envisioned the characters progressing, in the end we were all delightfully surprised at how she turned out. Others may have doubts but I trust your writing vision. It was what sucked me into your books.
Whichever way you guys end of publishing it, please know I’m willing to wait for an Arabella trilogy (or longer if you have more story to tell ????). She deserves to have her story told like her sister.
It makes it balanced, since there’s Nevada books, 1 transition novella, 3 Catalina books; to complete it with 1 transition novella and 3 Arabella books.
I believe I’m not the only one who thinks like this.
Also, congratulations! ????????
I love any of your books in any format I can get them! And yay(!) that you are now able to keep the lion share of the profits.
Beautiful flowers!
I hate being “that person” but will we ever know where Dina’s parents are? And see the reunion with Klaus? I’m okay with the answer being “Nope” cause I’ll just make up fun and impractical scenarios in my head. 🙂
Right now, I have three authors that I would deeply miss if the future held no more books from them – Nora Roberts, Martha Wells (because Murderbot!), and you. Thank you for all you do and are.
Really interesting. I’m sure I’m not the only person who is shocked at how little an author receives from each book. And, not to be a weird, geeky fan… I really hope you both know and really understand how much pleasure and enjoyment and relief from an everyday boring life your books and stories bring to many of your readers. When things get tough, please know there are many of us wishing you the very best and truly appreciate what you put into your work. So, enjoy your year off…I’m sure you need it, but you will be sorely missed
Hello Karen,
“A year off from traditional publishing”- Ilona means that they will focus on the self published series, not that they will not put out any books for a year.
I hope this helps ☺️
Beautiful flowers ????
So if a writer gets an advance and the book does not sell well do they have to repay part of the advance? Or does it affect future contracts – no contract / no advance etc.? Or it varies per the contract in place?
Happy Friday ????
You guys are so awesome. Do whatever you need to do and we will forever buy every single thing you print! Thanks for the update and please have a great weekend!
Whatever you decide, we’re good with it. And this sounds like an experiment worth trying. You can always do some of the traditional route too – later (but only if they make it worth your while).
P.S. Love the flowers! Beautiful.
Ooft. There’s clearly more to ‘being a writer’ than just writing!
The flowers are beautiful! And thank you also for the information. Simply put I intend to buy whatever you publish, whenever you publish it, and however you publish it. I have my favorites of your works but all of what you have written has been very good. As a reader it’s a sense of relaxing into a comfortable nook when I read one of your books. So thank you both very much for that!
If anyone was uncertain about it (doubtful), Gordon is a keeper!
Fabulous flowers (and no iffy lily types to bother the cats and dogs)!
My only worry about your “year-off from traditional publishing” is that you will work too hard. Please remember to schedule some time off in there somewhere.
Thank you for all the wonderful stories you have let us in on already. Write what you want and never worry if it will sell. You two don’t write bad books. You *really* would not bother to publish one.
I will always buy your books as long as you write them. I hope to be waiting impatiently for your next release when I leave this world for the next one. (Luckily, I am much older than you are, so there’s no pressure there.)
Thanks for the information. I always love to learn how things work. And math. Love math. ????You guys rock!
It’s pretty clear to me that traditional publishing relies heavily on unknown authors needing their promotional tools.
Given those numbers, for established authors with a fan base, there is little point for not self publishing.
I mean, the added value of a publisher seems to be their promotional tools, once you no longer need them, its time to cut the cord.
Gordon has good taste. You guys definitely need the break. Your BDH will be here.
Thank you for the lowdown. Who knew? I am on the waiting list at the Books-2-Go at my library for Blood Heir. Very much looking forward to Ruby Fever. Know that it will blow me away. Your books always do.
BTW, Gordon…the flowers are beautiful and so much better coming from you, I’m sure.
The cool thing with Ingram Spark, is that not only independent book stores, but because it is Ingram, Libraries can order it too. Also, it is very satifying to see the copies pop up on Overdrive with several dozen holds on it.
As for the Netgally pirate. I hope you are able to prosecute. Advance readers are for reading and reviewing. Then you buy your own copy or two when it is published.
I would welcome an Arabella series, but I also like most all of your other works. Thanks!
In the Wall St Journal today their list shows Blood Heir as #1 in Fiction Ebooks and #3 Fiction combined. Data compiled by NPD BookScan. Congrats again ????
I do love that Gordon bought Ilona flowers. Now, did Ilona buy Gordon flowers? Or did Gordon’s flowers come for both of you?
I was certain that authors got ripped off like crazy, and you’ve given me proof of that. I have read books from struggling authors because they are on Kindle Unlimited lists. I would assume without proof that authors who offer books that way get a few cents for every copy borrowed. I know I met the Innkeeper series there. Back when book stores actually existed in this area, I had already read the Kate Daniels series and the Edge. Some struggling authors on those lists are very good at writing. Some are in desperate need of editors. But now and then, I find a book that’s so good that when the author does not offer on that list, I will hunt through libraries to see if I can find their new book or bite the bullet and buy it, when it’s a new series. I won’t follow a series that starts there and leaves at the next book.
But you have raised a joy in me by getting on the best seller lists because I was always under the impression that publishing houses paid to put their books on them. When I see some of the books on those lists, I think, “What?!? Who wants to read that?” Your books, no matter how filled with violence or suffering, are always filled with characters I can get to know in depth who are fully fleshed out as people, not flat and false. I can identify with what drives them.
I’m glad you plan to take some time off, but if Blood Heir is the only book you’re publishing this year, I can’t read it that many times to keep me occupied, so I’ll have to hunt down some more books. So I will continue to read this blog, I will read anything I can find that may interest me, and I will continue to wait as long as I can. And I will try very hard to keep myself going so I can read Ruby Fever when it’s released. After the year you’ve had, you need some down time. I do, too, and I am taking it, so I know you need to take some, too. Recharge, and know that your readers will here, ready to reach out and grab whatever you write. Life is good. You need to enjoy every now and then and let the work wait.
One of the authors I read stated in an email answer to me that authors in Kindle Unlimited get paid by the number of words read. I was surprised…I assumed it was by how many books were borrowed.
This is a side-ways remark–maybe–but I remember that you also have word limits in traditional publishing. Does this hold true for you, with self-published books? Obviously, you want and need to tighten up the work, remove redundancies that may occur, keep the the plot on track–however, if you were to discover you naturally create awesome novels that are significantly longer, are you open to this? I know it really ups the print cost–not so with digital, correct? Or am I way off?
Just curious. And of course, you two are some of the top tier writers. I would read a 900 page novel from you in a heartbeat, and happily pay for that pleasure.
I was thinking along these lines too! My thought about self-publishing was that “Maybe now they won’t have to cut chunks and we can have ALL the words!”. (Rubs greedy little hands together) It probably doesn’t work that way, but I’m hopeful. ????????????
Yup. Congrats!
LOUD CHEERS AND GREAT REJOICING!!!!!
I can wait for both Iron Covenant 2 and the second Ryder book. Not patiently, but I can wait. Especially since there is supposed to be a third for both.
THANK YOU!
By the way, I’m looking forward to Arabella’s story even more than I am Ruby Fever.
And I am assuming you will eventually get around to another Innkeeper story or three.
Who, me? A fan? Whyever would anybody think that?
Ultimately you must do what is best for you and the family, I will be content(but not happy)to wait for the next book.And I want all the books, it’s like meeting old friends. I would rather have a well crafted book every year, rather than a quick fix. I do read authors who tell a great story, but I find myself punctuating and correcting spelling throughout. I can get past it, as I couldn’t write a book for £1 million.
I love the way you share your lives with us and are normal people, with everyday concerns. In this most peculiar year, Thank you and keep on keeping on. Stay well.
+1
The flowers are lovely and so is Gordon!
Consider yourself the Field of Dreams; if you write it I’ll buy and I’ll buy it three different ways (book, ebook and audio). If there’s another way to enjoy it, let me know.
And I’ll buy them whenever you publish them.
Enjoy your year off, Rereading your books until a new one comes along is no hardship.
Thank you both for all the awesomeness.
Gorgeous flowers! And thanks so much for the very interesting look into the publishing industry.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing the publishing info. It’s nice to see behind the curtain. Friends, gotta love them. My friends and I were determined to get me on a roller coaster. I was terrified of the drops. By trial and error, we found that I could ride the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk if I drank two canned Budweisers and ate one corn dog, or one Mickey’s Big Mouth and one corn dog. Never the greasy pizza! So much fun.
Great info… pretty flowers… have a great weekend ❤️
How long do you write every day? Is it an hour or so in the morning, and then several hours off doing other tasks while snippets of conversation and plot float around your brain? Or is it a long hard slog where you get it all in the manuscript and then go back and rewrite portions? I love the way your characters talk and think. It all sounds so natural, but I suspect it takes a lot of work to get that breezy, easy feel.
Thanks for sharing how the math works – illuminating. Regarding future writing plans I’m sending subliminal message(s): Innkeeper Chronicles, Innkeeper Chronicles, Innkeeper …..
Good for you guys! I’m so excited for all of these series!! (yay, RF! Yay, Iron Covenant! Yay, Arabella! Yay, blood heir!) I love them all.
I do have my fingers crossed that both Arabella and Leon will eventually get their own books. (We can hope, right?)
Nice flowers, you both deserve them 🙂 Does going the self published route mean it’ll be less stress as there won’t be hard deadlines and formulas to follow?
I think the ebook publishing industry has opened the door for so many authors who would never have had a chance in traditional publishing. Some of my favorite books are self published. I read way more of those now than I do big name published books.
If you do go to completely self published, I hope it means we’ll eventually get more hardcover editions from Subterranean Press. I love the ones I’ve bought from them, especially since they tend to have illustrations added. They are a bit expensive, but I don’t buy many physical books anymore, except from a few select authors. So when I do, I’m happy that they are extra-special. (mostly because I can’t store any more books. I’d need a much bigger house.) I love the art that was done for Kinsmen, I’d be so excited to see the art that could be done for Iron Covenant (and the artist nailed it on Julie for Blood Heir, I think). I’ve read Kinsmen so many times; those novellas have become a comfort read for me if I’m not feeling well or can’t sleep. Thanks for all your hard work.
Congrats to my faves. The book was excellent and we are all looking forward to the next chapter for Aurelia. Any word on the INN??
This was fascinating to read, thank you!
There are two big reasons I love you as authors: (1) you are wicked funny, and (2) you are wicked smart.
Per today’s post: “I really wish you would actually read what we post,” – says every teacher everywhere. ????
Have you considered bringing the KD series to life as an HBO or Netflix series? It would be worth having a treatment done. It could be amazing, especially with the CGI meld that is now possible…
Hi, I saw a recent interview with Gordon and Ilona (YouTube) and they said they had shopped it around. I got really excited, but then they said there hadn’t been any interest. So sad! But I took it as HA was open to that so maybe Yay! in the future.
So it sounds like self publishing is the best money for you. If you go that way how would I get ebooks from you I’m currently using kindle. And I really like those flowers ???? I guess I’m afraid of not being able to purchase your books
Hello Deborah,
Preorder and order links will always be provided here on the blog for any of the books.
For Kindle, the ebooks will be available through Amazon.
I hope this helps ????
The only request that I have is to keep on writing!!! Hopefully some day another “Innkeeper” sequel will appear and we will find out what Klaus has found out about their parents and their Inn! Thank you for your creativity and May the force be with you and the odds ever in your favor!
Please please please Iron Covenant!
Just so you know, if you ever wonder about it, I read EVERY word you put out there. Mainly because I admire your transparency, but mostly I don’t ever want to take you for granted. That said, Wow! Publishing is more convoluted than I ever dreamed. I am so grateful to share the planet with you and look forward to whatever you get written and out to us. PERIOD!
P.S. The flowers are great. I have a bouquet here beside me and gave them a sniff as I looked at yours for that 3-D experience.
Honestly, I’m just grateful I get to read what you write. It’s eye opening to see how little author’s actually make on each book sold.
I’m happy when I have one of your books in my hot little hands. As long as there is way to get the books you write I’m happy to support whatever path you choose.
A fascinating look inside the business; thank you.
Aw, Gordon. Way to go with the flowers. And Ilona they’re greatly deserved.
You’re absolutely right on what you said. ^_^ I just wanted to add to it for the benefit of the BDH. ^_^
I worked on the tv & film entertainment side of the industry, and there’s a lot of similarities between book placement and home video (dvd/blu-ray, etc.) placement.
Publishers have a catalog or Sales Book that is sent out to the buyers at retailers on a regular basis, so those retailers are handfed what’s coming. Not just for any author, but all of them. That catalog or sales book is what they use to pitch the title, and to help them manage inventory with pre-book dates (i.e. the date a retailer has to put in their order and quantity of units by) so that the publisher knows how many books to order, the books can be printed and shipped so the physical good arrives in retailers on release date.
That catalog is more than just title, art, summary and date but comes partnered with marketing points and sales points (especially so for established authors or series) including things like past sales, awards won, any other entertainment tie-ins (tv series, movies, games, merch, etc.), if there’s cross promotions, etc. This is a Business-to-Business pitch for people looking to make business decisions on what to carry, and how many copies at that. The publisher builds relationships with the buyers. And overtime that trust can mean even when a series doesn’t seem a shoe-in, they might on the word of their recommendation and past relationship building trust between them, be able to convince the buyer to carry it.
Sometimes there are odd issues at retail. Every retailer has their own odds and ins, and certain things they want. American military bases have their PX stores, to get into retail there your cover and copy has to meet certain requirements. Especially sometimes for PX stores and bases in other countries. Some other stores also have certain requirements or they won’t carry it either. Sometimes the publisher knowing this, might float an early idea of a cover design to the retailer to make sure there’s no issues, and if so will revise so they can get the placement.
That relationship with the retailer can be a BIG thing. Very few companies have the ability to pitch directly to certain big chain retailers for instance, and those stores can have very key product thresholds for promotion in their store. If you can get in at that time it’s a HUGE promotional boon and win. I can guarantee an individual author would never be able to have that meeting. Some retailers also are actually run differently between brick-and-mortar location and they hire out to a third party their online presence. This is why you might be able to say X site is selling my book, but if you look closely there’s not a single sell of the product as it’s buried in a sea of other work, and buried in a sea of copyright infringing bootlegged merchandise and more garbage.
I also want to say sometimes it’s also not relying solely on your own sales book going out to retailers, but knowing what distribution outlets work with smaller independents (comics stores, coffee shops with some book sales, indy book stores, etc.) and knowing how to get your sales book pages included in their catalog.
Publishers also will typically include your content for Library sales, which are managed very differently than normal book sales (I know you know that, but some folks in the BDH may not). Usually with ebook controls too.
As you mentioned they might work with a book retailer for signage which is in store paid advertising, and usually comes as part of physical placement in store. Want the book forward facing on the shelf? Want an entire shelf, or an entire end cap display? Want the most obvious placement? Or placement at the cashier checkout? Want placement in the storefront window? In the circular, newsletter, etc. that retailer puts out? They pay for that. They also have to get all the specs and oversee the graphic design of it too, printing, and deliverable of the asset so it arrives in time for installation at the retailer. While if you do something like a big chain that could be thousands of stores. (Some retailers may let you pay them for them to do all that themself).
That can also include things like developing special skus per each retailer. Now this is a rarity reserved for the really big series, but it does happen. Maybe X book with a bag at retailer Y, and X book with several illustrated pages for retailer Z. or maybe X book with a variant cover foil there.
Publishers have complex timing schedules that say when they list it for sale at X date, when they start solicitation for orders from retailers, when they have their publicity campaign running, when and where they’re doing advertising. Will they make a book trailer? This is what we do when it releases, and when it becomes a catalog title, and ho we plan to keep milking this book for the next 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. This is why they schedule sales to keep the title in mind in an increasingly crowded market. And especially for longer series to try to always have periodic sales on the early book(s) to gain new entrants. This also includes things like ways to massage the catalog like complete box sets, re-issuing a special collection book embracing a certain number of titles in the series (like books 1-3, books 4-6).
Depending on the contractual rights they may or may not be shopping your book around for film and tv development too. And even if they don’t directly have those rights some of the really excellent publishers have connections with the wider entertainment world and sometimes can do a title drop at the right spot and with the right person.
In addition to Publicity, that also means sometimes things like award submissions.
They follow market trends, and invest in new technologies as they come available. They identify market opportunities. Is a certain genre suddenly trending again? Boom, perfect time for a book set release of X series in the genre! Or maybe it’s time to just do a new release and price the book relatively low as it’s older and relatively forgotten so we can move units again.
They may reach out to their other writers they manage and help coordinate quotes and publicity to help with newer writers and works. I don’t want to suggest that these are somehow just paid for reviews. But many new authors wouldn’t even know how to reach out or feel uncomfortable doing so to ask an established author if they’d be willing to do so.
No matter what is going on in the personal life of an author, fighting for your life with cancer? A loved one facing hospice care? You just want to retire and have drinks on the beach without working. They’re in theory still selling your book, and seeing it’s fulfilled. And just sending along royalty payments to you, your designated estate or heirs.(Albeit the recent Disney and book writers not getting their royalties after they bought out other companies controversy tells me be careful how your contracts are worded).
While it varies by publisher, some will have dedicated personnel to tackle copyright infringement, getting it taken down and going after those who do it. They’ll copyright register the work, which gives them more options when pursuing copyright infringement cases. An individual creator can do this too, but it’s more tasks not directly related to writing they have to do. They keep up on copyright law, like how the recent CASE act gives them even more tools against infringement.
Time is money.
Most things can be learned and done, but how much time would a creator invest in this besides actually focusing on the work: in this case writing. There’s pros and cons of course. No one path to success. But any author should definitely be asking what value do they bring ME at this time in my career. What makes the most sense to me in my situation. ^_^ Sometimes it can be helpful to see how a big company does it, learn those lessons and take them to apply on your own.
And I absolutely love the fact how transparent you are Team Andrews, as I think it really does help other writers in our midst. <3
Wow! That’s a lot of really good information! I love learning about things that I have no knowledge of. Thank you! ????
@Breann – ^_^ You’re welcome.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post.
Speaking for me, myself and I— I will buy from Amazon be it ebook or dead tree. Dead trees work when power goes out or you are holed up in barn waiting out t-storm. But I have limited shelf space. Sigh sigh.
Amazon because they can find me despite the significantly off GPS and delivery guys are always polite and civil even the freaked out by Titan ones.
So whatever you two decide is best for you during your sabbatical away from traditional publishing. I see self publishing pros and cons as well as traditional publishing.
Totally off topic but for a moment I thought that arabella was going to have a romance arc with runa etterson, I thought it was being built up as two individuals who have a sort of distrusted and potentially dangerous power that could easily be misused, and that they both had the same sort of all gas no break personality way of dealing with that stigma.
I was very excited for a bit, but I trust you guys to pull off a satisfying arc regardless.
Arabella and romance novel tropes – It was interesting when the True Blood series wrapped up. People were surprised/upset when Sookie ended up with Sam because of all the other potential partners she had during the series that they were rooting for. I was not. He was the person in book one of the series who was secretly in love with her. So I thought then that he was the one she would end up with.
For Arabella, I am just interested in her romantic journey. The person who would be perfect for her at 18 is not necessarily the person she wants for the rest of her life. She is still growing up (nicely, BTW) and I am reminded of the Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers”.
I am a reviewer who uses Netgalley but their policy means that only if you can show who posted it then they will get banned otherwise it is considered a guess. I do remember getting an ARC that allow the author to track each file so you can find out who shared it but I don’t know if that only works for epub formats. I also know other writers who control their own ARC releases for their self published work with it linked to their blog/newsletter this seems to keep the ARCs to true fans who don’t pirate/share the books.
Does this mean you could switch over and self publish Arabella’s story? I only ask, because she’s AWESOME. Years ago my sister and I loved a sci-fi series by Ann Maxwell. Then she changed publishers and claimed she couldn’t write that series anymore. It was awful!! That damn cliffhanger’s been in the back of my mind for 40 Years.
If it was the Dancer books I’m right there with you and your sister!
I LOVE little bookstores. Malaprops in Asheville (you did a featured live chat with their moderator in 2020)is my favorite bookstore ever and if something is in paperback I will always buy it there. I like to share my bought books with others. That said, I am an avid Kindle reader who is ok with that media as well.
I concur from other comments that your readers will buy in whatever form it is published in!! We appreciate the fine, fun, fiction y’all bring us. Do they say y’all in Texas or is that a southern, eastern word?
Possibly stupid question but couldn’t you release the ARCs with strategic words different between copies so you can prove the identity and deal with those persons who prove to be untrustworthy? Betrayal on that level should have consequences.
Not a stupid question at all, Roger. I pretty much asked Ilona the same thing. When we gave away e copies, we would mark, number or make little changes so that it if it was uploaded to a pirate site, we could trace it back to the original recipient. Not sure why this wasn’t done. There should be some way to trace it back. Sadly, the only real consequences we could impose would be to not send stuff to that person in the future.
I loved Arabella in „The cool Aunt“ and yeah, I can see that her story would be more UF material than the strictly romantic kind… well, since I prefer UF to PNR, I‘d be more than happy, if Arabella got her own, probably incredibly cool book ????
But then, I always love what you write, so I‘m good with whatever you publish ????
So sad and so happy at the same time. I’m still hoping for a few Arabella books. But I just finished Blood Heir and I cannot wait for more! I purposely avoided the blog posts, so I wasn’t too sure where this book was going – it blew away all expectations. LOVED IT!! I love all the Kate Daniels World stories. The characters are great, the incorporation of ancient mythology is fun, the world building is meticulous. I’m going to miss Knight Ryder???? Can’t wait for the next book.
Also, dying to hear about Hugh’s son who likes to pick up cows????
Another question burning a hole in my brain for IA (or Moderator R)…..please?
Does independent publishing allow you to control book page size? I have always wondered why some favourite author talk about editing down/cutting down the pages because a Publisher says the book is too long?
Are there not expenses in self-publishing that would drive the $3.49 down? For instance, editing, cover design, and audio expenses? Would the 3/4 taken by the publisher include those types of expenses? You’re still making more per unit sold with self-publishing and have less strings, but I’m just curious how those self-publishing expenses factor into your final numbers. In your example, is it really $104,000 or is it $104,000 – (editing) – (cover design) – (audio contract)? If so, then the gap between the advance and self publishing seems to shrink. All that said, I could see how having no strings would be potentially priceless.
Hello SDL,
This has been covered extensively before by House Andrews here https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/hybrid-authors/ and here https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/should-you-have-a-webpage/.
I hope this helps 🙂
I just blew through the whole innkeeper series in 3 days. It is my favorite series of yours. But you don’t mention it and haven’t for awhile. Is it self published? Any chance of another book in the series in the next couple of years?
Thanks for writing such fun, readable books!
Hello Kay,
The Innkeeper series was mentioned earlier this week in this post https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/bestseller-lists-and-blood-heirs-future/ as well as in depth during the Zoom release party which was recorded and posted here https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/answers-to-blood-heir-burning-questions/ . I hope this helps 🙂
I have long ago stopped caring what you say you are going to write, or which genre it is supposed to be & I just buy your books & love them.
I’ve been known to say ‘Oh, not a Hugh book’ (then it turned out I loved it & wanted more)
Then it was, not a Julie book (yep, loved it want more)
I’ve been known to say ‘But I don’t read romances’ (then I find that is what you call your books so guess I was wrong about that too)
So now I just say
If x author writes it, I will buy it & you guys are on my list.
Honestly I’ve never seen a scrap of advertising or a hint you exist outside of Amazon & your website so I don’t know where all that effort goes.
You came up on Amazon as an author other people who read books by a different author also read & I just ended up buying every book you ever wrote.
Think more & more people are like that now.
I’ll just keep hoping for more Innkeeper (but I’ll pretty much take anything you write because it’s always good.)
The flowers are beautiful too, hopefully they’ll inspire you to write who knows what.
I’ll be looking forward to it.
I think people are just freaking out because the “release schedule” only has Ruby Fever listed and it’s scheduled for 2022. They are scared they won’t get a new book release until 22. It’s understandable since many of us readers hunger for your next literary work and the thought of only getting 1 book a year is frustrating.
Anyway… love what you write
Thanks for the answer to my question about Iron Covenant! Glad to hear it’s on the to-do list.
May both Ruby Fever and your upcoming self-published endeavors continue do splendidly. 🙂
Hi Ilona and Andrew – just wanted to thank you so so so so so much for creating the Kate Daniels series. It’s been a life saver for me and it’s become really close to my heart. As a thank you I painted this tiny painting of Kate. Have a lovely day!
I’m hoping for/looking forward to Arabella’s stories. Clearly her hero will have to be as extraordinary as she is. Having several suitors would add drama and tension to the story arc. I don’t think your fans need to have the hero designated at the beginning. I cite the good natured comments of Team Derek and Team Ascanio about who should be the consort of the Princess of Shinar, still a mystery to us after many years, in their time and ours.
Purchased this book yesterday and devoured in about a day. I absolutely loved the return to KD’a world and all the characters within. Much love and thanks to you both.
Craig
I’m just a reader and I have always been annoyed at the disparity in monies divided between publishing companies and the authors. Authors do the hard work, without them, there would be no publishing company. I can’t believe that an author does not get some sort of royalty from future sales. Who came up with that one? The music business sure has it right. The publishing industry needs a shake-up. We are in a new era of technology, where unfortunately, sales for paper print are diminishing, because of ease of reading, you just download, or ease of buying, you sit in the comfort of your home and buy, or ease of reading, I don’t need a lamp to read at night and bother my husband, who can’t sleep with it on, or ease of storage, I don’t need huge bookshelves. Why are the publishing companies so top heavy? Why haven’t they diversified? Downsized? Or used technology to more efficiently breakdown their workloads? Many other fields and companies have to do this. Maybe they have/are, but not passing on the savings. Good on you Ilona Andrews for being self-publishers. Hopefully the times of no recognition and writing being a side-line job a lot of authors has finally come to a halt. You are lucky you are established authors, but this also means you should get more. I thank you for your wonderful hard work, I’m glad I paid for my ebooks and you got more money in your pocket. I hope more ebook type companies pop up and support authors and give the publishing companies a big shake-up. Thank you for your wonderful stories and I will always support you and like authors as much as I can.
I’m trying to post a moment and keep getting that it’s a duplicate one, when it’s not.
Hello Carmen,
I have your previous post. It may not show to you if your browser caches.
Your flowers are beautiful!
Thank you for the self publishing explanation. I learn so much from your blog about your experience.
I’m defrosting a ham my aunt gave me to make dinner. “Why a full size ham?” you ask. Because I don’t have freezer space for a full sized ham no matter how well meaning my aunt is ????.
Well done Gordan! Can I just ask if you’re ever going to do box sets? I read all your books electronically but I love love love the sight of book sets.
Whats for dinner?
Hi IA
This is a little off-topic… and I hear you when you say that you don’t have any release schedule after Ruby Fever. But I was wondering about Innkeeper series!
I see so many comments asking about Hidden Legacy and KD world, but I really miss Sean and Dina. I am so looking forward to solving the mystery of the cat! You have not mentioned this series for a while… I really, really hope that you are planning something of that series, too!
Looking forward to the next book in the series,
A
Hello Aurialis
The Innkeeper series was mentioned earlier this week in this post https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/bestseller-lists-and-blood-heirs-future/ as well as in depth during the Zoom release party which was recorded and posted here https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/answers-to-blood-heir-burning-questions/ . I hope this helps ????
This comment is actually for the next blog post where you are talking about how people misunderstood your taking a year off from traditional publishing, but of course those comments are locked.
I have a refrigerator magnet that says “Do you sometimes wonder if we give God a headache?” I thought it very appropriate-lol.
Also, Congratulations on your sales for Blood Heir!
I have almost all your books electronically. Now I want paper! Love you both! Keep doing what you do so well!!
I feel particularly dense (sorry). Does a break from traditional publishing for a year mean a self-published Blood Heir sequel could still be released during that time?
I ask knowing we don’t get to demand answers. I just like drooling over your books. 🙂
Dear Ilona Andrews,
I want to congratulate you both on your success for Blood Heir! It was a fantastic read and I cannot wait to read the sequels and walk in Aurelia’s shoes.
After devouring the Harry Potter series in my teenage years, I did not run across another book or series that I wanted to devour more than all of your series – Kate Daniels, Hidden Legacy, Innkeeper Chronicles, and Edge. I am thankful to have been introduced to your books. The storylines with compounding character development and rich/vibrant fantasy worlds have left me thoroughly excited to see where your imagination and creativity will take me. Your books give me as much a thrill as solace to walk through parallel worlds where the protagonists’ hearts are filled with love, dignity, and decency as they embark on their thorny yet consequential and transformative legacies despite their circumstances and forseen/unforseen challenges.
Thank you so much for what you do and I am grateful that you were able to overcome the grueling challenges of your early writing career.
Warm wishes and kind regards,
Suma
Thanks so much for showing us how the (e) sausage is made. Since with ebooks there is no intermediates distributor and there is no expense for paper/printing/shipping, I’ve been worried that all of that “savings” wasn’t making it to the authors, especially when a behemoth like Amazon is involved. I’m so glad to hear that the majority of the money makes it to the creators.
Even if you hire professional editors and artists, it sounds like a transition to self-publishing will net you a much better income. Here’s hoping you get all the millions you deserve!
Are you contractually not allowed to sell stories with Kate Daniels because they were traditionally published and the publishers have a claim on it?
If you decided to write a new KD book and wanted to self publish, could you, would you be stopped because of contracts?
I think an authors good Name is the best Marketing and Publicing.
I read all of your books and when I see that you published a new one, I buy it without the need to read the cover. Because I know that you a very good writers and that every book of you is very good. So I think the main thing is that the people see that there is a new book out.
Thank you for making my life happier because I can read your books!
Hi, I just read your post about self publishing for a year and I wish you the best of luck and hope it works out. Personally I was just so excited that you are continuing the Covenant series, I love Hugh.
Now-a-days when buying a book I look through Amazon and see what is coming out, except for my favourite authors such as yourselves who I comb through their websites waiting for new releases. I no longer go into bookstores as I read everything on my ipad. The last last great new author I found was through your recommendation. It was T. A. White, so thank you very much. You guys are at the top of my list of great authors.. Please stay safe during this tragic time. Or better still move to Australia ????
I so enjoy reading your perspective on publishing. I know nothing about the publishing world and I love learning more about it, albeit of course I know this is only one POV… this is one reason why I keep coming back and back to this blog! I would read your books anyway because they are incredible, but I just love the other insights you provide (yarn, kids, house, pets, publishing, books, Russia, relationships, friendship, living space, writing)…. Thank you.
Whatever else is said writing is your profession. You should use your tremendous talent to provide the best lifestyle you can for yourself and your children. It seems to me that you have reached the admirable position in your profession where YOU call the shots! It is definitely time for you to reap all the rewards! I can assure you I will keep buying until the Lord calls me home no matter what avenue you choose.
I am very curious-I am in the Amazon program where I pay a nominal monthly fee each month and then I read selected titles for free. It is just as though I borrow them from the library! When I am done I return the book and go on to another. Do the authors get anything but exposure from this? Why would they allow it? There seems that there is no way there is any financial profit for the author.
I want to add that I am a speed reader and am elderly and sleep very little so I read literally hundreds of books a month!
Congratulations on all your success. I’m with you 100%. It’s a lot of work no matter which publishing path you choose.
I just wanted to respond to the part about Arabella’s story not fitting a standard romance trope – screw it. Most of life doesn’t fit a trope no matter how much we want it to and that’s what makes it beautiful and such a fun ride. I think for Arabella, she’s the youngest and most openly heartfelt and passionate in her actions. She’s had that freedom and so I can very much see her struggling to figure out who her “true love” is. It makes sense that you/we wouldn’t know where she will end up. The Riley Jensen series by Keri Arthur doesn’t follow a standard love story … we think we know but there are so many twists and turns… I loved it. I will love Arabella’s story too.
I love your books because they stand up even without the romance. The romance just makes them juicier. Please write her story… eventually… no pressure. With a publisher who gets it or on your own, I’ll be waiting to read it.
p.s. the flowers are gorgeous <3
Hi, I have a question that I hope someone can answer. A lot of my family likes all of the books in their series to have matching sizes on the shelf and bought all of the Kate Daniels books in mass market paperback. Does anyone know whether a mass market paperback (6.75 inch) book for Magic Triumphs will come out and when? Thank you for any help.