Next update May 8
Wow – almost a month since my last entry.
Since my last update my life has mostly been on cruise control. Made one of my many trips to Vegas; had fun and lost money as usual. Played lots of golf, watched the Masters and enjoyed seeing my Spurs lock up the top seed in the NBA regular season. Now, as the playoffs loom, it’s time for me to get back into work mode.
As most of you probably already know, my current project is my Chaos Born fantasy trilogy. The first book – Children of Fire – has been out in hardcover and e-book since August; and it’s finally coming out in paperback on May 6. (Just click on the link to pre-order!)
Even though Children of Fire has already been out for over half a year, I’m still excited by the paperback release. There are fans out there who don’t want to buy a hardcover book, so this should open my trilogy up to a whole new audience. There are rumors Del Rey might even be doing a giveaway of the paperback at some of the bigger Cons this year. So far I can only confirm a giveaway at C2E2 in Chicago; but I expect lots of other opportunities for fans to get their hands on the first book of the series in the next few months. (Follow me on Twitter to get the latest details on any special giveaways!)
Unfortunately, I won’t be there to sign the copies for you. I was hoping to get to C2E2 – and maybe even some of the other Cons this year – but life, schedules and other factors have conspired against me. And maybe it’s for the best: I’m still writing book 3 in the series, so a summer jammed with Con appearances might pull my focus away from the brilliant conclusion.
And what about book 2 of the series, The Scorched Earth? Don’t worry, that book is finished and we have a firm release date: August 19. (Just click on the link to pre-order the book now!) In my next update I’m going to talk a little bit more about what readers can expect in The Scorched Earth. And I’ll also share some interesting tidbits about the nuts-and-bolts of production for those who are curious how a book goes from author to editor to publisher to bookstores… but that’s for next week.
For now, I’ll just talk about something a few fans have noticed and asked me about. The Scorched Earth will be coming in e-book, audio and paperback formats, but there isn’t going to be a hardcover edition. There are lots of reasons behind this decision, many of them having to do with the economics of the book publishing industry and the way bookstores stock hardcovers vs paperbacks. Basically, it just doesn’t make financial sense to do a hardcover version right now.
I realize some fans will be disappointed by this; especially those who want to have a matching collection of the entire series on their bookshelves. The only solace I can offer is that if you’ve already bought a hardcover version of Children of Fire, then it’s going to be a collector’s item. So I guess if you’re into that kind of thing, you could click on the link and order a hardcover version before they sell out. (Wait – is this just a scheme to get a last push of hardcover sales for my novel? Maybe…)
And remember, if you want me to sign your hardcover Children of Fire copy – or any book or game I’ve worked on – you can send it to the address on my CONTACT page and I’ll happily autograph it for you. For free. Just remember: you have to include return postage if you want me to send it back. Seriously, YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE RETURN POSTAGE! I’ve had people send me stuff without it, and I won’t pay out of my own pocket to send it back – that doesn’t seem fair to me. (I probably make a lot less than you think I do, and I can’t afford to pay to ship books all over the world. Even for my loyal fans.)
Okay, sorry about the scolding. I guess that’s all for this update. Next update: insider info on The Scorched Earth and an inside look at the many stages a manuscript goes through before it reaches the public. You’ll probably be surprised at how involved it all is. Until then: go, Spurs, go!