So here’s a bit of news.
My time with Night Shade Books has largely come to an end.
There are a number of reasons for this. I’m not going to go into all of them. But I think it’s no secret that Night Shade has been having money trouble. There are a lot of reasons for that as well—Borders closing, the continued squeeze on the buying public’s disposable income, their change in distributor—but I don’t really care to dive into that. The fact of the matter was that there were money issues, and that was one of the driving factors behind this decision.
There were also scheduling issues. Night Shade Books is going through a contraction, taking their contracted books and spreading them over the course of a longer period. Basically this means that they’re going from about three books a month to two. What that also means is that some books won’t come out at the same time as originally planned. Mine was one of those. We were looking at a year or more delay on The Flames of Shadam Khoreh, which was frustrating because (a) I didn’t hear that news until only recently and (b) the book is ready now. Finding readers is hard enough without having a two-year gap between books, so this was obviously not an ideal situation.
We talked about some possibilities to resolve the situation, to try to recapture the market for these books. We talked about a print-on-demand version this year, followed by a more traditional release later, and we hashed over the money issues a bit and tried to find some common ground. In the end, though, I felt it was better if we parted ways. Night Shade gave these books a life, and I’m thankful for that, but the truth is I’ll be able to put a lot more effort into the release of the third book than they will right now. Let me be clear about this, though. There’s no bad blood between us. They’ll continue to sell the trade versions of The Winds of Khalakovo and The Straits of Galahesh, while I’ll release The Flames of Shadam Khoreh and also re-release the e-versions of Books 1 and 2.
I’m excited about taking the reins. I’m excited about taking this directly to readers. I’m excited about rebranding the series. I have a ton of plans for the release, including a Kickstarter for the third book.
What I’m most excited about, though, is how the trilogy finished. It turned out really well. I’m so pleased with it. If you enjoyed WINDS and STRAITS, you’re going to love FLAMES.
I’ll have more news soon, including a post where I reveal the new cover design for all three books.
Until then, thanks everyone, for all your support.
Jo Anderton sent me a link to this post.
I’m sorry that your time with your publisher had to end like this, but you have a really positive and enthusiastic outlook on the next step of your writing journey. Good luck to you!
Thanks so much, Rabia. I don’t tend to spend a lot of mental effort on negative things. And I’m really excited about the possibilities! There’s something to be said for being in control of your own fate.
If you ever manage to bottle the ability to not dwell on negative things, I’d be happy to buy a case or two off you. *wry smile*
I’ve self-published a few things over the past year and it is a lot of fun (nerve-wrecking at times, but mostly fun!).
Do you know what this might mean for the audiobook of book 3? Will Audible deal directly with you or have they already purchased the rights?
That’s one of the wrinkles we’re working through. Audible bought all three books last summer, so that should still be on track, but those rights still need to be transferred. I’m hoping audio will be released about the same time, but I have no control over it.
That’s good news. Thanks for the reply.
This is sad news, Brad. Doubly so in that NSB hasn’t been able to iron out its problems, and that things still look grim for them.
All the same, best of luck to you with self-publishing. If you need anything from me, just holler!
Thanks, Abhinav. And will do!
Sorry to hear about the bumps in the road, but I have no doubt you’ll move forward with both style and professionalism.
And I’m very much looking forward to FLAMES!
Thanks very much, Blair. That’s very heartening to hear!
Good luck!! You’re the perfect person for this; totally motivated and great books. I hope it all goes swimmingly for you!
Thanks, Betsy. Just today I registered the ISBNs for my new titles. Pretty liberating, actually!
I hear traditional publishing is on the way out anyway. Blaze a new trail for yourself and you’ll do it for others as well. Good Luck!!
Thanks, Shaun. I think the hybrid author is here to stay.
Ack, my RSS feed didn’t show me this post.
The publishing industry world is as storms as the seas around Khalakovo. So, why not try sailing into the air instead of just remaining in the waters.
I wish you the best of luck and success with the hybrid model and am eager to read the third book.
Thanks, Paul. Third book is headed your way very soon now.
“Hybrid” is the way to go…I applaud Brad on this move – and predict it will be very good for his career.
Thanks much, Michael. Here’s hoping!
Brad, how does this impact publication date?
Otherwise congratulations for being picked up by a more solvent publisher.
Steve
Thanks, Steve. More info soon, but the basic timeline is: a Kickstarter in March/April for a book release in May. Exact dates still TBD, but I’ll announce here as soon as those firm up.
Oh, wonderful! I’ve heard great things about your books and have been waiting to dive in until the third book was announced. Just bought the first two.
That’s awesome, Melissa. Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the tale!
Hi, Brad,
These books have been on my wishlist for years. I almost bought a Kindle version today, but I’d rather wait until all three ebooks are in your hands so I can feel confident that the proceeds from my purchase will go directly to you.
Please make a big announcement when that happens.
Cheers,
Kary
Hi Kary. Thanks for the note, and thanks for the support! I have my rights back now and am selling the ebooks on Amazon directly. You can find Winds and Straits here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BNX6KMA?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00BNX6KMA&linkCode=xm2&tag=quillingscom-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQMMLJE/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BQMMLJE&linkCode=as2&tag=quillingscom-20
I hope you enjoy the tale!