Amanda Hocking

The countdown for the final book in the Kanin Chronicles is now underway. Crystal Kingdom will be out August 4, 2015, and until then, I’ll be posting plenty of trivia, teasers, and exclusive material to get everyone geared for the release.

Releasing the final book in a trilogy is always a bit more scary than the first two books. The first two books are about the building up, the final book is about delivering on that build up. I also took a few risks with Crystal Kingdom that I’d been afraid to do with previous books, and in the battle that Bryn is pulled into, the stakes have never been higher.

Another exciting thing about Crystal Kingdom is that it’s the most encompassing of all the books. You get to see more of the troll world than ever before. For the first time in either the Trylle Trilogy or the Kanin Chronicles, you get to really see all five troll tribes. Plus, Crystal Kingdom features more familiar faces than it’s predecessors (like Finn, Wendy, and Loki).

Some things to look forward over the next 43 days:
giveaways
teaser quotes
Crystal Kingdom excerpts
playlist
inspiraion boards
a prequel novelette called “The King’s Games” (which I’ll be posting for FREE later on this week)

I’m sure there’s more stuff that I’m forgetting, but stay tuned, because it’s going to be fun a month and a half.

If you haven’t preordered Crystal Kingdom yet, and you’d like to, here are some ways you can do it:

iBookstore – for ebook 
Barnes & Noble – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Amazon – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Indiebound – for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Powell’s– for paperback
Books-a-Million– for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Booktopia (Australia) – for paperback 
Waterstones (UK) – for paperback

This is the second post in my three-part series about publishing, writing, and marketing. This first post How I Became a Published Author can be read: here. 

I’m writing this post because I get a lot of questions from both writers and readers wondering about my writing process and where my inspiration comes from. Before I begin, I want to point out two things – the first is that is how I write books. That doesn’t mean it’s the correct way, and it definitely isn’t the only way. It’s just how I do it.

The second is that while many people enjoy my books, they aren’t exactly critically acclaimed, so take any advice I have to give with a grain of salt. I enjoy my books, and I write them to be a fun escape, and I hope that readers find them to be a fun escape. But they are by no means flawless literature, and I am in no way an expert on the art of writing. I am only an expert on writing my books. (more…)

It’s less than two months until the Kanin Chronicles comes to an end with Crystal Kingdom (it hits the shelves August 4, 2015)!!!  I know that probably seems like forever for readers waiting impatiently for the next book, but it’s really been sneaking up on me. I’ve been busy writing under a deadline, and I’m also moving this summer, so I’ve been packing up one house and getting another ready to sell, on top of releasing three books this year, so it’s all been very busy. I keep waiting for life to slow down, but I’ve begun to believe that this is just the pace life moves out now, and I better figure how to keep up.

But I digress. Onto the things that really matter – the sweepstakes for an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of Crystal Kingdom from my publisher. You have until June 14, 2015 to enter for your chance to win one of 25 copies of Crystal Kingdom. (Since this is from my US publisher, it is US only, but I’m sure there will be international giveaways later on this this summer, including at least one from me). Enter: here.

Here’s the cover and official synopsis for Crystal Kingdom, along with places to preorder:

The final book in the Kanin Chronicles trilogy will be out on August 4, 2015…

The one person who can help is her greatest enemy, the enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light… and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holmes and the Trylle kingdom? One thing is certain: an epic battle is underway—and when it’s complete, nothing will ever be the same…

iBookstore – for ebook 
Barnes & Noble – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Amazon – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Indiebound – for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Powell’s– for paperback
Books-a-Million– for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Booktopia (Australia) – for paperback 
Waterstones (UK) – for paperback

This is going to be the first post in a three part series about writing/publishing that I’m doing. The reason is that I still get a lot of questions about publishing, writing, and how I did/do what I did/do. So I thought it would be easiest if I just wrote out at long posts explaining everything, and then I can direct people to these posts instead of writing out individual replies each time.

I’ve done similar things in the past, as seen in these posts: An Epic Tale of How it All Happened, There is No Magic Hand, and Some Things That Need to Be Said. Those posts are older, so I’m doing this as updated post.

Before I do, there is one thing I want to emphasis: There is no magic hand. Meaning there is no trick. I can tell you the things that I did – and I will tell you all the things I did – but that doesn’t mean that you or anyone else will have the same results. In fact, it doesn’t mean that I have the same results. The scariest most honest thing about the publishing industry, whether you self-publish or sign with a traditional publisher or both, is that some books sell and some books don’t, and most of the time, nobody really knows why or how to make it happen again.

This post will be focus on how I started publishing and things that I attribute to the successes I’ve had. In future posts, I’ll focus more directly on my writing process and marketing.

(more…)

Ice Kissed has been out for almost a week, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who picked up a copy and/or left a review for making the first week so great. As an author, it’s always a terrifying releasing a new book, because you never know for sure how people will react to it. Will they like it? Will they hate it? Or worse – what if nobody reads it? 

But thanks to fantastic readers like you, you’ve Ice Kissed‘s first week in the world a great one. I’ve gotten so many lovey, excited, and supportive messages from readers (and I’m still replying to them all, so sorry if I haven’t gotten back to you yet), and it makes all the nerves, anxiety, and sleepless nights that accompany the launch of a new book worthwhile. So thank you guys, VERY MUCH.

If you haven’t picked up Ice Kissed yet, check out this post with links for excerpts, trivia, and places to buy: Ice Kissed is Out!

For those of you that have picked up a copy of Ice Kissed – whether it be ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio, or even a library book – you can enter the Ice Kissed in the Wild contest. It’s going on until Friday, so enter while you still can. The Watersong giveaway has ended, and the winners have been contacted via email. I will have more giveaways to come over the course of the summer, though, so keep an eye out on the Giveaways & Contests.

If you have questions at the end of Ice Kissed – as I know some of you do – I’ll be answering spoiler-y questions over at Goodreads all week, about the Kanin Chronicles and the Trylle Trilogy. So if you want to stop by and ask questions, it’ll be fun. Ask: here.

And finally, people have been asking when the final book in the Kanin Chronicles – Crystal Kingdom – will be out and if it’s available for preorder. The answers are: August 4, 2015 (which is only 85 days from today), and yes, it is available for preorder!

Here’s the official synopsis of Crystal Kingdom, and preorder links below.

The one person who can help Bryn Aven is her greatest enemy, the enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light… and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holmes and the Trylle kingdom? One thing is certain: an epic battle is underway—and when it’s complete, nothing will ever be the same…

iBookstore – for ebook 
Barnes & Noble – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Amazon – for paperback, ebook, hardcover, & audio
Indiebound – for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Powell’s– for paperback
Books-a-Million– for paperback, hardcover, & audio 
Booktopia (Australia) – for paperback 
Waterstones (UK) – for paperback