Amanda HockingQuick Reminder
Just a quick reminder, folks: I’m unpublishing Torn and Ascend tonight at midnight (Central time), and they go down almost immediately. So this is your last chance to buy them until February and April 2012, respectively.
If you miss them today, it’s not that big of a deal, because they will be out in a few months, which a much shorter amount of time then George R. R. Martin fans have to wait for the next book to come out. So comparitively, it’s not big thing.
Plus, the new editions of the Trylle Trilogy coming out with St. Martin’s in early 2012 have a little something extra with them that I think fans of the series will dig. I’ll explain more about that next week.
Sometime next week, there should be a big cover reveal for all three books. It was going to be Monday, but we’re doing some last minute cover changes, so it might be at the end of next week or possibly the week after. I will let you know as soon as I get the exact date. But trust me, the covers are worth the wait.
For those of you wondering why I’ve unpublished the Trylle Trilogy, please read these blogs, which explain it all:
And Yet Another Announcement (from May 5, 2011)
Good News, Everyone (from July 26, 2011)
A Bit More on My Decision… (from July 28, 2011)
In conclusion: I’m sorry for any inconvenience this has caused any of you, and I appreciate those of you that bear with me through this transition.
But the fact is: I’m really excited. Not just about what this all means for the books, but what’s going on for you, the readers. I literally cannot wait for you guys to see what we have up our sleeves. I’m going to start revealing a bit more next week, but until you guys get the books in your hands next year, I’m going to be sitting on pins and needles.
And I’m leaving you with this awesome song that I’m sorta of obsessed with right now:
EDIT: Based on my previous experience with unpublishing Switched last week, Torn and Ascend will NOT disappear from your Kindle or nook if you’ve already purchased them. (One reader did recommend backing them on your hard drive, just be on the safe side, because apparently, Amazon can and does very rarely remove books from you device wirelessly, but it cannot remove them from you hard drive.)
The books are however unavailable for lending. I was unaware that this would happen before unpublishing Switched. When questioned about it, Amazon basically stated that they couldn’t do anything about it and it was up to the publisher. Since I am the publisher, and I’m fine with them them being lended, I’m not exactly sure who it is up to then. I apologize for that.
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adelfa says: amanda,
i read the Trylle Trilogy sometime last year. the pre-published on my e-reader. i am just wondering if there were significant changes and that if maybe i should pick up the published versions now. please let me know. by the way i loved it from start to end.thanks!
Anonymous says: Amanda,
I bought Switched along with some other great bargain books (on my kindle) a few months ago. I didn’t get to reading it until last week. Their is really no way to get the next book until 2012? Can someone lend it to me from their Kindle? Or has that option been deactivated? I’m really left hanging here. Any suggestions? Please reply to katesayen@excite.com
Anonymous says: I am very disappointed that cannot download the other books in the Trylle series. I finally had time to read once my classes were done and loved the Switched book. Now, I am stuck because I can’t even have my friend lend them to me. I think it was a poor decision to take them off Amazon without an e-mail to every person who purchased Switched. Not really thinking about those who purchased your book.
Anonymous says: I just finished reading Switched. I am not happy that i can not purchase the next book for my nook. I had faith that the next one would be there for my nook. But alas, it was not. I am a bit perturbed, maybe because i finished this book at 2:30 am.
kendalle says: I think its great the books will be out in paper back, honestly there are people i want to have read the books that are pro-holding the real book in their hand and even if the prices raise in future books i love amanda and will continue to read the books.
Kara says: OMG!!! I just finished Torn and popped on to buy Ascend and it’s gone!!! Noooooooooo!!! I knew I should have bought it when I finished reading Switched 🙁 This is going to be the longest 6 months ever! So mean Amanda to get me hooked!
However it’s great to see your books will be reaching a wider population soon.
Well done!
Now, I’m going to buy the My Blood Approves series right away!!
🙂
LOL Robin, you are very sweet.
Thanks for the in depth explanation Amanda, I know you have gone over it before and I appreciate you taking the time to rehash it here. BTW WHEN is the cover reveal, I am DYING!
Anonymous says: Amanda, thank you very much for your explanation. I wish you the very best success with your transition to traditional publishing and anything else you decide to do.
As for ajkulig, I will put aside the response prepared and call it a day.
Hi. This is me, Amanda, host of this blog.
I should’ve stepped in earlier to moderate comments, but I was actually fairly busy today.
But I’m here now. And here’s what I have to say about some of the things that have been said:
1. My ebook sales have been steadily dropping over the last few months, I think in large part because I have “tapped out” (for lack of a better term) the current ereader market. Meaning that unless something else drastic happens – i.e. a major marketing campaign, my ebook sales are just going to drop or possibly plateau. The point is that I need to do something new to reach a new audience.
2. Regardless of anyone is happy about the decision, I can’t back out of things now, even if I wanted to (which I don’t) because it would be a serious breach of contract, and that would cost me lots and lots of money. So I’m going to move forward with things as they are set up. But I am doing that because I want to.
3. The only way an author can get books in stores like Target and Walmart is with a publisher. Theoretically, you could do it with Createspace, but I’ve never heard of that happening. Even with a publisher, it’s still difficult to do. I would like to be able to reach the 50-80% of the market that doesn’t own ereaders, and the best way to do that is by getting books in stores. And guys, please remember, the paperbacks are incredibly cheap. Seriously. I envision most of the sales coming through paperbacks, as the paperbacks are a heck of a steal. If the ebook is too expensive for you, don’t buy the ebook. But the paperback instead or check it out from the library or borrow it from a friend. That’s the whole point of this. To give people more options, to make it more accessible to readers.
4. Each writer has a different career. Stephen King’s was vastly different than Stephanie Meyer’s. Douglas Addams is different from George R. R. Martin. And my career is way different than what’s been seen so far. So nobody – not even me – can really be certain how this will all turn out. I just try to think carefully about each decision, weigh the pros against the cons, and try to come up with the best solution for my books, my readers, and myself. I might screw up and I might totally fail. That’s true. But I think the risk is worth at least trying. And we’ll all see how it goes from here.
5. I know ajkulig from the Twitter. She’s one of my tweeps. I think that’s why she reacted so intensely. And in all my Twitter interactions with her, she’s been very nice and sane. She was just hurt on my behalf and trying to defend me. And I appreciate that, but I think things got a little out of control here.
6. I allow anonymous comments because I want to keep the discussion open. It’s true that people are more likely to express negativity when they’re anonymous, but that’s part of the reason I leave it open too. I want to hear what people think about things, even if its sometimes unpleasant to hear. So far, I’ve had no reason to change that. If I do feel people are being outlandishly mean or trolling around, I might change that in the future, but I don’t feel that was the case here.
7. Let’s all play nice here. This is just a silly little blog where I talk about nothing of importance. There is no need to take things personally here.