Almost October 2021
Are you thinking about holiday gifts, pre-orders, and supply chain?
Publishing’s supply chain issues have come in for a lot of discussion recently, for good reason. The short version is that paper shortages, labor shortages, and shipping delays mean shortages and delays in multiple points along the publishing chain.
This article at Publishers Weekly gives more detail. I’m also linking a post from Book Riot.
What does this mean for the consumer (much less the author)?
Please pre-order print books you are looking forward to rather than waiting to order them when they hit the store (obviously if you read e-books, a pre-order is a lovely way to support a forthcoming release but won’t impact your ability to read the book the same day or week or possibly month it is released).
Publishers have already scheduled a print run for a forthcoming book, and the more pre-orders they get, the more likely they will order enough print books to cover release week buyers. It’s a huge help to authors to pre-order their book at this time. A book that goes out of print due to demand, or a book that came out a year ago and needs to go back to print, may well see delays; many are already “temporarily out of stock” because they sold out and the publisher can’t schedule with a printer to reprint immediately.
For example, last spring I read Ken Liu’s THE VEILED THRONE, book three in his Dandelion Dynasty four volume saga. It’s fantastic expansive silkpunk epic fantasy chockfull of action, technology, politics, intriguing characters, and Ken’s trademark intelligence and cleverness that he brings to all his work. The series starts with THE GRACE OF KINGS . Book three is released on November 2, 2021. Order it now!
I’m currently reading an advanced copy of Fonda Lee’s JADE LEGACY, the third of her Green Bone Saga (starts with JADE CITY). Fonda has taken the sensibility of epic fantasy and seamlessly melded it with the aesthetic of a 1970s Hong Kong John Woo action film. This is another series with scope, action (often quite violent as per its influences), and wonderful character studies. It releases on November 30, 2021, and is another example of a book readers should probably pre-order to make sure they get a copy before it goes back to press (and maybe sees delays).
For myself, I recently pre-ordered the collected volume of the 12 issues of N.K. Jemison’s FAR SECTOR comic. I don’t read comics regularly and wanted to wait for the collected edition, which releases on October 19, 2021.
Pre-ordering is a small thing any reader (like me!) can do that helps writers during a tough time.
Don’t forget: You can pre-order SERVANT MAGE, which releases on January 18, 2022, a fantasy novella by ME published by Tordotcom Publishing.
Of SERVANT MAGE, Publishers Weekly says: “In limited space, Elliott builds a refreshingly complex world with a magic system not linked to familial lineage and with realistically thorny politics, as neither the Liberationists nor the Monarchists are depicted as infallibly good for the people. Fans of epic fantasy will enjoy this feast of magical characters navigating a gritty, morally gray world..” ** (CW at end of newsletter)
It also has an AMAZING cover illustration by Tommy Arnold, which means the print edition will look remarkably lovely on your splendid bookshelf.
If you are trying to find a print copy of one of my books and it seems to be out of stock through your favorite bookstore (new bookstore sales as well as library loans help authors the most), please feel free to contact me. My bookstore is temporarily off line because I couldn’t figure out how to make the program calculate shipping costs properly.
For example, I have a couple of complete sets of the US trade paperback Spiritwalker Trilogy (Cold Magic, Cold Fire, Cold Steel), a few complete sets of Court of Fives (Buried Heart seems to be out of print and unlikely to be reprinted). I also have copies of Black Wolves (also no longer available in a new print edition, only used). Unconquerable Sun should be available in stores although please let me know if it is not. I no longer have any full sets of Crown of Stars (either in hardcover or paperback) but I have a random assortment of individual volumes in mass market paperback, so if you’re interested, inquire. If you are interested in The Crossroads Trilogy, inquire.
Books ordered now can reach you via media mail (in the USA) by the holidays. Be aware that shipping costs from the USA to any place outside the USA have gone up astronomically in the last five years, to my bitter disappointment. The best contact address remains ke@imakeupworlds.com
Back in July on my Patreon I published this deep dive into my reflections on Crown of Stars.
I’m currently running a (free to public) series on Revisions and Revising on the Patreon, 2 posts a month; I’ll link to those next newsletter.
Meanwhile . . .
TWO EVENTS THIS WEEK!
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 Time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm (Central Time)
A celebration of the work of MARTHA WELLS! I’ll be among the authors and editors and readers talking about our love for the work of Martha Wells (Murderbot, The Tales of the Raksura, The Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy, and many more). This event is open to all, via streaming. You do need to register. More information through this link.
Friday October 1, 2021 at 8 pm (Mountain Time)
Old Firehouse Books (Colorado) hosts NEON YANG and me to celebrate the release of their TENSORATE OMNIBUS (a set of four linked novellas in a fantastic epic world). More information here including the always complicated time (8 pm MT) given that the bookstore, Neon, and myself are all in different time zones and, in fact, thousands of miles apart. Free and open to all, via streaming.
** CW: SERVANT MAGE deals with the aftermath of a brutal civil war. It contains scenes of violence and death including an infanticide (there is a also a baby who survives).
In other news, I have turned in a new novella (really a short novel ) to Tordotcom Publishing. It is my first contemporary fantasy and features portals, dragons, and one very pissed off mom, with a bit of a Leverage meets the multiverse vibe. More on that later when I can tell you more.
FINNNNNNNNNN
Thank you, all. I cannot do this strange and wild gig without you.
Kate Elliott