It’s here! Yesterday, the fine folks at My Bookish Ways revealed the cover for my new paranormal thriller, THE YOUNGER GODS.
And here it is in all of its glory:
THE YOUNGER GODS will be published by Pocket Star on all ebook platforms this October 13th. You can find pre-order links here.
Today I remember Graham Joyce, one of my teachers at Clarion West, who passed away this afternoon after a long battle with cancer.
Graham was the instructor the week we critiqued the original short story version of “Shield and Crocus.” Graham encouraged me to go and write the story as a novel. He also taught me about dialogue and about how to break apart revision tasks in a way that made it seem doable.
He was with us for the third week of the workshop, when nearly all of us were locked into a somber routine of spending all of our time writing and critiquing. Graham gathered us up and took us out to the pub – he took us out pretty much every day that week, leading by example to show us how to build community as writers, how to balance work and play, to enjoy ourselves after putting a hard day’s work.
I got to see Graham last fall at World Fantasy in Brighton, along with several of my Clarion West classmates. As ever, Graham was warm, smart, and supportive, giving generously of his time to catch up with us.
Graham brought great work into this world, and his warmth and insights moved many in the community. He will be remembered.
If you’re not familiar with Graham’s work, I’d recommend The Tooth Fairy, which I read before heading to Clarion West. You might also try his recent The Year of the Ladybird.
At this year’s ReaderCon, I was chatting with a couple of friends and colleagues about the need for fantasy/sf books at different levels, from 100 level all the way up to graduate level (500-700), applying a US University curriculum numbering gloss. That got a positive response, and so I expanded it into a short essay, which went up on Tor.com and sparked a good amount of chatter.
If you haven’t done so yet, here’s the link to the essay. Since there’s been quite a response, I think I’ll be expanding it further, so stay tuned.
by Leo Reynolds – Creative Commons 2.0 (by-nc-sa)
Hi folks,
I hope to see many of you at LonCon 3 this week, where I’ll be supporting participating in panels, Angry Robot Authors, and having my first ever Literary Beer event at a very British hour of 11 AM. Expect publishing gossip, geekery, and/or marketing secrets.
On Wednesday at 6PM, I’ll be at Forbidden Planet for the Angry Robot/Titan event.
My LonCon schedule:
Thursday
Tolkien Society Presents: The Unpayable Debt?
18:00 – 19:00, Capital Suite 13 (ExCeL)
Friday
Diversity in Comic Books: The Good, The Bad, and the Missing
12:00 – 13:30, Capital Suite 8 (ExCeL)
Cities: Where, Who, Why? (Moderating)
18:00 – 19:00, Capital Suite 10 (ExCeL)
Saturday
Literary Beer
11:00 – 12:00, The Bar (ExCeL)
Autographing 1 – Michael R. Underwood
15:00 – 16:30, Autographing Space (ExCeL)
Sunday
The Fantastic Now
13:30 – 15:00, Capital Suite 16 (ExCeL)
I’ll also be attending the Hugo Awards as a part of the Skiffy and Fanty Show, nominated for Best Fancast! I will treasure my rocket pin for all time.
All signs are pointing toward a huge, exciting convention, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!
Shield and Crocus is the SFF Kindle Daily Deal today, on sale for just $1.99.
This means if you’ve been meaning to buy the book and haven’t gotten around to it, today’s your day to take the plunge.
And if you’ve already bought the book, and loved it, this is a great chance to buy a copy to send to a friend who you think would enjoy it </subtle>
The KDD is a big deal in the ebook sales world, so I’d love any signal-boosting folks could give. I’ve prepared a ready-made tweet for you to ease the process:
Monsters, heroes, and a city built in the bones of a titan – SHIELD AND CROCUS, a Kindle Daily Deal for just $1.99 http://amzn.to/1v16jVZ
Hi folks,
I’m working on beefing up my newsletter as a way to reach out to readers directly, good marketing strategy and all.
As an incentive, I’m going to release the original short story version of “Shield and Crocus” written at Clarion West in 2007 to my newsletter when I hit 50 subscribers. And if we hit 50 before the end of August, I’ll do a subscribers-only giveaway of a Cool Prize.
A few weeks ago, I recorded an episode of Rocket Talk, the Tor.com podcast, with host Justin Landon. We talked about Planescape, the New Weird, SHIELD AND CROCUS (as a new weird/superhero mashup), and then we had a bonus discussion about urban fantasy).
You can listen to the episode here.
Since I didn’t get to mention it during the chat, I want to plug a couple works that I think are worth looking at as part of a broader discussion of the New Weird and its effects:
THE CRAFT SEQUENCE (starting with THREE PARTS DEAD) by Max Gladstone
THE MIRROR EMPIRE by Kameron Hurley
and because it doesn’t get talked up enough, THE ETCHED CITY by KJ Bishop.
Happy listening!
Earlier this week, news leaked out about Kindle Unlimited, an ebook subscriptions service for $9.99 a month, with a title list of over 600,000 titles, including Amazon Publishing titles, self-published titles, and several big-name exclusives.
The program is now live, and there are details on the page.
Terms – or ‘How Are Authors and Publishers Getting Paid?’
What that page *doesn’t* mention is how authors/publishers are paid.
UPDATE: There was a miscommunication on my contact’s part, and the content that was previously here is not meant to be public. As a result, I’ve redacted the term details.
UPDATE: I’ve received one confirmation from a self-published author (J.S. Morin) that their KDP Select titles were automatically included in KU. And the KDP Select page has been update to include KU as a feature. Interestingly, I’ve spotted at least one title I thought was on KDP Select but does not appear to be in KU. This may merely be a blip, however.
Takeaway
Unless the terms are terrible for authors across a variety of publishers, Kindle Unlimited is likely to create very stiff competition for the existing ebook subscription services such as Oyster and Scribd. It’ll be interesting to see how much volume of sales KU generates, and whether that changes other ebook purchasing habits. I see the subscription model as being best for voracious readers who want versatility as well as depth of selection, vs. less high-volume readers who may need to be more selective in their purchases, and will probably continue to shop based on individual authors and titles.
The publishing seas continue to change quickly, as they have for several years. May the winds be at your back, and a friend at your side come the next storm.
And to be mercenary for a moment, if you sign up for Kindle Unlimited, Shield and Crocus is in fact one of those titles you can read as part of the free trial. *wink wink*
You know how ducks swimming along look all chill, but if you look under the water, they’re paddling away? That’s me, right now. I’ve got a bunch of balls in the air, so I’ve been spending more time traveling for work, writing, and submitting than on blogging.
Here’s what I’m up to right now:
1) Doing a read-through of Hexomancy to set revision objectives. I’m 251 pages into a 318 page document, and so far, I think Hexomancy is the sharpest, most fun Ree Reyes story yet. I’m really happy with the rough, so I think revision should go fairly smooth.
2) Working with Agent Sara on project proposals to send out into the world. This includes the project Formerly Known As Metaphysical Fencing Academy as well as another project from from PITCHAPALOOZA. The third thing prepping to make the rounds is a Shiny New Idea that I’m particularly excited about.
3) Developing the Shiny New Idea. Said Shiny New Idea is especially exciting because it was created in direct response to my Business Brain going to Creative Brain like it was a TV executive or an editor and said “Hey, Creative Brain. I want to do X thing, business-wise, so bring me a saleable idea that fits models X and Y, preferably in Genre Q.” And Shiny New Idea was the result. I have so many different ideas that I get excited by that it was actually fun to give myself a market-based challenge, saying “I dare you (self) to come up with something cool that fits this business agenda,” and then to do it.
Guacamelee – by Drink Box Studios
In addition, I’ve been really enjoying a video game called Guacamelee, a Castlevania/Metroid-style Mexican Fantasy game starring a Luchador. It’s pleasantly bonkers, and really rather hard, especially since my USB controller doesn’t work with my laptop. I’d play on my desktop, but that’s hooked up to my standing desk, and I’m still recovering from the knee injury from back in February (I got X-Rays, so Medical Responses are in progress).
Other than that, I’m coming up to NYC this weekend to lead a Writecraft workshop at WORD Bookstore in Brooklyn. Hope to see you there!
June was a whirlwind, and now moving into July, we’ve come through the eye of the PROMONADO and are now going through the second half, with CONvergence and ReaderCon, as well as more podcastery.
Today, I’m on Adventures of Sci-Fi Publishing, talking about SHIELD AND CROCUS, Tor.com’s new imprint, the Hachette/Amazon situation, and more. There’s also a giveaway for a SHIELD AND CROCUS bundle (paperback, audiobook, ebook).
And just a couple of days before that, my spot on the Reader/Writer podcast went live.
Fangirl Nation has a review of CELEBROMANCY– “a creative look at an intricate movie culture and works as a commentary on the power of that culture. Underwood continues to write a series that is engaging, filled with pop culture references and entertaining to boot.”
SHIELD AND CROCUS gets a mention on Literologie’s Summer Reading List.
And lastly, I squee about Beth Cato’s THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER for Tor.com’s Writers on Writing segment.
